Bonsai Seasonal Cultural Guide-Mid Winter

Bonsai Seasonal Cultural Guide-Mid Winter

Be still like a mountain and flow like a great river.

Laozi

Siting
Bonsai need to be overwintered in a bright spot,but if the sunlight is strong they must be shaded,for the warmth may start to rouse a tree from its winter sleep.The winter sun may be sufficiently powerful to warm up the winter branches of a tree without being strong enough to thaw out the root ball,so that the sap begins to flow only in the branches.Water is then evaporated at a pace the roots cannot keep up with and the branches sustain burning damage.
Also check that your bonsai will not be in danger from snow falls should the site be under the eaves of a roof or beneath large trees in the garden.

Bonsai Seasonal Cultural Guide-Mid Winter


Watering
Check frequently that your bonsai are moist enough.Trees kept outside over winter should not be sprayed,but watered moderately.
Feeding
No fertilizer during the resting period.
Pests and Diseases
All bonsai can tolerate a winter spray to prevent attack by pests and fungal diseases,but it must be carried out before new shoots appear.As the season progresses move towards the early spring programme.

Bonsai Seasonal Cultural Guide-Mid Winter

Bonsai Trees-Pruning

Bonsai Trees-Pruning


This is the most important of the training techniques.
Branch pruning will give you the basic shape of your tree while other methods,such as wiring,help improve upon it.
A well-shaped bonsai needs to have its small branches and twigs cleared away and buds and new shoots removed,a job,therefore,that has to be carried out repeatedly if you are to maintain the shape you have achieved and improve upon it.Tools needed for this are two pairs of sharp scissors,one strong and powerful the other more delicate;and small saw for thicker branches.

Bonsai Trees-Pruning


Using special bonsai scissors you will be able to reach every part of your tree and work on it.A little bit of skill is needed for pruning and for style cutting,but patience and a willingness to learn will ensure success.

Bonsai Trees-Pruning

Bonsai plant containers

Bonsai plant containers


A good bonsai has its roots,trunk,brunches and leaves all in proportion.The tree,the surface of the soil with moss or grasses growing on it,and the container are all finely in accord.
Bonsai that grow upright should be placed in shallow,rectangular or oval dishes,whilst weeping trees,as for instance in the cascade style,need to be offset by deep,round or square dish.
The shape of the dish needs to complement the overall form of the plant.A tree with a thick,heavy-looking crown cries out a weighty container.The color,too,must be chosen to suit.Trees that flower and those that have light-green leaves go best with light-colored,glazed dishes.
Dark foliage is complemented by shades of dark red,grey or brown.As for size,choose a dish with the width about two-thirds of the height of the tree,if your bonsai is planted on its own.
With groups of plants the dish needs to have a width about two-thirds the height of the tallest tree.
To be successful at choosing your container you may find it helpful to develop your sense of taste and feeling for shape by studying acknowledges successes in the art of bonsai.

Bonsai plant containers


The bonsai dishes you can buy from specialist dealers usually come from Japan and China and among them you will find a fairly large range of containers in lots of different colours,sizes and shapes.It can be a difficult and time-consuming business finding the right dish,but it is always worth the effort involved.

Bonsai plant containers

Bonsai Trees-Mame Bonsai

Bonsai Trees-Mame Bonsai


Mame bonsai are small enough to be held comfortably in the palm of the hand.They should not exceed 8-15cm in height and,with few exceptions,their care and shaping is the same as for their larger counterparts.You can obtain Mame bonsai by collecting plants from the wild if you have permission,by cultivating them from cuttings and seeds,by growing them from off-shoots or by buying them from bonsai nurseries.

Bonsai Trees-Mame Bonsai


Mame need to be grown for between three and five years to shape the tree sufficiently to warrant the name.It is possible to start with seedlings 3-5cm tall, easily found in woods and parks at the foot of large trees.Of course,Mame should be miniature versions of the original tree,not same grotesquely deformed plant.

Bonsai Trees-Mame Bonsai

Japanese Bonsai Styles

Windswept style


No two bonsai are the same.However,in Japanese bonsai some typical shapes have evolved,all of which are found in nature.The most important ones to be able to recognize are follows.

Individual trees
-Formal upright
-Curved informal upright
-Slanting style
-Semi cascade
-Cascade or hanging style

Triple trunk style


Trees with several trunks,and group plantings
-Twin trunk
-Triple trunk
-Clump
-Raft style
-Raft from root,or sinuous,style
-Multi-tree or group planting

Semi cascade style


Styles that may be planted singly or in groups
-Broom,or besom,style
-Windswept style
-Literati style
-Clinging-to-rock,or rock grown,style

Clinging-to-rock style