How to grow bonsai trees
Some people say that growing bonsai trees is hard – but at least history proves people have been doing it successfully for many years! It was first conceived of by the Chinese, and as so often happens, the Japanese came along and developed it afterwards. It means “tree in a pot”, and it simply involves ‘dwarfing’ the tree by constantly pruning the roots and branches.
This means that you have to shape the tree at a young age both below and above ground. The art, of course, is to maintain proportions. The smallest you can get is around two inches in height at full growth, while some can grow up to two feet tall.
Getting started
Choose a species. You can go for Bottlebrush, She Oak, Silky Oak or even Fig, and you have to look for a tree that has many branches so that you have something to work with. Choose something with naturally small leaves.
Find a shallow pot and ensure that it is not glazed on the inside – this could prevent the tree from breathing. Check that you have sufficient drainage.
Before you put it into your shallow pot, put it in a large pot so that it gains strength. There is no point putting a seedling into a shallow pot!
The soil is especially important for bonsai trees – you need special bonsai soil that can be bought from any good garden centre, and you need to buy feed that includes nitrogen and phosphoric acid for the autumn. If your garden centre cannot supply this, go online and search for it.
Consider how humid the environment is where you place the bonsai. You could place it in the kitchen or stimulate the humidity by placing your shallow pot in a shallow tray of water and allowing that to evaporate gently.
Of course, it’s your creation and your chance to show your artistic flair. You prune and you water as much or as little as you want, and in the end you will have the reward. It can prove expensive to buy in bonsai trees but if you start from scratch, you have a rewarding hobby!
