Overview of the Bonsai Tree
By Tong Lin
In Chinese bonsai means potted plant and is the art of miniaturization of trees by actually growing them in trees. Cultivation of the Bonsai includes techniques for growing, watering and shaping these trees and this art originated in China during the Han Dynasty. In western civilizations the word bonsai is used to mean the growing and shaping of miniature trees. Bonsai trees were used in the Japanese culture to decorate homes and gardens. The oldest known Bonsai trees can be found in Tokyo, where they are said to be four hundred to eight hundred years old.
Today the Bonsai is considered a miniature or dwarf tree; however it was not always this way. They are kept small by being cultivated and confined to pots. There is a technique that can be used to grow dwarf bonsai and keep it small. This is the art of pruning the leaves of the tree and also the roots. However, if you are pruning the leaves and roots you must do so properly because incorrect pruning can result in killing the roots and the tree.
If you are growing your tree in a confined space such as bonsai pot, then you must be sure to water the tree appropriately. If you are growing your bonsai in an area that has a great deal of sun and where the temperature gets quite hot, it is important to keep watering your tree on a regular basis. These trees have a tendency to dry out quickly if they are exposed to wind, sun and heat. However, on the other hand watering too often can cause problems as well. If you water your bonsai frequently you are taking the risk of leaving the soil wet and soggy and as a result fungi can grow in the soil, which essentially can kill your tree. It is important that you use free draining soil to prevent water logging the soil.
There are specific bonsai trees that have been designed specifically for indoor cultivation. These trees still require a great deal of sunlight and therefore an artificial environment must be created inside that will provide them with all the things that they need. There is a risk of the tree not surviving however as there is a high incidence of death amongst these trees that are grown indoors in an artificial environment. Compared to other more traditional houseplants that are grown in containers, the bonsai does not require as much soil for planting. However they do require more frequent watering due to the fact that they have less soil to draw water from. Bonsai is a named used to denote a dwarf tree that is grown and shaped in a specific way. There are a number of different species of trees that are used in bonsai trees. For example, the Fir tree is a species of tree that is used in created a bonsai design, as is the Cedar. While some of these species tend to grow taller and larger than one would of think for bonsai, they are shaped to resemble the traditional bonsai trees of the Orient.
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