|
| what is
Bonsai? | basic
bonsai care | indoor
trees | temperate
trees | cold
weather trees |
| fertilizing | repotting | pruning/shaping/styling | insect
control |
ASK DR BONSAI (Exerpts)
A
Care and Maintenance Manual for the
Beginning Bonsai Gardener
by Michael Levin and David Babik,
1993
"Ask Dr Bonsai" was first
published in 1993 and is now in its
12th printing. 
The little book was written by Michael
Levin and David Babik from Bonsai West,
and is still one of the best pocket
references on Bonsai around.
The following exerpts from the Manual
will give you an idea of the content; to purchase a copy, click here, and
we will be happy to send it to you!
($5.50
includes shipping and handling within
the US and Canada).
Q: WHAT IS BONSAI?
A: The exact origins of Bonsai are difficult to determine, but it is generally believed that the art form began in China, and from there spread to Japan.
Trees from the wild were collected from cliff faces and rocky ledges, trees that had naturally been growing in limited amounts of soil. A tree grows differently under such adverse conditions: it grows more slowly, it develops definite bark character, smaller foliage, windswept branches, a rugged aged appearance. A small Bonsai pot imitates those adverse natural conditions.
In simplest terms, a Bonsai is a tree, shrub, tropical plant, grass, or herb, grown in a small container and shaped to recreate an older tree in nature.
Over the years, the Bonsai acquires the character of age. Originally referring to just a "plant in a shallow pot", the term has now come to include the whole art form: growing trees or plants in a dish, with the aim of having it appear as if it had grown that way purely as a result of natural forces, as if the design had happened completely on its own.
Growing a tree in a container, watching it go through the seasonal changes, makes you more aware of the natural world, even if your trees are grown indoors.
And there is never an end to the process: even when you feel the tree is really "finished", you might see it from a different angle, a different view might catch your eye, and you will want to restyle your tree.
Q: Is there a difference in what a traditional Japanese Bonsai Gardener would want and what an American would want?
A: I would say it's a difference as much as an addition, a whole new aspect. And that is due to the fact that we grow house plants in this country.
Traditionally, Bonsai was an art form geared entirely to the outside, since the trees used for Bonsai were native to their countries and as such needed the climatic conditions of their natural environment. But as interest in Bonsai grew in America, people wanted trees that could be grown inside, in apartments or houses, in addition to the outdoor varieties.
As a result, there has been a lot of interest in varieties that will grow indoors, using not just the traditional trident maples, pines, spruce, plums, wild cherries and other species indigenous to the Orient, but instead using tropical or temperate trees that can be shaped and trained in the traditional styles and still live and thrive in an indoor environment.
Q: How do Bonsai get to look like real trees?
A: Over time, a Bonsai takes on a certain character that comes from being cultivated in a small container. The foliage gradually becomes smaller, and the branching more refined. In other words, the scale becomes more accurately that of a tree in miniature.
The Bonsai gardener should always look at the tree with an eye to how it may be improved to develop more beauty as it ages. This is very likely to involve shaping techniques such as pruning and wiring, something we will be discussing in a later chapter.
Q: How hard is it to grow Bonsai?
A: It's not very hard at all: there are just a few things you have to understand when you start. The most important thing, the one you can never allow yourself to forget, is that you are dealing with a living tree, that changes and grows, and requires some kind of interaction with you. You need to be in contact with it every day, even if it's just for a minute or so.
The key to success is checking your tree daily, being careful not to ignore it or to forget about it, just as you wouldn't forget to brush your teeth or feed your pet.
Most people seem to be attracted to the evergreen. After all, North America is famous for its evergreen forests of fir, redwood, etc. Miniature versions of these forests hold a special attraction. But you may also be drawn to things that don't really look like they do in nature: maybe your tree will have a large leaf or a large flower that seems to be the essence of the plant itself.
This is one of the aspects that will give it character as a Bonsai, and you may appreciate it as such, even though the leaf is not the right scale for a miniature tree.
Q: Is there a big difference between growing Bonsai and growing house plants?
A: That's not an easy question to answer, because for either hobby you need some horticultural awareness.
Mainly, I would say, the difference lies in the fact that the plants that are sold as house plants have been hybridized over many years. The goal of the plant industry is to develop individual plants which won't dry out so fast in indoor conditions, and also will take lower light conditions.
Furthermore, house plants are encouraged to grow and get bigger and bigger, whereas the aim of Bonsai gardeners is to keep the trees very small, or grow bigger only under tightly controlled conditions. Many of the plants used for Bonsai have, generally speaking, not been considered for hybridization at all, and so have not been bred for indoor conditions, though the care and maintenance may be comparable for all plants grown indoors, they are not really the same for both house plants and Bonsai.
BASIC BONSAI CARE
Q: How hard is it to take care of Bonsai?
A: It's really not that hard. Probably the two most important things to learn about Bonsai are correct watering and proper location.
The other things we will cover in this section include fertilizing, pruning, repotting, and seasonal care.
Q:
What tools do I need to get started?
A: A good, sharp pair of shears is the first and most important tool. You can do a lot with these alone. The next tool you will probably need is some kind of concave cutter. This tool has a curved blade that scoops as it cuts. This facilitates healing when you remove a large limb. After that, a pair of wire cutters will come in handy, especially for removing training wires from your Bonsai.
These three tools, along with a watering can, misting bottle, and a wooden chopstick (to aid in repotting) will take you a long way in growing Bonsai.
Q: What's so special about watering?
A: Knowing when your tree needs water is one of the principal skills of Bonsai growing.
In fact, proper watering is the single most important factor in growing Bonsai successfully. The trees must never dry out completely, and because they are in such a shallow container, it is very easy for the beginner to let them dry out.
Q: Is it different from watering your house plants?
A: Yes it is, and the biggest danger is not realizing that.
People often will notice their house plants are dry because they look wilted, so they give them some water and they just perk back up. But with Bonsai that level of wilting is likely to be too late. A wilted Bonsai or one that is dropping its leaves spells real trouble. It will not recover the same way a houseplant does.
The Bonsai has a bare minimum of soil, and once it has been allowed to get bone dry, it is very easy for the tree to die or be severely damaged. Therefore, you really have to check the tree often.
One of the main problems with house plants arises from over watering, but with Bonsai, one of the most immediate problems is under watering. So the first thing you need to know is if the tree is wet or dry.
Q: How often do you need to check it, every two days, once a week?
A: Certainly when you start out you want to check your tree at least daily to see if the soil is dry. Until you are more experienced, the easiest way to do that is to press down on the moss or the soil, or, if there's a rock in the landscaping, lift the rock out and feel the soil. Indicators of moisture in the soil are sponginess, dampness, and the color of the soil itself: a dry soil will be much lighter in color than a wet one. Even the weight of the pot itself can let you know whether it is time to water: a watered tree will feel considerably heavier than a dry one.
As time goes on, it will become easier to notice dryness or wetness.
Q: How dry should the tree get?
A: It depends to a certain degree on the variety of the tree as well as on the time of year, and therefore it is difficult to be really specific. Imagine your pot as translucent: you dunk the pot in water and soon the soil will be completely saturated, a dark color. With time, the level of saturation drops. Generally speaking, a "half-way-dry" point is the time to water. But it's impossible to give accurate guidelines.
In summer, everything dries very quickly, and trees must be checked more often. But at a cooler time of year you might be able to water your tree a little less frequently, since there is less danger of it drying out in the same period of time.
Additionally, a tree in flower will need more water than when it is not in bloom.
Other factors that affect watering frequency are:
- the amount of humidity in the air: obviously, a tree will need less water on a cloudy, rainy day than on a sunny or windy one
- location of the tree: how much sunlight is it getting?
- size of the pot: is the pot very shallow or is it a deeper container?
- the type of soil mix: how water retentive is it?
It's important to make checking the tree for water a part of your daily routine. It might help to place the tree in a spot where you are not likely to overlook it, to help remind you to check its dryness level.
But it's also very dangerous to overwater Bonsai.
A lot of people confuse over watering with a thorough saturation of the soil: but over watering refers purely to watering frequency.
To overwater a tree means to saturate it consistently before it's had a chance to begin to dry out at all. As a result it's always soaking wet, and the roots may begin to rot from lack of oxygen.
In the short run there's not much danger of over watering, it's not something that happens over the space of a day or two. Overwatering takes place over time, several weeks of having the roots completely saturated, sitting in water. As you become more aware of your tree's needs, you find yourself being able to tell just at a glance whether a tree needs watering or not.
In the seventeen years that I've been growing Bonsai, watering is something that has become second nature, and is now actually one of the most enjoyable parts of Bonsai gardening.
Q: What is the best way to water Bonsai?
A: One of the most efficient ways to guarantee the amount of saturation that your tree needs is to dunk the pot.
You simply take the entire Bonsai in its pot and literally dunk it into a basin of water, preferably up to the base of the trunk. The tree will be saturated very quickly
The only reason not to do this is if you are concerned about washing away loose soil or gravel at the top of the pot. In that case, a good method of watering is to set the pot in water so that water is soaked up through the drainage holes; this will take quite a bit longer, however.
Dunking is an especially good method to use when trees are kept indoors, where it is very difficult to water adequately; pouring water on from the top as with house plants is likely to make the water run off tightly compacted soil and you simply cannot assure that the roots get the moisture they need.
If your tree is kept outside, a so-called "soaker-nozzle" is a good investment. It attaches to your garden hose, and makes it very easy to get a thorough degree of saturation even if it means having to come back to the tree two or three times as the water seeps through the soil. It is most important that the water does not simply run off the top, but saturates the soil completely. The excess water will simply drain out the bottom, and you can still be sure that all the roots have been completely watered.
Remember that watering needs change with the seasons! We will discuss this in greater detail in the section on seasonal care.
INDOOR TREES
Originally,
Bonsai were always kept
outdoors, and the early gardeners grew only the types of trees
that would be able to live
in their climate. Thus, people
in southern
China or Japan would only be growing tropical or temperate trees, whereas
gardeners in the northern
areas would grow trees that
could take
frost, and even heavy snowfall.
We in America are, in
a sense, pioneers of a new art form, that
of growing Bonsai indoors. Our growing conditions
shouldn't discourage us, but rather allow us
to find new and innovative ways of keeping the trees healthy
indoors.
Indoor
conditions
are very different
from outdoor ones, of course:
light, temperature, moisture
of air, air circulation, and
day-to-night temperature changes
are all quite different from "natural" ones.
Q:
How much light do
Bonsai need?
A: Light is essential for keeping plants healthy.
Bonsai need full sunlight and good ventilation. Most varieties require at least two hours of direct sun each day. Never place them in a poorly lit area!
Universally, Bonsai like good amounts of direct sunlight. That's a starting point for deciding on proper placement for your trees.
When the trees are inside, make sure they get good, strong sun for at least a couple of hours every day. Light intensity is reduced considerably by window glass, and if the tree is in a poorly lit area, it will not do well.
If light is not adequate, over watering becomes a danger as well, because the tree will dry out a lot more slowly.
Since plants photosynthesize nutrients from sunlight, strong sun will result in smaller leaf size as well, since the foliage does not need to expose as much of it's surface area to the light for adequate nourishment. And of course, small, compact foliage is what we want to produce! Consider getting a good grow lamp such as an OTT light which will simulate the natural spectrum of the sun.
Q: Are there any trees that can be grown in low light?
A: There are some, but it's certainly important to get your trees as much light as you can. Some of the plants that are grown in low light tend to be larger-leafed varieties; such as the arboracola they will never have the compact growth that they would have in good light.
TEMPERATE TREES
Q:
What exactly are temperate trees?
A: The temperate group is probably the most popular group of trees. The juniper, for example, is a classic temperate tree. These are trees from climates that have a definite change of season, but without very harsh winters.
To replicate their natural environment, they require what's known as a partial dormancy: they need to have some change in conditions through the winter months. While they don't have to be subjected to freezing conditions, they will fail to thrive if the temperature is very much the same throughout the year, as it would be in a warm room. They do need some kind of a slow-down period during the winter.
Ideally, these trees should be outside throughout the entire summer. They should stay outside during the early fall and through the season where the temperatures will drop down to the high twenties or low thirties.
This way, the trees are able to follow the natural weather pattern of experiencing a gradual change in the seasons.
A common mistake is to take a tree that has been grown indoors throughout the summer and then, wishing to give the tree a "cold snap" in an attempt to induce dormancy, placing it outdoors into what would be, to the temperate tree, the very sudden and rather severe cold of fall or early winter.
Dormancy is a gradual process, and it takes a couple of months for a tree to ease into it. You can't just place the tree into a cold place and expect a natural dormancy to occur. The tree has to adjust gradually to the change of seasons, just as it happens in nature.
On the other hand, if you do not give it a place where the temperature will change and dormancy begins, the tree will gradually get weaker and weaker, just like a person trying to function without sleep. That is why trees benefit from being left outside in the fall and early winter.
COLD WEATHER TREES
Q: So what should I do with my cold-weather trees in the winter?
A: There are many options here. You should begin by choosing a location where the temperature is unlikely to drop below twenty degrees. If all you have available is an unheated porch or a garage that could possibly get colder than that, you may need to insulate your trees further. Nor should the high temperature during the winter months be higher than fifty degrees Fahrenheit for more than a few days in a row.
If you have settled on a location where the average temperature will stay between thirty and forty degrees, the trees, even the evergreens, will no longer need light. But beware: the warmer they get, the more light they need!
Temperatures of fifty degrees Fahrenheit are considered temperate; a tree kept under these conditions would need light to survive the winter, as dormancy would not be total.
It is also possible to put your trees into a box of mulch or newspapers to keep them more insulated. Small collections can always be moved temporarily to a more sheltered spot, to the basement for example, if the weather is really cold for an extended period of time (say, a week or so), and then they can be brought back out to the garage when the danger is past.
Cold hardy trees can be stored in a cold cellar (below 35 degrees), an unheated garage, cold frame, or covered trench. On warm days, check to see if watering is needed. These trees can be wintered in darkness, but need as much light as possible when they start pushing in the spring.
Q: Is the procedure the same for deciduous trees as well as evergreens?
A: Basically, yes. Once the leaves are gone, photosynthesis no longer takes place, and a deciduous tree is not going to need light no matter what the temperature is.
Not until dormancy is broken and the new leaves start to open in the Spring does the need for light return. Therefore, it is important to make sure that dormancy isn't broken too early in the year. If that happens, the leaves open early, too early for the tree to survive outside, and you have to find a suitable place for it inside.
You will know that you have found the perfect spot for wintering your cold-weather tree if the seasonal changes that occur with your Bonsai mirror the changes actually taking place in nature.
Trees that overwinter in a basement will usually have conditions somewhat warmer from the outside ones, the leaves will open up earlier, and then you'll have to find a sunny spot or supplement light in some way, since the new leaves need bright sun and longer daylight hours to grow.
FERTILIZING
Your Bonsai should be mildly fertilized
once or twice a month throughout the
year. You can use a Bonsai fertilizer,
such as Pokon, at the recommended strength.
You may also use a basic houseplant
fertilizer, such as Miracle Gro or
Peter's, at half the recommended strength.
Always water before fertilizing. Never
fertilize freshly repotted trees, weak
trees, or trees in cold winter storage!
Q: Do Bonsai need fertilizing?
A: Just because Bonsai are small does not mean that they don't need fertilizer! We recommend, as a rule of thumb, half the strength suggested for regular houseplant fertilizing on a regular basis. In spring and summer, during the time the tree is growing, that means every two to four weeks. Indoor Bonsai can be fed all year.
REPOTTING
Bonsai don't need repotting very often; they can stay in one pot for several years at a time. If you have purchased a tree within the last half a year, it would be very safe to say that you won't need to transplant this tree unless you don't like the pot it was in, or for some other cosmetic reason.
Q: Is it like repotting house plants?
A: We have to assume that the person repotting a Bonsai has had some experience repotting house plants, but there are many differences.
Usually, when you are repotting a houseplant, you are trying to give your plant room to grow bigger and bigger by transplanting it into larger and larger pots. With Bonsai, however, you want the tree's needles and leaves to continue getting smaller in size, so there's no reason why the pot should keep getting larger. Therefore, roots need to be pruned to invigorate the tree and to generate new growth, and to be able to fit it back into a small pot.
Q: What is root pruning?
A: Root pruning is an important part in the repotting process. Root pruning is a matter of nipping the roots of the tree back, to reinvigorate the tree or to fit it into a new pot.
The time of year that the tree is the strongest is when you can prune the most roots without damaging it, since that is the time the new fibrous roots will grow back most vigorously. That is why we don't suggest you do any root pruning just before the dormant season starts.
Q: What should you look for in repotting Bonsai?
A: In repotting a Bonsai, it's very important to think about balance and placement.
The tree should be about a third of the way off to the side, never in the center of the pot, unless it is a round or square pot.
Look at photographs of specimen Bonsai to get a feel for how the tree should be balanced in its pot.
The size of the pot should harmonize with the size of the trunk and the expanse of the foliage.
Q: What is the purpose of moss in repotting?
A: We use moss to cover the root ball at the base of the trunk, but the function of the moss is mostly ornamental.
It does, however, keep water in to a degree; the tree won't dry out as fast, and when it's hot out, it actually keeps the soil a little bit cooler.
Q: What about rocks?
A: Again, rocks are an ornamental feature used to balance the tree. Rocks help to create the illusion of a tree growing wild in the mountains.
Q: Are there any dangers to watch out for when repotting your tree?
A: The most important thing is that the roots don't dry out in the sun and wind. If you are repotting it in the summer, you will place it into the pot as quickly as possible, so that the root hairs are not exposed to the air for too long a time.
Q: Can you prune too many roots?
A: Yes, and that is a very common mistake. The tree will immediately show the stress by dropping leaves and wilting. That is another reason that we recommend very strongly that you bring your tree to a reputable Bonsai nursery for repotting instructions before you attempt it yourself.
Q: How often should I repot my tree?
A: Very seldom does being pot-bound affect a tree's health; in fact, being pot-bound is one of the principle aspects of Bonsai: the roots have no place to go, and the tree stays small.
Although we recommend repotting every two to five years, many trees have been in the same soil far longer than that and are still doing well. As your tree becomes more pot-bound, you may need to feed it more, but repotting is not necessarily called for.
PRUNING - SHAPING - STYLING
Pruning really falls into two categories: maintenance pruning, which mainly means thinning the tree out occasionally, to keep it from growing out of its shape, and heavy pruning as a means of styling a tree.
Q: Do I have to prune my Bonsai?
A: Leaving a tree unpruned can be a big mistake with Bonsai. The new growth each year at the tips will cover up the existing growth inside. This might be alright for a houseplant, but with a Bonsai, it is essential that you can see into it: it is the fine, detailed ramification, the fine branching, which is going to give the small leaves the illusion of having a really powerful canopy of foliage, the illusion of a full-blown tree.
Q: So what is the purpose of pruning?
A: Pruning maintains a silhouette, the outer shape of the tree. A shoot that grows wild, for example, is trimmed back to keep the foliage to certain proportions. At our Get Wired! Clinics, held at the nursery every Sunday afternoon, we are happy to show you just how to maintain the appearance of your tree to show it off at its best.
Q: How often do I need to prune my tree?
A: Most trees don't need to be pruned more than once a year. There are some trees, including serissas and many of the deciduous varieties, which will grow fast enough that you can conceivably give them two or three prunings in a year, whereas with conifers or evergreens once a year is generally enough.
Q: How about wiring?
A: One of the misconceptions people have about wiring is believing it to be the reason Bonsai trees are dwarfed. In reality, wiring is a temporary shaping method.
Q: Is it easy to wire a tree?
A: Wiring should be done with caution. The purpose is to create a desired shape that you have in your mind. The wire is put onto a branch, or on the trunk, wrapped snugly around the wood, and then the branch or trunk is bent into the position that you want.
The wire holds it in that position until the tree holds that shape on its own. Then the wire must be removed. However, the wire may begin to cut into the bark before the tree holds the desired shape by itself; if that is the case, take the wire off so it doesn't hurt or even strangle the tree. If the tree or branch bounces back, just rewire it again.
INSECT CONTROL
Misting your tree's foliage with soapy water once or twice a month is a good preventative against insect problems!
Q: Are Bonsai more susceptible to insects if you leave them outdoors?
A: Not at all. I would say that the opposite is true. The tree outside is so much stronger that it is naturally much more insect resistant, and no house is really insect-proof. There is really no place where you can keep your tree completely isolated from insects.
Q: What is the best way to check for/monitor insects?
A: There is no substitute for looking at your tree often, monitoring it closely, coming in contact with it regularly to check for any signs of insects.
A good way to check for insects is to shake the tree foliage over a sheet of paper. If you notice tiny specks moving around on the paper, there are insect pests present on your tree.
Q: Will my indoor trees be infested more easily than my house plants?
A: No. But the same conditions that allow insects to thrive on your house plants will make them show up on you Bonsai as well. The common insects that bother house plants will also attack Bonsai, so your trees are always potentially at risk to a certain extent. Spider mites, aphids, mealy bugs, are all pests that infest Bonsai. Fungus gnats are another one.
Q: What can I do to minimize insects?
A: The best thing to do, as I said before, is to keep a close eye on your trees, and try to provide optimal conditions for them.
Misting is crucial, as is keeping the trees in a well-ventilated room. In fact, your misting bottle is in many aspects your number one Bonsai tool, even before a pair of scissors or a watering can.
It is inevitable that you will run into insects again and again over time, and it may be that sometimes you won't notice an insect until damage has already occurred to your tree. That is why it is a good idea to give the occasional preventive spray, maybe even as frequently as once or twice monthly, with an organic insect controller.
One product that is widely available and has proven reliable is called Safer's. There will be a white residue of the spray building up on the leaves; it is not dangerous, but neither is it pleasant to look at. So rinse your trees off - especially any larger leafed and tropical varieties - with a sink spray attachment or even under the shower now and then. They will be all the better for it. Many household sprays such as "Shultz-Instant" will also do the trick.
A lot of times you can actually use insects as a guide toward correcting a problem. Most insects that infest a tree will keep coming back if they are there in the first place because of poor conditions: not enough light, overcrowding, not enough air flow.
Some of our most successful Bonsai growers are people who have had insect problems and have brought their tree into our clinics on a regular basis, where we have coached them in what to do to keep the insect in check.
FINAL NOTES
Enjoy your bonsai and feel free to come in anytime for advice on care and pruning or our specials services such as baby sitting or hospital care for your sick tree.-- Michael
100 Great Rd (2A/119)
Littleton, MA 01460
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