Indoor
Bonsai
Roy
Reynolds 1/24/
03
Bonsai are woody plants trained to look like mature trees found in nature. They are essentially a work of art, produced by the grower through care and manipulation of natural plant material. In the past, bonsai were made from hardy plants that needed to be kept outside year round, only to be brought in occasionally and then returned back outside. But, today, people want bonsai that can survive inside year round, which is the reason why indoor bonsai started.
For indoor bonsai, it is important to choose a plant that performs well indoors. “Tropical types are often good choices, although some hardy evergreen and deciduous plants will do well if they are given a dormant cold period each year”, (Halpin 444). Bonsai made from tropical plants can be kept inside all year, but trees from temperate regions need a cold dormancy.
These hardy types are generally placed outside during the winter. To protect the bonsai from freezing, they are placed in an unheated shelter that is covered on all sides or, alternatively, covered with a thick layer of mulch.
Some desirable characteristics of indoor bonsai are being able to flourish indoors in reduced light, lack of the need for a dormant period, attractive bark, flowers and fruit, and small or reducible leaf size. “The ideal indoor bonsai plant is any woody plant trained as a bonsai and capable of surviving the rigors of the indoor environment”, (Indoor Bonsai 6).
In order to grow indoor bonsai successfully, it may be necessary to alter the indoor environment to approximate the conditions that the plant experiences in its native environment. To increase humidity, one can spray the foliage with an antitranspirant, set the bonsai on a tray of gravel and water, use a humidifier, or place the bonsai in a terrarium. Temperature can be altered by thematically controlled heating. Lighting can be increased by the use of plant grow lights or HID lighting for a large collection.
The culture for indoor bonsai is a little different than that of ordinary house plants. First, the most important property that bonsai soils most have is drainage. Next, they most be watered when the soil is barely moist, which occurs oftener than house plants due. Lastly, they must be fertilized more often with a weaker strength fertilizer than ordinary house plants.
Indoor bonsai can be made from potted plants, cuttings and air layerings of larger plants, or from seeds one has obtained.
Potted plants that have a thick trunk and can withstand drastic pruning are quite easy to start training for bonsai. First, usually, the trunk needs to be reduced to about a third of the height one wants the “finished” bonsai to be and allowed to grow bushy. Then, they are ready to begin training.
There are a few different ways of taking cuttings: simple, t-shaped, heal, and root. Simple cuttings are made simply by cutting the tip off a branch. T-shape cuttings consist of a small branch and a section of the branch that it is attached to and look like a “T” if you look at it with the bottom of the cutting up. Heal cuttings consist of a branch that is cut off where it joins another branch and contains part of the union. Root cuttings are made by taking a quarter inch or thicker root and cutting it up into two inches long pieces. These need to be stuck in a moist, well drained soil and placed in a warm spot. The use of rooting hormones is usually recommended when trying to root any type of cutting.
Air layering is an unusual way of propagating plants. It can be simply described as growing roots on a cutting before actually severing it from the mother plant. By performing an air layering, a considerably wider stem can be rooted at a lesser chance of failure than a cutting of the same diameter.
There are many steps in performing an air layering. First, two rings are cut around the branch a half inch apart, where one wants the roots to grow from. Next, the bark between the rings is removed along with the phylum in that area. After that, treat the area with a rooting hormone. Next, wrap a ball of moist long fibered sphagnum moss around the wound and seal around the entire ball of moss with plastic. Keep the ball of moss moist. After roots have grown throughout the entire ball of moss, cut it off right below the ball, remove the plastic from the moss, and plant it in a pot without disturbing the roots.
“The pleasure that can be obtained from growing from seed enhances the benefits of growing indoor bonsai”, (Indoor Bonsai 38). Seeds can be obtained through the various seed supply companies or through the buying of tropical and subtropical fruit at the supermarket. The seeds need to be planted in moist soil and kept warm in order to germinate. The seeds germinate easily and will start out with a rapid rate of growth, but the growth rate will slow down. After the slow down, they will continue to grow at a steady rate.
Plants obtained from cuttings, air layerings, and from seed need to be allowed grow normally for a couple of years so that a thick trunk will be developed. After the trunk has developed, the plant is pruned back several times to develop a bushy plant. Then, the plant is ready to begin training.
There are two different ways to train a bonsai and many styles a bonsai can be trained into.
Bonsai
can be trained simply through pruning.
First, the branches lower than approximately a third of the height one
wants the bonsai to be are pruned off. Next, one looks around the plant and
prunes off any damaged branches and those that cross the trunk or project
almost vertically up or down. Then,
prune the top back slightly smaller than what one wants the final height of the
bonsai to be. After that, prune the main
branches back so that the ones higher up are smaller than those lower down and
also prune off the main branches that are not necessary. Next, prune the secondary branches almost all
the way back to the main branch, right before a bud facing in the direction you
want it to grow and also those secondary branches not necessary. Finally, lift the plant out of the pot, prune
off approximately a third of the roots from the bottom and sides of the root
ball, and plant the plant into a shallower pot and fill in around the root ball
with fresh soil. Last, when a branch
grows ten nodes in length prune back to
Alternatively, bonsai can be produced through pruning and wiring. First, perform the pruning of the branches like one would do to train a bonsai by just pruning. If branches are not pointing in the direction you want them in, one can wrap wire firmly around the trunk and branches one wants to reposition. Then simply bend the branch into position being careful not to damage it by bending to fast or to far. If one needs to reposition more than one branch, run the wires along side each other instead of crossing them. Next, simply prune the roots and pot like one would do for training a bonsai simply by pruning. Finally, simply trim the secondary branches as they grow as mentioned previously.
After one is satisfied with the results they have obtained, one can choose a bonsai pot to suit there plant, lift the plant from its container, prune the roots by a third, and plant it in the bonsai container, filling in around the root ball with a well draining soil. Remember, the plant will need pruned to keep its shape.
The most common styles of bonsai seen are formal upright, informal up right, broom, exposed roots, and root over rock.
Formal upright styled bonsai have a single straight stem that extends the height of the tree. “The branches, balanced in threes (left-back-right or right-back-left), alternate symmetrically along the trunk and thin out towards the top”, (Giorgi 65). This style simulates the natural growth habit of pines, spruces, and firs.
The informal upright style is similar to the formal upright form except for the fact that the trunk zigzags upwards gently. The branches in this style should arise from the outside of the curve and bend slightly toward the ground. This style simulates the growth habit of some locusts and junipers.
Broom styled bonsai have a single trunk, which is approximately a third of the height of the bonsai, and a few main branches. These main branches support a collection of thinner branches that form a globular crown. Maple trees growing in an open field, emulate this style.
The exposed root style consists of a plant suspended above its pot by a few large roots. The trunk and branches are usually styled like an informal upright bonsai. This style simulates mangrove trees that have had the soil eroded from around its roots by the pounding of the surf.
A
root over rock styled bonsai has a few thick roots that coil around a rock
before being buried in the soil. “In
this style, the shape of the rock, the surface roots, and the container are as
important as the shape of the plant in making a harmonious whole”, (Giorgi 74). This
style simulates a tree growing on a
According to Indoor Bonsai, there are a number of features that make a good bonsai. First, the container has a style, shape, and color that complement the tree. Next, the surface roots, if any, form a radiating pattern from the base of the trunk and no roots cross or exhibit an unnatural pattern. The trunk is position in the container in an aesthetically satisfying spot with the bottom third of the trunk clearly visible and the next third partly visible. Also, the trunk should exhibit a natural taper from the base of the trunk to the apex. More over, the main branches are aesthetically arranged around the trunk, spaced approximately equidistantly apart on all parts of the trunk, and should not cross each other. In addition, the twigs which arise from the branches make delicate and precise patterns and if training wires are applied they are of a dull color and are applied neatly. Finally, there are no scars from wires, pruning, weights or other equipment used during training.
“Strictly speaking, there are no truly finished bonsai but only plants at different stages of cultivation”, (Giorgi 11). As ones experience with bonsai grows, one will find the statement to be increasingly true. Never be afraid to try something new or different.
Bibliography
Giorgi, Gianfranco. Simon and
Schuster’s Guide to Bonsai.
Halpin, Anne M. (ed.). Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Indoor Gardening.
Rodale Press, Inc., 1980
Indoor Bonsai.
Pessy, Christian, and Rémy Samson. Bonsai Basics.