Growing bonsai trees

Growing Bonsai Trees

Keeping bonsai has become a popular and trendy pastime, but many fail to fully understand the enormous care, knowledge and time involved with growing and maintaining these magnificent horticultural masterpieces. Similar to deciding to bring a pet into the home, raising bonsai requires dedication, time and know-how to do so successfully.

These are the essentials tools you will need to create and maintain your bonsai:

1. Wire and wire cutters (different gauge wire for different size of branches)

2. Scissors

3. Small, sharp garden shears

4. Finger nail scissors

5. Larger pruners for thicker branches

BUYING YOUR BONSAI: Nurseries now have several already trained varieties of bonsai. You can certainly start with an already potted bonsai, as long as it is well cared for, aesthetically pleasing, and healthy. Some things to look for: 1. Neat, clean appearance. 2. Many healthy lower branches. 3. No breaks or injuries to the stem or branches. 4. No damaged, yellow, spotted or diseased leaves. 5. Roots should be firm inside of the pot. It shouldn’t teeter if the pot is bumped. 6. No weeds in the potting soil.

If you decide to purchase the raw, untrained plant, there are some things to keep in mind. To start, it’s important to note the dwarf varieties are NOT considered best for most bonsai. You will need a tree or plant whose growth cycle is robust enough to tolerate training of branches and stems. That is often not the case in dwarf varieties. Second, you will need to choose your variety with a keen eye to “see” what its potential is. Often you will cut off nearly all of its existing branches when you pot your new bonsai, and its final shape will look nothing like the existing potted plant or tree. You will also want to choose a plant that has strong, healthy branches near the base of the trunk. Also, it will need to be healthy all the way around: no insect damage, root problems, or telltale signs of disease on the leaves or trunk.

POTENTIAL BONSAI VARIETIES – Azalea – Beech -- Birches – Cedar - Cherry – Elms – Hawthorn – Hornbeam – Jade - Junipers – Maples – Pines – Privet – Pyracantha – Spruce (And there are more. Several different varieties of plants can be used, as long as they have a sturdy, central stem. Look at already trained bonsai to get a better idea what each type of plant can look like in its mature bonsai state)

POTS: You can purchase bonsai pots at almost any garden center. The most important things to remember, is that they MUST have excellent drainage, be level, have those little “feet” at the bottom to allow drainage and air flow, and the pot should be stoneware—glazed on the outside, but NOT on the inside.

SOIL: Soil is an important factor in bonsai. It has to retain moisture without leaving the roots sitting in water. Therefore, it most have adequate drainage, but be strong enough to anchor the plant in its shallow dish. To achieve this, you should use half organic matter, such as peat moss, and half grit, such as sterilized sand or crushed granite. You don’t want the particles too fine, nor do you want any stones, sticks or large organic chunks in the soil. You can add a small amount of bone or blood meal to your soil mix, but don’t overdo it.

PLANTING AND WIRING: Once you have your plant chosen, your pot and soil mix, it’s time to start your bonsai. You will need to cover the holes on the bottom of your pot with small wire screens, to prevent your soil from leaking out. Put down a layer of grit material on the bottom of the pot. Cover the grit with a thin layer of fresh soil. Look at your plant, and decide which type of bonsai shape you’d like to achieve with your plant. You will be training the plant with wire, which will be bent into the shape you desire, allowing the new branches and existing branches to “grow” in the direction you have chosen for them. In most cases, you will be trimming off the top stem growth, and encouraging growth from the limbs closets to the trunk stem. If you prune off large branches, make certain to over the exposed wound with clay or sealant. You may need to trim nearly all the growth back at this first point.

Now is the time to “wire” your main trunk and remaining branches. You do this by winding the thin wire around the branches in a spiral pattern. Not to tight of a pattern, yet not wide spaces between the coils. You will need to gently bend the branches into the shape you desire, being careful not to break or bend the branch beyond its flexibility levels. It is recommended that you view or study several different bonsai shapes and styles to become familiar with what is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Once the wiring is done, remove the soil around the root ball. You may need to trim the roots, depending on the root ball and the size of your pot, but be certain to leave as much of the fine, feeder roots as possible. Place your plant in the pot, adjusting its position accordingly. Some pants will need to be “wired” into the pot itself initially, until the roots expand and anchor the bonsai on its own. Once the branches have grown into their desired shape, gently cut and remove the wire.

MAINTENANCE: You will want to feed your bonsai using pellets, which release the fertilizer slowly, over a long period of time. These pellets can be set on top of the soil and purchased at a garden center. For a quicker fertilizer boost, you can use a foliar spray, which the leaves will absorb directly into the plant. How often you do this will be determined by the fertilizer you choose to use.

Over watering can destroy a bonsai quicker than anything else, so it’s vital that the pot and soil be set up perfectly before planting. It’s best to water with a fine spay, (garden variety spay bottles work just fine) just until you see water dripping out from the drainage holes on the pot. Also, don’t water until the soil surface area is dry. Gently scrape with a toothpick or fingernail, and if it is dry a half-inch into the soil, then it is time to water. Make certain not to water in the middle of the afternoon. Early morning or early evening are the best times.

Like any plant, bonsai’s require adequate sunlight. Remember that they are in pots, though, so it’s best NOT to put them in direct sunlight for long hours. Diffused light, or early morning light is best.

To care for your bonsai, you will need to prune, wire and trim it attentively. As new branches grow, wire them in their desired final shape, or prune them off entirely. For many plants, you will need to trim or pinch off all of its leaves at certain points, to keep them small in size.

Remember to be patient. It can take years to create a stunning, mature bonsai, but the reward is well worth the effort.