Acquiring & Caring For Bonsai

 

Aimitates, in miniature, the appearance of an old tree in BONSAI is literally a “tree in a pot,” which further

nature. Old specimens in nature, unlike juvenile trees, have compact rounded tops, and horizontal or drooping branches, which make them appear aged and graceful. There are three sizes of bonsai, ranging from under five inches to about 30 inches in height.

Not all plants are equally effective as bonsai. To produce a realistic illusion of a mature tree, all parts of the ideal bonsai trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruits, buds, roots should be in perfect proportion with the size of the tree. Plants used for bonsai should have small leaves or leaves that become small under bonsai culture. Plants with overly large leaves, such as the avocado, will look out of proportion if chosen for bonsai.

Sycamores also develop leaves that are too large.

Certain species of both maple and elm trees usually respond well to bonsai culture and develop leaves that are in proportion. Among the plants with small leaves and needles appropriate for bonsai are spruce, pine, zelkova, and pomegranate. Leaves will miniaturize naturally the longer a tree grows in a shallow container, but one must still begin with a relatively smallleafed type. Plants chosen for bonsai should have attractive bark, and the trunk must give the illusion of maturity.

The trunk should have girth, but must remain in proportion to the entire tree ^{and should taper} Bonsai material hunters in the Philippines ^{gradually toward the} looking for Pemphis acidula.

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Plants for bonsai can be collected from the wild, but it is a slow method and there are many unknown factors. It is difficult to tell the age of a plant found in the wild and since they must be collected while dormant, it is also difficult to be sure that the specimen is healthy.

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top of the tree. An ideal trunk has good buttress rootage at the base, and graceful movement as it rises to the apex. Branches that occur lower down on the trunk should be the longest, and biggest in diameter, with branches growing higher on the trunk becoming successively shorter and smaller in diameter. This imitates the natural appearance of a tree, suggesting that the lowest branches are the oldest (biggest/longest), and higher branches, having grown more recently, are smaller and shorter.

Most bonsai trees sold at garden centers and nurseries are of excellent quality, but there are a few points to bear in mind when buying a new plant.

• Age and shapeof the tree

• General health

• Soil should bedamp but not soggy,

unless it has just been watered

• Leaves shouldlook bright and healthy, not burnt around the edges or spotty

• If buying adeciduous tree in winter, last year’s growth should be smooth and plump, with no sign of bark wrinkling

• The tree should be steady in its container, which shouldhave at least one drainage hole

• A white fungus in and around the drainage hole is naturaland harmless

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