Sprouting from scratch

There's a great deal of pleasure in watching the early development of a plant and you'll have complete control over its shape.

Some nurseries and mail order companies specialise in seeds and seedlings for bonsai culture. Being such small items, they are quite economical to ship and usually are not disturbed by travel.

In sowing seeds, spread granular soil in the bottom of a flat container and add a layer of regular soil.
The layer should be a couple of inches deep to permit early root development and the soil should have a good proportion of sharp sand for drainage.

Make furrows or prick holes same depth and put in the seeds about three inches apart firming the soil back over them. Water with a fine spray that won't wash the soil away.

Keep the container in a place that gets morning but not strong afternoon sun as this will dry the soil too much and too fast. Keep the soil watered and pluck out any weeds that get started.

Waiting for seeds to sprout can be like waiting for a pot to boil, but one day a little spot of green appears and soon develops into a few inches of seedling stretching above the soil.

Hard-shelled seeds (such as apricot, peach and almond) should be soaked in water overnight before being planted. Such seeds can even be started in water indoors.

Seedlings you have raised should stay in the container for a year. Keep alert for pests, such as slugs, snails, and earwigs who thrive on tender leaves.

At the end of a year, cut and lift the seedlings out with a knife, much like you would slice out portions of a cake. Trim the roots back by about a third, without knocking off all the soil. Pot the seedling in an ordinary clay pot or even a very small bonsai container if you want to enjoy it in its adolescence, adding fresh soil below and around the root ball.

Once the seedling is in a container you can start its training as a bonsai. Prune the branches and wire them, if needed.
These miniature or mame (pronounce it mommy) bonsai can be kept in tiny pots for up to five years or until the plant starts to visually overpower the container.

About this time, the seedling should be put into a regular bonsai container.
If you don't care to enjoy the seedlings as mame bonsai, plant them right in the ground in a corner of the garden or some place where they'll receive good watering and won't be stepped on.

If you plant more than one, keep about two feet of space between them to allow for root growth. Keeping seedlings in the ground for a year or two allows them to grow faster. While in the ground, they can be branch pruned and wired. In the spring before the buds have opened, you can take them up as you would a tree collected in the wild, prune the roots and pot them.