BONSAI is a combination of two words “bon” and “sai” and simply means plant in a tray. People often mistakenly think that bonsai is a separate species but it is actually an art form involving plants and trees. Bonsai trees were originally found in Japan. Authentic records of bonsai trees date back to the early 14th century. Nowadays bonsai trees reflect the different tastes and times of a variety of countries and cultures. In Japan, bonsai tree are regarded as a cultural symbol.
Growing a bonsai tree, even for a beginner, is a relatively simple process. It’s the time, dedication, patience and commitment needed to mature and care for a bonsai tree that distinguishes a bonsai master from an enthusiast or person just starting out in this worthwhile hobby. The fastest way of getting a bonsai is to purchase one from a garden centre or specialist nursery. This will give you a ready made bonsai. However, these can be very expensive or end up poor quality – for a medium sized tree, expect to pay about ?45. The upside to buying a bonsai is that there will normally be plenty of species to choose from and pruning will require very little effort.
However, if you intend planting a seed or sapling during the winter, you may be advised to put it in a ceramic bonsai pot and artificially stimulate warmer conditions by moving it indoors. You are unlikely to see any real sign of growth during the winter months if you plant your bonsai outside as most plants and trees will remain dormant until spring. Once your sapling or bonsai seed is actively growing and reasonably well established in your garden or ceramic pot, it’s time to dig it up and inspect its roots. The idea here is to trim any unwanted growth and thereby start to convert your twig-like tree into bonsai.
Firstly, inspect the base. If you notice a long tap root, you can safely trim this back. How much growth has occurred will determine just how much of the roots you should trim. Generally speaking, you can safely trim about one third of the roots every few years. Remember, the art of bonsai is about balance, so make sure you leave enough roots for your tree to continue to grow and develop. Now that we’ve taken care of the roots it’s time to inspect the branches.
You probably won’t have to worry too much about medium sized at this stage but, if you see any obvious unwanted branches then now is an ideal time to remove them. It’s always best when pruning to trim back to a bud, that way any new branches will take the direction of that bud. So now we should be at a stage of replanting our bonsai into its permanent home. It’s a good idea to use a quality potting compost with a mix of two parts sand or grit to help with drainage.
You could also do a lot worse than using the soil that your sapling or bonsai grew in, just be wary that weeds may start appearing as the soil will be untreated. Alternatively, invest in bonsai soil designed to complement your bonsai tree and aid healthy growing. Ask Clive. Do sweet peppers need pruning? No. All they need is a single pinch. When the plants are about 6in tall, nip off the central growing point with your fingers. This encourages the plant to produce bushy side shoots. It also improves cropping. The plants do not need sophisticated supports either, simply fix a 2ft cane in the soil beside each plant and tie the stem to it.
What is the best fertiliser to use on an established mixed border? A slow-release fertiliser applied each spring is the most beneficial. Quick-acting feeds may promote soft growth that is prone to disease or winter damage. Bone meal is safe for all plants except those that cannot tolerate lime. Regular mulching of the border with well-rotted manure or compost will add some nutrients and, at the same time, improve the texture of the soil. Did You Know? There are a number of time-honoured tips for protecting your fruit from insects, predators and disease. One is burning garden refuse under the branches which acts as a good fumigant to flush out unwelcome insects.
To get more information on discover origin, be sure to visit www.bonsaitreegardener.net and read their informative articles. To order your own understand bonsai, you can get one online at this website.
