How to Grow Bonsai Trees From Regular Trees
Bonsai trees are nothing more than carefully styled trees. Almost any tree can be styled as a bonsai. Pruning the roots limits the tree’s growth. Careful pruning and styling of the branches can help to create the characteristic old, gnarled look of many Chinese or Japanese bonsai trees. Using trees native to your area can avoid problems of trying to grow trees unsuitable to your climate. Start with a tree native to your area and consider keeping it outdoors as a traditional bonsai. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Young nursery tree
- Bonsai tools
- Bonsai wire
- Bonsai pot
- Bonsai screen
- Bonsai soil
Instructions
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1
Inspect the tree from different angles, looking for the main, natural growth pattern and direction.
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2
Trim away branches and growth that do not contribute to the main growth pattern. Remove 50 percent to 70 percent of the top growth as a goal.
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3
Thin the growth on the portions of the tree that you want to keep, aiming to help balance the look of those areas.
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Examine the natural growth directions of the areas you are keeping, as some may benefit by re-directing the growth.
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Wrap the branches whose growth direction you would like to change. Keep the wire at a 45-degree angle to the direction of the branch. Wrap lighter branches with a lighter bonsai wire and wrap heavier branches with heavier wire. Wrap heavy branches with two or three wires, if necessary, to hold them in the desired position.
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Bend the branches carefully to the desired shape. Listen and feel for a cracking, which indicates that the branch may break. Stop immediately if you hear or feel a crack, and wait two to three months to continue training the tree.
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Remove the tree from the pot when it is styled to your taste.
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8
Remove the dirt from around the roots, using bonsai tools and your hands.
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9
Trim 50 to 70 percent of the roots away. Clip the roots to suit your pot. Trim more from the sides of the rootball than from the bottom, if you are planting in a tall pot for a cascading or literati style tree. Trim more from the bottom than from the sides, if you are using a more traditional flat pot.
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10
Affix a piece of bonsai screen to the holes in the bottom of the pot to keep the soil from dropping out. Affix a piece of window screen, if you do not have purpose-made bonsai screen,
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Place 1/4 to 1/3 inch of soil in the bottom of the pot.
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Put the tree in the pot and fill it with soil.
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Water the pot until water runs out of the bottom.
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Tips & Warnings
Water your bonsai every two to three days after planting.
Do not fertilize the bonsai for about two months after the initial planting. Some fertilizers can burn the roots and slow regrowth.
Some trees, such as pines, do not do well with bare rooting (removing all of the soil from the roots). Trees such as junipers, maples and most deciduous trees will tolerate bare rooting.
References
- Photo Credit bonsai 2 image by Melisback from Fotolia.com
