What Is The Fastest Growing Bonsai?

Some bonsai will grow a lot faster than others, but trying to say exactly what the fastest growing bonsai is, is quite hard to determine.

There is no easy answer as there can be a number of factors that can affect things. The main factor is of course the species. Some species will just out pace others.

I will go through what I have found to be the fastest growing species and then some factors that can affect this.

Fastest Growing Bonsai 

The following trees are my choices from my personal experience from growing a wide number of different species.

Portulacaria Afra

For me, the portulacraia afra is my top pick for fast growing bonsai species. I own a number of different species and I can easily say that this has been the quickest one to develop and the terrifying thing is I have it in a very small pot.

I can only imagine how much it would have grown if it had more space. I was genuinely shocked at how fast it has developed.

The climate I have given it under the grow light is very optimal for it and it just explodes with growth. I know it’s a succulent, so a lot of people will say it’s not legit, but I think when you look at it, it has all the characteristics of a bonsai.

Perhaps the fact that it is a succulent is what gives it the edge to grow so aggressively, but either way, it’s impressively fast. If you want to develop a tree rather quickly, this would be my number one choice. I think they look great and they are easy to care for.

They just grow and grow and they do it aggressively. For me, portulacaria afra are the fastest growing bonsai.    

(You can read in more detail about what I think of this tree – Is Portulacaria Afra  A Good Tree For Bonsai?)

Pomegranate

Pomegranate is another tree that shocked me. I started my trees from seeds and I planted them in November, thinking I would not see anything until spring. By the end of December they had already germinated and where a few inches tall.

I have a number of pomegranates and again the ones I have been keeping inside in the more optimal conditions just explode with growth. They are a Mediterranean tree so they really appreciate the extra light and temperature I can give them inside.

Again, I have been growing them in quite small pots, yet their growth is insane. The one I am growing outside is in a much bigger pot, but the lower light levels really slow it down.

I have often been pruning my pomegranate monthly. It just keeps bouncing back and growing extremely aggressively.  While my tree is far from perfect, it has come a long way in a short amount of time.    

If you have a decent climate and some room for a big pot I would highly recommend pomegranate for bonsai. They are seriously fast growers and they are actually awesome trees. They respond really well to bonsai techniques.

(You can read in more detail about what I think of this tree – Is Pomegranate A Good Tree For Bonsai?)

Other Fast Trees

I also own the following species and I think if their growth rates are very impressive. I think given the right conditions these trees would take off like rockets. I just haven’t quite got their conditions right to see the best results.

Chinese Elm

The Chinese elm is a very popular massed produced beginner tree and one of the main reasons why this tree is exactly this, is due to its speed of growth.

Chinese elm cuttings can be taken and grown into something sale worthy very quickly. Once I bought mine I pretty much left it unchecked and it really took off. The growth rate is pretty fast, you can easily see how these trees are able to be developed quite fast.

Of course the trees that you buy are a mess, with no real structure, but that is a different issue, the good news is that you can prune this right back and start again and it will not take long to rebuild the tree, but this time properly.  

(You can read in more detail about what I think of this tree – Is A Chinese Elm A Good Tree For Bonsai?)

Privet

Privet is a very common hedge around my area and that is due to its ability to grow quickly and densely. It doesn’t take long until you have a thick wall of foliage blocking out your neighbours.

This means that it is a fast growing bonsai. However, the problem is that it can take a long time to thicken the trunk up. If you are able to start with a good piece of material, such a thick stump from a hedge, you can take this and then very quickly develop it into a bonsai. In this situation you have all the thickness you need and growing branches will not take that long.

Privet is also able to still grow very quickly in my climate, unlike the other options I’ve suggested here, that really prefer a better climate.   

(You can read in more detail about what I think of this tree – Is Privet A Good Tree For Bonsai?)

Ficus

There are a number of ficus’ used for bonsai and pretty much all of them have a rapid growth rate.

My ficus Benjamina grows extremely quickly, but I feel its small pot hampers it. If I could increase the pot size, I think this would be a contender for the top spot.

Ficus roots also grow roots very quickly, so you will find that your pot can get full within weeks. This can of course affects the growth rate and you will find that it starts to slow down as the pot gets too full. However, for that initial period, a ficus is one of the fastest growing bonsai you can have. 

(You can read in more detail about what I think of this tree- Is Ficus Benjamina A Good Tree For Bonsai?)

How Fast Is Fast?

I think it is important to remember before you rush out to buy the fastest trees for bonsai, that it still takes time. Fast in bonsai terms may still be 10 years, which is actually pretty long.

You are never going to be able to get a tree and grow it quickly. You can certainly make a lot of progress quite quickly, but to actually get a tree to look like a decent bonsai it is still going to take a lot of years, so is it really that fast?

Probably not, but compared to some trees that may take a 100 years to get to similar stage, I guess it is fast. 

Factors That Affect Bonsai Growing Speed

The speed your bonsai will grow really depends on a number of factors and you need these to be at their optimum level to get best results. You can have two identical trees and if one of these factors is different you will find the change in growth rates is incredibly different.

(You can read more about – What Is The Growth Rate Of A Bonsai Tree?)

Climate

The amount of light, temperature and water you tree gets will drastically change how fast they can grow. I have a number of trees that live inside under a grow light and outside in the natural climate.

I have really noticed the difference in being able to give a tree its optimal climate. The difference is night and day.

This is really why you should grow trees that are native to your area, as they are going to be best suited to your climate and always be at the optimum levels and grow well.  

Size Of The Pot

Pot size can affect how fast a tree grows. If you want your tree to grow faster, plant it in a bigger pot. It’s really rather simple. The more space it has, the more it can stretch out and grow, as well as the fact it will have more access to oxygen and water in a bigger pot, which is what it needs to grow.

If you really want to take your speed to the next level, then plant it in the ground where it will get unlimited space and resources soit will really grow fast.  

(You can read more about – How and Why To Grow A Bonsai In The Ground)

Stage Of Development

Where you tree is in its bonsai development will also affect how quickly it grows. If you have a seedling, it’s probably going to grow a lot faster than a 50 year old tree.

However, at the same time, a 50 year old tree is probably going to look a lot more established as a bonsai, compared to a seedling.

This really means how you evaluate how fast a tree is growing will really depend on what you are doing with it and what you are expecting from it.

Conclusion

Growing a bonsai is a slow process. We must not forget this.

However, some species certainly grow a lot faster than others and if we provide the right conditions such as a good climate and a good pot size, we can really speed up the process.

This means we should be able to shortcut things and it might only take a couple of years to get the bonsai to where we want to be, rather than a few decades.

(You can read more about – How Can You Speed Up Growing A Bonsai?)