Owner: Paul Parker

Artist: Paul Parker

Tree: Solanum

Artist: Paul Parker

Owner: Paul Parker

Tree: Bouganvillea

These two beautiful trees belong to the man who introduced me to bonsai.

Bud Nipping

When one is creating bonsai, one of the most attractive feautures are dense or compressed canopies/foliage. To achieve this genuine look, one must nip off new buds and shoots from the tips of the foliage. The best way to do this is by using your fingers as cutting the buds off with scissors turns the tips of your foliage brown. 

Nipping off the buds stimulates back growth. This will help you to thicken up your  canopies and also help you to maintain the shape of your bonsai. Another attractive feature of bonsai is good leaf reduction, leaf reduction will occur when your canopies thicken this is because the tree has more leaves so it will want to retain as much water as possible, therefore it reduces the surface area of its leaves to decrease transpiration. 

Once the buds are nipped off the production of auxins is brought to a halt (Auxins are growth hormones that make plants grow in length). Once the production of auxins has stopped,  the production of the hormone cytokinin begins. This hormone stimulates  axillary bud growth (Back growth) and also causes apical dominance. Therefore the trunk of your tree will thicken. 

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Caution: nipping forces trees to use stored energy, therefore it should only be done to healthy trees. It is also not advisable to nip buds during winter because the trees recieve less energy/sun. 

Wild Olive

My 10 year old Wild Olive, grown in the windswept style. 

Wiring

Wiring is a technique used to bend and  hold branches in a certain position. The technique of wiring has only really been in use for the last 100 years, therefore it is a relatively new technique considering the art of bonsai has been around for thousands of years.

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In most cases, one would leave the wire on the tree for one growing season, although some trees are slower growing and take longer to hold the wired position, in which case the wire will remain on for longer. When wiring one should always be cautious for wire bite- this occurs when the branch grows to the extent that the wire cuts into it. Wire bite can leave ugly scars that may never grow out. If you feel that your wiring is beginning to damage your tree, you should remove it immediately. 

Bending thick branches drastically is likely to put a lot of stress on the branch. To aid the process, one should split the branch down the centre in a lengthwise direction. (To do this, use branch-splitters or a sharp knife). Then wrap moist raffia around the branch to protect the new wound. The next step is to wire the branch and proceed as normal. The raffia will also allow for the wire to remain on the branch for a longer period of time. 

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I would suggest the use of proper bonsai wire as opposed to copper wire because it is easy to work with, corrosion protected and can be re-used. When selecting the correct wire to bend a branch, keep in mind that the gauge of the wire should be 1/3 of the thickness of the branch. Essentially ones aim is to bend the wire around the branch and not the branch around the wire. Application of the wire is relatively simple. First make sure the wire is anchored to the trunk, the wire is then wrapped around the branch in a spiral at a 45 degree angle. Sometimes in the case of thick branches, a second or even third piece of wire is required. These are applied using the same technique I mentioned above and should mirror your first wires positioning. 

Jade Tree

The wonderful, succulent leaves of the Jade Tree. Sadly, my Jade tree was subjected to the honed blade of my bonsai scissors for propagation reasons. 

Age in Bonsai

I think one of the most fascinating aspects of bonsai is the old, rugged look that can be achieved or even naturally created through many years of growing, training and care. This aged look is vital in creating authentic bonsai that mimic something one would see growing naturally in the wild.

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Of course there are certain characteristics a tree will possess that are a portrayal of its age. This also means that we can manipulate our trees growth to create an illusion of age. Below is a list of characteristics we want to achieve to create this illusion.

• A rounded/domed apex.
• Curved and angular branches.
• Individual, dense clusters of foliage.
• Mature bark texture.

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The Japanese have 3 different techniques for ageing bonsai, these are known as Jin, Sharimiki and Sabamiki.

• The Jin technique is used for killing branches. One can also use this technique to reduce the appearance of height in a bonsai that may be too tall. To do this simply remove all foliage from the branch you wish to Jin and strip its bark (Once the branches have died/dried out, you can carve them into a more rugged shape). Then carefully apply citric acid/furniture bleach to the Jinned branch to prevent rotting.

• The Sharimiki technique is used for giving your bonsai a more interesting appearance. To do this, simply make two vertical incisions in the trees trunk, spaced relatively close together. Then take a sharp knife, working from the top downwards and remove the bark between the two incisions. The final step is to paint the strip of exposed wood with citric acid/furniture bleach to prevent rotting (Apply only to the exposed area).

• Finally, the Sabamiki technique. Sabamiki means hollow/split trunk. If your bonsai has a damaged trunk you can hollow out the damaged area (Be cautious of penetrating live veins) you will find that the carved area dies back slowly and if you are not satisfied with the depth of the carve, in time you may be able to go slightly deeper. As with the preceding techniques, any carved area should be treated with citric acid/furniture bleach to prevent rotting!

Wild Olive

This is a photograph of my 10 year old, Windswept, Wild Olive. My pride and joy at the moment. As you can see I have carved out the trunk of the tree to create taper and give it some character. I'm really enjoying this specimen. All that's left to do at the moment is to thicken up the canopy and then it will be ready to be potted in it's final resting place. I look forward to this tree's transition from a 'bonsai in progress' to a 'true bonsai'. :)

Yamadori

A photo that was taken on our 2011 (June 23rd) dig for bonsai in nature (Yamadori). We left at 7:00am at got back home at about 6:00pm. It was a long, tiring day but in the end was rewarding for all. Everybody managed to find and dig wonderful Wild Olive specimens. A great experience for any aspiring bonsai artist. :)

Kei Apple

One of my favourite pictures- A wired branch on my Kei Apple.

Bonsai

Bonsai is an art-form that I have recently become hooked on. I believe it is to do with the fact that it is such a versatile and ever-changing way of expressing nature in the most amazing ways. I will be using this Blog to archive and share my creations, progress and knowledge as I begin to unravel the intricate and beautiful art of Bonsai.