BONSAI SIZE CLASSIFICATION
One of the many great aspects of learning about bonsai is knowing all the technical terms that go with it. Being able to classify your bonsai in regards to its size and using the correct terms, is a great way of showing off your knowledge!
Bonsai height is generally measured from the base soil level up to the apex of the tree.
Here is a brief guide:
- Keishi Bonsai can be up to 2.5 cm in height. (Miniature)
- Shito Bonsai can be up to 7.5 cm in height. (Very small)
- Mame Bonsai can be up to 15 cm in height. (Small)
- Shohin Bonsai can be up to 20 cm in height. (Medium)
- Kifu Sho Bonsai can be up to 40 cm in height. (Medium-large)
- Chu Bonsai can be up to 60 cm in height. (Large)
- Dai Bonsai can be up to 100 cm in height. (Very large)
BONSAI FROM SEEDS
Bonsai does not have to be expensive. Many people shy away from the art of bonsai as they feel they do not have the money to maintain this wonderful hobby. In actual fact, it is widely known that bonsai trees can be grown from seeds.
This method not only provides a cheap solution to aquiring your very own bonsai but also the knowledge and satisfaction of knowing that you grew your very own bonsai from scratch. Although before you get all excited, let me point out some of the pros and cons of starting a bonsai from a seedling. After all, true beauty and authenticity is not easily achieved!
Bonsai is an art form that requires much patience and many, many years of hard work. Some people do not have the time or interest to take up bonsai as a pastime, although I do stress that the reward far exceeds the effort. With that said let me get on with the topic at hand.
The first step in raising a bonsai from a seedling is to pick a species that is well suited to the environment you intend to raise it in. Treat it as you would any other living thing (after all plants are living things) you must nurture and care for it!
--- To pick seeds that are more likely to survive, float them in water overnight. The next day, throw away the seeds that float and use the ones that sink as these are generally the more successful seeds ---
Ask a knowledgable gardener what soil medium they recommend you grow your seedlings in, then prepare the soil in a suitable growing pot. Now poke planting holes and put your seeds in, cover the seeds up and sprinkle a layer of fertilizer over them. Give them a decent watering and the process begins. All that's left to do is wait.
Something to remember is that the success of your seedlings will be relative to the effort, care and time you put into your bonsai seeds. Do not expect to see results immediately as this process takes years but the results will be well satisfactory. On a side note, if you can set some money aside, there is nothing stopping you from purchasing a nursery tree, or a bonsai in progress.
WATERING
Bonsai, like any other plant, require moist roots to survive. Therefore, knowing when to water your bonsai is extremely important to sustain a beautiful tree. Reversely, over-watering can also be incredibly damaging to your bonsai. There are many factors that will influence the time intervals between watering. In fact, correctly watering your bonsai is a skill in itself but hopefully by the end of this article you will have a better understanding of when to water your tree.
Below are some of the factors that influence watering:
- Soil mixture- the amount of drainage or water retention will affect how often you must water your bonsai (bonsai prefer well draining soil).
- Plant size and foliage density- the larger your tree the more water it will require, also the more foliage your tree has, the more it will transpire, therefore it will require more frequent watering (caution, over watering causes root rot).
- Fertilizer- as fertilizer is meant to accelerate plant growth it also accelerates the rate at which your soil dries. Therefore depending on the growth rate of your bonsai, you may need to water more frequently.
- Root rot- if you do happen to over-water your bonsai and you cause root rot, the rate at which your bonsai absorbs water will be reduced. Therefore your soil will take longer to dry and you should decrease your watering intervals.
- Sunlight- as the plant and pot are heated by the sun transpiration and evaporation are increased, therefore your tree loses more water, faster. If your bonsai gets lots of sunlight for many hours, you should increase your watering intervals.
- Humidity- if the humidity of the environment your bonsai grows in is high, your bonsai will lose less water as transpiration is decreased. Therefore, you will have to water less frequently.
A general method for testing the dryness of your soil is by sticking your finger about 1cm into the soil. If the top 1cm of soil is dry, you should water your tree. Another method involves sticking a chopstick into the soil, if it comes out and is nearly dry, it is time to water.
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. The best way to do this is using your fingers (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. Another attractive feature of bonsai is good leaf reduction. Leaf reduction will occur when your canopies thicken. Because the tree has more leaves, 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.
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.
PRUNING
Pruning as it stands, is one of the most essential and important techniques in bonsai. Many bonsai beginners will shy away from the task of pruning in fear that they are damaging or will ruin the tree. This assumption is completely ridiculous, in actual fact pruning a tree will stimulate it's growth. Pruning is also essential for achieving the desired style that one has chosen for ones bonsai.
You may be asking yourself, 'How does cutting my tree stimulate new growth?' Well the answer is simple and extremely logical. When one shortens a branch, the sap flow of the tree is redirected to lower areas of the branch. This, in turn stimulates new growth in previously dormant nodes. (You'll begin to see new shoots in no time!) The main area of growth will be in the nodes situated closest to where you cut the branch. The direction in which the new branch grows is determined by the position of the node. This is known as directional pruning and it is a critical technique in styling bonsai!
There are other techiniques of pruning too, one such technique is defoliating. Trees can be traumatised too! In the event that the foliage of a branch has been severely burnt by the sun or dried out from a lack of water, one might find defoliation necessary. Removing the dried out leaves removes stress on the roots, which in turn allows the tree to recover.
A more drastic form of pruning is a manually promoted Spring Cycle! To do this one must remove all or just about all the foliage on the tree. In the next couple of weeks your tree will sprout a new set of leaves. This should only be done once a year during/near the middle of summer and should only be done to very healthy trees.
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.
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 allow for the wire to remain on the branch for a longer period of time.
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.
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.
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.
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!
