BONSAI
Ginkgo biloba- approximately 15 years old from cutting
PAGE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS
Bonsai (pronounced ‘bone-sigh’) is an extensive and very nuisanced subject, and truly nothing written here could appropriately summarize the diversity and intricacies of the art of bonsai. However, we will do our best to create a condensed, applicable guide to growing many of the bonsai species we have here at Tabula Rasa. We offer one-on-one and small group classes and demonstrations, so please do not hesitate to reach out if you have specific questions not covered here or if you’d like to set up a time to work on your trees.
What is Bonsai?
Bonsai is the Japanese art of growing and styling trees in containers, and dates back hundreds of years in East Asian culture. In fact, the art actually began in China- where it is called Penjing- over 1,000 years ago. Over time, several different cultures have adapted their own version of miniaturizing trees in ceramic pots. Every nation that grows bonsai has a distinct style to their trees, so if you find yourself diving deep into bonsai, we highly suggest you google different approaches and find what you like best. Japanese, Vietnamese, and Brazilian bonsai are a good place to start- and once you find styles you like, you can begin to envision how to make your tree grow into the image you want.
Many people believe bonsai is a specific type or species of tree. This is not the case- in fact, virtually any species of tree can be trained into bonsai. Some species certainly lend themselves better to the art than others. When considering a tree or shrub for bonsai, characteristics like leaf size, branching habit, bark texture, and flowers are all factors. We are always happy to help you decide whether or not a piece of stock is appropriate for bonsai, so please reach out if you have questions.
The overall purpose or goal of bonsai is somewhat debatable. Like most art, a successful bonsai should be convincing and provoke an emotional response- such as peace, tranquility, or even make you feel uneasy, as if the tree is clinging to life. Many are of sentimental value, being a species that’s a reminder of loved ones who have moved on, or for milestone celebrations like anniversary gifts. At the end of the day, if you have a tree in a ceramic pot and you think it is beautiful and it invokes joy- then you have a bonsai.
The general rule of bonsai for growers at the professional level is to create the illusion of age- attempting to create a miniature version of a tree you would find in nature. This means styling, pruning, wiring, etc. the tree to maintain proportions like you would see if the tree were actually 50 feet tall rather than 15 inches. When styling a bonsai, there are tons of design principles that are considered to create a visually appealing and convincing image, such as flow and directionality, negative space, branch length and placement, etc.. The best bonsai tell a story- a desert pine that has been struck by lightning and persevered, leaving scars of deadwood, or a windswept tree battered by decades of sea winds.
How long does it take?
This is a question with no definite answer, other than- a long time. A true bonsai of high caliper takes decades to reach pristine, show worthy condition. It all depends on what you start with- seeds, pre-bonsai stock, or wild collected trees. When I plant pine seeds, I expect to see the tree begin to resemble a bonsai in a minimum of 7 years or so- whereas trees collected from the wild can be potted and styled into convincing bonsai in 3 years by an experienced grower.
How do you train a tree into a bonsai?
It seems like there are an infinite number of techniques used to develop bonsai, and new ones arise within the community constantly. I would never be able to describe all of them, however I will cover all the bonsai ‘essentials’ to get you well on your way to making beautiful potted trees. The main concepts are: wiring, pruning, repotting, soils & fertilizer, styles and design.
WIRING
Arguably the most essential technique necessary to create bonsai, besides pruning, is wiring- it’s the main tool we use to execute the design. It is with wire that you create shape, form, and movement in the branches and trunk of a bonsai. It just so happens that wiring is also one of the most challenging techniques to master when growing bonsai- it is critical that the wire is applied correctly in order to achieve the desired results.
Elm seedling progression- L-R: untrained, wire applied, & styled
When applying wire, you want to wrap the branches tightly with either annealed copper or aluminum wire. Making sure the wire is snug against the branch helps keep the branch from snapping when you bend it. When wrapping the wire on, EVEN coils, at a 45 degree angle, will give you optimum results and wire strength. Too little or too much space between wires will make the wire less effective and the branch more likely to snap between loops. When wiring, remember to bend the wire- not the branch.
The wire is then left on for a number of weeks until it begins to ever so slightly bite into the branch. By this point, the tree will have healed the internal damage from bending, and should be ‘set’ in place. If not, wire is then reapplied until the desired shape is achieved. It is absolutely critical to pay attention to when the wire needs taken off. On some species with corky bark, like pines, scars from wiring may become unnoticeable after time. Smooth bark species like maples however, may be permanently ruined by leaving wire in too long.
PRUNING
In addition to wiring, pruning is used to add shape and character to developing bonsai. It is of course also used as the main tool to maintain the desired diminutive size of bonsai trees. Pruning is largely an intuitive skill, best perfected through trial and error over time. Some key points to get started:
Pruning is completely species dependent. Broadleaf trees (maple, elm, etc.) can handle MUCH more drastic pruning than their coniferous counterparts (pine, cedar, cypress). As a rule of thumb, never remove more than 40% or so of a conifers foliage mass at one time. Healthy maples and elms, on the other hand, can be cut back to all but a stump in the spring or summer and generally bounce back without issue.
There are two main ‘categories’ or goals for pruning.
The first is pruning for trunk development. Escape branches are trunks or branches that are allowed to grow freely in order to increase the size of the trunk below. Yes- you must actually allow trees in training to grow out of proportion in order to achieve a convincing image. Allowing several branches like these to grow- and then drastically pruning them off- will build a large trunk that helps with the illusion of age as well as create taper in the trunk. A large, tapered trunk, with fine branching enhance the sense of scale.
INSERT FICUS TRUNK CHOP PICTURE
Once you have a satisfactory trunk grown, then you begin the second category- refinement pruning. To create delicate fine branching, prune desired branches back to one node, and repeat the process again and again until you achieve a densly ramified branch that fans out like a palm. On most species, each node has 2 or more buds- by pruning back to a node, it encourages (hopefully) those two buds to become branches. This way, one branch becomes two, then those two become two more, so on. There is some debate as to the best method to create fine branching, including techniques such as hedge pruning, but undoubtedly- the method mentioned above will produce good results.
Lastly, it should be mentioned that any form of pruning causes damage to the tree’s tissue, allowing more opportunity for pathogens to take hold in your tree. As such, pruning should always be done with the highest level of sanitary practices possible. This includes sterilizing tools before and after working on the tree, and sealing any wounds afterwards. You may seal wounds with bonsai cut paste, tape, or even wood glue. Doing so will also help encourage the tree to heal and close its wound. Covering cuts helps the callous roll over exposed tissue, keeping it hydrated and pathogen free.
INSERT PICTURE OF WOUND BEFORE V AFTER
REPOTTING
Repotting can be an intimidating process, but it is crucial work for the health and vigor of your tree. It must be acknowledged that the art of bonsai inherently works against the grain of nature- trees in the forest want to grow as big and fast as they can. In the rat-race that is the forest, trees are constantly competing for space and nutrients. For finished bonsai, this vigorous growth is not only unnecessary, it’s the opposite of what we want- so we are constantly fighting to keep the trees small. Growing them in small containers is one way we combat this rapid growth.
For the majority of trees, spring bud-break is the best time to repot. For most deciduous, you want to repot just as the buds begin to swell, but before they break and leaves begin to come out. It is the same for conifers, but more difficult to get the timing correct as they do not flush out like deciduous do- so look for any bright green new growth tips. Some bonsai professionals prefer to repot during fall, however I do not recommend doing so until you have a few years of experience with bonsai as they may need more intense aftercare. There are a few exceptions to the spring repot rule, such as Mugo pines, which do best with mid summer repots.
When repotting a tree into a new container, remove most if not all of the old soil from the roots. You can even hose off the rootball to make sure it is nice and clean, free of old debris. This is for deciduous and tropical species- conifers require more specialized treatment, so please reach out to us if you have questions.
Then, prepare the new bonsai pot by cutting to length wire, and feeding it through the drainage holes. This will be used to secure the tree in place. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP- securing the tree will minimize damage if it were to be blown over in the wind, and helps it stabilize as it forms new roots.
Then, use chopsticks to work in new soil around the roots. Ensure there are no air pockets. Once complete, flush the pot thoroughly with water to eliminate any fine dust particles from the new soil.
SOIL & FERTILIZER
Soil is perhaps one of the most controversial topics in the bonsai community. There are dozens of different mixes that are all legitimate. Just keep in mind, what may work in one climate, may not work in ours. To keep it simple- we will only talk about the most accepted professional substrate- often dubbed ‘Boon’s Mix’ or APL.
APL is a simple combination of three very high quality components mixed in equal proportions- Akadama, lava, and pumice. This mix is great because you can add more of one of the components and tailor it to the specific species being repotted. Trees that need more moisture, add more Akadama. Trees that need it to be more dry, add more pumice. We recommend giving each of these three components a quick search to explain their unique characteristics, and why they are such great soil amendments specifically for bonsai.
No matter what soil you choose to use, it is important to sift and sieve your soil before use. Sieving for uniform soil size is important, as congruent particles allow the best exchange of water and air. Further, not sifting your soil will allow excess dust to clog up the drainage on your bonsai pot, and drainage is critical for the tree’s well being.
In the wild, trees growing in the ground will send out roots deep into the soil in search of the nutrients they need. Growing trees in bonsai containers means that the trees are not able to seek out these nutrients as they normally would, so it is therefore our job to provide everything for them within their pots. Further, because most high quality bonsai soils are very course- fertilizer regimens more closely resemble that of aeroponic growers than traditional methods.
Truly, any quality fertilizer will likely work, it will simply be a matter of trial and error. Our recommendation is to use a quality water-soluble fertilizer such as MiracleGro and apply it at regular intervals. Other options include making fertilizer cakes and placing them on the soil, refreshing them a few times during each growing season.
Organic fertilizers like fish emulsion work wonderfully, but keep in mind- these products are particularly attractive to animals, and will put your trees at higher risk of invasion from rodents, possums, insects, etc. They can and will dig into your trees pots to get to the fertilizer.
Our personal regimen at TR is a combination of Dynagro Bonsai Pro, and organic fertilizer cakes kept safely in tea bags pinned to the soil. The Bonsai Pro product is great because it is stable once mixed, so you can fill a bucket with the solution, and water it in every day. Both the Bonsai Pro and organic cakes provide a constant supply of nutrients, instead of interval large doses, which we believe to be favorable.
