BONSAI STARTER KIT

Discover the Bonsai Seed Kit, a carefully developed project designed to bring the experience of growing a bonsai into your own hands. Explore the different species, learn about their germination and care, and discover the elements that make up the kit. The following sections offer a closer look at the research, development, and design choices behind the product.

Every tree starts from something small.

A seed is not a bonsai. It takes years to become one, and that is exactly why we like starting here. This kit is the first step: one species per box, drawn at random from five we chose because they grow well from seed and make sense as bonsai later on. Inside is everything you need to get it through its first season.

The first year is about roots, not shape. You sow, you wait, you water, you learn how each species behaves. Styling comes later, once the tree has something to give. We put together this kit in our garden in Eupilio, on Lake Como, and we’ll keep adding what we learn along the way.

What’s inside

Each box holds one species. Which one, we don’t know either: once the boxes are closed, the seeds inside are a surprise, for us too.

A 3D-printed box in recycled polymer, made by Geoka, a company near us. The lid becomes its saucer.
A dry peat disc, to soak before sowing
A mix of akadama and pumice that, together with the peat, gives the seeds air, water and room for their first roots
The seeds. How many depends on the species.
A QR code on the outside of the box, bringing you back to this page

The box comes in three colours: green, brown and beige.

No special tools needed. A fridge, a sunny windowsill or balcony, and some patience.

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The species and how to grow them

Five trees, five different ways of waking up.

All of them are outdoor trees. They need seasons, cold winters included, and they won’t grow indoors for long. Most of them also need a cold period before they germinate: in nature that’s winter, at home it’s your fridge. Order in autumn, keep the seeds cold through winter, sow in spring.

The species and how to grow them

Five trees, five different ways of waking up.

Acer palmatum Pinus ponderosa Pinus densiflora Betula pendula Quercus rubra

Acer palmatum — Japanese maple

The slowest to start and the one we’d wait for anyway.

Soak the seeds for 24 hours in lukewarm water.
Mix them with slightly damp sand or substrate in a sealed bag. Keep it in the fridge for 90–120 days and check once a month: remove anything mouldy.
In late winter or early spring, soak the peat disc until it swells and sow the seeds into it, 0.5–1 cm deep. Keep it moist, never wet.
When the seedlings appear, set the disc in the box and fill around it with the akadama and pumice mix. The lid goes underneath as a saucer.
Give them light shade. Afternoon sun and late frosts burn the first leaves.
Some seeds wait for the second spring. Keep the disc even if not all of them have come up.

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Pinus ponderosa — Ponderosa pine

A pine from the American West, used to sun and dry air.

Soak the seeds for 24 hours.
Keep them in the fridge in a damp medium for 30–60 days.
In spring, soak the peat disc and sow the seeds into it, about 1 cm deep. Keep it somewhere warm and bright.
When they sprout, set the disc in the box and fill around it with the akadama and pumice mix. The lid goes underneath as a saucer.
Full sun, and let the surface dry between waterings. Pine seedlings rot easily in wet, still air.

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Pinus densiflora — Japanese red pine

One of the classic pines of Japanese bonsai, and one of the easiest to start from seed.

Soak the seeds for 24 hours.
A month in the fridge is optional, but it makes germination more even.
In spring, soak the peat disc and sow the seeds into it, 0.5–1 cm deep.
When they sprout, set the disc in the box and fill around it with the akadama and pumice mix. The lid goes underneath as a saucer.
Full sun. Water when the surface dries, not before.

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Betula pendula — Silver birch

Tiny seeds that need light to germinate. The fastest grower of the five.

A few weeks in the fridge help, but they’re not essential.
Soak the peat disc, scatter the seeds on its surface and press them in lightly. Don’t cover them.
Mist, then cover the disc with a clear lid or film until they sprout.
When they sprout, set the disc in the box and fill around it with the akadama and pumice mix. The lid goes underneath as a saucer.
Water from below, pouring into the lid, so the seeds don’t wash away.

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Quercus rubra — Red oak

A tree that starts with a single root going straight down.

Put the acorns in water. The ones that float are empty: set them aside.
Keep the good ones in damp substrate in the fridge for 60–90 days. They must never dry out.
When a root appears, soak the peat disc and press the acorn into it on its side, root pointing down.
When the first shoot appears, set the disc in the box and fill around it with the akadama and pumice mix. The lid goes underneath as a saucer.
Full sun. At the first repotting, the following spring, we shorten the long taproot so the tree builds roots sideways, which is where a bonsai’s nebari begins.

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The first year, for all of them

– Move seedlings into full light gradually, over a week or two.

– Water when the surface starts to dry. Overwatering kills more seedlings than drought.

– No fertiliser until the first true leaves, then a light, diluted one.

– Leave them outdoors in winter, sheltered from wind and hard frost in the pot.

– Don’t prune or wire yet. For the first two or three years, the tree needs its leaves to grow a trunk.

The first year, for all of them

Move seedlings into full light gradually, over a week or two.
Water when the surface starts to dry. Overwatering kills more seedlings than drought.
No fertiliser until the first true leaves, then a light, diluted one.
Leave them outdoors in winter, sheltered from wind and hard frost in the pot.
Don’t prune or wire yet. For the first two or three years, the tree needs its leaves to grow a trunk.

Buy the kit

One kit, or a few to share.

With more boxes, you’ll likely see how differently each species starts. The maple and the oak may still be thinking about it when the birch is already green.

We ship from Eupilio, Italy, across the European Union.

Start Your Bonsai Journey

For companies

A gift that is still there next year.

We make the kit in custom versions for companies. Your colours on the box, your logo, a packaging designed around your brand, and a card with your own message inside. The seeds and the instructions stay the same: the part that grows is ours to get right.

Christmas

If you’re putting together gifts for your clients or your team, the kit fits in a Christmas box on its own or next to what you already send. It arrives in winter, spends the cold months in the fridge, and gets sown in spring, so the gift keeps going long after the holidays.

To receive custom kits before Christmas, write to us by the 1st of November. Minimum order: 50 kits.

Other ways companies use it

Welcome kits for new hires
Giveaways at fairs, conferences and product launches
Thank-you gifts after a project or a partnership
The take-home part of a team building day. We also run bonsai courses for companies, at our garden in Eupilio or at your offices. Check the course here.

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FAQs

Which species will I get?

We don’t know either. Once the boxes are closed, the draw is random. You find out when you open it.

Can I grow it indoors?

No. These are outdoor trees and they need the seasons, winter included. A balcony, a terrace or a garden is enough.

When should I sow?

In spring. If you buy the kit in autumn or winter, that’s the right time to start the cold period in the fridge.

Not every seed germinated. Is something wrong?

Probably not. Germination is never 100%, and maples in particular can wait until the second spring. Keep the pot moist and give it time. If you have doubts, write to us.

When does it become a bonsai?

After a few years of free growth. First the tree builds roots and a trunk, then we start shaping. We’ll share what to do season by season in our newsletter.

Can I give it as a gift?

Yes. The kit arrives ready to give, and the instructions are inside.

Grow with us

We’d like to see how yours are doing. Tag @bonsaigers when the first ones come up, and again next year. A seedling in its first year doesn’t look like much. That’s the part of the story people rarely show, and the one we like most.

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