What is Bonsai ?

Bonsai is referred to as “tray gardening” in Japanese language. It is the art of growing trees and plants in miniature form. There is no genetic reformation brought in the plant but instead is grown with lot of care, giving all the required necessities such as water, air, fertilizers and sunlight. They are not artificial trees but liveliest kept in miniature form in pots with an aesthetic shape.

The modern day art of Bonsai originates from China over two thousand years, where it was called as Penzai. Later it was brought to Japan by imperial embassies of China. The art is still practiced in China under the name Penjing.

The art of Bonsai is based mainly on aesthetics, patience and care. The bonsai tree or plant is grown like any other plant but it is kept small by root pruning and crown. Root pruning is done by unpotting the plant and the roots are combed in a radial pattern using a root hook. Smaller plants are done even using chopsticks. The reason fordoing this is that it untangles and straightens the roots with minimum damage. Bonsai plants require shallower root systems compared to nursery plants. These smaller roots are efficient in absorbing water. A good bonsai plant consists of three main factors: essence, beauty and truth.

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The Traditional subjects of bonsai are • Pine They are coniferous trees of the genus Pinus that belong to the family Pinaceae. • Elm These are deciduous trees that comprises the genus Ulmus belonging to family Ulmaceae. • Maple These are trees or shrubs of Acer genus. • Juniper These are coniferous plants in genus Junipers and belonging to family of Cupressaceous. • Japanese wisteria It is a woody climber belonging to family of Wisteria. • Larch These are conifers in genus Larix belonging to the family of Pinaceae. The others include flowering cherry and flowering apricot.
Styles of bonsai The following are the common styles of bonsai: • Formal upright • Informal upright • Raft • Forest • Cascade • Semi cascade • Literati Formal upright It is characterized by a tapering trunk and balanced branches. Informal upright It is similar to formal upright but it may bend and curve slightly. Raft Raft bonsai are planted with original root system intact and contact with the soil. This is similar to a tree which is toppled may be due to natural force or erosion and a new root grows out of the part of the trunk that is in contact with the ground. This group includes other styles such as straight line, sinuous and group planting styles. They all look like a group of trees but are actually the branches of a tree planted on its side Forest Also called, as a group is a number of bonsai placed together in a pot. The group is typically an odd number i.e. three or more trees. Usually the number of trees displayed in this style is less than fifty though there is no limit as such. The trees selected for this style is often of the same species. Cascade Cascade is style of trees that grow over water or on the sides of mountain, which leans downward. Semi cascade They are similar to cascade but the only difference is that they do not lean as far downward as the cascade style. Literati This kind of style is seen very often. The word literati in Japan is used as bunjin and China as wenjen which means “scholars practiced in the arts”. It is characterized by a long trunk placed with small number of branches. The branches are placed high on the trunk. Techniques involved Dwarfing and shaping of trees are done through basic techniques. The size of the tree and dwarfing of leaves are basically done by pruning of both the leaves and the roots. As each species of trees exhibits different budding characters various methods are employed for pruning. For example: some pruning must be done seasonally since most trees require dormancy period where in roots or leaves are not grown during that time. Improper way of pruning can kill the tree. Bosai trees can be shaped using copper or aluminum wires since most species suitable for bonsai are adaptable to this kind. The wires are wrapped around the branches and trunks until the shape desired is met. Then the wires are removed. The ones that are stiff or brittle and cannot be shaped using wires, can be shaped by pruning only
Care taken for bonsai Following are important to require good bonsai • Watering • Wiring • Location • Repotting • Tools • Collecting • Fertilization and soil • Mallsai • Over wintering • Containers

Watering Since the pot in which the bonsai plant is kept is small with limited space the care taken is quite difficult. The root system is limited for expansion in shallow containers. Some species might require more water whereas some may require less thus having the capacity to handle dryness for a long time. Allowing the soil to remain wet for a long time or watering more frequently can cause fungal infections. So the watering must be done abundantly when needed. If during watering some of the soil washes out then it must be replaced with a bonsai specific soil mix.

Wiring It is basically done to control the shape of the tree. The best season for wiring is spring where the tree will not have much foliage and will not be stiff. Wiring is either done by wrapping the trunks so that the branches bend or attaching the weights to the branches for them to sag and create the impression of age. The thickness of the wire used should match the branch and the wire is usually left for one growing season.

• Location Most bonsai are not suited for indoor culture since they may die. They require several hours of direct sunlight everyday.
• Repotting Bonsai are repotted every year during spring time. Older ones are repotted once in every two years.
• Tools The tools used for maintaining bonsai include branch bending jacks, concave cutter, shears and wire pliers.
• Collecting Materials from local garden center wild or urban landscape can be taken to develop bonsai. Care must be taken during collecting since it may damage the tree’s root system while digging it up.
• Fertilization and soil Generally organic fertilizers or chemical fertilizers are used. The soil used is a loose, fast draining mix of components, often fired clay pellets, and expanded shale combined with an organic component or a mixture of coarse sand or gravel.
• Mallsai Bonsai trees that are inexpensive and often sold in gift shops are referred as Mallsai These are generally weak or the dead trees.
• Over wintering Some bonsai trees require protection from elements during winter. During over wintering, the temperate species are allowed to enter dormancy. Care must be taken with deciduous plants from breaking dormancy very early.
• Containers Bonsai pots contain drainage holes to drain excess water. They are usually covered with plastic mesh or screen to prevent the soil from escaping. Containers are in variety of shapes. They come with straight sides and sharp corners, oval or round shapes. They are mostly made of glazed clay.

Article Contributed By: Shilpa V


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