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Hello. I am new to the board, and to having my own bonsai. I've always loved the little trees, and had one when I was 16, but not knowing how to take care of it, it didnt last very long. Back in April I bought a small 7$ bonsai in chinatown (which I identified most likely as a spruce thanks to this site) and just thought I'd ask for some tips on caring for. Questions I'd like to ask are 1. About how long unti I have a nice foot tall intricate looking tree? 2. How do I go about wiring the branches or should I wait for that? 3. Is it ok for me to feed it generic plant food from a dollar store (which I bought because it said "for bonsai, lucky bamboo and other household plants)? 4. Can I successfully grow an intricate spruce indoors in the warm southern California climate? 5. If I repotted it when I got it but used regular miracle gro potting soil, is it too late to mix in some bonsai soil? and 6. how old is my tree if its about 4-5 inches tall? Any advice from veterans would be great, and thanks to everyone for looking or helping me out!

Boba_Fett wrote: I bought a small 7$ bonsai in chinatown (which I identified most likely as a spruce thanks to this site) and just thought I'd ask for some tips on caring for
. Questions I'd like to ask are

1. About how long unti I have a nice foot tall intricate looking tree?

Depends on the species.

2. How do I go about wiring the branches or should I wait for that?

Depends. You probably should wait.

3. Is it ok for me to feed it generic plant food from a dollar store (which I bought because it said "for bonsai, lucky bamboo and other household plants)?

Yes.

4. Can I successfully grow an intricate spruce indoors in the warm southern California climate?

If you do, it will certainly die. Trees don't live indoors.

5. If I repotted it when I got it but used regular miracle gro potting soil, is it too late to mix in some bonsai soil?

Probably, but it depends.

6. how old is my tree if its about 4-5 inches tall?

See 1.

Why would you want to keep a tree indoors? It will not live long if you do. Plant it in the ground for the quickest way to get some trunk girth.
Age of the plant is not relevant to the way it aqppears. Only time will give the aged look.
Any fertiliser can be used, but it should be low nitrogen.
Leave it in the soil it is in until the next re pot.

Thanks for tthe advice. Here's a picture of my little tree. Would this indeed be a spruce?

Boba_Fett wrote: Thanks for tthe advice. Here's a picture of my little tree. Would this indeed be a spruce?

Looks like a juniper to me (a close-up of the foliage would help). Too small (not the height, but the trunk and development of the plant) to start any work on. Let it grow - that gives you the time to learn the basics of bonsai.

Here's a close up on the foliage. Doesn't look like juniper to me as we have a few in our yard and this doesn't look like them.

Boba_Fett wrote: Here's a close up on the foliage. Doesn't look like juniper to me as we have a few in our yard and this doesn't look like them.

The close up does not help much - I still think it's a Juniper, maybe a communis.

I agree, most likely Juniper. Not a spruce anyway.

Well the foliage on it doesn't look like a juniper, it's more like pine needles. Also today I was pinching the weak sprouts and it smelled very piney. Junipers have wiry cypress style foliage if I'm not mistaken, and this little guy has sharp piney needles. The shop I bought it in said it was a pine but the closest picture on this site to my tree's foliage is spruce.

Hey, obviously you've done your research and you've made up your mind, so no point in me trying to figure out what it is.

Junipers have wiry cypress style foliage if I'm not mistaken

That is not correct.