AA Bonsai

Have You Thought About Building A Bonsai Garden?

admin — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 14:14:45 +0000

If you’re redesigning the landscape of your yard and considering adding a garden to your home, make sure that your list of options includes building a bonsai garden. A bonsai garden is a unique design in many ways, and having it will make you the envy of your neighborhood.

Tips on Building Your Own Bonsai Garden

Size – Unlike other types of gardens, size isn’t a consideration if you’re intent on building a bonsai garden. If you don’t have much space to work with, you can just as easily choose to grow all your bonsai from pots alone. Of course, you can let bonsai grow from the ground if you so wish. As long as all growing conditions are ideal, bonsai plants can grow just as large and strong as any other tree.

Indoor or Outdoor – It depends on you whether you wish to have an indoor or outdoor bonsai garden. Indoor gardens are easier to design and maintain, but they will have to occupy a part or one whole room in your house. Outdoor gardens can be small or big, but you’ll definitely have to work harder in taking care of your bonsai plants because you have to contend with the usual natural factors that hinder plant growth.

Giving Shape – The art of cutting bonsai plants and molding them into the shape you desire requires patient effort. Although it’s possible to learn by self-study, it’s still best to enroll in a bonsai cutting workshop to ensure that you don’t cause accidental harm to your plants. When giving bonsai plants as gifts to your guests, you can ask them ahead of time what shape they desire for their plants.

Choices, Choices – If you’ve given much thought to the idea and you’ve decided that an indoor bonsai garden will suit your home beautifully, here are a few bonsai plants that will adapt to indoor living: sacred bamboo, Chinese elm, fig tree, and Buddhist pine.

Warning – Many shops deliberately deceive people by mislabeling plants and passing them off as genuine bonsai plants. Make sure that you purchase bonsai plants only from people you know or trust and from legitimate shops in malls.

Bonsai plants age beautifully, and as such your bonsai garden can be an inheritance for your children and grandchildren. You can give them pot by pot or acre by acre, but make sure that your descendants understand the special kind of love that bonsais need. Take good care of your plants!

Tags: bonsai pine, bonsai fertilizer, bonsai juniper, bonsai miniature

Join Bonsai Forums for Fun and Learning

admin — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 09:35:51 +0000

Growing bonsai is both a challenge and an artistic endeavor and it’s a practice that’s been around for hundreds of years. From its well-respected beginnings in Japan to its growing popularity worldwide, bonsai has definitely conquered our homes and cyberspace.

To join bonsai forums and meet other bonsai growers from around the nation and the world, here are a few sites to check out:

www.helpfulgardener.com
This site isn’t exclusively about bonsai, but you can log on to find many helpful tips on how to give your miniature plant the best care. Send an e-mail to the Helpful Gardener about any bonsai concerns or register and create a profile to join their forum. Leave a message, ask a question or join a discussion. There is lots to learn about bonsai and bonsai care from this site.

www.bonsaisite.com
If you want to go straight to their forum, log on to forums.bonsaisite.com and post your questions or concerns. If you’re a beginner, there’s no need to be shy. This site is full of helpful tips and tutorials to help you along. With more than 4,800 members, the site features some of the most comprehensive info and tips for bonsai growing and networking.

If you’re a novice, join the general forum for questions about bonsai selection and care or if you’re more experienced, join their sub-forums for more specialized discussions: special soil preparations, tools, books, tutorials, even a discussion forum dedicated to bonsai bugs. From basic growing techniques to advanced pruning and training, this site’s discussion forum covers it all.

www.forums.gardenweb.com
Gardenweb.com is one of the largest communities of gardeners on the web. If you’re a beginner, you will find some very helpful tips from more experienced bonsai growers. If you’re an expert, you can share your knowledge and skills through its bonsai forum or exchange techniques with fellow bonsai masters.

This site has a lot of links to different gardening interests, so go straight to their bonsai forum by clicking on the link.

www.bonsaitreeforum.com
This site has a detailed menu for every bonsai concern you might have, from general care to propagation to pests and diseases. Get what you need and post your questions to the right forum. There’s also a forum for newbies and a separate forum for bonsai trade in case you want to buy or sell.

www.bonsaitalk.com
Register yourself for membership to gain access to the bonsaiTALK forum. Can’t get enough of bonsai? Share your expertise by critiquing bonsai photos in the gallery or chat online with other bonsai fans. Write about bonsai and contribute to the site’s journal. Join 9,500 registered members from over 100 countries.

Tags: bonsai fertilizer, bonsai pine, bonsai miniature, bonsai juniper

Tips for Growing Flowering Bonsai Trees

admin — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:47:11 +0000

If you like the look of tiny flowers on your bonsai, then choose ideal flowering trees to nurture into miniature versions of their species. Here are a few of the best choices for flowering bonsai:

Mt. Fuji Serissa
Mt. Fuji Serissa is noted for its brilliant white colorings on the outer edges of its leaves. It also blooms a single white flower in summer.

Proper care: likes lots of warmth and sun so place in an appropriate spot. Wait for the soil to dry before watering and take care to keep away from frost.

Okinawa Holly
This tree has tiny pink flowers that bloom during the spring and summer. The leaves are glossy, deep green with serrated edges. It’s unique, hardy and easy to care for.

Proper care: this plant is tough, but it grows best in temperatures between 60 and 85 degrees. Let the soil dry completely between waterings, but take care not to dehydrate as this will stress the plant. For maintenance, spray mist everyday from spring to fall and at least twice daily during the winter months. Fertilize during early spring or mid fall twice a month.

Flowering Quince
This tree comes from Asian countries like Japan, China and Korea and has a beautiful display of white and red flowers on bare branches. One of the world’s favorite flowering bonsai, the flowering quince has great adaptability. The leaves have fine, tiny teeth and flowers grow in tight clusters. One of the best features of this plant is that it produces fragrant green and yellow fruits.

Proper care: it may be tough, but if you want the best care, give the flowering quince a lot of sunlight and soil that is well-drained between waterings. Don’t place this plant in a humid environment and use rich, healthy soil. Don’t overwater and cut a few of the older branches yearly to promote bushy growth.

Lavender Star Flower
This is an evergreen tree that grows native to Africa and Australia. There are about 400 species of this tree all over the world. The Lavender Star Flower is taller than most flowering bonsai and can reach 10 inches in maturity. Its flower is its best feature, since the color is a beautiful lavender.

Proper care: this tree needs lots of direct sunlight, so try to expose it during the early mornings and keep it near the window where it can soak up more light. Keep the soil moist but not wet. For optimum health, mix one part sand and two parts peat moss. Use slightly acidic fertilizer about thrice a year and sprinkle with iron supplement yearly.

Tags: bonsai juniper, bonsai miniature, bonsai fertilizer, bonsai pine

Bonsai Clubs You Can Join Online

admin — Thu, 31 May 2007 00:56:49 +0000

www.bonsai-bci.com
BCI stands for Bonsai Clubs International, a 2006 winner of the Cetre’ International. This is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating bonsai lovers and fans around the world. A good club to join if you want to meet and talk to bonsai growers from other countries and be exposed to international organizations that promote the growth and care of bonsai.

Membership includes four issues of Bonsai Magazine every year, access to the exclusive audio/video library and special registration rates to annual BCI Conventions.

There are different types of memberships to choose from and the club also features a special group for teens. Individual memberships and federation memberships cost $36 per year, silver and gold memberships cost $100 and $500 per year, respectively while platinum membership costs $1200. If you like the club, join for a one-time, lifetime membership fee of $1200. Be sure to check the website, though since rates are expected to change in 2007.

www.absbonsai.org
The American Bonsai Society was founded in 1967 and is one of the first national bonsai organizations in North America. Also a non-profit organization, ABS offers memberships to bonsai enthusiasts. Members get a yearly subscription to ABS’ journal, Bonsai and free access to the ABSForum.

Membership fees range from $40 for individuals and $50 for family. A one-time lifetime membership costs $1000. If you just want to subscribe to its journal, the fee is $40 per year. ABS also offers membership to international bonsai enthusiasts, starting at $65.

The site also features links to bonsai clubs in the US. Access the page by copying this link to your browser: www.absbonsai.org/USAClubs.htm

www.indybonsai.org
If you live near Indianapolis, Indiana and want to meet fellow bonsai club members in person, join this club. Meetings are held on the first Wednesdays of each month at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Membership fee is a low annual of $30 and already covers two persons. You get a hard copy of the club’s newsletter for one year. If you want to save and prefer to receive the newsletter by e-mail, just pay a membership fee of just $25.

Log on to their site and browse their history, club calendar, special events and take a peek at their members’ page.

www.sandiegobonsaiclub.com
Also meets monthly in Balboa Park in San Diego, Ca. Annual membership fees start at only $25 for individual members and $30 for family. To apply, log on to their website, print the membership form and mail it with your check payment. The club will send you a letter confirming your acceptance, plus a name badge, newsletter and a welcome package. Join the forum for updates and correspondence.

Tags: bonsai pine, bonsai miniature, bonsai juniper, bonsai fertilizer

E-books to Help With Bonsai Selection and Care

admin — Tue, 22 May 2007 05:12:05 +0000

www.tradebit.com
Probably one of the best bonsai care e-books you can find on the internet, ‘Bonsai Essential Tips: Bonsai Care Secrets’ has everything you want to know about bonsai, especially if you’re serious about learning its nature. From landscape design to tree training and pruning, this book presents easy step-by-step instructions on bonsai care secrets that only the master bonsai growers know.

www.ebookexplorer.com
This site’s bonsai care book is ‘Bonsai Gardening Secrets’ by Erik Olsen, a longtime bonsai grower and enthusiast. At over 95 pages long, this book presents hands-on bonsai care secrets to creating the most stunningly beautiful bonsai.

The book features easy-to-follow instructions from selecting the right types of trees and plants for bonsai growing and using the right kinds of techniques and styles to maximize your bonsai’s potential. If you still think that you can shape bonsai anyway you liked without thought to its nature, think again. This bonsai care e-book will let you in on the secret why different plants are used for specific bonsai forms.

cgi.ebay.com
Get ‘The Bonsai E-book’ for only $4.99, which explains the basic principles of bonsai, styles, shaping and seasonal care. It also contains practical tips for collecting trees and shrubs in the wild, a great skill to have if you’re planning to find and care for your bonsai yourself.

auctions.yahoo.com
How about bidding for a bonsai e-book? ‘The Ultimate Guide to Growing Bonsai’ presents the basic principles of choosing the best styles, including the very popular formal upright, slanting, cascade and semi-cascade. This e-book also contains useful tips for indoor bonsai growing, along with special seasonal bonsai care.

www.wsbonsai.com
Get a free e-book from one of the largest mail order websites for bonsai and bonsai accessories. The site offers a free bonsai e-book that contains basic styles, plant selection, shaping, container choice, seasonal care, propagating and displaying. You have to register as a member, though and click on the ‘add to cart’ button before you can download.

Or, you can just log on to their website and click on the menu for anything you want to know about bonsai – its origins, styles, information about pests, even a few essentials tips on choosing the correct pot for your plant.

www.e-bookdirectory.com
This is a site for e-book downloads of self-help and how-tos, some of which are free. Get Elizabeth Chute’s ‘Art of Bonsai’, one of its freebies. This e-book has got your bonsai fever covered from the simple basics including caring and advanced bonsai techniques like wiring and training. A great bonsai care e-book for beginners.

Tags: bonsai juniper, bonsai fertilizer, bonsai pine, bonsai miniature

Caring for Your Bonsai Tree

admin — Tue, 15 May 2007 21:37:36 +0000

Watering
This is the most important aspect of caring for bonsai, especially for bonsai that is kept indoors for too long. Two things to remember about providing water for bonsai are the type of soil and species. Different soils will absorb and retain water at different rates and different tree species have varying degrees of water need.

The Japanese have a saying: water three times, each one for the pot, the soil and the tree. About 75% percent of water is taken in through the root system, but don’t forget the leaves. Bonsai plants also acquire water through its stomata so make sure you wipe or wash away the dust and dirt regularly.

Use gentle water pressure when watering your bonsai. If you use a strong one, you might wash away the topsoil and expose the roots. Use a misting hose or a spray hose with an adjustable spray nozzle and mind the water temperature. Good tap water is fine, so take care that the water that comes out of the hose isn’t too cold or too warm.

Soil
Soil choice for your bonsai is critical for its health and long life. It really depends on the tree species of your bonsai, but generally, soil should be made of 30% humus and 70% grit for needled evergreen trees and 70% humus and 30% grit for deciduous trees. If you have a different bonsai species, make sure to look up which soil meets its special needs, since you might have to prepare a special soil mix yourself.

Pruning
Pruning involves leaves, branches and roots. Bonsai lovers know that what you do to the bottom, you do to the top. Remember that less foliage means less for the roots to support. But where to start and which to cut?

First, consider the style you’ve chosen for a particular bonsai. Draw an imaginary line over your bonsai and cut the branches that protrude, obstruct or deviate from that line. Second, prune to redirect growth in one area. If you prune the left side heavily, you will redirect growth to the right side.

Next, prune leaves or buds with care. Pruning buds will encourage back-budding and cutting leaves will ‘discipline’ the growth of the bonsai. It is also necessary to manage the nutrients that the roots draw up from the soil. Remember that you are trying to grow a tiny tree and letting it grow on its own will result to an uncontrolled size.

Caring for bonsai takes lots of patience, knowledge and learned skills. It involves continuous work, but the results are more than worth the effort.

Tags: bonsai miniature, bonsai fertilizer, bonsai pine, bonsai juniper

Earn at Home with a Bonsai Business

admin — Thu, 10 May 2007 16:51:01 +0000

If you wish for a unique home-based business opportunity with lots of potential for growth, why not consider establishing a bonsai business?

REQUIREMENTS FOR ESTABLISHING A HOME-BASED BONSAI BUSINESS
Gardening Skills – Unless you’re willing to pay for hired help, you have only yourself to depend on for nurturing your bonsai plants to growth. If you weren’t born with a green thumb, you can still learn the necessary gardening skills for having a bonsai business either by self-study or enrolling in a gardening or bonsai growing workshop.

Small to Moderate Capital – The amount of your investment will depend on the size of the business you wish to establish, and whether you wish to grow outdoor or indoor bonsai plants. A bonsai business however will prosper depending on your skills the level of attention you give it and requires no equipment or machineries to run. As such, investment costs are still minimal compared to other types of businesses.

Space – If you don’t have a garden to work with and use as your business setup, you have the choice of reserving a portion of your room for your bonsai business and focus primarily on growing and selling indoor bonsai plants.

Licensing – To ensure smooth operation of your business and pay your dues to society, do take the time to apply for a license for your home-based bonsai business. Since your business doesn’t generally involve or produce too much noise or disturbance, getting licensing for your business should be a simple thing to do. If you live in a subdivision or village however, you’ll have to ask for additional licensing and permission from the authorities of your residence community.

TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR BONSAI BUSINESS EARN BIG
If you are using an outdoor setup for your bonsai business, take the time to decorate it beautifully as this is will be the basis of your customers’ first impression about your products. Remember to post a moderate-sized but tasteful signage in front your home to let people know about your business.

Take advantage of the global market of the Internet. Advertise freely about your bonsai business by building a website, posting messages in gardening forums, placing ads in online classifieds, and discussing it in your blog. Consider making podcasts as well by giving free bonsai tips then inserting in the middle of your discussion an advertisement about your bonsai business.

Similar to how bonsai plants take time to grow, expect the same from your bonsai business as well. Be patient however and your patient effort will surely be rewarded!

Tags: bonsai miniature, bonsai juniper, bonsai fertilizer, bonsai pine

6 Best Books for Helping You Grow Your Miniature Trees

admin — Fri, 04 May 2007 04:16:49 +0000

Beginning Bonsai: The Gentle Art of Miniature Tree Growing
Larry and Shirley Student

This book is one of the best for beginner bonsai growers and is authored by Northeast Bonsai Association charter members. Everything you need from buying your first bonsai to creating your own bonsai landscape is here. There are also important tips on how to find the right bonsai style, how and when to prune or pinch and anticipate potential problems. This is a practical book to have, especially if you’re still unsure about handling bonsai.

The Art of Bonsai: Creation, Care and Enjoyment
Yuji Yoshimura with Giovanna Halford

This book is in paperback and discusses the beginnings and nature of bonsai as an ancestral tradition. You get expert advice and lessons from Yoshimura, who travels the world to teach about bonsai and from Halford, a pupil of Yoshimura’s.

Together, they bring together the eastern and western aspects of bonsai growing in an easy-to-read book that is filled with practical answers to the most common bonsai problems. Incidentally, Yoshimura owns the Kofu-en, a bonsai nursery near Tokyo, which is frequented by international admirers.

Bonsai Survival Manual: Tree-by-Tree Guide to Buying, Maintaining and Problem Solving
Colin Lewis

Authored by the founder of Bonsai Magazine, this book will give you the most detailed advice on selecting plants for bonsai, assessing bonsai health and yes, ensuring its survival. From buying to shaping, from pruning to repotting to handling common pests and diseases, this book also contains specific information for each bonsai featured in its pages. Also with photographs, a good book to have if you’re a beginner.

Bonsai 101 Essential Tips
Harry Tomlinson

The best 101 tips for bonsai growing and care are what you’ll get from this book, authored by one of the leading bonsai instructors in Europe. The tips are practical, easy to understand and can provide the most comprehensive answers to the common (and uncommon) bonsai questions.

Bonsai Landscapes
Peter D. Adams
If you have enough bonsai experience, then you’re ready to move on to the next level by creating landscapes for your bonsai. The topics are illustrated with photographs and line drawings and the whole book has easy to follow instructions for 13 styles of landscapes. Great if you plan to create miniature worlds in a small pot.

Creating Bonsai Landscapes
Su Chin Ee

This book presents bonsai as a lifelong project, with clear advice on selection, planting, positioning and nurturing. The book is illustrated with color photographs that will help you along as you slowly build your bonsai landscape.

Tags: bonsai juniper, bonsai miniature, bonsai pine, bonsai fertilizer

How to Set Up and Care for Bonsai Trees as Indoor Ornaments

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:23:08 +0000

When used properly, bonsai can be a very good indoor ornament both as a focal point of the room or as a conversation piece on a shelf, a side table or on top of the fireplace. Bonsai needs special care and there are ways to keep it strong and healthy without the benefit of outdoor elements. Here’s how:

Indoor bonsai
Not all bonsai plants will thrive indoors as ornaments, so choose tropical plants and trees for the job. These can grow well indoors and only need to be let out to soak up the sun several hours a day. You can also let them out during the late spring and in summer and keep them indoors when the temperatures begin to drop.

During colder months when temperatures are low, fill a shallow tray with a layer of tiny pebbles or gravel and add water. Place your bonsai pot on top and let it soak up the extra moisture as the water evaporates. If your house is heated, this will provide enough humidity to keep your soil moist.

Training
Chances are, you’ll be buying bonsai that’s already trained. If it is, then best leave it alone. It will do well with just a little trimming and pruning.

Find sunny spots
If you live in an apartment building, you might have to find ways for your indoor bonsai to get enough sunlight, so find areas in your home where light can get in – usually near windows, terraces or patios. Place your bonsai in these areas to give them enough time under the sun (best light is early morning and afternoon) and just put them back in their place after a few hours.

Fertilize
Your indoor bonsai lives on a small amount of soil that its pot contains, so it’s important to provide it with nutrients through fertilizers. Use fertilizers once a month or so and don’t use full strength. It would also be a good idea to mix fertilizers with water and mist your bonsai every two months.

Choosing pots
Use shallow pots for displaying bonsai indoors. As ornaments, they will do well if their size balances with the pot, so don’t get a pot that is too deep or too wide. Make sure the pot has draining holes and a saucer, with a piece of small screen in between.

Pests and insects
Even if your bonsai lives indoors, insects and pests will still find it. Check your plant periodically for any signs of infestations and use a pesticide if it’s necessary. Otherwise, just wipe the leaves clean gently with a soft, damp cloth to remove bugs.

Tags: bonsai fertilizer, bonsai juniper, bonsai miniature, bonsai pine

Growing Your Black Pine Bonsai Tree

admin — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 15:32:46 +0000

Black pine is an excellent candidate for bonsai because it is a sturdy, beautiful tree. It is also one of the most common bonsai plants among bonsai growers and if taken care of properly, it can mature into a well-balanced plant for years to come.

Soil
When choosing soil for your black pine bonsai, make sure it’s a good 50% akadama and 50% pumice mix. If it’s a younger tree, you might want to use more grit. These materials help the black pine bonsai grow healthy roots because they drain water well.

Water
Black pine bonsai will do well with soil that is evenly moist, so take care not to water too much. They can manage a little dryness and with soil that’s free-draining, overwatering won’t be a problem.

Try to water your black pine bonsai with tap water that has a pH balance range of 5.5 to 6.5. Water two or three times to thoroughly wet the soil.

Sun
Black pines love to soak up the sun, but be careful with them during hot months. Keep them in the shade if temperatures run towards 100 degrees Fahrenheit, as this will turn the plant’s leaves yellow. Best keep them in a partial shade or place them under a shade cloth for protection.

Pruning
Prune the leaves of your black pine bonsai during the fall or winter. These are the best months when the cutting won’t cause too much bleeding. In the spring, prune the larger branches. Use a putty paste for plants to seal the cut.

Take care not to cut too much. Once a branch has been cut off, you can’t put it back and the replacement will take a long time to appear. Try to reduce your black pine slowly over the years.

Repotting
Black pine bonsai will do well with repotting every other year when they’re younger, while older ones will do well with repotting every three years. However, you might want to try to repot your new bonsai every year; just to check on the roots since you will need to prune them as well.

Cut only minor roots if you have to, but be careful not to cut too much, especially the small feeder roots that lead to the big lower branch. After you’ve repotted your black pine bonsai, place it in bright shade for a few weeks and be mindful of sudden temperature changes.

Pests
Check your black pine bonsai each week for pests such as aphids, spider mites and mealy bugs. If you find any of these bugs, you can either use water to spray them off, or eradicate them completely with a good pesticide.

Tags: bonsai pine, bonsai fertilizer, bonsai juniper, bonsai miniature