Category: Bonsai How To

Potting a Semi-Cascade Style Bonsai Tree

Post author By Sandy
Post date June 3, 2010
4 Comments on Potting a Semi-Cascade Style Bonsai Tree

Due to the angle of the slanting trunk and sideway extended branches, potting a semi-cascade or a cascade style bonsai tree can be quite tricky sometimes. We must be cautious of the tilted center of mass and be extra careful when we lift the bonsai tree around during potting.

The bonsai pot we use for semi-cascade style bonsai tree should be relatively deep. It can be round, square, octagonal, hexagonal, or a deep cascade.

Surface roots of a semi-cascade or cascade bonsai tree should radiate in several directions, with the strongest on the side away from the direction of the leaning tree (ie: if the bonsai tree leans to the right, its strongest roots should be radiating towards the left). In addition, it usually involves major root pruning when the tree is first collected and potted in a bonsai pot because it requires much long, thick root removal and the growing of fine roots closer to the trunk. While some prefer to do root pruning in stages, the root pruning of this Ficus is done completely in one time. Severe root pruning can be done if branches and foliage are also severely reduced at the same time.

We must make sure the roots where we want new growth of fine roots are covered with soil. In this case, since some roots of this Ficus are not long enough, we added a bendable plastic sheet in the interior of the bonsai pot to allow proper coverage of all the roots of the bonsai tree with potting mix. Once new roots have developed strong and long enough, we can take away the black plastic sheet.

And last but not least, we add chunks of pond soil silt on top of the soil mix for better root protection as well as its mineral value.

Pruning & Defoliating Wiring

Prune-and-Grow or Wiring?

Post author By Sandy
Post date April 2, 2010
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Before, bonsai care and design skill was limited to the much revered Lingnan prune-and-grow method developed by the ancient Chinese philosophers responsible for the Literati school of landscape painting and design. It was not until the turn of the 20th century that the Japanese, in an attempt to achieve natural shapes in an expedient amount of time, developed wiring as another training technique suitable for bonsai. And these two schools of thought persist today.

Prune-and-Grow Method

Prune-and-Grow is the recommended bonsai training method. This method increases branch ramification, encourages growth in non-pruned branches, and reduces leaf size (Defoliating is another effective method for reducing leaf size). As new shoots erupt from almost everywhere, especially around old latent bud scars and the bases of the removed branches, the bonsai artist carefully selects buds that will grow in the desired direction, and prune off the unwanted ones. If no such bud is found, then, all one can do is… be patient. A bud that grows in the direction you desire will appear eventually.

Lingnan penjing (Southern Style bonsai) artists use mainly the prune-and-grow method.

Wiring Method

Wrapping wire around branches and trunks allows the bonsai artist to create the desired general form and make detailed branch and leaf placements. When wire is used on new branches or shoots, it holds the branches in place until they lignify (become woody), which usually takes more or less one growing season. Some species do not lignify strongly, and branches of some trees are too stiff or brittle. In these cases, we cannot shape the bonsai trees by wiring, but only through pruning.

So… Prune-and-Grow or Wiring?

There appears to be a great philosophical difference between these two training techniques. As for me, I believe wire should only be used in the development stage. While I shape the new branches and shoots of my bonsai trees with wires, I remove the wires as soon as the desired shape has once developed.

I use wire on my bonsai trees as well, yet only during the development stage, and will remove the wire as soon as the shape has formed.

Today, most bonsai hobbyists apply a combination of the two methods, often without giving the decision much thought. While the prune-and-grow method can help to create a bonsai tree with more branches, smaller leaves, and greater details, using this method alone would take decades; a time schedule of no interest to most bonsai enthusiasts nowadays.

Pruning & Defoliating

Sealing Cuts of Bonsai Trees

Post author By Sandy
Post date April 2, 2010
5 Comments on Sealing Cuts of Bonsai Trees

Most of us use bonsai pruning compound (or bonsai cut sealer) to seal the wound of the trunk or branch after we prune our bonsai tree with shears or cutters. Bonsai pruning sealer helps the cut area to retain the valuable moisture required to heal the cut properly and minimize the scar. And moreover, it prevents diseases and insects from affecting our bonsai tree after pruning. So, bonsai pruning sealer is great, a must-have for all bonsai growers.

Pruning & Defoliating

Defoliating – Picking Leaves off a Bonsai Tree

Post author By Sandy
Post date April 2, 2010
4 Comments on Defoliating – Picking Leaves off a Bonsai Tree

Defoliating Bonsai Tree — Another defoliated bonsai tree

A few days ago, my bonsai teacher asked me to pick off all the leaves from a bonsai tree. This is called defoliating, a way to stimulate the tree to grow new branches and smaller leaves.

Bonsai How To

Soil Mix and Fertilizer for Mini Bonsai

Post author By Sandy
Post date April 1, 2010
1 Comment on Soil Mix and Fertilizer for Mini Bonsai

The correct potting mixture is vital for the survival of our bonsai tree. The mix should be very fine, especially for our mini bonsai since everything of these bonsai trees is so small and refined.

Repot our Mini Bonsai

Because the size of the bonsai pot for mini bonsai is very small, the amount of soil is also very little. In this case, our mini bonsai exhaust their soil rather quickly, and the soil will lose its fertility very early, much earlier than those bigger bonsai. Therefore, we should repot our mini bonsai more frequently than we do repotting for our normal bonsai trees.

When we repot our mini bonsai, we should prune the roots of our mini bonsai tree by a third. We should also prune off about half of the leaves of the bonsai tree so to reduce the water demand of the tree from its newly trimmed root system.

Check this article for more details on Training & Pruning Small Bonsai Trees.

Fertilizer for our Mini Bonsai

Since bonsai trees as small as shohin bonsai and mame bonsai do not have a lot of growth to support, fertilizer should be used carefully. We should use dilute fertilizers for our mini bonsai trees, and should apply fertilizer sparingly. Diluted liquid fertilizer is the best for mini bonsai trees like mame bonsai and shohin bonsai, and should be applied once per week, from late spring to autumn, just like our normal bonsai trees.

Pruning & Defoliating

Training & Pruning Small Bonsai Trees

Post author By Sandy
Post date April 1, 2010
No Comments on Training & Pruning Small Bonsai Trees

Small bonsai such as shohin bonsai and mame bonsai are small enough to be held comfortably in the palm of the hand. Mame bonsai should not exceed 8-15cm in height, while shohin bonsai should not exceed 15-20cm. While the size is much smaller, the care and shaping of these small bonsai trees are the same as for their larger counterparts.

Check this post for more details on Classification of Bonsai Tree Based on Size.

Pruning a bonsai tree as small as shohin bonsai and mame bonsai can be a challenging task. We can use finger pruning techniques to train our bonsai. Since shears and cutters of normal size would be too big for a mame or shohin bonsai, it will require special tools for training our small bonsai trees.

Because our mame bonsai and shohin bonsai are too small to allow much training through wiring, pruning is probably the most important technique to master in the shaping of our mini bonsai trees. To start, we can prune back our small bonsai trees to one or two buds, and repeat this step till the bonsai trees begin to look more interesting. We can also cut off some dominant branches, or nip them off with our fingers to encourage the growth of some new tiny branches.

And similar to our bigger bonsai trees, to create some descending branches for our mame bonsai and shohin bonsai, we can bind the branches with bonsai wire or pull the branches down as far as possible with some wire and tie it to the container.

Lastly, because mame bonsai and shohin bonsai are so small, they are very light in weight and can be toppled off easily. Hence, it would be wise to secure the bonsai on the table, on the rack, or wherever it is put by fixing the small bonsai tree and its container with twine or wire.

Bonsai How To Bonsai Pots

Choosing Your Bonsai Pots

Choosing the right bonsai pot for our bonsai tree is an art in itself. It must be the right shape, size, and color for it to bring out the full beauty of our bonsai tree. Bonsai pots have a huge impact on bonsai trees and can either compliment the trees or detract from them. There are many rules-of-thumb and different conventions for the choice of bonsai pot, but at the very end, it is the experienced eye of the bonsai artist that determines what the best is.

Drainage

All bonsai pots must have drainage holes, as well as a tray underneath the bonsai pot to allow for overflow. For more details, check out this article – Bonsai Pot Drainage – A Must for All Bonsai Trees.

Airflow

All bonsai pots should have feet so that the base of the bonsai pot stands clear of the display stand. This allows for free airflow around the base of the bonsai pot, and will increase the chances of a healthy bonsai tree.

Unglazed Interior

Bonsai pots should be unglazed on the inside as this helps to keep the bonsai tree stable in the bonsai pot. This is especially important when the roots have grown sufficiently to come into contact with the sides of the bonsai pot.

Frost-proof

The bonsai pots must be frost-proof if the bonsai trees are to be placed outdoor in colder climate. Hence, the bonsai pots should be made from stoneware or porcelain. Bonsai pots made of other materials such as plastic is fine as well, yet, they are best suited for bonsai beginners as training pots for their bonsai trees. Eventually, most of us graduate to stoneware or porcelain bonsai pots, as they give our bonsai trees far superior appearances.

Size and Shape

The bonsai pots that we buy for our bonsai trees should be big and strong enough to hold our bonsai trees. It would be a waste of time and money if the bonsai pot we have prepared does not support the weight of our bonsai tree. For more details, check out this article –
Bonsai Pots of Different Shapes and Sizes.

Color

There are many colors of bonsai pots available. When we choose a bonsai pot for our bonsai tree, we want to pick a bonsai pot that complements the look of our bonsai tree. We should be aware that some species have foliage that change color in different seasons. Hence, we should take this into account with our specific type of bonsai tree.

Here are a few more articles on how to choose bonsai pots for our bonsai trees.
What Bonsai Pots for What Bonsai Trees?
Bonsai Pot – Get the Right Size for Our Tree
Bonsai Pots for Different Bonsai Styles
Bonsai Pots of Different Materials
Bonsai Pots of Different Shapes and Sizes
Is Your Bonsai Tree Ready for a Bonsai Pot?

Bonsai How To Bonsai Pots

What Bonsai Pots for What Bonsai Trees?

Post author By Sandy
Post date March 29, 2010
No Comments on What Bonsai Pots for What Bonsai Trees?

The type of bonsai pot we should get is based on the species, as well as the bonsai style, of our bonsai tree. For example, conifers blend well with naturally colored, unglazed bonsai pots of browns and grays, whereas deciduous trees look great in either unglazed or glazed bonsai pots of just about any color.

Color

We should also consider how the bonsai pot will blend with the strong autumn colors, as well as how the bonsai pot will match with the flowering season of our bonsai tree. While some bonsai lovers like to plant their flowering bonsai trees in glazed pots of brighter colors, such as whites, creams, blues, and greens, I often prefer a dark, plain bonsai pot to stand out the beautiful, bright colors of my flowering bonsai tree.

If we are unsure what bonsai pot color we should choose, it is always save to select a shade that is similar to the trunk of the bonsai tree.

In addition, for heavily glazed pots, the color of the glaze will age and wear off slightly over its lifetime. Indeed, some people like to wipe the glaze with French polish, wood scratch remover or similar fine oil to speed up the process and give the glazed pot a slightly more natural look and aged feeling.

Shape

While less formal styled bonsai trees suit most shapes of bonsai pot, including rectangular with rounded corners, oval, round, hexagonal, and such, formally shaped bonsai trees look best in angular, straight edged pots with sharp corners. For literati bonsai trees, many bonsai artists like to pot them in round bonsai pots, which can be simple and beautiful indeed. And as for multi-trunk or forest bonsai, the bonsai trees should be potted in large shallow bonsai pots or slabs of rock for the image of a natural landscape. Check this post – Bonsai Pots for Different Bonsai Styles – for more details.

It often takes quite some time to find the right bonsai pots for our trees. Be patient. This is part of the whole bonsai experience, and we should just enjoy the bonsai pot shopping as well.

Here are a few more articles on how to choose bonsai pots for our bonsai trees.
Bonsai Pot – Get the Right Size for Our Tree
Bonsai Pots for Different Bonsai Styles
Bonsai Pots of Different Materials
Bonsai Pots of Different Shapes and Sizes
Is Your Bonsai Tree Ready for a Bonsai Pot?
Choosing Your Bonsai Pots

Bonsai How To Bonsai Pots

Bonsai Pot – Get the Right Size for Our Tree

Post author By Sandy
Post date March 29, 2010
2 Comments on Bonsai Pot – Get the Right Size for Our Tree

The size of the bonsai pot is very important for it can affect the overall presentation of the bonsai tree. Small bonsai trees can be potted in large bonsai pots to create a landscape image, and conversely, large bonsai trees can be effectively potted in smaller bonsai pots to appear more dominant and powerful.

If a bonsai tree is mistakenly potted in a bonsai pot too big, the tree may look weaker and less powerful than it potentially can be perceived. And if a bonsai tree is potted in a bonsai pot too small, the growth of the bonsai tree will be hindered, if not stopped. The roots of the bonsai tree will be bounded, leaving no space for the roots to grow and develop. This is especially bad for bonsai trees that are still in their growing period, when the bonsai trees need more branches and leaves for a fuller and more mature look and feel.

In addition, we need to consider how much room the root system of our particular bonsai tree will need. Special attention should be paid for cascade and semi-cascade bonsai trees. Besides for visual balance, these bonsai trees require deep pots with plenty of room for their roots to grow down and hold onto the potting soil for stability.

Some people suggest that the length of a bonsai pot should be approximately 2/3 the height of the bonsai tree, or if it is a wide spreading bonsai, then 2/3 the width of the bonsai tree. I won’t hold on to this as a strict rule, but only a guideline to help us at the beginning of our bonsai pot shopping. There are many exceptions to this 2/3-rule. For example, tall thin bonsai trees usually look better in smaller pot.

In addition, when selecting bonsai pot, we should never pick one that requires us to drastically trim the roots of the bonsai tree. If we do want to reduce the size of the bonsai pot or the roots of the bonsai tree, then we need to do this gradually, moving down a pot size at a time before eventually reaching the size we desire.

Here are a few more articles on how to choose bonsai pots for our bonsai trees.
What Bonsai Pots for What Bonsai Trees?
Bonsai Pots for Different Bonsai Styles
Bonsai Pots of Different Materials
Bonsai Pots of Different Shapes and Sizes
Is Your Bonsai Tree Ready for a Bonsai Pot?
Choosing Your Bonsai Pots

Bonsai How To Featured Articles Wiring

Can Bonsai Wire Be Reused?

Post author By Sandy
Post date March 28, 2010
4 Comments on Can Bonsai Wire Be Reused?

As our bonsai trees grow, the branches slowly increase in size. Any wire on the branches of our bonsai trees can become tight, and as it does, mark the bark. In severe cases, the wires may have dug deep into the branches and cause permanent scars. While light markings will grow out in a year or two, heavy markings can be permanent. In order to avoid these ugly wire marks on our bonsai trees, we should check the wires wound on our bonsai trees regularly and remove them before they have a chance to dig into the bark.

While most of the bonsai websites I have visited so far say “no” to reusing bonsai wire and recommend that the wire be removed by cutting each turn with some wire cutters, I don’t hold my ground strongly against the reusing of bonsai wire. I unwind and reuse my bonsai wire, but I only do so when it is safe for my bonsai trees. This means that the wire must not have bitten into the bark, and the branch must be strong and healthy. In addition, it is much easier to unwind wires safely on thick branches than thin ones. Do not try to unwind the wire if the wire has already bitten deep into the branch. In this case, we should use our wire cutters.

Moreover, above suggestions only apply to aluminum bonsai wire. Do not bother to unwind copper wire as it is impossible to remove kinks from it once it is bent and becomes hard. Always remove copper wires with wire cutters.

Either we reuse our bonsai wire or not, checking the bonsai wires wound on our bonsai trees regularly is the best thing we can do for our trees. Like unwinding bonsai wire, using a wire cutter to remove bonsai wire can be dangerous too if the wire has dug very deep into the bark or if we are just not being careful enough.