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BONSAI ESTABLISHMENT &

MAINTAINANCE

INTRODUCTION

BONSAI Bonsai is an art,

which expresses miniature the beauty of natural tree forms.

The word bonsai is comprised of two words ‘Bon’ means a tray or shallow container and ‘Sai’ Means to grow

DEFINITIONS A dwarfed ornamental

tree or shrub grown in a tray or shallow pot.

The art of dwarfing trees by careful root and stem pruning coupled with root restriction.

Artificially dwarfed trees in pots, sometimes of great age and value

HISTORY It believe to origin in CHINA in

1130 AD How ever Japanese claims its

originators. But reaches height of

popularity by Japanese in 17th century.

Now it is considered as part of domestic ,aesthetic ,artistic life of the country men.

All over world with increase in multi-storey buildings the use of bonsai in interior decoration has increased

HOW BONSAI IS DIFFERENT FROM A POT PLANT

A pot plant is usually valued for ornamental flowers, foliage ,fruits or bracts.

In bonsai the beauty of entire plant along with its harmony with container is the matter of aesthetic appreciation.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE SUCCESS OF GOOD BONSAI

Selection of right plant species.Constant ,complete and affectionate

care.Suitable growing media.Adequate sunshine , water ,

ventilation and fertilizer.Careful trimming , training , pruning ,

wiring and repotting.Balance among the roots, trunk ,

branches and foliage should always be maintained.

CLASSIFICATION

DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF BONSAI WITH RESPECT TO SIZE

• Mamie – 2’’ to 6’’• Small – 6’’ to 12’’• Medium - 12’’ to 24’’• Large - 24’’ to 60’’

Common names for bonsai size classes

Large bonsai

Common name Size class Dimensions

Imperial bonsai Eight-handed 60–80 in (152–203 cm)

Hachi-uye Six-handed 40–60 in (102–152 cm)

Dai Four-handed 30–48 in (76–122 cm)

Omono Four-handed 30–48 in (76–122 cm)

Medium-sized bonsai

Common name Size class Dimensions

Chiu Two-handed 16–36 in (41–91 cm)

Chumono Two-handed 16–36 in (41–91 cm)

Katade-mochi One-handed 10–18 in (25–46 cm)

Miniature bonsai

Common name Size class Dimensions

Komono One-handed 6–10 in (15–25 cm)

Mame One-handed 5–8 in (13–20 cm)

Shohin Palm size 2–6 in (5–15 cm)

Shito Fingertip size 2–4 in (5–10 cm)

Keshitsubo Poppy-seed size 1–3 in (3–8 cm)

STYLES OF BONSAI

DIFFERENT STYLES OF BONSAIFormal uprightInformal uprightSlantingFULL-cascadeSemi-cascadeMultiple trunksBroom

Formal Upright style

Informal upright style

Semi-cascade style

Broom style

Multi-trunk style

Cascade style

Informal upright style

ESTABLISHMENT OF BONSAI

PLANTS SUITABLE FOR MAKING BONSAI

• Amaltas• Araucaria• Babul • Bamboo • Banyan • Ber • Bottle brush• Bougainvillea • Cherry

• Chineseorange• Coranda• Cryptomeria• Deodar • Duranta • Excoecaria • Gulmohar • Hibiscus • Ixora

Cont……

• Jacaranda • Javafig tree• Casuarina • Murraya • Malpighia• Oleander • Peach • Pines • Pilkhan

• Pipal • Plum • Prosopis • Silver oak• Tamarind • Ficus sps

HOW PLANTS ARE SELECTED FOR MAKING BONSAI

• Lot of knowledge , perseverance and experience is required to select a right plant.

• Plants with smaller flowers and fruits are selected as foliage automatically gets reduced to about 1/4th .

• Plants bearing flowers on leafless branches are very good.

• Plants selected must be able to grow in stress conditions of small growing medium and low nutrients.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN IDEAL GROWING MEDIUM

FOR BONSAICoarse, well drained medium which provide

basic needs like water,oxygen and nutrition.Equal portion of soil ,leaf mould and crushed

bricks or sand is ideal medium.Top layer must have sufficient humus.Conifer plants require more dry soil and fruit

trees require soil with more humus.

BONSAI SOIL• BONSAI SOIL is mixture of one part

loam, two parts sphagnum peat moss, two parts granite grit.

• Bonsai soil is much more free draining than potting soil and doesn't contain as much fertilizer as normal potting soil.

• It is usually available at specialist bonsai nurseries, and even some normal nurseries stock it.

IDEAL NUTRITION FOR BONSAI

Sludge or well rotten cow dung slurry.Groundnut and cotton or neem cake

one kg each mixed in 5liters of water.This is allowed to rotten or ferment

for about a month before diluting another five times.

A mug of this is given twice in a month.

A pinch of bone meal and single super phosphate mixed is also very beneficial.

PROPAGATION OF PLANTS FOR MAKING BONSAI

By means ofo Seedso Layeringo Cuttings o Graftingo Buying from nurseryo Collection from forests and fields.

BONSAI CONTAINERS

CARING OF BONSAI

TRAINING AND PRUNING BONSAI

To develop in to good attractive shape .Reduce growth by regular trimming and

pruning also restrict growth and maintain proper balance between roots and shoots.

In one trimming not more than 1 portion of roots or shoots are cut.

To prune correctly you must find out the type of plant your bonsai is and research when the best times are to prune old and new season growth.

Cont……

• One of the main forms of pruning for bonsai is 'finger pruning'.

• This involves pinching back new growth which does not come within the general shape of the bonsai or is at the top of the bonsai - helping to encourage bushy foliage and a more tree-like looking bonsai.

• Leaf pruning (also known as defoliation) in bonsai is used for several deciduous and tropical plants such as ficus or maples to reduce leaf size.

• Bonsai require plenty of water and nutrients to express their maximum beauty of flowers and foliage.

• Living in restricted space these are completely dependent upon their attendant for meeting requirement of water and nutrition.

• Best time for watering is morning or evening.

TOOLS & IQUIPMENTS REQUIRED FOR BONSAI

• Plant• Pots: Square,round,oval,

rectangular ,heart,hexagonal or octagonal shape with one drainage hole at the bottom.

• Potting mixture :soil , sand and leaf mould• Potting sticks• Sieves• Copper wire of 10 to 22 gauze• Wire cutter• Pruning knief and secateur• Watering can and tub• Turntable

IDEAL TIME OF PLANTING BONSAI

• February –march • July - august

REPOTTING OF BONSAI

Regular repotting of your bonsai to replace important nutrients, 'stale soil' and allow for new root growth is vital to your bonsai's health and growth.

the trees should be repotted at a time when they are most dormant - such as late autumn to early spring, so that they are subjected to the least amount of stress possible. Young or small bonsai require repotting every two or three years, and older and larger specimens less often.

To repot, carefully lift the tree out of its current pot by tilting it to one side and trying to move it by the base of the trunk.

• Try tapping the pot with the side of your hand to loosen the rootball or poke a stick through the drainage holes and 'push' the rootball out.

• Next, using a chopstick, knitting needle, metal hook or similar, remove any moss or accent plants and carefully try to brush and untangle the roots. Start at the edge and gradually work around. Try to 'comb' and 'tug' rather than to 'pull' at the roots - for risk of damaging or tearing some very important main roots.

• After this has been done - continue to shake and brush off the soil until about one third to half of the original soil has been removed from the edge and base of the rootball.

Cont……• It would now be a good idea to spray the roots

with water to ensure that they do not dry out and so that they will not have too much soil on them when it comes time to pruning the roots.

• Prune the roots, using very sharp cutters, Start by cutting the thick, old brown roots that have come close to the edge of the pot and are restricting the growth of the young 'feeder roots‘

• Next, prune the thinner roots which hang below the depth of the pot by trimming them all into a suitable shape that the pot will accommodate

• This should be a shape that fits comfortably into the pot with a 1-2 cm (1/2 to 3/4 in) space between the edges.

• Clean the original pot thoroughly or select a new pot that is more suited to the tree and cover the drainage holes with simple wire mesh.

• As the plant will now be unstable in the new pot as it has nothing to anchor it - we have to make some anchors to prevent the tree from falling over from winds or from being moved

• Now you can place your bonsai on the mound by gently nestling it in and spreading its roots out evenly throughout on top of the soil.

• Add more soil up to the base of the trunk - which should be just below the base of the pot.

POSITIONING OF BONSAI• As a general rule, you should consider the origins

of a plant and how it would grow naturally. • For example you would keep a rainforest fig in

part-shade with dappled sunlight (possibly under shade cloth) which mimics the environment that it would naturally grow .

• Generally try to keep the bonsai out of a position of direct sunlight, where they receive good air, circulation, relative humidity.

• Place where they are easily accessible to you for maintenance (i.e. watering, feeding and pruning).

WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT DO’S ONE MUST FOLLOW IN BONSAI ?

Choose plants hardy suitable for local climate condition.

Choose simple container with adequate drainage.Position the plant correctly in the container.Do potting and repotting at right time.Eliminate air pockets during potting and repotting.Trim or prune regularly to produce a fine network

of shoots. Keep bonsai in open airy place.Give balanced nutrition and use mild fertilizers or

slow release fertilizers.Provide plenty of sunshine to all sides of bonsai.

PREPARED BY………