From September 3, 2018.

Ah yes, my first Ligustrums. These guys were my first nursery stock from Home Depot, along with a mallbai (or Home Depotsai?) ficus that was the first to go. I think it was due to underwatering and keeping it inside. A bonsaist’s journey always begins with death. It’s like a rite of passage.

These guys were almost tally marks on my death list. I did significant root cutting along with structural pruning. I put them in my cringy, awful beginner’s bonsai mix that I made. It was equal parts pebbles, big lava rocks, and peat moss. The more knowledgeable Claire looks at my old self in disgust. My Green Island is still in that mix, but is seeming to thrive, so I am not worried about it. I’ll repot it into my HQ soil in the spring.

Once they were in the bad soil, they suffered. They quickly lost leaves and I freaked out. I put them back in nursery soil and wrote a long post on the bonsai reddit, which consistently provides me with tough love and advice. Everyone was like… it’s a lost cause.  You stressed it out too much. Call it a learning lesson and move on. I was sad, but I continued to care for them.

I stick my tongue out at all of those who didn’t believe in me- they came back! They are healthy now. They are still thin and nowhere near bonsai-level. But that’s okay. They are cute and remind me of my earliest experiences.