bonsai

To Grow or Not To Grow

You can start your bonsai from seed, but be warned, it can take awhile to see your results.  Unless you’re starting your bonsai hobby at age 4, being able to see the fruits of your labor will probably not come to reality.  While it may be nice to be able to have complete control over your bonsai from the beginning, we have to advise against it.

Seeds take a relatively long time to germinate and become a proper plant to use for bonsai – with preferably a 1/2-1” (1-2cm) diameter trunk (unless you want to do mini-bonsai which are about 4″ high and a totally different practice).  Life’s too short to sit, watch and wait for a tree to grow.

Trees used in bonsai aren’t special in any way.  They are exactly the same as the trees you see all around you every day.  So, essentially, don’t plant your bonsai from seed.  Get some more immediate satisfaction by purchasing a young sapling from a nursery or garden center.  In doing so, you’ll be able to cultivate not only the tree, but your skills as a bonsai artist as well!

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Bonsai are ordinary trees or plants, not special hybrid dwarfs. Small leafed varieties are most suitable, but essentially any plant can be used, regardless of the size it grows to in the wild. Go to your local nursery or garden store and see if you can find some low-priced plants that have relatively thick trunks and good bonsai potential that you can turn into bonsai through training (pruning, wiring etc.) You can even look around your garden and see if you have any potential bonsai plants there that you could use.

A bought Bonsai is not a bad Bonsai. Only the quality of the tree determines what a good and talented plant is. Not its origin. But the experiences and story of a collected tree will add mental and historical value to a Bonsai that makes it increase its value as a piece of art. In general, select a specimen, that will be tolerant of the stress of being cut, wired, and replanted. Specimens like Cotoneasters, Lonicera and Juniperus, are advisable starters for Shohin growing. They can be found on nurseries in sizes suitable for beginners work.

Make sure that you buy a tree that grows well in your “neck of the woods”.  You must be sure that whatever tree you choose will thrive well where you live.  Be sure that the plants you consider meet the requirements for good bonsai. Let’s look at some prime species for bonsai tree growing.

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bonsai styles

Bonsai Styles

It is important for you to remember, as a beginner, that no single bonsai style is the “right” style.  Bonsai is meant to be a representation of a tree in nature.  Crafting a bonsai masterpiece is tantamount to how YOU view that tree.  You are not learning from a bonsai master, you are simply being given instruction on how to create your own bonsai.  What you make of it lies simply in your own mind.

You should strive to make your bonsai trees look as natural as possible.  Let the tree suggest its own possibilities.  If the trunk bends to the right, let it bend that way.  Work with it to make it a main feature of your bonsai.  You must listen to the tree and hear what it is telling you.  Then you will come up with a beautiful creation! Bonsais should simulate age.  You should try and project the appearance of maturity in your tree – just in a miniature form.  Even if your tree is relatively young, you can groom it so it looks like it has been growing for years and years.

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Two features that give the appearance of age to trees are the caliper of the trunk and the degree of taper of the trunk. The trunks of bonsai (in most styles) will be very wide at the base and taper very smoothly to the top of the tree
There are two general styles of bonsai:  the classic (koten) and the informal or ‘comic’ (bunjin). In the former, the trunk of the tree is wider at the base and tapers off towards the top; it is just the opposite in the ‘bunjin’, a style more difficult to master.
When you start a bonsai, always remember that you are working with a living plant. Look carefully at its natural characteristics and you may discern within them a suitable style, or styles.  Often you can train a plant into several styles, even if it is basically upright like a beech or elegantly slender like a maple. Even if one style only really suits a particular plant, you still can interpret this in many different ways.

More than anything else you should not try to train a bonsai to grow in a style it is not accustomed to.  Study the natural growth patterns of the tree you are going to grow and enhance on the pattern nature gave it.
The five basic bonsai styles are formal upright, informal upright, slanting (or windswept), semi-cascade and cascade. All have their own individual beauty and serenity.

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Bonsai

Bonsai History

The history of bonsai is long and storied.  Bonsai first appeared in China over a thousand years ago on a very basic scale, known as pun-sai.  Pun-sai was the practice of growing single specimen trees in pots. These early specimens displayed little foliage and rugged, gnarled trunks which often looked like animals, dragons and birds. There are a great number of myths and legends surrounding Chinese bonsai.  The grotesque or animal-like trunks and root formations are still highly prized today.

With Japan’s adoption of many cultural trademarks of China – bonsai was also taken up, introduced to Japan during the Kamakura period (1185 – 1333) by means of Zen Buddhism – which at this time was rapidly spreading around Asia. The exact time is debatable, although it is possible that it had arrived in AD 1195 as there appears to be a reference to it in a Japanese scroll attributed to that period.

Once bonsai was introduced into Japan, the art was refined to an extent not yet approached in China. Over time, the simple trees were not just confined to the Buddhist monks and their monasteries, but also later were introduced to be representative of the aristocracy – a symbol of prestige and honor. The ideals and philosophy of bonsai were greatly changed over the years. For the Japanese, bonsai represents a fusion of strong ancient beliefs with the Eastern philosophies of the harmony between man, the soul and nature.

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In an ancient Japanese scroll written in Japan around the Kamakura period, it is translated to say: “To appreciate and find pleasure in curiously curved potted trees is to love deformity”.

Whether this was intended as a positive or negative statement, it leaves us to believe that growing dwarfed and twisted trees in containers was an accepted practice among the upper class of Japan by the Kamakura period. By the fourteenth century bonsai was indeed viewed as a highly refined art form, meaning that it must have been an established practice many years before that time.

Bonsai were brought indoors for display at special times by the ‘Japanese elite’ and became an important part of Japanese life by being displayed on specially designed shelves. These complex plants were no longer permanently reserved for outdoor display, although the practices of training and pruning did not develop until later – the small trees at this time still being taken from the wild.

In the 17th and 18th century, the Japanese arts reached their peak and were regarded very highly. Bonsai again evolved to a much higher understanding and refinement of nature – although the containers used seemed to be slightly deeper than those used today. The main factor in maintaining bonsai was now the removal of all but the most important parts of the plant. The reduction of everything just to the essential elements and ultimate refinement was very symbolic of the Japanese philosophy of this time.

At around this time, bonsai also became commonplace to the general Japanese public – which greatly increased demand for the small trees collected from the wild and firmly established the art form within the culture and traditions of the country.

Over time, bonsai began to take on different styles, each which varied immensely from one another. Bonsai artists gradually looked into introducing other culturally important elements in their bonsai plantings such as rocks, accent plants, and even small buildings and people which is known as the art of bon-kei. They also looked at reproducing miniature landscapes in nature – known as sai-kei which further investigated the diverse range of artistic possibilities for bonsai.

Finally, in the mid-19th century, after more than 230 years of global isolation, Japan opened itself up to the rest of the world. Word soon spread from travelers who visited Japan of the miniature trees in ceramic containers which mimicked aged, mature, tall trees in nature. Further exhibitions in London, Vienna and Paris in the latter part of the century – especially the Paris World Exhibition in 1900 opened the world’s eyes up to bonsai.

Due to this phenomenal upsurge in the demand for bonsai, the now widely expanding industry and lack of naturally-forming, stunted plants led to the commercial production of bonsai by artists through training young plants to grow to look like bonsai. Several basic styles were adopted, and artists made use of wire, bamboo skewers and growing techniques to do this – allowing the art to evolve even further. The Japanese learned to capitalize on the interest in this art form very quickly – opening up nurseries dedicated solely to grow, train and then export bonsai trees.

Different plants were now being used to cater for worldwide climates and to produce neater foliage and more suitable growth habits. Bonsai techniques such as raising trees from seed or cuttings and the styling and grafting of unusual, different or tender material onto hardy root stock were further developed.

Bonsai has now evolved to reflect changing tastes and times – with a great variety of countries, cultures and conditions in which it is now practiced.

In Japan today, bonsai are highly regarded as a symbol of their culture and ideals. The New Year is not complete unless the tokonoma – the special niche in every Japanese home used for the display of ornaments and prized possessions – is filled with a blossoming apricot or plum tree. Bonsai is no longer reserved for the upper-class, but is a joy shared by executive and factory worker alike.

The Japanese tend to focus on using native species for their bonsai – namely pines, azaleas and maples (regarded as the traditional bonsai plants). In other countries however, people are more open to other opinions.

The evolution of bonsai over the past two centuries is truly amazing.  Perhaps it is symbolic of how small the world is getting as people from Europe to the United States and even in Greenland are exploring bonsai as a hobby.

And now it’s your turn!  First, let’s explore styles of bonsai.

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Bonsai Trees

Our Own Little Forest

Bonsai trees have been grown in China and Japan for centuries. More, by not providing the full required elements to grow, the trees remain little. Those really interested in Bonsai trees should know that this is a hobby that requires a lot of responsibility and time, because they are living trees, not some dead wood.

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When it is only about a small collection of Bonsai, it is enough to just water the plants. In Europe and Northern America, Bonsai trees came in the early ’70s. Being a member of a Bonsai Club is not the most important thing when growing Bonsai trees. A small tray with gravel and a little bit of water under the tree will add humidity around the tree.

Steps in bonsai care

Watering is the most important part in bonsai care. This is the crux of the art of bonsai. Most Bonsai tree that die are lost due to dehydration, either from lack of watering or from being kept in a low humidity environment (indoors) for too long. How often you should water is a common question people ask about bonsai trees.

History of Bonsai

Through growing a bonsai plant a person experiences a new rhythm of the seasons, and nurtures within him the power of creativity as he shapes and miniaturizes his trees.

Travel to Japan

Once bonsai was introduced into Japan, the art was refined to an extent not yet approached in China. The word bonsai also is actually taken from a Japanese word ‘pun-sai’ which means a tree planted in a container without any landscape. The ‘Japanese elite’ also brought bonsai indoors for display at special times.

Over time, bonsai began to take on different styles. Word soon spread from travelers who visited Japan of the miniature trees in ceramic containers which mimicked aged, mature, tall trees in nature. Due to this phenomenal upsurge in the demand for bonsai, the now widely expanding industry and lack of naturally-forming, stunted plants led to the commercial production of bonsai by artists through training young plants to grow to look like bonsai. The Japanese learnt to capitalize on the interest in this art form very quickly – opening up nurseries dedicated solely to grow, train and then export bonsai trees.

Pots and soil

The soil you use affects rooting, feeding, watering and transpiration, it is where half your tree lives so this is the second biggest consideration in maintaining your bonsai. While the needs of individual species vary greatly a good rule of thumb is 30% grit, 70% humus for deciduous trees, and 70% grit with 30% humus for evergreen-needled plants. Bonsai trees should be fertilized with a water-soluble fertilizer once or twice per month during the growing season. Bonsai trees are intentionally allowed to become root-bound in their containers, and the roots too, are pruned.

Pruning

A bonsai plant is pruned in two ways viz. branch pruning and root pruning. Also Bonsai trees are intentionally allowed to become root-bound in their containers, and the roots too, are pruned. But root-bound plants won’t thrive forever in that condition and, indeed, bonsai trees must be re-potted every two or three years to furnish the roots with fresh soil.

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