Bonsai

A Complete Guide for Bonsai Beginners

Step 1 = Make sure you have a good plant. Bonsai plant should have –
-        Small Leaves
-        Small flowers  [ if any ]
-        Good health.

Step 2 = Get a Bonsai pot. Or even an old, high rimmed Plate would do.
Step 3 = Get some Sand, Gravel, Potting soil, manure, fertilizers, etc.


*] If you are growing bonsai from seed, let it grow for a year or 2 in ground. If you live in apartments, let it grow in a big pot. And don’t trim or prune it in this time. Let it grow as it wishes! After the tree matures , follow the procedure -

Bonsai Soil Mix

You can buy bonsai soil at your bonsai retailer but this is the way you can make it in home.

You need-
1.      Co-Co soil
2.      Red soil
3.      Black soil
4.      Chopped leaves
5.      Brick pieces
6.      Manure and fertilizers
7.      Earthworms (Optional)

 If co-co soil is not available at your locality, you can make it!
To make Co-Co soil you need brown coconut husk and fresh red soil and black soil.
-Chop the coconut husk into 1/2 inches length.
-Soak them in water overnight.
-Till then, prepare a mixture is black soil and red soil at the ratio of 2:1.

- Dry the coconut husk and mix it into the soil mixture.


Procedure to make the bonsai manure
-Dry some co-co soil.
-Chop some unwanted leaves into small parts. [Collect them from road sides.]
- Dry the chopped leaves in the sun and mix them in co-co soil.
- Mix the co-co-soil so that the leaves would be crushed into fine powder.

Make sure that you chop the leaves and mix them in you manure every month. If you happen to buy some fertilizers or vermi-compost for your garden, put some in you manure also. If you have some red earthworms, put some in your manure. It will double the power of your manure! If you are using worms to decompose leaves, always keep your manure moist.


 How to make brick pieces.

- Break some bricks into small pieces with help of a big stone.
- The brick pieces size should be
– ½ inches [diameter]   and ¼ inches (diameter)
- Mix these two sizes at the ratio of 2:1.

Mix some small amount of sand also.


 Arrangement of these soils in the pot.


-         Place a small layer of brick pieces and sand at the bottom.
-         Place a small layer of manure which we made.
-         Plant the plant with some red soil attached with the roots.
-         Pour some manure around the plant
-         Cover the root system with ½ inched sized brick pieces and some other decorative pebbles and moss.

   Pruning and Trimming Your Bonsai



   -In a typical bonsai plant as shown in the picture, remove all the red marker branches.
   -You can use any hard scissors to cut the branches.
   -A great deal of pruning is often necessary if starting with a nursery plant.
   -Only excess foliage and undesirable limbs should be removed.
    -Make all cuts above a bud, a side branch, or a main fork of the tree.
    -Remove all buds except those on the outside of the trunk to force growth outward and upward.
     
    -Avoid cutting back so far that the main branches are weakened.
     -Do not shear bonsai as you would a hedge; the objective is to make the plant look like a replica of a mature tree.
     - Keep branches growing toward open space and away from each other
     -Do not prune too zealously; plants must have sufficient leaves for photosynthesis

 Wiring the Bonsai
Wiring is an important part of the process of styling your bonsai
and nearly all well designed bonsai have been wired at some point in their development.
Though at first a daunting technique to master, it gives the
bonsai enthusiast better control and manipulation of the trunk and branches of his/her bonsai.

By coiling wire around the limbs of the bonsai, the enthusiast is
able to bend the tree into a desired position upon which it is held by the wire. In a matter of weeks or months, the branch or trunk 'learns' and stays in position even after the wire is removed.
You can wire it double manner also if a single wire is not able bend the tree.


When to Wire?

With the large number of tree species commonly used for bonsai and the wide variation of climates in which readers will be wiring, it is impossible to state exactly when your tree should be wired.
There are also pros and cons of wiring at any particular time of
the year with any particular type of bonsai. Generally, most tree species can be wired at most times of the year though trees wired during the winter may need frost protection in certain climates.

 JUNIPER   Bonsai
The Japanese Garden Juniper (Juniperus procumbens ‘nana’) is the most popular and recognizable bonsai in the United States, with good reason. They are rugged, adaptable trees well-suited to bonsai culture. There are many other juniper varieties, as well. Junipers can live a very long time. There are some Juniper bonsai over 200 years old, so if you acquire a Juniper bonsai, you can look forward to many years of enjoyment.


WATER

No single watering schedule can be applied to bonsai. Bonsai can dry out quickly because they are planted in coarse soil and in shallow containers. In some cases, you may need to water every day, however, the frequency of watering depends on the type of tree, size of pot, type of soil, climate conditions, and more. The best way to tell if the bonsai needs water is to feel the soil. Stick your finger a half inch or so into the soil. Overall, if you do not feel much moisture in the top half inch of the soil, then it’s time to water.
 Never let the bonsai get too dry!

LIGHT
 Contrary to popular belief, Junipers tolerate and even prefer full sun. The best way is to put them directly in the sun for some 4 hours
 {most preferably 7:00am to 11:00am}. 
Then put it in shade where there is light but not in direct sunlight through the rest of the day.
 AIR
Good air circulation increases cell growth. Keep your Juniper bonsai in a well-ventilated area at all times. This is very important.

FERTILIZING
 When your bonsai starts to push out fresh, light-green growth, it is time to start feeding. Apply mild organic fertilizer in the form of pellets or liquid, usually with equal parts nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK) during the growing season, and less nitrogen in the fall. Apply the pellets about once a month, and the liquid about every two weeks. Once the growth of the tree starts to slow down, in mid to late summer, you can cut the fertilizer back to once a month for the liquid. When the bonsai is in winter dormancy, there is no need to feed it.
 Remember, never fertilize a weak tree.

CLEANLINESS
 Always keep your juniper clean of old needles, dead branches, etc.
Remove these dead needles from the top soil, as well as from the tree.
Tweezers are a good tool for this job. Also, a weekly gentle shower is helpful.

RE-POTTING
 Frequency of re-potting depends on the size and age of the tree, the
condition of the roots, and other factors. Younger Junipers, or those
in small pots, may need to be re-potted every year. Older trees, or
those in larger pots, may need re-potting every two to four years. The
safest time to transplant Junipers is when they are starting to push
out new growth in the spring. When the new growth starts will vary
from climate to climate and tree to tree, but watch for the fresh green
buds. Re-potting is an important procedure which usually involves
root pruning, and must be done properly.

PRUNING AND SHAPING
 Do not ‘poodle cut’ Junipers. The best way to reduce leggy top growth is to pinch the buds between your thumb and forefinger and give a little twist until the bud pops out. The needles growing right up against the trunk and branches can also be pinched off. Basically, you want to be able to see the trunk and branches, and also have a nice cloud-like crown of foliage on top of the branches. 
Remember: when the bonsai is growing vigorously and pushing out a lot of new growth, you can prune and pinch safely. The idea is to prune enough to keep the shape, but not so much that the bonsai becomes weak. There are many more salient points to pruning and shaping.

 Some Bonsai Pictures. 




























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