Gardening in Gwinnett

Bonsai is a Fascinating Horticultural Art

    One of the most amazing horticultural art forms is the practice of bonsai (pronounced “bone-sigh”), which is the art of miniaturizing trees by growing them in containers. Bonsai is accomplished by using a variety of shaping and watering techniques, and by repotting the trees in various styles of containers. Bonsai trees are not genetic dwarf cultivars of trees. They are created by using any tree or shrub that is kept small by confinement in a container, by specialized pruning of the tops and the roots of the tree, training the trunk and branches through wiring, and other techniques to make the tree take on the appearance of a miniature tree.
    Bonsai originated in China over 100 years ago, but the Japanese perfected the art. The word “bonsai” means meaning “tray-planted” or “tree in a pot” in Japanese. The goal of bonsai is to achieve the desired shape of the particular species of tree while trying to balance the above ground growth with the roots below. The shaping of the tree begins when it is very young and continues until it matures. The tree must be kept in proportion to the size of the leaves, stems, needles, and flowers.
     If you want to get into the art of bonsai, you must realize that bonsai is expensive, it takes to develop the right style of the plants, which can take several years, and you must choose the right tree, such as certain cedars, pines, junipers, maples, elms, certain azaleas, and several others. The leaves, stems, and roots are pruned using special techniques to get the dwarfing effect. Copper wiring is placed around the branches for several months until they lignify (harden).  However, some species this technique is not appropriate since they are too fragile to be shaped in this manner. Shaping is then accomplished by pruning. Bonsai trees are root pruned and re-potted during their dormancy period, and is done more so during development than when mature. The purpose is to prevent the plants from becoming root bound and encourage the growth of healthy feeder roots. The bonsai trees are kept in containers that have holes with a wire mesh covering them in the bottom to prevent soil from washing out. In selecting pots, make sure the color and shape of the pot compliments the trees. Unglazed pots are best used for evergreen trees, and glazed pots are best for deciduous ones. There are many different styles for bonsai trees: formal upright, slant, informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade, raft, literati, and group/forest.Use specially formulated soil for bonsai.
    The plants should be watered occasionally but never overwatered. Fertilize them in spring and fall and use a fertilizer that has chelated iron in it. Most species of bonsai are adapted to temperate climates, like ours, and can be kept outside all year long, as well as indoors.
      Even if you do not the interest in creating your own bonsai trees, there are a variety of places to purchase them. Be prepared to pay a fair amount of money for most bonsai trees due to the work involved in creating one. The ones sold on the internet or in big box retail stores are often of poor quality, so seek out specialty garden centers that sell them. One such place is The Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA, which has an excellent bonsai shop with a wide variety of selections.
    Bonsai can be a very rewarding, but time consuming and expensive hobby. For more information, go to the The Bonsai Site website www.bonsaisite.com/ which has a multitude of information on bonsai trees.

Here is an example of a pine  that has been crafted into a bonsai tree.