Bonsai Trees

   The art of growing bonsai trees was originally the practice of containing the size of ancient wild trees in China. Bonsai is a Chinese word pun sai, this word means
'tree in a pot'.  Bonsai trees are normal shrubs and trees that are miniaturised.
They still go through normal seasonal phases of bearing fruit, flowering, and shedding their leaves.
   It has taken many years for plants to grow and they take advantage of natural light, wind, rain and normal seasonal changes. Growing them indoors means they have to adapt to dimmer lighting conditions and lower humidity levels. Bonsai trees may be able to live for a short time indoors but it will never grow strong and healthy. If the tree is constantly kept indoors for it will inevitably result in the tree dying unless the tree is put outside to regain its health. Some bonsai trees can be grown indoors for a short period of time, these are tropical types but these are trees that are protected against the cold, but  tropical species that are kept indoors do need to go outside as soon as  the threat of frost has passed in the Spring. Outdoor bonsai may be kept in the house, provided that a cool area is selected and that the duration is no longer than a couple of days. Some tropical species of tree are suitable for growing indoors but even these should spend the summer months outside.

   One important thing you need to understand when growing bonsai, is that the plant keeps its small size through regular pruning, if this isn't done it will continue to grow until it no longer looks like a bonsai but an ordinary garden plant or tree. The roots of a bonsai need to be annually pruned, this is not to keep it small. Root pruning produces a small tightly packed ball of roots that enables the plant to be planted in a suitably sized container. If the roots aren't pruned then the roots of the plant will keep growing till they fill the plant pot up and strangle the tree. By pruning about a 1/3 of the roots every year you can put new soil into the pot and this allows new roots to be able to grow.
   Pruning and shaping your first tree will allow you to find that there are many basic ways to pruning a bonsai, but these are only basic guides and you should try to replicate the look of the original tree as it would look in its original habitat. What you need to try and create is a miniaturised natural looking tree that resembles as close as possible its full grown counterpart.
   Growing a bonsai tree can be a very rewarding pastime, over a period of time you can nurture and shape your tree into a unique work of art that you have created and can be proud of. Bonsai care, bonsai care is important,  and takes time but proper bonsai care makes the difference to the health of the tree. Not all bonsai need wiring, but constant bonsai care is needed to keep the tree healthy.


Leaf trimming: This technique involves removing leaves or needles from a bonsai's branches and the trunk. Removing the outer larger leaves forces the tree to grow a replacement set of leaves which are obviously smaller and keeps the tree miniaturised  it also allows sunlight to get to the smaller leaves nearer the branches. The best way to trim leaves from a bonsai is 'finger pruning'. To finger prune your bonsai tree you need to pinch back any new growth helping it to grow bushy foliage and make it look more like a bonsai tree. To achieve this, take the branch in one hand and the growth between your thumb and forefinger and twist the leaf. Pruning and trimming leaves is the activity that will occur the most often because it is used for bonsai tree maintenance, and the one that occurs most frequently during the year.

Wiring: When wiring try to get the tree to grow into a natural looking shape for the particular bonsai you have. Not all trees need wiring to achieve there desired shapes they can just automatically grow into shape with no need for wiring and will only need pruning to remove any excess branches and leaves that will achieve the desired shape. You need to wrap copper or aluminium wire around the branches and trunk of the tree which will allow you to create the general shape if there is a need for shaping. Aluminium wire is more expensive than copper wire but is easier to use especially for beginners and should be bought in different lengths depending on the size of branch you wish to train. The easiest way to wire the tree is to hold the branch with one hand (depending on the size of tree, it may take two hands, in which case roll the wire before bending) and roll the wire slowly around the branch, then slowly bend the branch into the required position and anchor to another branch or suitable anchor point. If the branch is very strong you can double the wiring on the same branch. Check the wiring every couple of weeks to make sure it does not cut into the bark because this could cause damage that could take years to repair. It is best not to water the tree the day before wiring and after keep it in the shade for two weeks. When wire is used on new branches, it holds the branches in place until they convert into wood, this normally takes between 6–9 months. Wires are also used to connect a branch to another object (e.g., another branch, the pot itself) so that tightening the wire applies force to the branch. Some species do not grow strong new branches, and some trees branches are too brittle or stiff to be bent easily these cases should not be wired, shaping them is accomplished primarily through pruning. Pruning the leaves and root pruning is essential to the well being of your bonsai tree. Leaf pruning gives the tree shape and root pruning allows the tree to grow healthily.


Pruning: To prune correctly you must find out the type of bonsai your tree is and when the best times are to prune old and new season growth. Pruning is the removal of branches from last years growth for creating or cleaning up the look of the tree. It also keeps it to its miniaturised state, without pruning it would grow into a full grown tree. In general remove branches growing straight up, straight down or branches growing parallel to other branches plus any dead branches that there may be. When cutting entire branches it is best to use a concave cutter at the base of the branch leaving a small collar protruding, this will leave the cut less noticeable when it grows.
The top of the tree grows faster so needs pruning more often to maintain the shape of the tree it should reflect on the shape of the trunk.

  Root pruning is a major part of growing bonsai. No plant can continually live in a container without having its roots trimmed at some stage. Plants are constantly looking for nutrients, in the earth there roots can grow tens of feet but when kept in pots they saturate the pot with roots and become root bound and sometimes even push the plant out of the pot. The idea is to keep the tree miniaturised so you should prune the roots then return it to the same sized pot with new soil. Root pruning reduces a trees ability to get water and nutrients so should be done when it is not in its growth period. The normal time is late spring depending on what type of tree it is.
Buds on a tree contain enough food to still open if the roots can get enough water
to them, this allows a period of time to manipulate the roots without the plant
suffering to much.

  Root pruning is very simple to do, just un- pot the plant and straighten and untangle the roots. There is a tool you can use for this called a "root hook" which minimises any damage done. Start at the edge and gradually work around.You want to keep the main thicker roots so try to comb out the smaller roots rather than pulling them out. You should cut the thicker roots and keep the smaller more spindly roots as these are very good at absorbing water which the tree will need
after pruning. To be on the safe side do not cut more than two thirds of the roots. Then re-pot with new soil and water, it will need watering more often to begin with
than normal.

  Depending on the type of tree you have it may take a time for the tree to recover from pruning as some trees take better to pruning than others.

The Japanese tradition describes bonsai tree designs using a set of commonly understood, named styles.^[96] The most common styles include formal upright, informal upright, slanting, semi-cascade, cascade, raft, literati, and group/forest. Less common forms include windswept, weeping, split-trunk, and driftwood styles.^[3][97] These terms are not mutually exclusive, and a single bonsai specimen can exhibit more than one style characteristic. When a bonsai specimen falls into multiple style categories, the common practice is to describe it by the dominant or most striking characteristic.

A frequently used set of styles describe the orientation of the bonsai tree's main trunk. Different terms are used for a tree with its apex directly over the center of the trunk's entry into the soil, slightly to the side of that center, deeply inclined to one side, and inclined below the point at which the trunk of the bonsai enters the soil.^[26]

• Formal upright or chokkan style trees are characterized by a straight, upright, tapering trunk. Branches progress regularly from the thickest and broadest at the bottom to the finest and shortest at the top.

• Informal upright or moyogi trees incorporate visible curves in trunk and branches, but the apex of the informal upright is located directly above the trunk's entry into the soil line.

• Slant-style or shakan bonsai possess straight trunks like those of bonsai grown in the formal upright style. However, the slant style trunk emerges from the soil at an angle, and the apex of the bonsai will be located to the left or right of the root base.

• Cascade-style or kengai specimens are modelled after trees that grow over water or down the sides of mountains. The apex (tip of the tree) in the semi-cascade-style or han kengai bonsai extend just at or beneath the lip of the bonsai pot; the apex of a (full) cascade style falls below the base of the pot.

A number of styles describe the trunk shape and bark finish. For example, the deadwood bonsai styles identify trees with prominent dead branches or trunk scarring.

• Shari or sharimiki style involves portraying a tree in its struggle to live while a significant part of its trunk is bare of bark.

Although most bonsai trees are planted directly into the soil, there are styles describing trees planted on rock.

• Root-over-rock or sekijoju is a style in which the roots of the tree are wrapped around a rock, entering the soil at the base of the rock.

• Growing-in-a-rock or ishizuke style means the roots of the tree are growing in soil contained within the cracks and holes of the rock.

While the majority of bonsai specimens feature a single tree, there are well-established style categories for specimens with multiple trunks.

• Multi-trunk or ikadabuki style has all the trunks growing out of one spot with one root system, and is actually a single tree.

• Raft-style or netsuranari bonsai mimic a natural phenomenon that occurs when a tree topples onto its side, for example, from erosion or another natural force. Branches along the top side of the trunk continue to grow as a group of new trunks.