Reddit reviews Miniature Bonsai

I read the hell out of this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Bonsai-Workshop-Garden-Variety/dp/0806905573

Also you would be surprised at how many bonsai books libraries usually have. The information in them usually doesn't go out of date, except maybe concerning some equipment.

Gustafson covers everything you need to know at a beginner level in that book, from light to pests to repotting to tools to techniques to history to tree varieties based on climate. The guy is a cross between a genius and an encyclopedia when it comes to bonsai.

For the starter tree I would recommend getting a $20-40 ficus or box bonsai from home depot or similar. They're pretty common from asian companies, and they come in a crappy pot with some rocks super glued on top. I would repot it (with no root trimming) promptly into a larger pot, getting rid of the rocks and decorations.

You'll want to put it in your own soil mix based on Gustafson's recommendations. Imho there's nothing that quite gets you into the feel of a tree as making the dirt for it to grow in. I was a fan of mixing my own using peat, perlite and sand, sometimes using coarser materials for larger pots. You'll want to rinse the sand thoroughly as sometimes it's rather polluted from rivers. For a small ficus though, peat, perlite and sand will do you fine.

With mixing your own dirt you'll want to get some good quality fertilizer to use regularly as the dirt won't have fertilizer in it like miracle grow potting mix. Iirc gustafson has some recommendations about that also. Protip: I had a small aquarium that I never treated with chemical medicine with just some guppies, and the fish crap water I would suck up out of the gravel made the best fertilizer water I've ever used ever. That stuff was awesome, and because it wasn't strong and contained no salts, like miracle grow or similar products, I could use it daily if I wanted.

You'll want to get some tools based on the recommendations in gustafson's books, and there's tons of websites out there now that offer solid tools at affordable prices. I would just start with a solid pair of thinning shears, a pair of heavy duty shears for larger twigs and roots, and a pair of concave cutters. When you're accustomed to keeping the tree alive then you can move to wiring and all the fancy stuff, and you'll know where to go then. =)

Also if you're looking for decoration around your tree (if you have one inside) then I recommend these guys from the awesome california carnivores company: http://www.californiacarnivores.com/tillandsiaairplantcollection.aspx

edit

Interesting note that I remembered since I was recommending home depot, gustafson has several examples of pruning initially regular looking plants into shohin and mame bonsai in his miniature bonsai book. To be honest, chopping up a couple of boxwoods from home depot is probably the best way to get your feet wet the fastest in this art.

edit edit

I've run into a couple of shady places selling "kits" that include seeds. Don't bother. Your best bet is to start with a 3-5 year old shrub. The fastest way to fall out of love with bonsai is to start with a seed.