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Bonsai, or “Small tree” as it translates is a plant that is grown and styled over time to look like a tree or shrub in nature but is grown in a miniature form usually in a shallow plant pot. With some genuine bonsai trees it might take ten to twenty years to create a mature specimen. In some cultures the trees are passed down through the generations of the family, they are as precious as a family pet would be.
HOW TO MAKE A BONSAI TREE
You can buy an already trained specimen, which can cost anywhere between 15 euro to 5000 euro depending on how much money you are prepared to part with, or you can create your own with just a few bits of equipment.
Use a small shrub such as a box (Buxus) or juniper for training; these have a few branches on them already with very small leaves. Pick ones growing in one or two litre pots.
Cut off the bottom branches and trim back the branches by about a third. Cut off about two thirds of the root system (the restricted root system is the secret of the plant staying small), and put it into a small shallow dish with a large drainage hole in it. Use a good quality potting compost.
Wrap thin copper wire around the trunk of the tree to shape it then do the same for the branches, don’t wrap the wire too tightly though as this will stop the sap from passing through the stems.
When you have a basic shape that looks triangular put it in a shaded spot for a week or two to let it get established.
Get the Ebook CARE AND FEEDING OF BONSAI
Although some people think of bonsai as houseplants, they’re true outdoor plants, with the same requirements as a full sized tree or shrub; they all need sunshine, good air circulation, regular watering and fertilizer. Because they are grown in small containers, however they should be protected from extreme cold or drying winds-this is the main reason that bonsai are over wintered in unheated garages or sheds.
Follow these other steps and you should have success with your bonsai.
Water routinely, never allowing the soil to dry out.
Feed the plants regularly with a balanced, slow release fertilizer.
Control pests and disease as you would with the full sized plants of the same size.
The plants may need repotting every couple of years, trim back the roots slightly when they are repotted, only put them in a larger pot when they become unstable and fall over.
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* The formal upright style, or Chokkan, is characterized by a straight, upright, tapering trunk. Branches progress regularly from the thickest and broadest at the bottom to the finest and shortest at the top.
* The trunk and branches of the informal upright style, or Moyogi incorporate visible curves, but the apex of the informal upright is always located directly above the trunk's entry into the soil line. Similar to the formal upright style, branches generally progress regularly from largest at the bottom to smallest at the top, although this progression may be broken where the irregular shape of the trunk would make a branch abnormally prominent or obscure.
* Slant-style, or Shakan, bonsai possess straight trunks like those of bonsai grown in the formal upright style. However, the slant style trunk emerges from the soil at an angle, and the apex of the bonsai will be located to the left or right of the root base.
* Cascade-style, or Kengai, bonsai are modeled after trees which grow over water or on the sides of mountains. The apex, or tip of the tree in the Semi-cascade-style, or Han Kengai, bonsai extend just at or beneath the lip of the bonsai pot; the apex of a (full) cascade style falls below the base of the pot.
* Raft-style, or Netsuranari, bonsai mimic a natural phenomenon that occurs when a tree topples onto its side (typically due to erosion or another natural force). Branches along the top side of the trunk continue to grow as a group of new trunks. Sometimes, roots will develop from buried portions of the trunk. Raft-style bonsai can have sinuous, straight-line, or slanting trunks, all giving the illusion that they are a group of separate trees—while actually being the branches of a tree planted on its side.
* The literati style, or Bunjin-gi, bonsai is characterized by a generally bare trunk line, with branches reduced to a minimum, and typically placed higher up on a long, often contorted trunk. This style derives its name from the Chinese literati
Scholar-bureaucrats
Scholar-bureaucrats or scholar-officials were civil servants appointed by the emperor of China to perform day-to-day governance from the Sui Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, China's last imperial dynasty. These officials mostly came from the well-educated men known as the...
, who were often artists. Some painted Chinese brush paintings, like those found in the ancient text, The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, depicting pine trees that grew in harsh climates, struggling to reach sunlight. In Japan, the literati style is known as . (Bunjin is a translation of the Chinese phrase wenren meaning "scholars practiced in the arts" and gi is a derivative of the Japanese word, ki, for "tree").
* The group or forest style, or Yose Ue, comprises a planting of more than one tree (typically an odd number if there are three or more trees, and essentially never 4 because of its significance in China) in a bonsai pot. The trees are usually the same species, with a variety of heights employed to add visual interest and to reflect the age differences encountered in mature forests.
* The root-over-rock style, or Sekijoju, is a style in which the roots of a tree (typically a fig tree) are wrapped around a rock. The rock is at the base of the trunk, with the roots exposed to varying degrees.
* The broom style, or Hokidachi is employed for trees with extensive, fine branching, often with species like elms. The trunk is straight and upright. It branches out in all directions about 1/3 of the way up the entire height of the tree. The branches and leaves form a ball-shaped crown which can also be very beautiful during the winter months.
* The multi-trunk style, or Ikadabuki has all the trunks growing out of one root system, and it actually is one single tree. All the trunks form one crown of leaves, in which the thickest and most developed trunk forms the top.
* The growing-in-a-rock, or Ishizuke style means the roots of the tree are growing in the cracks and holes of the rock. There is not much room for the roots to develop and take up nutrients. These trees are designed to visually represent that the tree has to struggle to survive.