Nisei Festival 2008 Bonsai Trees

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Bonsai Tree exhibit at the Nisei Fest in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, August 2008

Tags: 2008, Bonsai, Festival, Nisei, Trees

Feeding Your Bonsai Tree

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Your bonsai tree is somewhat dependent on you to provide it with the nutrients it needs to sustain life. While most trees can get the ease from the environment, the bonsai is confined to a pot and so it is up to you to be sure that it gets everything It needs to survive.

Just like anything other living thing, bonsai’s need food. This, of course, comes in the form of fertilizer. Fertilizer can be found at your local nursery or even bought online. The most common fertilizer contains nitrogen, phosphates and potassium. In addition to these three elements, the bonsai also needs iron and, believe it or not, vitamins in particular the B-complex vitamins.

if you can’t find the complex vitamins for your bonsai you might try beer. Of course the alcohol content needs to be very low or you might damage or tree. Try using a weak beer and dilute it using a half beer half water mixture before using it on your bonsai.

You can also get B-complex vitamins and supplement form but no matter how you are getting the vitamins to bonsai one good way to administer it is to spraying the leaves. This needs to be done when the temperature is below 85°F as above that temperature the holes in the leaves close and the tree stops breathing so the exchange of moisture, and therefore the vitamins, will be negligible.

While you’re bonsai can benefit from having its leaves sprayed, doing this in hot weather can actually be harmful to your plant as it will cause the leaves to open up but then more sure be lost to the hot air. This can dry out the leaves and eventually the tree causing harm. The most common cause of bonsai death is actually incorrect watering so be careful when spraying your leaves.

You probably take vitamin pills to get your nutrients, right? Well you can give nutrients you bonsai the same way! You can buy commercially made pills that have all the nutrients your tree needs. Just put them in the soil on either sides of the trunk and water each day the water will cause the nutrients to be leached out of the pills and down into the soil.

How much nutrients you give your bonsai depends on many things includeing the species of the tree the size of the tree the age of the tree and how long it has been in Its current pot as well as the drainage in the pot and the development of the root system. Start off by following the directions on the nutrient package and watch your tree carefully. If you see signs of burnt leaves or drooping flowers you may be giving it too much nutrient.

When your tree is growing, you will want to give it more nutrients but in the fall you can also give It a little bit. Try using a mixture that is 0-10-10 (NPK) for the fall months.

Don’t feed your tree right after repotting at but otherwise a schedule of every two to four weeks is ideal. After repotting you want to wait at least four weeks before feeding. Feeding is best done when the soil is moist.

Proper care, including proper feeding of your bonsai tree will ensure that you have a beautiful healthy plant for many years to come.

Tags: Bonsai, Feeding, Tree

Joseph and his 260 bonsai trees Part 4

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Watch Joseph Attipeti’s collection of bonsai trees, orchid plants in this episode of ‘Bhoomigeetham’.

Tags: Bonsai, Joseph, Part, Trees

Bonsai Tree Demonstration – Power Carving

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Graham Potter shows some basic bonsai carving techniques on a giant hornbeam.

Tags: Bonsai, Carving, Demonstration, Power, Tree

Ari and Joel with Bonsai trees at Huntington Gardens

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Near the Zen garden, Ariela expounding on bonsai trees, grass, and moss. Recorded on December 7, 2008 using a Flip Video camcorder.

Tags: Bonsai, Gardens, Huntington, Joel, Trees

Joseph and his 260 bonsai trees Part 3

bonsai trees

Watch Joseph Attipeti’s collection of bonsai trees, orchid plants in this episode of ‘Bhoomigeetham’.

Tags: Bonsai, Joseph, Part, Trees

Selecting the Right Soil for Your Bonsai Tree

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One of the most important parts of growing and nurturing a Bonsai tree is making the right soil selection. You have a choice of going to the local garden center and picking a soil that is suitable for your Bonsai tree or you can make your own mix with a variety of soils.

One thing that all Bonsai experts agree on is that the right soil for your Bonsai tree should be loose and facilitate water drainage. Some good examples of loose soil are shale or clay. Many Bonsai enthusiasts prefer to use volcanic soil from Japan as it is not very compact and has many nutrients that a Bonsai tree may require. However, the soil for your Bonsai tree should also be able to withhold moisture or else you will see your beautiful tree wilting away before your eyes. Therefore, when making a soil selection, these to aspects should be foremost in your mind.

Another factor that you should think about when selecting the right soil for your Bonsai tree is aeration. The soil should be able to breathe, so to say; and this will facilitate movement of oxygen into your tree.

These are some of the guidelines that you should follow when selecting soil for your Bonsai tree. Remember, there is no perfect soil that suits all Bonsai trees. If you are growing many different varieties of trees, it goes without saying that you may require many different types of soil. The best thing that you can do is be knowledgeable about your Bonsai tree and ensure you keep the above mentioned factors in mind when selecting soil for your Bonsai tree and you will not fail.

Tags: Bonsai, Right, Selecting, Soil, Tree

How To Tend To Bonsai Trees

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Tending to flowers and other plants is a good hobby to have. But that doesn’t make it simple in any way. When taking care of plants you have to make sure that you are fertilizing them enough and supplying them with the needed attention that will keep them alive and healthy for dozens of years.

The most pretty and most unusual plant is the bonsai tree. It is also one of the most delicate to produce and take care for. This is because it necessitates that you water it the right way, pot it correctly, and prune it properly so as to attain the preferred look of the tree you are working hard to care for.

There are two different types of bonsai trees. Neither one of these include the silk bonsai tree. This is really a fake bonsai. While these are beautiful to look at they only demand a light dusting to keep them looking exceptional. The two types of bonsai trees include; temperate and tropical.

A tropical bonsai tree does not have the ability to adjust to its environments if those environment are at freezing temperatures. Because of this it is imperative that you keep them well protected when there is a frost. Temperate bonsai trees are able to hold out in freezing temperatures because they have a shallow root system. They might still demand some type of protection from the cold. When taking care of bonsai trees that are temperate you will want to place them in a dormancy period.

Most bonsai trees should be kept outdoors with only a few days separated throughout the week where they are allowed to be situated inside of the home. In the home make sure they are still receiving the proper amount of light and water to keep them healthy.

During the cold winter months you should bring your tropical bonsai trees inside and keep them close to a window that catches a lot of sunshine. Make sure that you still continue to water them as necessary. Both of these types of bonsai tree require a lot of care that will keep them alive and looking pretty.

Tags: Bonsai, Tend, Trees

Joseph and his 260 bonsai trees Part 2

bonsai trees

Watch Joseph Attipeti’s collection of bonsai trees in this episode of ‘Bhoomigeetham’.

Tags: Bonsai, Joseph, Part, Trees

Growing Bonsai Trees

bonsai trees

The essentials.

The first thing you should decide when considering growing Bonsai Trees is what type of tree you want to grow. The type of tree you want will determine not only the tree you should buy but also the design of pot and the types of tools you may require, and of course you should have the knowledge of growing the particular type of Bonsai tree that you want. Not all Bonsai trees demand the same attention. For instance draping trees will need very different pruning to a conifer and so you should have the knowledge to grow exactly what type of tree you want.

After this, it’s time to prepare yourself; you will need the appropriate tools and one good pot at the very least.

Tools.

The tools you will need include various sizes of wire and wire cutters, a small and large pair of scissors, a small pair of sharp garden shears and larger pair of pruners to cut through the thick branches.

Bonsai or not Bonsai?

Many places now sell Bonsai that are ready trained and have grown into healthy but juvenile Bonsai. As long as you are careful to pick a healthy and good looking tree then care, attention and an eye for detail means you will be able to buy a partially grown Bonsai and help it grow into a perfect full blown Bonsai. However, should you decide to buy a full grown tree or plant, then it is a good idea to visit the nurseries that stock trained Bonsai. This way you can get an idea for what type of tree you want and how they should look. It can be very difficult to see past the shape the tree already has, but remember when you want to train a tree to become your Bonsai project you will be cutting most of the branches and foliage away so it will look very dissimilar to how you first see it. You need to have good vision for this method.

Planting.

You can buy a Bonsai pot from virtually any plant shop, but make sure it has adequate drainage and preferably has little feet on it to allow the water to drain away and also allow a good level of airflow. Using a soil consisting of half organic matter and half grit will allow a good level of drainage while still giving the plant the anchorage it will need in it’s shallow pot.

Now cover the drainage holes in the bottom of your pot with a wire screen in order to prevent the soil running out. Now place a layer of grit down followed by the Bonsai soil. Now you should shape your Bonsai how you want it. Place the wire around the branches in a spiral shape, and gently bend the branches to the exact shape you want them to grow in. Be careful, though, not to break or snap any of the branches you shape. Next remove as much of the soil from the root ball as you can but be sure to leave as many of the fine feeder roots as possible and then plant your Bonsai into the pot you have prepared.

Tags: Bonsai, Growing, Trees