The bonsai tree is also known as the garden gnome. For those who are not familiar with the bonsai, it is a tiny oriental plant that has a slender waist and a flat top. The tree is kept small by pruning, re-potting, pinching of growth, and lighting.
The art of bonsai is passed on from generation to generation to learn the art of being patient and maintaining the small plants.
Like the gnome, the bonsai sometimes has a hard time to get into the proper routine of watering, pruning, lighting and nuturing. This is much like a Imagination Garden, except the bonsai can be difficult to grow!
If you are mature in years, or even children, you can still fascinate your younger counterparts with a bonsai garden. Bonsais are very unique and beautiful to look at. Growing bonsais is a great way to spread the joy of being human.
Planting starters
Now, planting can be fun for anyone and children especially. However, when choosing a bonsai pot or container, you must consider the shape and size of the trunk that you are going to be planting. If you are planting a cascading bonsai tree, for example, you’ll want to make sure the container gives off a cascading effect. Them you’ll want to make sure that the tree doesn’t look too heavy for the pot.
If you are planting a more upright bonsai, like the Japanese Maple, you’ll want to put it in a pot that is a little bit larger than the Japanese Maple’s trunk. Don’t forget, too, that the leaves will all fall from the tree in the first few years so you’ll need to make sure that the shape of the bonsai is right from the start.
For the best results, make sure that your bonsai has a lot of branches and leaves. You would normally want opposite symmetry, meaning that the leaves would be on the side of the tree as opposed to the top of the tree. This will how draw attention to the trees and make them seem even more unique.
Various species of bonsai trees.
As I mentioned before, for a bonsai to thrive, it must have ample sunlight. So, find a place in your home that gets much sunlight and you are good to go. However, if you have smaller sized trees that you wish to grow, then you’ll want to think about how you can support them.
One option you have is to use a wall, fence or trellis. Placing this type of structure above the ground will make it possible for the bonsai tree to receive all the sunlight it needs in order to grow.
Many bonsai experts will tell you to avoid using a solid structure because you may kill the tree entirely. If you choose to use something else, however, you will just need to find a way to support the tree with less permanent structure.
Once you’ve decided on what type of bonsai trees you want, you want to acquire the proper tools. You can begin by purchasing a pot or container. If you plan to start your bonsai from scratch, you will want a pot that is specifically designed to accept the roots of a bonsai tree. The container should be smaller than the roots of the tree and be able to accommodate root extensions that are growing.
The pot should be deep enough to cover at least half of the roots. You can use a pot that is not deep enough when you plant the bonsai, but after that, you need to place the bonsai in a much larger pot. To determine the right depth, first determine the width of the trunk of the bonsai tree.
Next, determine the depth of the pot. To make a good-sized bonsai tree, you will want to expose its roots as far as possible. A good measure for this is about one inch for the rootball. If the tree is young, you can expose its roots to about six inches once or twice. However, if the tree is very young, you will not want to expose its roots any deeper than four inches.
The pot should have at least one drainage hole. This will be necessary only if your bonsai tree is young and has just been planted in the pot. If the bonsai is young and has already been planted in a container, the drainage hole should be at least an inch. You will save the roots of the bonsai tree from getting too wet if you remember to water the bonsai tree before positioning it in the container.
The container should have a screen on the side as well as the back.
