Culturing a bonsai tree is a very good hobby. However, it will require proper knowledge and patience to grow it with very incredible results.
Choosing the best bonsai tree to grow can be a bit difficult since they have several different species. The Bamboo tree, for instance, reminds one of an authentic Japanese garden. Asians consider the Braided Monkey tree a bringer of good luck. Among different bonsai species, the Ficus bonsai tree is considered among the favorites.
The Ficus bonsai tree is a small version of the Banyan tree. This type of bonsai tree is ideal for indoors. They also come in different varieties all suitable for indoor placement. The most popular specie of the Ficus bonsai tree are the narrow-leaf Ficus, dwarf Ficus and the weeping Ficus.
The most important thing to remember when growing a Ficus bonsai tree is that the plant should be placed indoors through the entire year although fresh air and sunlight is also beneficial. Like most bonsai trees, the Ficus tree should never completely dry out for a long period of time and regular checking of the soil is recommended. To water the Ficus bonsai tree, you need to let it soak in water for at least ten minutes and then completely drain it. This will be enough to keep the soil wet for a certain amount of time.
Bonsai care also requires repotting the plant. It is advisable to repot the bonsai tree every couple of years. Trimming the roots is also needed. The Ficus tree naturally grows very slow and if you see small growths that are covering the container, do not wait for the next year but instead immediately repot the plant. The perfect time to repot a Ficus bonsai tree is during spring. Once the tree is transferred to a bigger pot, water the plant meticulously the same way as instructed above.
In feeding the soil, it is not advisable to use rapid-growth fertilizers. You only need to feed the Ficus plant when it is needed and in very moderate amounts because over use of fertilizers can also kill the plant. For pruning and trimming the branches, you need to remove most of the plant’s new growth during spring and in the first weeks of fall. Remember to be artistic enough in trimming the branches so that the shape and style of the plant will be beautiful.
The purpose for wiring ficus bonsai is to hold the branches in place in order to shape them. The bonsai wire remains around the trunk and branches until the tree can hold it’s desired shape, then the bonsai wire is removed.
How many people know that bonsai can be grown from seeds? Although there are no magic bonsai seeds which can turn into the perfect-looking bonsai tree after being planted, the bonsai seeds can still grow into the “dwarfed trees” that we have all come to love. That is, with certain growing procedures and every bit of your patience.
Most people will probably tell you that growing a bonsai tree from bonsai seeds is a clear waste of your time. But even if this is known to be the most time-consuming among all methods, this is also the one that will give you the most rewarding experience.
The Japanese has a term to define the cultivation of bonsai from bonsai seeds - misho. This process may take a lot of time, but it allows one total control of the tree’s growth right from the start.
Initially, you need to gather the “right” kinds of seeds according to the type of bonsai tree that you like to grow. Various horticultural shops have plenty of these available.
Once you have gathered the bonsai seeds, it is necessary to place them in water for the night in order to differentiate which seeds are potentially viable and which ones are not. Those that will float are not usable, but the ones that will sink are those that you will be working with.
Before sowing your bonsai seeds, make sure that you have chosen a pot that is about has a depth of 15 cm or 6″ and features a drainage hole. The lowest portion of the pot, or a quarter of the pot’s total volume should contain an earth mix, a mixture of akadama and fine gravel in equal proportions.
On top of that layer, you need to put a mixture of fine akadama, potting compost, and fine gravel in ½, 1/4, and ¼ ratios respectively. This particular layer should be about 1″ below the pot’s rim. Place the bonsai seeds on top of this layer, making sure that they are about 1″ to 2″ inch apart from.
Finally, put in the last layer which is composed of a mixture of potting compost and akadama in equal ratios. Spray water on top of the seedbed using a nozzle with fine spray.
It may take years before you can finally see a nice bonsai tree. However, what can be more fulfilling than knowing that you grew it from “scratch” yourself?
Using the right bonsai soil mix can be very beneficial for a bonsai tree. There are a lot of enthusiasts who use ready-mix bonsai soil from nurseries and garden shops but it is quite expensive. Because of frequent re-potting during spring, most bonsai hobbyists or gardeners learn mixing soils on their own.
There is a wide variety of soil ingredients to use. For starters, choosing which type of soil to use can be very difficult. It is important that the bonsai soil can hold moisture and nutrients needed by the plant because the health and beauty of the bonsai tree heavily depends on the quality of soil.
The soil should have good hold of water but excess water should also be drained quickly to avoid build up of salts. Good air intake of the soil is also vital. The soil mix should have small-sized gaps so that the roots can have enough air. A well-mixed inorganic soil allows air to continually flow into the soil while a packed down organic soil can hinder water and air flow that can cause damage to the roots.
An organic bonsai soil is comprised of dead plant substances like peat, dead leaves and barks. An inorganic bonsai soil is composed of fired clays and volcanic lava. This type of soil can be found in garden centers and nurseries.
Although most bonsai plants require soils good for water retention and draining excess water, there are species that have their own requirements for intake of nutrients and water. For example, Pine trees and Juniper trees need lesser water intake meaning they require less-water-retention type of soil. However, flowering and fruit-bearing species require soil mixes with high level of water retention.
When mixing your own bonsai potting soil, the percentage of water-holding material should depend on the specie of the tree that will be planted. For a free-draining soil, high ration of grit should be added making the soil drain all excess water while increasing the quantity of water-holding material, which also increases the retention of water in the soil.
Proper knowledge on what soil to use is very essential for a healthy and beautiful bonsai tree. It is fine for starters to use a ready-mixed bonsai soil from a nursery or garden center for the first few times. However, the use of inorganic soil is the most recommended.
There are a lot of different bonsai pots to choose from. The shapes, sizes, and colors are so varied that choosing a particular pot can be very challenging. Although aesthetics is important, it should not be overly so as the bonsai plant deserves more attention than its pot.
But finding the right kind of pot is not that easy. A bad choice of pot can actually lessen the tree’s impact. However, a pot that is chosen well will also work to emphasize the beauty of the bonsai plant and will allow it to achieve its maximum potential as such.
There are several factors to consider in order to end up with the right bonsai pots. First, the pots’ sizes are a major consideration. The appropriate dimensions are determined by using some guidelines based on the dimensions of the bonsai plant itself. Generally, the depth of the pot should be the same as the diameter of the bonsai’s trunk above the soil level.
The style and shape of the bonsai pots should match your bonsai plants. Thus, you have to take a good look at your plants and assess their characteristics. There is such thing as masculine plant and feminine plant, or a plant that is a mixture of both but where one characteristic is more dominant.
However, such assessment is fairly subjective. But then you should keep in mind that a very masculine plant will not look nice in a feminine pot, and vice versa. But the owner of the plant should be capable of making a good assessment.
Bonsai pots have a widely varied selection of colors. The plant’s distinctive feature may be used as basis for pot color selection. Thus, the bonsai plant and the color of its pot will be able to blend well together. The plant’s feature which may serve as guideline is its bark. For flower-bearing plants, the color of the chosen pot should complement that of the flowers’.
There are numerous textures of bonsai pots to choose from, and each is supposed to enhance the plant. For example, feminine plants are better off when they’re placed in pots with smooth finishes. Pots with heavier textures will complement masculine plants more.
While choosing from among the different bonsai pots can be confusing, it can still be learned nevertheless. But with ample knowledge and experience with bonsai, and with a good sense of personal taste, picking out the right one should be a piece of cake.
