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I am new to the bonsai world. I just wanted to make a memento to my willow tree in my mums garden, so I taken quite a few cuttings. My small ones sprouted a few little delicate roots in the water, not that many atall but I thought they'd establish themselves properly once potted. Then I took them out the water and gently planted them. I saved the water as to save the natural rooting hormone, and thought I'd use that to water them. I used bonsai compost purchased from B&Q. I just want opinions on what I've done here. I've got one little tiny pot, which has 3 trunks, one tiny, one tinier, and one tiniest. Then I've got another with 11 trunks in it, trying to start a Forrest kind of arrangement or something. What should my next move be? Is this a worthwhile project?
Thanks guys

You want an honest answer? I do not understand why you work with these matchsticks. If you have a tree available, why not take a branch of 10cm?

Yes i do want honest answers so thank you! Are my "matchsticks" even worth keeping? I've taken a new cutting which is about 7cm. I'll get a 10cm one tomorrow but its dark outside at the moment. How is this one (picture below)?

I just cant see how this will ever make a nice little bonsai if it is this big long thing? All of the cuttings i could take with 10cm trunk have a big long end on them! Plus, when i cut this big long end bit off, it will just look ugly, won't it? like, i thought that the hand of the artist shouldn't be visible.

Thanks for honest answer Leatherback, that's exactly the kind of thing i'm looking for, but maybe a bit more detail on the next one please

OH and should i air layer the 10cm one or just cut it and stick it in a bucket with some water and maybe some rooting hormone?

Don't mind Leatherback, he's just skinny-shaming. I think it's great you're already planning projects for your grandkids!
Humor aside, I see the littler cuttings as a useful preliminary practice to learn how to get the bigger ones to root (good job on that, by the way). That's not to say you should toss them, though, just keep in mind they're not gonna be good for much beyond normal gardening for a number of years yet. They're willows, after all, so you may well want to have a number of spares around in case something goes horribly wrong.
Speaking of going horribly wrong, does the container with the trio in it have adequate drainage?

Whatever you did with the little ones? Do that to the big one.

haha thanks. Great answer! exactly! I want a tree with heritage!
I wasn't going to toss them. I thought they might make branches and eventually maybe look cool. yes the trio does have adequate drainage.

but i still need help with the following areas!

"I just cant see how this will ever make a nice little bonsai if it is this big long thing? All of the cuttings i could take with 10cm trunk have a big long end on them! Plus, when i cut this big long end bit off, it will just look ugly, won't it? like, i thought that the hand of the artist shouldn't be visible."

How is the new cutting that i taken? Is it any good? does it have any potential?

BTW thanks for calling my thing a trio :lol:

jacobplopo wrote: haha thanks. Great answer! exactly! I want a tree with heritage!
I wasn't going to toss them. I thought they might make branches and eventually maybe look cool. yes the trio does have adequate drainage.

I agree, they will eventually. I've heard good things about willow growth rates, though, so it may well be sooner than later!

jacobplopo wrote: but i still need help with the following areas!

"I just cant see how this will ever make a nice little bonsai if it is this big long thing? All of the cuttings i could take with 10cm trunk have a big long end on them! Plus, when i cut this big long end bit off, it will just look ugly, won't it? like, i thought that the hand of the artist shouldn't be visible."

From what I understand, although there will be a scar it isn't a permanent one - and willows grow swiftly, which means they ought to heal quickly. Auk described it as bonsai being an art of reduction, not stunting the plant's growth.
It seems counterintuitive to me, but then again I haven't yet actually grown anything beyond the "cuttings with delusions of grandeur" and "twigs in pots" stage, so...

jacobplopo wrote: How is the new cutting that i taken? Is it any good? does it have any potential?

I can see the beginnings of a tree in there, and it has something of a taper already, so I imagine that if you can manage a half-decent nebari coming out of it you're onto something good.

Thanks for the great answer Solaris. So the large cutting I shown, can you please give me some guidance on how I can cut this and make a nice small bonsai without ugly scars? It just feels like a big ugly peice of wood ATM...

jacobplopo wrote: Thanks for the great answer Solaris. So the large cutting I shown, can you please give me some guidance on how I can cut this and make a nice small bonsai without ugly scars? It just feels like a big ugly peice of wood ATM...

Learn to walk before you try to run. First, get it to grow. When you have good, healthy roots and good, healthy growth, you can start considering your next step.