About Soil & Shears
Soil & Shears is an independent buyer-guide site for people keeping their first bonsai. We exist because the beginner bonsai internet is a mess of "ancient art" marketing, retailer pages selling junipers as indoor trees, forum threads arguing about a single mix, and listicles that never explain the things that actually decide whether a first tree lives: indoor versus outdoor, why bonsai soil is not potting soil, and how to water by feel.
We aim to be the site that helps you keep the tree alive.
What we do, in plain English
We gather the specs of the trees, kits, soils, grow lights and tools worth knowing about on Amazon — species and indoor-outdoor suitability, soil components and particle size, light spectrum and coverage, steel and build — and we organise them: by where you can keep a tree, by whether you are buying your first kit or your first proper tool, by budget. Then we publish the spec-led comparisons that should already exist but somehow do not, with the beginner-decision framing on top.
We update our top picks regularly. We do not accept payment to position a product. When we have a strong view — a tropical species for an indoor spot, real bonsai soil over potting mix, aluminium wire before copper — we say so and explain why. When the right answer depends on your climate, your light and how serious you are getting, and it usually does, we walk through the decision instead of pretending there is one universal pick.
Our editorial method
- Source the specs. Species and hardiness, soil components and particle size, grow-light spectrum and coverage, tool steel and build — straight from manufacturer listings and current Amazon product pages.
- Run the comparison. We line products up on the specs that decide how they actually perform for a beginner, not the ones that sound impressive in marketing copy.
- Land the recommendation. Specific, situation-aware, and updated whenever a product line changes.
Our care guidance reflects widely-accepted horticultural practice, and product specs are verified against manufacturer and Amazon listings. When a product gets discontinued, we mark the page as updated and swap in the closest currently-available replacement rather than leaving a dead link.
Who writes here
Daniel Okafor runs editorial. He is a ten-year hobbyist in Asheville, North Carolina, tending eighteen trees in development — mostly outdoor temperate species like Japanese maple, juniper, Chinese elm and boxwood, plus three indoor tropicals (ficus retusa, ficus ginseng and a jade). He is an active member of a regional bonsai society and has helped run two beginner workshops. Before going freelance he spent six years editing a regional gardening magazine, and he has been writing bonsai content since 2020.
Articles also come from rotating contributors — professional bonsai artists, club teachers, and experienced hobbyists with collections older than this site. Each article shows its author at the top. When someone else writes, Daniel's name appears at the bottom under "Edited by".
Daniel is our house editorial persona. If you ever want to know how we work or who stands behind a claim, this is the page, and we are happy to say so plainly.
What we don't do
- We don't sell mysticism. Bonsai is a multi-year horticultural craft, not an "instant ancient tree". We will not promise a shortcut, because there isn't one — and the people who keep their trees alive treat it as growing, not décor.
- We don't claim hands-on testing we didn't do. Our recommendations rest on verifiable specs from manufacturer and Amazon listings. Where a first-person observation is genuine — from Daniel's own collection or a contributor's — we say so explicitly.
- We don't give medical or pesticide advice. Some species are toxic to pets; we state the fact and link to the ASPCA rather than diagnosing anything. For pests and disease we point you to your local cooperative extension office for identification and safe, legal treatment, not to a spray bottle.
How we make money
Soil & Shears is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you buy something via a link on this site, we earn a small commission. It costs you nothing.
We don't tilt our recommendations to favour any single product, brand or commission tier. You can read the full disclosure on our Amazon Disclosure page.
We occasionally feature direct-brand programs from bonsai nurseries and tool makers when their product genuinely belongs in a comparison. The same rule applies — the link choice never changes the editorial position.
How to reach us
Tips, corrections, product launches we should know about, or just a hello — write to hello@soilandshears.com or use the contact form. We read everything. We can't respond to every message, but we read.
If you spot an outdated spec, a discontinued product, or a price that's drifted, those tip-offs are especially welcome. They keep the site honest.