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The art of bonsai can fit into any life style. These little trees will captivate and entertain you with great rewards. Whether your considering a new hobby or an experienced pro you will find what you need here. Bonsai trees, Free care instructions, Supplies, Tools, and more. Bonsai books make the perfect gift and are a great way to get started in this exciting garden art form.

Introduction to Bonsai

Bon~ (A tray or Container) Sai~ (Noun- To grow)

   The art of Bonsai does not merely decrease the size of a tree to fit and be planted in a pot, but rather attempts to increase and enhance the potted tree, expanding it’s natural beauty, to capture nature itself.

   A small group planting can represent an island, or an entire forest. A single tree can represent a huge, lonely, old tree the moss covered dirt beneath, a vast meadow or the vegetation of a forest floor.   

BONSAI CARE INSTRUCTION

BONSAI PLACEMENT

   An outdoor bonsai tree will die if it is kept indoors. Although they can be brought in a couple of days at a time during the growing season for special occasions, they should never be brought in during the winter. The tree must have a dormant season, a time of rest or hibernation which would be disturbed if exposed to an interior climate.

   For maximizing the bloom time of a flowering bonsai tree, move them to the shade while they bloom and keep the flowers from getting wet by the rain or watering.

   During the hottest months of summer a bonsai tree may need watering several times a day if it is left in the direct sun and drying winds. Move your bonsai tree to a partly shaded position protected from the wind on hot, clear days.

   In the winter keep your bonsai tree in a protected area such as a southern facing wall or even a cold frame. Another good trick is to put it in with your landscape and mulch over it.

   So far as USDA Hardiness zones, they assume that your tree will be planted in the ground protected by the earth. Bonsai trees are very exposed to the elements in their shallow pots and small amounts of soil. I like to subtract two climate zones off of the actual zone I live in. Climate #8 becomes climate #6. If I have a bonsai tree hardy to zone 7 or 8, I assume it will die without special care. Zone 8 plants should be kept in a cold frame to protect the delicate twigs as well as the roots from die back. Zone 7 trees I would mulch into the ground in their pots or just protect them from Northern exposure. And zone 6 plants I will assume are plenty hardy to handle the climate on their own even in a bonsai pot.

WATERING BONSAI

Although a lack of fertilizer, crowded roots and poor placement will cause a plant to become feeble and perhaps even die over a long period of neglect, watering is the most important factor in keeping a bonsai healthy. Allowing a bonsai to dry out can cause irreversible damage and will almost always kill the tree. However, too much water can water log the roots causing root rot or deplete oxygen levels in the soil and suffocate the roots. Bonsai soil is made up of coarse materials to help prevent this and so should be watered more often than most potting soil. Mist spraying the entire plant regularly is beneficial and if brought indoors, necessary. Try to keep the soil moist and not soggy. In the winter months you won’t need to water nearly as much but should still be closely monitored and not forgotten. The best way to keep a bonsai from becoming too dry or too wet is simply careful observation and proper placement.

REPOTTING BONSAI

Repotting should only be attempted during the dormant season. The cut roots will heal over when the tree wakes up in the spring time so the closer to spring it is the less time the open cuts will sit in the dirt unhealed, reducing the risk of root disease. Also using a sharp root cutting tool  will make clean cuts and speed the healing process. Trimmed roots are not able to absorb nutrition immediately after repotting. If you repot just before the tree wakes in the spring, wait one month before applying fertilizer. Some signs that a tree needs to be repotted are:

A: Roots appear near the edges of the pot.

B: Roots growing from the bottom drain hole.

C: Poor drainage or slow absorption of water.

1: Use a wire cutter to snip the wire on the bottom of the pot that secures the tree to the soil. Being careful not to cut the screen clip.

2: Cut the soil loose from the pot and carefully remove.

3: Carefully rake out and untangle the roots with a root hook. Do not disturb the soil right near the base of the trunk.

Water is good at his point as it is critical the root’s do not begin to dry out and it also loosens up the old root ball and soil.

4: Use a root cutter to remove the large woody searcher roots leaving the small delicate feeder roots. The tree at this point can be moved up to a larger pot if you would like to increase the overall size of the bonsai tree.

5: If you want to keep the overall size of the tree the same only increasing the trunk and branch thickness, cut off the feeder roots so there is about ½ “ to 1” (depending on the pot size) of space between the pot sides and the root ball.

6: Make sure the screen is clipped over the bottom drain hole and put a thin layer of fine gravel in the bottom of the pot (drainage) followed by a small mound of new bonsai soil. Set the tree into place and adjust into position. Usually a little off center and toward the rear.

7: Cut a length of copper wire and insert one end up through the drainage hole until it reaches the surface of the root ball. If you cut the wire at a sharp angle it will easily poke through the drain screen. Now bend the other end up through the other hole or on the opposite side of the screen clip wire if there is only one hole and do the same. Twist the two ends of wire together with a pair of pliers until it clamps down (not too tight) and secures the tree in the pot.

8: Add bonsai soil to the top and work it into the pot using a chop stick or pencil until you are sure there are no air pockets. Firm the soil in with your thumb until it reaches the desired height.

9: A newly potted tree should be dunked rather than watered from above as it keeps the soil from washing away. Place in a well protected area and do not fertilize for one month.

PRUNING BONSAI

If your bonsai tree has wires on it, they will need to be carefully watched during the growing season. When they become tight they need to be removed before they begin cutting in to the bark. Use a wire cutter and cut them away rather than trying to unwind them.

Clip to shape at any time, however, large branches should be cut during the dormant season when sap is down to prevent bleeding. If you must cut a larger branch during the growing season, cut paste should be applied to the cut. Using the propper bonsai tool for the job will not only promote faster healing but also prevent ugly scars where they are not wanted. To shape foliage pads, hold the branch between your fingers with one hand and pinch off unwanted tips with the other. On deciduous trees, pinch off new shoots leaving only the first two leaves, this will cause a new shoots to grow between the leaves and the process can be repeated to increase a branches density.

FERTILIZING BOSAI

Fertilizer is essential in growing your bonsai into a true work of art. The small amount of bonsai soil is quickly depleted and needs to be replenish regularly during the growing season. Also because of the small amount of soil fertilizers should be diluted to ½ strength. Apply as by the directions or every two weeks from spring until late fall for most liquid fertilizers.

With proper care and some common sense a bonsai tree can provide many years of enjoyment for generations to come.

A living sculpture. A work of art.

Always improving, always changing, always increasing,

Never finished.

by Aaron Jones (c)

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EVERGREEN HONEYSUCKLE BONSAI TREE
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DECIDOUS WILLOW BONSAI TREE
deciduous willow bonsai .jpg

Searching for That little tidbit of bonsai info. that everyone seems to have overlooked in their articles? Click this link to ask questions and view answers!

It’s not necessary to fill out the form, just ask your question and send.

Home Garden Forum

Bonsai Tree BOOKS

Bonsai Books are a great gift idea for anyone! Promote a new hobby or craft, help out a beginner or inspire a pro! Click on the bonsai book your interested in to read customer reviews and get more information.

Bonsai Tree POTS

Bonsai Pots can be hard to find especialy at prices like these! If your in a "freeze thaw climate" make sure to use high fired pots or protect them from freezing because they will break!

Bonsai Tree WIRE & SUPPLIES

Having the right bonsai supplies on hand can turn aggravation into enjoyment.

Bonsai Terms Japanese

Learn the Japanese lingo and talk bonsai like a pro.

Bonsai Tree TOOLS

Having the right bonsai tools for the job makes everything easier and with the best possible results! The perfect gift idea for the bonsai enthusiast. From concave & knob cutters to soil sieves, you'll find the quality bonsai tools you need here.

Bonsai TREES 4 SALE

Bonsai Trees for sale to fit any budget! From the small gift bonsai tree to the specimen collector Satsuki Azalea!  Indoor - Outdoor, Deciduous - coniferous, Forest - Single, Young - Ancient, you'll find bonsai trees here in every size shape and style!

Stone Craft Bonsai Trees

Have a look at some of my personal bonsai tree collection. Sometimes I will put them up for sale for you to purchase them although they are quite difficult to part with.

Suiseki

Suiseki is the enjoyment of viewing natural stone formations. They make excellent viewing stones to accent your bonsai tree collection. Purchase them here or buy a book to learn more about this fascinating hobby. 

Zen Bonsai II
Zen Bonsai II Art Print
Goldberger,...
18 in. x 24 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com
Framed

Zen Bonsai
                                                         III
Zen Bonsai III Art Print
Goldberger,...
18 in. x 24 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com
Framed

BONSAI WATER FEATURE
Bonsai Fountain .jpg

PENJING BONSAI PLANTING STONE
bnsplnt.jpg

A CRYPTOMERIA BONSAI TREE IN WINTER COLOR
cryptomeria bonsai tree .jpg
CLICK FOR MORE

SATSUKI AZALEA BONSAI TREE
Satsuki Bonsai Tree

CANADIAN HEMLOCK MAME BONSAI
hemlock mame bonsai .jpg

PINE BONSAI TREE
bonsaipine.jpg

TROSTS DWARF BIRCH BONSAI TREE
trosts dwarf birch bonsai .jpg

CHAMAECYPARIS PISEFERIA PLUMOSA COMPRESSA BONSAI T
plumosa compressa bonsai tree .jpg

SATSUKI AZALEA BONSAI TREE
Satsuki Azalea Bonsai Tree

MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS:
A great gift idea!

EXCELLENT BONSAI LINKS:

USDA Hardines Zones

Bonsai4Me~Excellent Bonsai Information

Another excellent bonsai site

The Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection by Weyerhaeuser is a world class bonsai exhibit free to the public! you've got to see it!

Weyerhaeuser Bonsai Collection

American Bonsai Society

Penjing adds another dimension to bonsai, Man Lung Penjing has some incredible galleries.

Man Lung Penjing

Bonsai Primer

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