The Japanese Art of Bonsai Trees

Bonsai is Japanese for 'tray gardening' . Bonsai trees are miniature trees; they keep their small shape and size because of being grown in a small pot or tray and through very careful pruning. The art of pruning a bonsai tree can take a very short time to learn but many people can go an entire lifetime without actually mastering the art.

History of Bonsai

Bonsai trees have been documented to exist up to 4,000 years ago everywhere from parts of Asia to Africa. The trees were originally grown in China, but then caravans started to export the trees elsewhere such as Egypt where healers would use them to produce medicines. Some were even buried in tombs with royalty.

The original art of bonsai is thought to have started in China, where it was referred to as 'penzai' before being adapted by the Japanese. Only royalty and nobility first enjoyed bonsai trees, but then in the Edo period the art form was opened up to people of all social classes.

The Art of Bonsai

Pruning bonsai trees is very difficult and takes many years of practice to perfect. Not only does a gardener have to grow the tree properly but they must also know how to prune the branches and roots to keep the bonsai trees small and healthy. This care is part of the philosophy behind bonsai trees in that they bring together three forces: Truth, essence and beauty, or, in Japanese, 'shin-zen-bi'.

When pruning bonsai trees, the Japanese ideal is to prune them in a way that does not show any kind of intervention from outside forces. The tree must always look as though it grew completely naturally with no help. On the other hand, Chinese pruning tends to be much more artistic, as gardeners grow their trees and cut them into intricate shapes and designs such as into Chinese characters or even images of animals and dragons.

Common Kinds of Bonsai

Bonsai trees come in many different forms and varieties. The formal upright tree is one of the most common, distinguished by its balanced branches and a trunk that tapers. The sister variety is one which bends and curves, leading to more variety in how it can be displayed as pleasing to the eye.

These trees can be found all over now, with growers in every corner of the globe and collections and gardens to visit in many countries including Australia, Belgium, Montral, Canada, China, Germany and many more places in the United States and Asia. If you are interested in learning the fine art of bonsai trees, visit one of these gardens and see the kind of large-scale beauty that can come from such a small creation.

Bonsai Tree Care

Today, bonsai care has become a very popular hobby for some who maintain the spiritual connection with nature. If that sounds like you, here are there are five basic techniques in providing bonsai care.

Water and Bonsai

Bonsai trees are planted in limited amounts of unique bonsai soil. This combination necessitates that bonsai care include a frequency in the number of times watered. There are two methods that can be used to determine the dampness of the soil; one method uses a water meter that will indicate the dampness of the soil and will help to determine whether water needs to be added.

Or, by simply inserting your finger into the soil, up to the first joint, you can feel if the soil is moist or dry. If the soil is dry, add enough water to cause the water to escape from the drainage hole of the pot. Bonsai care also requires an increase in watering during the summer months and less watering during the winter months. It is also important to remember to keep the roots of the tree dry.

Soil Nutrients and Fertilizing

Bonsai care includes the nurturing of the soil in the spring and fall season. This nurturing should include the introduction of nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid into the soil. The health of your indoor bonsai tree is also dependent upon fertilization. Bonsai care should include scheduled fertilization twice a month during the spring months. Additionally, fertilization should happen once a month in later fall and through winter.

Sunlight and Bonsai

Depending on the needs of your specific tree, bonsai care requires that the tree receive some direct sunlight. If this is not possible your choice of tree should be based on the limited availability of light, or, alternatively, the bonsai tree can be placed outdoors to receive its daily dose of Vitamin D. One cautionary note regarding sunlight: limit exposure if your tree has been recently placed into new soil or has been trimmed substantially.

Copyright 2006 Michael Saville

For more information and tips on bonsai tree care visit www.bonsai-tree.biz

Hot Topics In Gardening

    Planning An Herb Garden With Culinary Herbs, Medicinal Herbs and Aromatic Herbs

    Planning an herb garden can be fun and rewarding. Herbs have been in use for centuries for culinary, medicinal and aromatic reasons. For generations tribal leaders and healers passed down the herbal s...

    Refresh Your Old Lawn

    Are you struggling with a poor lawn? Well, you might just as well do something drastic with it, such as spade it up and totally rebuild it. If you do, however, be careful not to build in the same mist...

    How to Choose the Perfect Outdoor Bar Stools for Your Backyard or Patio

    Outdoor bar stools are very cool choices if you want to spice up your outside setting. They're great for backyard household settings such as patios, gardens, beside the pool, in the yard or in a conse...

    Proven Aloe Vera Benefits And Uses

    While there are many claims as to Aloe Vera benefits and its uses, I would like to present some of the facts and information. I have been fortunate to be able to enjoy Aloe and its benefits.

    Aloe is...

    All About Liquid Organic Fertilizers

    Using organic fertilizers is a widely accepted practice in the agricultural industry. Farmers use them to cultivate their field and row crops, winemakers utilize them for growing grapes, and horticult...

    An Introduction to the Bonsai tree

    There are many myths which are associated with bonsai. This not only confuses budding enthusiasts, but also gives the pastime a bad name. A bonsai is not a genetically dwarfed plant and is not kept sm...

    Guide To Growing Annuals

    Annuals are beautiful flowers that grace almost every garden. Depending on your zone, they will last only the season and die off in winter. Sometimes called bedding plants they are relatively inexpens...

    Making Your First Garden

    The first thing in garden making is the selection of a spot. Without a choice, it means simply doing the best one can with conditions. With space limited it resolves itself into no garden, or a box ga...

    Rose Diseases - All You Need To Know

    Roses are beautiful plants that many people enjoy growing in their gardens. But, there are some very common types of diseases that face roses no matter what type they are and no matter where they are ...

    Looking after your Wooden Garden Furniture

    John Duff of Garden Furniture Scotland has some key tips for how to best care for your wooden garden furniture, regardless of whether it is made from keruing, red or yellow balau, or jarra wood.

    The...

    Gardening Safety Tips

    Whether you have a green thumb or simply want to start learning the art of gardening, it's a good idea to be prepared for all of those little surprises that may pop up along the way. Perhaps you want ...

    Espalier - The Art and Science of Training Your Tree

    What is an "espalier" you may be asking yourself. The term espalier has changed over the years. Originally it defined a trellis, or a frame, to which a tree was to be tied. It presently refers to the ...

Most Recent Gardening Supplements

Newly Popular Home Living Articles

    Losing Post-Pregnancy Weight

    Having a baby means indescribable joy, but for some women, it's also a battle to achieve that super slim, pre-pregnancy figure. It doesn't have to be hard to get into your old jeans!

    The powde...

    Sleeping Tips For Pregnant Women

    The anticipation of giving birth to a child may literally cause expectant mothers sleepless nights.

    Most pregnant women may feel more exhausted than usual and would eventually sleep more. Duri...

    Glutathione for a Healthier Pregnancy

    All parents-to-be nurture the dream of a healthy pregnancy and baby.

    But the modern environment and diet is deficient in many factors essential for the health of mother and fetus. One of those...

    How to Enhance and Enrich Your Marriage

    Any marriage counselor will tell you that one of the most common problems observed when couples come for help is poor communication skills. People get into trouble in their marriages because they have...

    Work at Home Online with your Silent Money Making Machine

    Some people claim that it is almost impossible these days to make lots of money when you work at home. They say that there are all sorts of scams online, but no decent job to actually make a bit of ex...

    Explanations For Unexplained Infertility

    It is strange how with all the advanced technologies associated with the diagnosis of infertility, some cases are still labeled with unknown causes. This condition is medically known as unexplained in...

    Work At Home Online Instead Of At Work

    The information super highway is quickly becoming the revenue super highway. Online, work-at-home opportunities are as common as pigeons in New York. Thousands of people are quitting their jobs, worki...

    Money Saving Tips. Maximize Savings on Everyday Items!

    Frugal living is more than a lifestyle. It's a passion. Call Me Crazy! I love It!

    Why, who wouldn't love getting paid to buy products that they use everyday?

    Here's how I do it.

    <...

    Alarm Controls are the Brain of your Security System, Use Yours When Choosing One

    The alarm control is the brain of your security system. It is typically placed in an area that is out of the way like a basement, attic, closet or office. The motherboard and additional components suc...

    Car Scratch and Dent Repair

    Auto body professionals can take a large chunk of your budget to repair even the most minor car dents and scratches. Hailstorms, other motorists doors, and minor accidents can cause frustration, espe...

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Home Living Blogs:

Releated to Home Living:

Gardening Links: