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with the banyan or ficus microcarpa, you'll be able to have a good bonsai someday. the Taiwanese and the Chinese are very good when it comes to banyan. with banyan, you can achieve almost all of the classical and non-classical styles of bonsai. cactus, definitely not a bonsai material! cutting of leaves? we call it defoliation > this is done to reduce the size of the leaf. why? for you to attain a better proportion of the tree. i hope this can help you my friend

Can you make a Bonsai from a cactus?

You need to restrict the roots - have a look in a local garden centre for ideas.

This website will give you some basic information on Bonsai Care http://www.bonsai-garden.com/

Additionally there are a series of bonsai related articles that address specific issues growers of bonsai deal with http://www.bonsai-garden.com/bonsai-articles.htm

Goodluck!

Not a good idea to have banyan and cactus in the same pot because they have different moisture requirements. Anyhow, you're welcome to read the Bonsai Care page on my site:

http://www.american-bonsai.com/

ask the Japanese

they know more of it

bonsai is from their country