The Bonsai Tree
By Brian J
Worley
Bonsai or to give it's
original Chinese name of 'pen jing' is an ancient art form
originating during the reign of the Han Dynasty. The Chinese
character for ‘pen’ is identical with the Japanese one
for ‘bon’ and also refers to a pot.’jing translates as
a ‘scenery’.
The name bonsai literally means 'potted plant' and describes
the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees by growing
them in small pots or containers with the cultivation to
include techniques for shaping, watering, and re-potting in
various styles of containers.
Although the word bonsai has been accepted in the West as a
general term for all miniature trees, the word bonsai
actually encompasses both Pot and Tree. To be a success the
tree must be cultivated in such a way as to compliment the
pot that it is grown in, and visa versa
Bonsai are classed into individual styles, and these styles
are based on their descriptions. The shape of the tree,
angle of the trunk, all go towards explaining the origins of
the style For example, the Broom style is best suited for
deciduous trees, particularly Elm's or Maples, both of which
are easy to develop in this style because the tree may have
either a number of branches radiating out from the same
level of the trunk, like a 'besom broom' Bonsai is often
described as living art and growing and caring for Bonsai is
not as difficult as you may imagine. You can grow your own
from seedling or buy a ready-made bonsai for conversion
If you choose the latter and buy an established bonsai, your
tree will have already received basic pruning and styling
and on older trees, some more advanced refinement. Further
shaping will be necessary as your tree sends out shoots.
There is a misconception
that Bonsai Trees are a special type of tree that is somehow
manufactured to be miniature. This simply isn't true. A
bonsai tree is the same as any other tree, the only thing
different is the way the bonsai has been shaped and pruned
to obtain the dwarf effect.
Another common misconception about bonsai is that it is
'un-natural', with the trees being starved in order to dwarf
them. Nothing could be further from the truth!
The art of bonsai is to maintain the natural form of trees.
The tree is reduced in size by judicious pruning, pinching
and directing the growth into the desired form to achieve
the illusion of a fully grown, aged and well groomed tree.
Growing bonsai trees is a challenging but rewarding hobby.
For someone who enjoys being creative and who has a lot of
patience, learning how to grow bonsai trees is an
exceptional hobby.
Bonsai trees require regular watering, feeding and
re-potting to keep them in optimum health and in many cases
they are actually healthier that their counterparts in the
wild, enjoying the same longevity.
However, any plant growing in a pot will eventually become
'root-bound' - the roots will fill every available air space
in the compost making it impossible for water, food and air
to reach the roots and finally choking itself to death.
Bonsai are no exception and regular re-potting is necessary
to keep them healthy.
About the
Author:
Japanese Bonsai For information on Growing and Caring for
bonsai
Go To : -
http://www.go-to1.com/bonsai.
If you're interested in
more bonsai articles, click here -
Bonsai Articles.
Enjoy!
I wish you all the best on your
bonsai adventure!
Best wishes,
Thomas T :)
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