By far the easiest way to get started on the care of bonsai trees is to buy a plant that has already been trimmed and potted for you. It will hopefully provide a hobby that will give you years of enjoyment. However a little knowledge before you start may help prevent heartbreak later.
Firstly, find a tree which is aesthetically pleasing. A bonsai is a living work of art. You are the artist, but nature has already chosen the basic characteristics of the building block from which your creation will grow. The art of bonsai is all about bending and shaping the tree to your will. After that, the proper care of bonsai trees will ensure nature does not undo what you have done.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, check the soil in the pot the bonsai is sitting in. It should be moist, but not too damp. Watering is perhaps the most crucial element in the proper care of bonsai trees. Allowing the soil to get too dry, or giving your tree too much water, can prove deadly very quickly. Watering needs vary between species, but the key is to make sure the soil never completely dries out. If your bonsai has been starved of water while in the shop it may struggle to survive when you get it home.
Once you have bought your tree, it is vitally important you check the amount of moisture around the roots on a daily basis. When you water do so thoroughly. You should ensure the pot your tree is in has plenty of holes to allow excess water to drain out. Your tree may benefit from giving the roots a good soaking. This can be done by putting the tree, container and all, into a tray of water for a while. However do not leave it there for more than an hour or two – too much moisture can also lead to trouble, particularly in encouraging fungi to grow.
The best idea is to keep a daily check on the soil’s moisture content by poking something small like a matchstick or toothpick into the pot. The soil should be moist, but not water-logged. Master the art of watering, and you are well on the way to becoming a master in the art of the proper care of bonsai trees.
Before purchasing your tree, check it carefully to see that it has no damage. Do the same to the branches, and also choose a plant that has many healthy lower limbs. Look also at the leaves. If they are damaged, spotted, yellow or show other signs of disease choose another plant.
Selecting a suitable position for your plant is also important. You need to find one that provides the most suitable amount of sunlight or shade for your particular variety of tree. Most bonsai actually prefer the outdoors, like their full-sized cousins, but it does depend on the variety of tree you have and whether it’s suited to your home climate.
Once you have the position right, it is a matter of keeping a daily check to ensure you are maintaining the right conditions for your bonsai to thrive. As stated earlier, the most crucial aspect in the proper care of bonsai trees is a daily check on the soil moisture. If you get that right, you’ll be off to a good start.
These simple steps will help you to get started. As your bonsai grows you, so will your questions. To get more information on bonsai trees care bonsai trees care
As a newcomer to caring for bonsai trees, I was keen to start making it grow the way I wanted, but maybe I was being a little impatient. Bonsai are not like house plants, they take years to form into beautiful works of art. I am a newcomer to bonsai and are just learning the basics of keeping my tree alive. What I really needed to know about pruning at this time was how to keep my tree ‘under control’ and keep it miniature and in the original shape by removing any excessive new growth.
To keep the growth balanced and in shape, pruning is necessary and this is without doubt one of the most enjoyable and satisfying aspects of the hobby. Do not be afraid of pruning – it is an essential part of caring for bonsai, helping to create miniature trees, rather than overgrown bushes.
Branches help to thicken the trunk and while there are usually too many branches on the Bonsai’s that are commercially sold, it pays to remember that you can not put anything back once you’ve cut it off! When removing branches, if unsure whether the branch should be removed completely, prune back and leave some buds that could grow back if desired, so that your options are left open. So don’t go crazy, my advise would be: if you’re not sure, leave it be.
It is said that ‘as you cut for the roots, you cut for the branches.’ That is to say, when you are pruning the branches of your Bonsai tree, you are going for a balance of the foliage and root systems. There is a close relationship between new shoots and new roots – when a tree’s shoots are extending, so are the roots. This is an important fact to remember when caring for bonsai trees.
This is another reason why it is best to prune at this time, before there is excess foliage that would place too much demand on a smaller root system.
Pruning branches must be done carefully and thoughtfully to ensure that you end up with your desired shape. When you are branch pruning, you are removing the thicker branches that clutter the style of the Bonsai tree. These may be ‘sticking out’ at all angles and detracting from the basic design of the tree.
The types of branches to prune in particular are crossing branches, which are the ones that cross the trunk or each other.
To remove these thicker branches it is a good idea to use a pair of concave cutters. These specially designed cutters allow you to remove the heavy branches without leaving ugly scars.
Trimming is the pruning of the lighter branches and foliage butterfly shears’ are usually used for this.
Pinching is simply removing any new growth such as buds and foliage before it extends so that it is placed more evenly amongst the branches of the tree. It encourages growth nearer to the trunk and lower branches by not letting the leaves of the higher branches ‘take over’. If you omit this stage when caring for bonsai trees, the lower branches and foliage become smaller and weaker and won’t grow as well.
Bonsai trees tend to be broad at the trunk base and taper towards an apex. It’s important to ‘pinch’ the leaves and buds to remove the ones that you don’t want as this will stop the tree from wasting unnecessary energy growing foliage that is not required.
You can do this using your thumb and forefinger or on very delicate areas you can use a pair of tweezers to remove small buds from within shoots.
With a little knowledge, over time, I will be able to trim and pinch my tree to train it to grow into an interesting, aesthetically pleasing shape that will impress my family and friends with my knowledge of caring for bonsai trees. In the meanwhile, I will be looking at different trees to develop an idea of what mine might eventually look like.
If you would like to know the step by step secrets the Bonsai masters use when caring for bonsai trees bonsai trees care.
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Most beginners hesitate to cut their prized bonsai trees. Admittedly it is not something that should be done in cavalier fashion, but it is essential for the proper maintenance and care of bonsai trees, and requires careful planning
Pruning will help create and then maintain your tree’s shape. A true bonsai follows very strict rules established over hundreds of years by masters in the creation and care of bonsai trees. For instance, the first branch should be about one third up the height of the trunk. If the first limb branches to the right, the second should grow from the opposite side with the pattern repeating as branches rise up the tree. They should also reduce in size as they ascend and there should be plenty of space between them.
The best time to prune depends largely on the type of bonsai you have. Some varieties prefer spring when the tree is about to undergo its most vigorous growth. Others prefer autumn when they’re about to lie dormant for a while. You will probably need to do a little research on the maintenance and care of bonsai trees to determine the most suitable time for pruning your particular plant.
Your next step is to determine which branches detract from the appeal of your tree and earmark them for removal. That will mean taking out any that cross over the trunk or each other, as well as any that are growing on the wrong side or are too close to another.
Proper care of bonsai trees means it is usually necessary to prune hardest at the top of your tree where the growth is the most vigorous. If left alone, this top growth will pull nutrients from weaker, lower branches and spoil the look of your tree. Conversely, heavily pruning in one area will encourage growth in a weaker area.
When pruning branches it is best to cut them back to a bud that is pointing in the same direction in which you wish the tree to grow. This means any new growth will branch in that direction. A word of warning though – think carefully before making a cut and don’t get too carried away. You can’t put a branch back once it has been removed.
The best tools to use are secateurs or scissors,but make sure they are sharp enough to give a clean cut. Also ensure they have been cleaned first to minimise the risk of the wound becoming infected. Large cuts should be painted with a protective paste to prevent diseases and pests attacking the wound. Your pruning instruments should always be sharp and clean as blunt tools will leave a ragged cut more likely to lead to trouble in this regard.
Proper care of bonsai trees also involves pruning the roots. This is generally done every two to three years. Ideally you remove around a third of the root ball, snipping off the larger thicker roots. The mass of finer, hair-like roots left behind will be much more efficient at absorbing water.Very importantly, once you have repotted your bonsai after root pruning, you should give it a good soaking.
Once your tree is the desired shape you may still need to do what’s called maintenance pruning. This is a simple procedure able to be done using a finger and thumb to pinch off unwanted new growth.
As I stated in the beginning, pruning is essential for the proper maintenance and care of bonsai trees, and it can be scary wondering whether you are doing the right thing. However it’s this act which determines the shape of your tree, creating its unique appeal and thus providing the most satisfying aspect of this hobby. You simply need to think carefully, plan your moves and do your homework first.
To find more information on pruning and all aspects of the care of bonsai trees care of bonsai trees
Bonsai is the Japanese art of growing miniature trees by restricting the growth of the plant through various pruning and cultivating techniques. As part of the growing technique (aka the training process), future Bonsai trees are grown in containers/trays to limit root growth and provide easy access for pruning or shaping the plant as desired. The Bonsai method can take years before a final tree is completed and requires constant care for the tree to stay in the desire size and shape. Bonsai trees are often confused with dwarfism or dwarfing of trees. In actuality, the two processes are completely different in their approach to creating miniature trees.
In dwarfing, the miniature tree effect is obtained through genetics or selective breeding. Selective breeding is the process where smaller specimens are joined with other smaller than normal specimens to create specimen limited in growth. Once the desired size is reached the process in complete. Genetic Engineering is another method of creating dwarf plants. In genetic engineering, genes that inhibit growth or provide miniature characteristics are spliced into the genome of the desired specimen. Genetic engineering modifies genes on a microscopic level while selective breeding modifies genes looking at the macroscopic effects. The goal is to create a miniature version of the plant that retains the desired characteristics of the full grown plant.
Depriving a plant of specific hormones during the growth process can also result in dwarfing of the specimen. However, the lack of hormones can result in the dwarf specimen not displaying some of the desired aesthetics or size. Practice or experience is the best the way to control the end result when using the hormone approach. For the purposes of creating display miniatures trees, the hormone method is not normally used.
There are essentailly two methods for growing miniature specimens of plants and tree, Bonsai and dwarfing. Whichever process is used, the end result is a miniature version of a larger tree or plant. At this point, the dwarfed tree/plant has some significant advantages to a Bonsai tree. Once the dwarfed tree is developed to the desired size, there is little maintenance (i.e. watering, getting proper sunlight, etc…) required to sustain the tree. However, the Bonsai tree will require continued maintenance (i.e. pruning, shaping, etc…) to maintain its desire appearance. If not properly, this can result in the death or ruination of the Bonsai tree. Using the Bonsai method requires a larger commitment of time and resources.
So, if the desired miniature tree is one the can be taken care of with watering and some general maintenance, a dwarf tree is the proper selection. However, using the Bonsai cultivation method results in a minature tree which reflects your peronality and is a lifelong hobby. In either case, miniature trees have been a source of beauty and awe in private gardens and public arboretums for decades and will add a definitive touch to any décor.
As an art form, the term Bonsai tree is used for all miniature trees or arrangements while several other cultures have similar traditions. China has a similar tradition in penjing and Vietnam has the tradition known as h
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