When you bend the branches of the tree into the desired shape and secure them with wire, you are damaging the cells of the tree. The branch or trunk is trained to its new location by having the damaged cells heal. When they heal, the tree branch will grow in the shape you want, as that is how the cells are now formed. Because bonsai grow in such small pots, the trees need to be watered in a very specific fashion. Over or under watering the tree is a death sentence for a bonsai. Under watering the tree causes the tree to wilt, wither, then die. Over watering causes a condition known as root rot, which is responsible for the destruction of the root system. However, while there are a lot of steps, the process of growing a bonsai is extremely simple if you have patience and take your time learning what you need to know. The first step in growing bonsai is to learn about the type of tree you want to grow. All bonsai trees differ from one another. You cannot use the same care for a juniper as you would a ficus bonsai. This is particularly important, as a tree coming out of dormancy too early can cause problems. It is possible for ficus bonsai to be maintained year round, although this can damage some species of ficus. If you are planning on keeping your ficus bonsai in full leaf year round, you will need to ensure that the plant does not fall into dormancy. This can be particularly damaging to pine bonsai trees, as well as junipers. If you want to use soils prone to breaking apart or decomposing, such as organic soils, you will need to make certain that the tree you use this soil type with is able to handle root bearing at least once or twice a year. One of the most popular types of bonsai soil available on the market is inorganic soils. It is important to remember that traditionally, bonsai plants live and grow outdoors. They are trees, and as such, need the environment they naturally grow in. While it is becoming a trend to grow bonsai plants indoors, it is important that you select a type of tree that is able to flourish under those conditions.