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Archive for the ‘Bonsai’ Category

Growing bonsai trees is a fascinating hobby, but many beginners underestimate the extreme environmental sensitivity of bonsai plants  and are dismayed when their plants die within a couple of weeks of being brought home. However, adhering to a few well-established and demonstrable principles for good bonsai gardening will help you avert this fate. To ensure that your bonsai plants thrive rather than strive to survive, follow these guidelines:

Successful Bonsai gardens require the best possible soil, and we’re not talking about regular garden soil here. Garden soil usually contains bugs, pests and possibly fungi that could cause problems for bonsai gardeners and their plants. To prevent such problems, purchase soil prepared for potting or repotting plants, and if your bonsai garden plants are pines, then choose a more gritty soil.

The pot or container you choose to hold your bonsai plant is very important. The best container choices are cedar boxes, earthenware pots or glazed porcelain pots; just be sure whatever container you choose has a drainage hole for excess water to escape. The best shape for a container depends on the style of the plant. Small bonsai trees that spread out look best in wide, shallow rectangular containers, while more cylindrical plants are best set off by tall and compact ones. Bonsai plants are usually planted off-center in the container for best aesthetic effect.

Both roots and branches must be pruned to keep your bonsai plant healthy. Trimming or pruning of the tree branches will maintain the shape of the tree, while pruning of the roots, which is usually done when the tree is transplanted, is important to keep the tree as a dwarf plant. 

The right amount of water is critical for the health and prosperity of your bonsai trees. Bonsai plants should be allowed to become slightly dry before being thoroughly watered. Usually this means every other day in the summer, and every week or so in the winter. Never submerge your bonsai plant container in water. Remember to fertilize regularly: because there is little soil, nutrients wash away easily. 

Growing your own moss for your bonsai containers is less expensive than buying moss, and the moss you grow won’t suffer as much plant shock when it’s moved to the bonsai containers.

Outdoor bonsai plants are hardy and can survive the winter weather nicely if mulched where temperatures remain above freezing or moved to a cold frame, garage or shed where they fall below freezing.  

Follow these practices your bonsai trees should remain healthy and attractive for many years to come. Bonsai is considered an art in Asian countries, and is also considered a great accomplishment when you do it well. In North America, we tend to love growing bonsai for the sheer interest and relaxing elements of nurturing something special and watching it grow.

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The term bonsai brings up a mental picture of miniature Japanese trees that are cut and pruned to certain specifications. However, the term bonsai literally translated, means plant in a tray. These trees are much smaller than what one might normally expect they do not really have to be just a few inches tall. They can be grown in pots in the garden.

Bonsai trees are cut and pruned regularly and more extensively than other plants in order to keep them small. The cultivators transfer the Bonsai trees regularly from one pot to another. Bonsai trees are also fed and watered with much greater frequency as compared to when they are growing in the wild.

While Japan is usually believed to be the originator of Bonsai trees, this information in wrong. There are records containing evidence that Bonsai trees were grown in China as long as two thousand years ago. Of course, the Bonsai in those days are not exactly the same Bonsai that we see today. They were slightly larger and were grown outdoors. The Japanese influenced this by taking this art form and simply helping it progress until it reached where it is today. This is the reason why Bonsai styles are very different between China and Japan. Chinese Bonsai do not follow too severe restrictions, the style is a lot more free, and the pruning of the tree is not so heavy. Japanese Bonsai on the other hand are heavily pruned and actually look like they were miniature versions of their wilder counterparts.

Home cultured Bonsai trees have the same life span as the ones that grow in the wild. It is not uncommon for them to live for centuries and to be passed on from one generation to the next. In fact, home grown Bonsai usually display better health because of the care and attention they receive.

Due to shortage of living space in cities it is not possible for everyone to dedicate enough space for a garden where they can grown a large number of plants and trees are totally out of the question for apartment dwellers. Even people having gardens big enough to grow trees probably do wish to wait for years until the tree is fully grown. Bonsai trees offer good alternatives to anyone like this. They need very little room and are good for people who do not have too much room to spare. If it is possible to recreate the conditions for their growth Bonsai trees can even be cultivated indoors.

Bonsai trees have become a popular hobby but it’s a hobby that demands a lot of time, attention, and some amount of foresight as to how the trees will eventually turn out.

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