The technique or practice of growing dwarfed plants in which all parts - stems, leaves, flowers - are in proportion. The effect is achieved by growing the plants in small pots, and by careful pruning of the roots to restrict growth. It is a Japanese speciality.
Bonsai (Japanese: 盆栽, literally "tray gardening") is the art of aesthetic miniaturisation of trees and plants in containers. While mostly associated with the Japanese form, "bonsai" was originally developed from Chinese penjing. In Western culture, the word "bonsai" is used as an umbrella term for Japanese bonsai, Chinese penjing, and Korean bunjae.
History
The origins of bonsai are often attributed to ancient China.
Japanese bonsai is derived from the Chinese artform, and was introduced to Japan by imperial embassies in the Chinese Tang Dynasty (the C7th–9th). However, the bonsai was still the enjoyment of people of the chosen hierarchy in the period. In the Edo period, it became possible for many daimyos, samurais, merchants, townsmen, and others to enjoy the art of bonsai. In addition, the bonsai pot became popular among daimyos, employing the pottery master who belonged exclusively to the bonsai pot. It is said that the name "Bonsai" started being used around this time. Indeed, a lot of bonsai were drawn in many an "Ukiyo-e (浮世絵)".
Aesthetics
Japanese School
The Japanese aesthetic is centred on the principle of "heaven and earth in one container", as a Japanese cliché has it. Three forces come together in a good bonsai: shin-zen-bi (真善美) or truth, essence and beauty.
Traditional subjects for bonsai include pine, maple, elm, flowering apricot, Japanese wisteria, juniper, flowering cherry, azalea and larch.
The Japanese bonsai are meant to evoke the essential spirit of the plant being used: in all cases, they must look natural and never show the intervention of human hands.
Chinese School
The Chinese aesthetic hopes to capture the essence and spirit of nature through contrasts.
Cultivation
A bonsai is not a genetically dwarfed plant.
Common styles
There are many different styles of bonsai, but some are more common than others. Raft style bonsai are bonsai which mimic a natural phenomenon where a tree that has been toppled (typically due to erosion or another natural force) begins to grow a new root system out of the part of the trunk that is in contact with the ground. Raft bonsai are typically planted with the original root system still intact and in contact with the soil. This group of bonsai can include many other styles such as sinuous, straight-line, and group planting styles. These all give the illusion of a group of trees, but are actually the branches of a tree planted on its side. Literati bonsai often have the base of the crown beginning at a height lower than an S-shaped trunk bend, and the primary branch growing from below the S-bend, leading down and outwards with graceful sweeping lines. Their style is inspired by the Chinese paintings of pine trees that grew in harsh climates, struggling to reach the light of the sun. A group or forest bonsai display is, as the name suggests, a number of bonsai (typically an odd number if there are three or more trees) placed together in a pot. Typically the number of trees in a forest style display is fifty or less, though there is no formal limit. although group or forest bonsai tend to contain smaller trees (which would be classified as mame style bonsai if they were planted alone), larger trees may be used.
Additionally, bonsai are classed by size. There are a number of specific techniques and styles associated with mame and shito sizes, the smallest bonsai.
Techniques
Shaping and dwarfing are accomplished through a few basic but precise techniques. Additionally, some pruning must be done seasonally, as most trees require a dormancy period and do not grow roots or leaves at that time;
Most species suitable for bonsai can be shaped by wiring. Copper or aluminium wire is wrapped around branches and trunks, holding the branch in place until it eventually lignifies and maintains the desired shape (at which point the wire should be removed).
Bonsai care
Watering
Because of limited space in the confines of a bonsai pot, bonsai care can be quite difficult. Sun, heat and wind exposure can quickly dry a bonsai tree to the point of drought, so the soil moisture should be monitored daily and water given copiously when needed. The foliage of some plants cultivated for bonsai, including the common Juniper do not display signs of drying and damage until long after the damage is done, and may even appear green and healthy despite having an entirely dead root system.
In cooler climates, soil must not be allowed to become waterlogged as this may lead to root rot. In warmer climates, bonsai should be sat in a shallow watertight tray when not in use, and allowed to absorb water through the bottom of the pot throughout the day to prevent dehydration.
Repotting
Bonsai are generally repotted and root-pruned around spring time just before they break dormancy. Bonsai are generally repotted every two years while in development, and less often as they become more mature.
Wiring
Bonsai wiring is one of the most powerful tools to control the shape of the tree. (Trees become stiff in winter while dormant because the sap pressure of the trunk and branches is much lower.)
To wire the tree wrap the trunk, and then each branch in spirals of bonsai wire so that the branch may be bent.
Generally, wire is left on for one growing season.
The thickness of the wire used should match the size of the branch— larger branches will require lower gauge wire.
When bending the branches, one should listen and feel for any sign of splitting. When bending a branch near the trunk extra caution should be used, as the branch is generally most brittle near the trunk.
When working with the branches, consideration should be given to the style desired.
Tools
Special tools are available for the maintenance of bonsai.
Fertilization and soil
Opinions about soil mixes and fertilization vary widely among practitioners. Bonsai soils are constructed to optimize drainage. Bonsai soil is primarily a loose, fast-draining mix of components, often a base mixture of coarse sand or gravel, fired clay pellets or expanded shale combined with an organic component such as peat or bark.
Containers
Every bonsai pot is equipped with drainage holes to enable the excess water to drain out. Quality bonsai containers are ceramic, and are high-fired so that they can withstand exposure to freezing temperatures. Economical containers of molded plastic or "mica" are available for developing bonsai, but most any container that provides good drainage can be used for developing bonsai material.
Location
Contrary to popular bonsai are not suited for indoor culture, and if kept indoors will most likely die. While certain tropical plants (Ficus, Schefflera, etc.) may flourish indoors, most bonsai are developed from species of shrubs or trees that are adapted to temperate climates (conifers, maples, larch, etc) and require a period of dormancy.
Overwintering
Some trees require protection from the elements in winter and the techniques used will depend on how well the tree is adapted to the climate. In-ground cold frames, unheated garages, porches, and the like are commonly used, or by mulching the plant in its container up to the depth of the first branch or burying them with the root system below the frost line.
Mallsai
Inexpensive bonsai trees often sold in chain stores and gift shops are derisively referred to as "mallsai" by experienced bonsai growers, and are usually weak or dead trees by the time they are sold. Often these bonsai are mass produced and are rooted in thick clay from a field in China. This clay is very detrimental to the bonsai, as it literally suffocates the roots and promotes root-rot. This top layer of glued-on gravel should be immediately removed once the bonsai is purchased, and the plant should be repotted in a good bonsai soil such as akadama.
Collecting
Bonsai may be developed from material obtained at the local garden center, or from suitable materials collected from the wild or urban landscape.
Collected trees are highly prized and often exhibit the characteristics of age when they are first harvested from nature.
Bonsai Tourism
Bonsai collections are open for public viewing in many cities around the world. For example:
Australia: Admission is free at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, where the Bonsai House displays hundreds of trees, some 80 years old . Belgium: The Belgian Bonsai Museum hosted by the Bonsai Centre Gingko at Laarne organizes international competitions and workshops . Canada: The Montreal Botanical Garden has an amazing indoor bonsai facility that can be viewed year round . China: View the bonsai at the Botanical Gardens in Beijing , Shanghai and Suzhou . Germany: Bonsai Centrum Heidelberg has had a permanent exhibition since 2000 , . Indonesia: Pluit Bonsai Centre in Jakarta is an enormous sales and trading centre for growers and collectors . Italy: The firm Crespi Bonsai hosts an international competition, the Crespi Cup, every year at the Bonsai Museum in Milan . Japan: Near Tokyo, the city of Omiya has an artisanal village of bonsai growers and stylists grow and maintain their stock. In Omiya Bonsai Village, more than a half dozen large bonsai nurseries allow visitors to view trees most days during growing season. Singapore: Thousands on bonsai are on display at the Chinese and Japanese Gardens on two islands in Jurong Lake . South Korea: The world's largest bonsai garden, Bunjae Artpia, is a major tourist attraction on Cheju Island ; Spain: Visitors to Marbella can enjoy the collection at the Museo de Bonsai . United Kingdom: The Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses hosts a rotating collection of about 25 trees at a time, and occasionally gives bonsai care workshops .
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