SOIL MIXTURES FOR BONSAI TREES

bonsai soil mixtures

bonsai soil mixtures

SOIL MIXTURES FOR BONSAI TREES

The standard mixture is made of equal parts forest soil of peat,loam and coarse,gritty sand.With broadleaves,young trees and vigorously growing trees,a lighter soil is required-one that contains as little loam as possible.Slow-growing bonsai such as pines and the majority of conifers,as well as old trees,do better in a dry soil mixture usually containing more sand.

bonsai soil mixtures

bonsai soil mixtures

If garden soil is to be used you should realise that most types already contain some loam.
You can of course make the whole matter much simpler for yourself if you fall back on the tried and tested bonsai soil available through retail outlets.They contain one part loam,one part peat and one part granite chippings or coarse grit.

bonsai soil mixtures

bonsai soil mixtures

And remember one thing!Every bonsai specialist will swear to the success of his own soil mixtures!

bonsai soil mixtures

bonsai soil mixtures

THICKENING THE TRUNK OF A BONSAI

Bonsai Trees

Bonsai Trees

THICKENING THE TRUNK OF A BONSAI

It often happens that the trunk of a Bonsai looks too thin in relation to the crown and if this occurs you will have to resolve to thickness it.It is the lower branches that determine the thickness of a tree-trunk,so cut them away once the trunk is as thick as you want it.
If you want to thicken only the base of the trunk,start in spring by wrapping a piece of aluminum wire round the trunk just below the surface of the soil.Above the wire the trunk will swell relatively quickly.Remove the wire in the autumn of the same year otherwise it will constrict the tree too much and it might die.

Bonsai Trees

Bonsai Trees

Bonsai Trees

Bonsai Trees

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

BONSAI-THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO ART AND TECHNIQUE

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

Bonsai-The complete guide to art and technique

BONSAI FROM THE WILD

Bonsai Tree-Taken at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum


BONSAI FROM THE WILD

Bonsai Tree-Taken at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum


In years gone by many people in Japan used to take themselves off to the mountains in spring to find suitable bonsai,and they often brought home with them some really lovely specimens.
before collecting from the wild you should gain the permission of the landowner if you intend removing any material,and make sure you are up-to-date with information regarding protected species.Your chances of successfully replanting your find will be good if you go collecting at the beginning of spring;plants will not have begun to grow again and so can still tolerate a change of site quite well.Take with you a small spade,a sharp knife or secateurs,a couple of plastic boxes,newspaper and some water.That way you'll be able to dig up your specimen with as much root and soil attached as possible,and be able to wrap it in damp newspaper to stop it drying out and get it home safely.

Bonsai from the wild


Seedlings about 10-20cm high are suitable material and should present no problems for further cultivation as they still have a compact ball of roots and can be taken out of the ground easily.
At home plant your young tree in loose soil in the garden or put it in a large pot with a good drainage layer and a mixture of equal parts peat/sand.
After one or two years the roots should be cut and the tree repotted into a bonsai dish.

Maple Bonsai Tree, Acer campestre

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL BONSAI

Internal (room) bonsai


INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL BONSAI

External(outdoor) bonsai


Bonsai are with special pruning technique of over-ground and under-ground parts grown dwarf trees. They grow very slowly in shallow containers and retain a miniature form. The containers are small, square, rectangular, round or oval, 2 to 3 times baked and resistant to low temperatures. The plants need watered regularly so that the roots never dry out.

There are internal (room) and external (outdoor) bonsai, for which is necessary to decide before buying. Internal bonsai are simple tog grow and do not require special care. These include various types of trees and shrubs, which home is in warm places. They grow continuously during winter and summer and do not need a winter rest.

Internal (room) bonsai


External bonsai need much more care and experience. The ambient conditions can not teach but require an external space. With the arrival of the first salt to fall and the tree leaves are preparing for winter vacation. Their growth for several months expires.

For beginners, I recommend an internal (room) Bonsai.

External(outdoor) bonsai

Chinese Bonsai

Chinese Bonsai


Over the centuries the Chinese have developed the same principle for bonsai as the Japanese.In the first instance they,too,have the desire to learn from nature;both nationalities see bonsai as the art of imitating nature,of creating harmony,of making ourselves aware of that which is essential in life.But there are details of the art which are more important for Chinese bonsai masters than their Japanese counterparts,namely the relationship in size between dish and tree,roots and trunk,trunk and branches.
If you compare bonsai from the two countries on thing you will notice is that the Chinese often choose very large bonsai dishes which are very attractive,very old and precious.Their tree tend to be bigger than the Japanese,too,not infrequently reaching a height of 1m-1.5m and sometimes more.And often the roots of a Chinese bonsai look very thin in relation to the trunk.These trees simply grow abruptly out of the ground;the trunk is almost the same thickness from top to bottom,scarcely tapering at all as it reaches the crown of the tree.

Chinese Bonsai


The relationship in size between trunk and branches is also not so well balanced as in Japanese bonsai.You might find quite thin branches sticking abruptly out of thick trunks,and it is often only in the crown of the tree that you will find any very graceful branches.Sometimes,too,the angle at which branches hang seems to us somewhat audacious.
In China the following species of plants are the commonest for bonsai training:Chinese cypress,Chinese juniper,jasmine orange,oleaster,white pine...

Chinese Bonsai

Bonsai tools

Bonsai tools


In the early stages of cultivating bonsai it is possible to make do with equipment you are likely to have to hand,secateurs and pruning shears,for example.In the long run,however,you won't be able to do without tools specially designed for bonsai.Slender bonsai scissors,for instance,make it possible to reach every branch and root on your plants.Pliers for removing wire are so designed that they won't damage the bark,and the pliers used for making a concave incision leave behind a wound that heals quickly,without nasty scarring.
The bonsai tools,developed in Japan,are the most important ones you'll need.Provided you treat them carefully,in particular giving them a thorough clean after use,they should last a long time and give good service.

Bonsai tools


Some important bonsai tools:
-Screw-clamp for bending branches and trunks
-Leaf cutters
-Pliers for cutting thick roots
-Brush for cleaning and smoothing the surface of the soil
-Wire cutters for removing wire
-Scissors for cutting shoots,branches and thinnish roots
-Saw for sawing off thick branches
-Paring or wood chisel for gouging out a fairly large incision

Bonsai tools

Siting Your Bonsai

Siting Your Bonsai


The conventional bonsai requires a site in the open air.In the garden,on a open balcony,on a patio or roof garden your tree is exposed to the atmospheric conditions-sun,wind and rain-that it needs to remain healthy and develop satisfactorily.
A bonsai may be brought into the house as a decoration only for a few hours a week,a day at the most.Outside,keep your plants raised off the ground as it makes them easier to tend and admire and less at risk from pests or even pets.
The ideal site for your bonsai is a shelf or framework that can be shaded in the summer if necessary and roofed over with a plastic covering in winter.The majority of bonsai species require full sunlight.Only a few sensitive plant species have to be kept slightly shaded.

Siting Your Bonsai


If the sunlight falls on one side only,you must turn your bonsai every few weeks to stop it developing in an unbalanced way.
You can make up for any lack of sunshine-for example,if a balcony is overhung by a roof-by applying artificial light.Natural,or daylight,fluorescent lamps can be used for this purpose.

Siting Your Bonsai

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

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

Bonsai Training

Bonsai Training


The aim of training is to make a good bonsai from your young plant or specimen.In doing this it is usual to look to the centuries-old bonsai tradition of the Japanese for models to emulate.But there is nothing to stop bonsai enthusiasts from going their own way and developing new styles and types that may be latent in the imagination.Nevertheless it is advisable to bear in mind a basic rule of the Japanese masters:the bonsai should look natural,that is to say,you must not lose sight of the tree's growth pattern in the wild.

Bonsai Training


Since a bonsai should be typical of a normal tree,many bonsai growers collect photos or draw sketches of trees or groups of trees to give them ideas for their bonsai.Other sources for ideas include bonsai exhibitions,books on bonsai and bonsai courses which take place regularly in some towns.

Bonsai Training

Bonsai -Miniature landscapes(Saikei)

Bonsai -Miniature landscapes(Saikei)


Saikei are miniature landscapes planted in shallow dishes to represent a piece of natural scenery-perhaps a strip of river,a waterfall in the mountains,a pine grove by the sea or a deciduous wood with pathways and streams.Saikei have a long history if we include among the art those miniature landscapes depicted on thirteenth and fourteenth century scroll paintings.The art of forming saikei was rediscovered recently by Japanese bonsai master,who developed the art further.In the West,saikei is becoming better known and has attracted much admiration from bonsai enthusiasts.

Bonsai -Miniature landscapes(Saikei)


Saikei are different from bonsai group plantings mainly in that not only trees are used but also rocks and various types of earth-sometimes even tiny houses,bridges,animals and figures,too.Good saikei formations work because the three basic elements,trees,rocks and earth combine in a harmonious way.

Bonsai -Miniature landscapes(Saikei)


Bonsai -Miniature landscapes(Saikei)

Bonsai-Rock Plantings

Bonsai-Rock Plantings


Bonsai-Rock Plantings
Bonsai arrangements using rocks follow two basic patterns:those with plants rooted on the rock and having no link with the earth in the dish,and those whose roots run down over the rock into the earth.
Good bonsai rock compositions are achieved when the plants,rocks and dishes form a natural-looking unity.

Bonsai-Rock Plantings


The main thing to consider is which quality of a rock landscape you wish to recreate and which perspective you will select for it.These are considerations that will determine how you arrange the two basic elements of your bonsai.Rocks will look like giant cliff-faces if the trees on them are relatively much smaller,and they'll shrink to the size of rocky fragments if the trees dominate the scene.

Bonsai-Rock Plantings