Infolific » Bonsai

Wiring a Juniper Bonsai

Darcy Degroat — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:39:44 +0000

Step-by-Step Place the tree at eye-level and choose the front view. Prune off heavy branches near the base. Thin out the upper branches. Treat any stubs left on the lower part of the trunk to create jins. Cut a length of wire, a third longer than the combined lengths of [...]

Propagating Bonsai from Seed

Darcy Degroat — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 14:00:56 +0000

Growing trees or shrubs from seed will give you many seedlings, but needs much time and space. You are not "growing bonsai", only cultivating material that may, after several years, be suitable for training into bonsai. First, ensure the required species is one that can be readily propagated from seed. [...]

The Big List of Trees and Shrubs for Bonsai

Darcy Degroat — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 14:15:39 +0000

To give you the widest choice when you select material for a bonsai, this dictionary provides a total list of over 250 trees and shrubs which are suitable for bonsai cultivation. It lists the plants in alphabetical order of their botanical names, followed by their common names, where applicable. Sub-species, [...]

Bonsai Landscape Styles

Darcy Degroat — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:10:18 +0000

A saikei, or living landscape, planting combines living plants with materials such as rock, soil or sand to create the ambiance of a natural landscape. The saikei can vary as much as natural landscape does. It does not even have to be totally realistic. Although you can reconstruct a favorite [...]

How to Maintain A Bonsai

Darcy Degroat — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:05:31 +0000

Once you have trained, or started to train, a bonsai into a chosen style, it is vital to keep the plant growing well. To do this, you need a knowledge of the basic horticultural skills, such as placing the tree in a suitable position, and watering and feeding it correctly. [...]

Layering and Grafting Bonsai

Darcy Degroat — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:16:02 +0000

To increase a plant by layering, peg down the shoot of a garden plant at ground level or bury it in the soil, to encourage it to produce roots while still attached to the parent plant. Sometimes this method is used in bonsai, but the parent plant must be multi-trunked, [...]

Growing Bonsai from Cuttings

Darcy Degroat — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 11:00:37 +0000

Propagating bonsai material from cuttings has several advantages. It is very easy and reliable. The new plants always have the same characteristics as the parent. You can often use the prunings that you would otherwise throw away from routine pruning. There are two kinds of cuttings: softwood and hardwood. Softwood [...]

Bonsai Root Pruning and Repotting

Darcy Degroat — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:55:05 +0000

After a few years, the roots of a bonsai completely fill the pot. When an ordinary pot plant is "pot-bound" like this, you simply pot it on into a bigger container with more soil. When repotting a bonsai, however, you will want to retain the original container that you chose [...]

Wiring the Trunk and Branches of Bonsai

Darcy Degroat — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:48:02 +0000

Wiring the Trunk Choose wire of the correct thickness. Cut it to length, and push one end into the soil behind the trunk of the tree. To anchor the wire securely, bend it around the trunk almost parallel with the soil in the container. Wind the first coil of wire [...]

Group Bonsai Plantings

Darcy Degroat — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:47:19 +0000

The natural beauty of a clump of trees, a woodland or a forest can be recreated with a group bonsai planting. Use this style also for trees that may not make good single specimens, such as young and slender trees or ones with few or one-sided growth of side branches. [...]

Watering and Feeding Bonsai

Darcy Degroat — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:34:37 +0000

Various factors affect the amount of water and fertilizer you should give your bonsai. Some trees are "thirstier" than others. The time of year also affects the quantity of water and nutrients that a tree needs. The type and quality of the potting soil is a factor: the more water [...]

Bonsai Tree Pruning: The Right Approach for the Right Tree

Darcy Degroat — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 12:00:19 +0000

With correct positioning, watering, feeding, and repotting, your bonsai should grow vigorously. Then the skills of shaping and grooming the tree come into play, partly to maintain the design you have created, and also to improve and refine it. One technique of maintenance pruning is called pinching back or finger [...]

Planting Bonsai on Rock

Darcy Degroat — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 14:14:11 +0000

If you want to increase the impact of your bonsai, introducing one or more rocks is a good idea. Solid, elemental-looking rocks can give the impression that a bonsai is part of a landscape. A single rock can resemble a rugged cliff, a towering mountain, or a rocky island. A [...]

Wiring Bonsai

Darcy Degroat — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:37:14 +0000

Mastering the skill of wiring will give you much more scope when creating or refining your bonsai. You can change the direction of the branches or trunk, wire an upward branch into the horizontal, turn a branch on a young tree downward to simulate age, or maintain and refine new [...]

Pruning a Cotoneaster Bonsai

Darcy Degroat — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:30:34 +0000

A fine choice for a first bonsai is Cotoneaster horizontatis, the rockspray cotoneaster, which often makes an interesting trunk without any training. It grows vigorously, producing many branches which take readily to pruning. New buds form on old wood. The branches of a young plant grow in a herringbone pattern, [...]

Bonsai Pests and Diseases

Darcy Degroat — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:23:44 +0000

This post shows the more common pests and diseases that might attack your bonsai. Fortunately, most bonsai trees and shrubs are hardy species that are not notably susceptible to pests and diseases, but, if a problem should arise, you should recognize it quickly and "nip it in the bud". A [...]

Glossary of Bonsai Terms

Darcy Degroat — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:21:05 +0000

Accent plant: A separate, often seasonal, planting of grasses, bulbs, or small herbaceous plants displayed with a formal bonsai. Accessory plant: Another term for an accent plant; also, an extra plant used as underplanting for a bonsai group planting. Adult foliage: The mature leaves of a tree with a distinctly [...]

Basic Bonsai Methods

Darcy Degroat — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:19:50 +0000

The two main methods of creating a bonsai could be described as the "subtraction" and the "addition" methods. Subtraction shapes the tree by pruning away unnecessary branches and twigs. In the addition method, you start the plant from seed or a cutting, and gradually encourage it to develop into the [...]

Tools for Growing and Maintaining Bonsai

Darcy Degroat — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:18:18 +0000

The Japanese produce many tools especially for bonsai work, and these can be easily purchased in most parts of the world. You can buy domestic equivalents for some of these specialized tools. Remember that you will get what you pay for: cheaper, poor-quality tools are a false economy. The enormous [...]

Containers for Bonsai

Darcy Degroat — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:15:45 +0000

The container is as important as the tree in a bonsai design. Usually, growers select the pot after styling the tree, so the two harmonize in size, shape, color, and texture. Practical and aesthetic factors affect the choice of pot. Practical Points The pot must hold enough soil for the [...]