Saturday, August 8, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Bonsai trees-- which to plant
Rewind your memory some ten to fifteen years back and you can easily get a picture of grandmothers and mothers making a sort of garden in front of the house to grow daily-required vegetables. Also they would grow the often-needed flower for worship. Here the 'sort of' word is used, as the concept was not refined to the degree as it is today. Though such a view is quite common in smaller towns even today but in metro cities it have lessened up. It is mainly due to the lack of space and also the appeal is changing in the eyes of the people. Here indoor gardening fills the gap.
Indoor gardening is becoming a popular concept as it acts as a medicine to person addicted to it and also helps in decoration. When the word indoor garden comes to our mind the most common indoor garden type inevitably is bonsai. We have also given a care guide of bonsai. Though bonsai can be grown both outside and also indoor bonsai garden is quite a common one.
Indoor bonsai plant
Carmona Macrophylle (Fukien Tea Tree)
Ficus Retusa (Fig Tree)
Ligustrum Nitida (Chinese Privet)
Nandina Domestica (Sacred Bamboo)
Podocarpus Chinese Yew (Buddhist Pine)
Sageretia Theezans (Chinese Bird Plum)
Serissa Foetida (Tree of a Thousand Stars)
Ulmus Parvifolia (Chinese Elm)
Chinese Pepper Tree.
Care guide of Bonsai
Molding Bonsai
You can give your desirous size and shape to bonsai by growing them in small container. This will control the growth of roots. Also trim them often, as it will keep them healthy because extensive growth is not quite favorable in small root ball. But the trimming of bonsai has a specific method. In deciduous trees you can see a minor bud at the beginning of the leaf. Find out the direction where the bud is facing and you have to trim in that direction because the new shoot will grow from there. In small trees the only thing needed in shaping is trimming but in bigger trees you will have to bend the branches and trunk to give it a shape. There are many ways to do it but the most common form is by tying a wire. Remember to do these shaping and structuring of bonsai in the growing season only.
Nurturing Bonsai
After your bonsai has been brought it is quite normal that till 2 weeks some leaves will turn yellow. It requires some time to adjust to the atmosphere. Don't pluck them, as they will grow repetitively causing harm to new buds.
WATERING
Fill a bowl with tepid water. Dip the tree into so that the water comes up to the brim and the soil is covered with water. Keep for 5 minutes and then place it on a draining board to drain the extra water. Then take it out from water. Don't keep it in water after draining. Bonsai requires a large amount of water but it should be proportionate. During the peak of summer water bonsai at every alternate days. So the best-recommended thing for watering bonsai is a humidity tray. You can also spray mist twice a day.
Placing
Place your bonsai in a bright place but not under the scorching heat. If you don't accurately place the bonsai then it will have no leaves or large leaves on thin shoots. The best place for bonsai is semi-shaded outdoors compared to windowsills, as the temperature is flexible in the sills of window.
Nutrition
Unlike any other indoor or outdoor plant bonsai needs nutrition. You can sprinkle Phostrogen tomato feed or other special fertilizer especially for bonsai. During summer once a week and in winter once a month the fertilizer should be given.
One thing that should always be the foremost for a bonsai-fancier is that excess water and fertilizer can burn the roots and kill the bonsai.
Indoor gardening is becoming a popular concept as it acts as a medicine to person addicted to it and also helps in decoration. When the word indoor garden comes to our mind the most common indoor garden type inevitably is bonsai. We have also given a care guide of bonsai. Though bonsai can be grown both outside and also indoor bonsai garden is quite a common one.
Indoor bonsai plant
Carmona Macrophylle (Fukien Tea Tree)
Ficus Retusa (Fig Tree)
Ligustrum Nitida (Chinese Privet)
Nandina Domestica (Sacred Bamboo)
Podocarpus Chinese Yew (Buddhist Pine)
Sageretia Theezans (Chinese Bird Plum)
Serissa Foetida (Tree of a Thousand Stars)
Ulmus Parvifolia (Chinese Elm)
Chinese Pepper Tree.
Care guide of Bonsai
Molding Bonsai
You can give your desirous size and shape to bonsai by growing them in small container. This will control the growth of roots. Also trim them often, as it will keep them healthy because extensive growth is not quite favorable in small root ball. But the trimming of bonsai has a specific method. In deciduous trees you can see a minor bud at the beginning of the leaf. Find out the direction where the bud is facing and you have to trim in that direction because the new shoot will grow from there. In small trees the only thing needed in shaping is trimming but in bigger trees you will have to bend the branches and trunk to give it a shape. There are many ways to do it but the most common form is by tying a wire. Remember to do these shaping and structuring of bonsai in the growing season only.
Nurturing Bonsai
After your bonsai has been brought it is quite normal that till 2 weeks some leaves will turn yellow. It requires some time to adjust to the atmosphere. Don't pluck them, as they will grow repetitively causing harm to new buds.
WATERING
Fill a bowl with tepid water. Dip the tree into so that the water comes up to the brim and the soil is covered with water. Keep for 5 minutes and then place it on a draining board to drain the extra water. Then take it out from water. Don't keep it in water after draining. Bonsai requires a large amount of water but it should be proportionate. During the peak of summer water bonsai at every alternate days. So the best-recommended thing for watering bonsai is a humidity tray. You can also spray mist twice a day.
Placing
Place your bonsai in a bright place but not under the scorching heat. If you don't accurately place the bonsai then it will have no leaves or large leaves on thin shoots. The best place for bonsai is semi-shaded outdoors compared to windowsills, as the temperature is flexible in the sills of window.
Nutrition
Unlike any other indoor or outdoor plant bonsai needs nutrition. You can sprinkle Phostrogen tomato feed or other special fertilizer especially for bonsai. During summer once a week and in winter once a month the fertilizer should be given.
One thing that should always be the foremost for a bonsai-fancier is that excess water and fertilizer can burn the roots and kill the bonsai.
How to grow a bonsai
Plants are a fascination to many. Live with them and you will know the sentiments of a plant lover. Plants offer a wide scope for experimenting. They add a touch of class to your homes and can bring about lot of cheer and joy to its immediate surroundings. Have them in pots or in jugs, have them hanging or have them creeping, they are always a pleasure to look at and be with.
Apart from flowering plants, green leafy ones too are quite appealing. How about a pine tree in a pot? Let the eyes not pop out! I' am referring the art of Bonsai. For subsequent weeks now, we will look into the various aspects of mastering Bonsai.
It is not a difficult art, but needs ample patience, determination and the know how to do it. Bonsai skills include the knowledge of when and how much to cut the roots, how much fertilizer and water to use and to decide which of the branches need to be pruned to give the plant that aesthetic look.
Bonsai is the art of cultivating miniature trees. In Japanese, Bonsai is literally translated as 'tray planting.' But today it has grown into a whole new form. It is the art of dwarfing trees or plants and developing them into an aesthetically appealing shape by growing, pruning and training them in containers according to prescribed techniques. Pine that grows tall in the wild, is the most typical plant used for Bonsai. Others can be used as well. Creating miniature plants doesn't mean that you starve the plants or treat them cruelly. In fact, given an adequate supply of water, air, light and nutrients, a properly maintained Bonsai will mostly outlive a full size tree of the same species.
The best way to achieve miniaturization is to frequently transfer the plant into new pots and when doing so trim the roots a little. It is not enough just to plant a tree in a pot and allow nature to take its course. Every branch and twig of a bonsai needs to be shaped or eliminated until the chosen image of your choice is achieved. From then on, the image needs to be maintained and improved by a constant regime of pruning and trimming.
Bonsai can be developed from seeds or cuttings, from young trees or from naturally occurring stunted trees transplanted into containers. Most bonsai range in height from 5 centimetres (2 in) to 1 metre (3.33 ft). Apart from pruning and repotting, their branches and trunk are wired so that they grow into desired shapes.
A Bonsai tree should always be positioned off-center in its container, for, not only is asymmetry vital to the visual effect, but the center point is symbolically where heaven and earth meet, and nothing should occupy this place. Another aesthetic principle is the triangular pattern necessary for visual balance and for expression of the relationship shared by a universal principle (life-giving energy or deity), the artist and the tree itself. Japanese tradition holds that three basic virtues are necessary to create a bonsai: shin-zen-bi standing for truth, goodness and beauty.
With good care, Bonsais can live for hundreds of years, and mostly plant lovers pass them down from generation to generation. They are admired for their age. Although these Bonsais are extremely beautiful it must not be forgotten that they are meticulously cared for over the years and contains a wealth of knowledge about them.
Bonsais are ordinary trees or plants, not special hybrid dwarfs. Small leafed varieties are most suitable, but essentially any plant can be used, regardless of the size it grows to, in the wild. Initially in your Bonsai effort, although things may not go as planned, don't give up. Remember that the Japanese Bonsai masters were once beginners too and they have surely had their share of trials and errors. Overall, bonsai is a great interest, hobby or even profession to undertake.
Apart from flowering plants, green leafy ones too are quite appealing. How about a pine tree in a pot? Let the eyes not pop out! I' am referring the art of Bonsai. For subsequent weeks now, we will look into the various aspects of mastering Bonsai.
It is not a difficult art, but needs ample patience, determination and the know how to do it. Bonsai skills include the knowledge of when and how much to cut the roots, how much fertilizer and water to use and to decide which of the branches need to be pruned to give the plant that aesthetic look.
Bonsai is the art of cultivating miniature trees. In Japanese, Bonsai is literally translated as 'tray planting.' But today it has grown into a whole new form. It is the art of dwarfing trees or plants and developing them into an aesthetically appealing shape by growing, pruning and training them in containers according to prescribed techniques. Pine that grows tall in the wild, is the most typical plant used for Bonsai. Others can be used as well. Creating miniature plants doesn't mean that you starve the plants or treat them cruelly. In fact, given an adequate supply of water, air, light and nutrients, a properly maintained Bonsai will mostly outlive a full size tree of the same species.
The best way to achieve miniaturization is to frequently transfer the plant into new pots and when doing so trim the roots a little. It is not enough just to plant a tree in a pot and allow nature to take its course. Every branch and twig of a bonsai needs to be shaped or eliminated until the chosen image of your choice is achieved. From then on, the image needs to be maintained and improved by a constant regime of pruning and trimming.
Bonsai can be developed from seeds or cuttings, from young trees or from naturally occurring stunted trees transplanted into containers. Most bonsai range in height from 5 centimetres (2 in) to 1 metre (3.33 ft). Apart from pruning and repotting, their branches and trunk are wired so that they grow into desired shapes.
A Bonsai tree should always be positioned off-center in its container, for, not only is asymmetry vital to the visual effect, but the center point is symbolically where heaven and earth meet, and nothing should occupy this place. Another aesthetic principle is the triangular pattern necessary for visual balance and for expression of the relationship shared by a universal principle (life-giving energy or deity), the artist and the tree itself. Japanese tradition holds that three basic virtues are necessary to create a bonsai: shin-zen-bi standing for truth, goodness and beauty.
With good care, Bonsais can live for hundreds of years, and mostly plant lovers pass them down from generation to generation. They are admired for their age. Although these Bonsais are extremely beautiful it must not be forgotten that they are meticulously cared for over the years and contains a wealth of knowledge about them.
Bonsais are ordinary trees or plants, not special hybrid dwarfs. Small leafed varieties are most suitable, but essentially any plant can be used, regardless of the size it grows to, in the wild. Initially in your Bonsai effort, although things may not go as planned, don't give up. Remember that the Japanese Bonsai masters were once beginners too and they have surely had their share of trials and errors. Overall, bonsai is a great interest, hobby or even profession to undertake.
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