Davide Petilli our expert of the day, writes:

More often than not, the approach to bonsai art comes with a present. A friend, a relative or a partner gives a new little tree in a short pot and he can’t tell us how to handle it.

Those bonsai trees are set on a piece of furniture or next to a window and normally die in a couple of months. Here comes the misconception that bonsai trees die after a short time.

But a bonsai can live among hundreds of years (there are specimens of 1000 years and more), so you are not excused if you let your bonsai die. But what to do with that strange thing?

This is a brief kick start guide to help you in the first months with your bonsai:

Establish what species it is: first thing first you have to know what species your bonsai tree belongs to. It is important because every species has different needs. This may be a hard task, there are hundreds of species and each can have a lot of varieties and cultuvar.

Cactuslover our expert of the day, writes:

Orchid is a fantastic plant because of its beautiful flower. However, orchid needs special cares and attention from growers in case they woud like it to grow up well and flower. Here are the basics to plant the lovely orchid.

Watering:

The single biggest reason for orchid problems is over watering. To prevent this, you must adjust your watering to the plant’s environment. The environment includes temperature, humidity, light, the type of pot and the type of media. For example, an orchid potted in peat/perlite mix in Florida requires much less water than one potted in straight bark in Arizona. Do not set a fixed watering schedule. Rather, remove the plant label from the pot and feel for moistness. If it does not feel almost completely dry, hold off your watering. Try to water only in the morning so that the plant has time to dry somewhat before dark. When you do water, you should give the plant at least the equivalent of 1/3 the volume of the pot. More is fine. Problems come not from the amount of water you give a plant, but with the frequency of watering. The orchid must get a chance to almost dry completely out before more water is added. With a few exceptions, such as with vandas in slat baskets, it is not a good idea to mist your orchid except in the early morning hours.

Jules Sims our expert of the day, writes: