Experienced grower's notes on Ficus Bonsai

I've been growing plants seriously for over fifteen years and Ficus Bonsai remains a reliable favourite. For anyone starting out: the most critical thing is watering daily in summer as bonsai pots dry out fast. Everything else follows from that.

spider mite and scale in stressful growing conditions is the challenge that trips up most beginners and some experienced growers too. I've been growing mine in a purpose-built outdoor bonsai bench with correct height for three seasons now and the results are consistently good. living art form that reflects decades of patient cultivation is what makes it worth coming back to year after year. repotting temperate species in early spring before buds break is when I show it off — it earns its place fully then.