Growing a bonsai tree is a great hobby and in culturing them, you will need to use a bonzai tool kit. Shaping and styling a bonsai tree should be done in a very artistic manner and the use of the right bonsai tool can make a difference. Several different bonsai tools have been developed over the past years and they can be obtained from a nursery or a gardening shop near you.
Just bear in mind that buying the more expensive ones can actually cause you to save more. This is because the cheaper the bonsai tool is the more chance that the materials used is not that good causing you to buy a new one just after a few uses.
A particular bonsai tool is designed to perform a specific task. Once you are accustomed to their usage, which can be shaping, styling, pruning and trimming, you can expand your collection of bonsai tools. Bonsai tools are actually sold separately from the plant but these days, starter kits for beginners have them included.
Starter kits should include the following bonsai tools:
Bonzai Wire Cutters
A very basic bonsai tool, the bonsai wire cutter is designed specifically for removing wires from the plant. Bonsai wire cutters have a round head perfect for systematically cutting the wire, preventing damage to the plant.
Bonzai Trimming Shears
This bonsai tool is used for trimming the twigs, branches and roots. The handle is quite big so that it will fit the hand. Also, this tool should always be kept sharp so that cutting the stem will be easy.
Concave Branch Cutter
This razor sharp bonsai tool is used for cutting the branches. This will cause the branch to heal fast because of small scarring. This tool is also considered very essential in growing a bonsai tree.
Spherical Knob Cutter
The Spherical Knob Cutter is used for removing roots and trunk knobs. Its head is shaped like a sphere that produces a hollow, round cut that heals quickly due to small scarring.
Bud Trimming Shears
This tool has a long and narrow body that is perfect for cutting the buds of the bonsai tree. However, it is not suitable for general trimming because the blades will rapidly become dull.
Root Hook
This bonsai tool is used for disentangling the roots of a big bonsai tree. Because of its rounded end, you can re-arrange the roots of the bonsai plant without damaging them.
Proper use of a bonzai tool does not only guarantee that your bonsai tree will grow healthy and beautiful but it will also be convenient for you when taking care of them. Get a 14pc bonsai tool here.
Few subjects in bonsai care are as complicated as watering. What should be the simplest task is actually the most complex. Improper watering is the most common cause of death of bonsai trees. In fact, apprentices in Japan will perform many other duties during their first few years before being trusted to water the trees.
Bonsai soil is unlike regular potting material. It is porous and allows very rapid drainage. As a result, frequent and generous watering is necessary. However, over watering is just as dangerous to the bonsai’s health. Too much water can promote the growth of harmful fungi and lead to root rot.
Both of these damaging extremes can be avoided, though. By following these tips, the complex art of bonsai watering can be converted to a healthy practice that anyone can accomplish.
The first step is testing the soil moisture content to determine how much water your bonsai needs. As a quick check, touch the surface with your thumb. If the surface feels dry, it is. Gently scrape back any ground cover, gravel, or surface dirt to better assess the soils requirements.
A more accurate test can be completed easily by using a standard moisture gauge. Appearing like an ordinary thermometer, analog or digital displays will provide an accurate reading of soil moisture content.
Moisture gauges only detect water near the tip; so as a result, only tell part of the story. Dry spots can be present within the pot. Dry spots are especially dangerous if they are near the roots. As roots spread throughout the pot over time that can be a lot of places.
To ensure that all of the soil is adequately moistened, once a month dip the pot up to the base of the tree into a container of water for a few minutes. Carefully remove by lifting by the pot, never by the tree. If the soil is correct, and the plant is not root bound, any excess water will drain out the bottom of the pot into the tray under the pot.
Only permit a small amount of water to remain in the tray. Draining excess water from the tray will ensure that any extra water in the pot has a place to go, and doesn’t collect around the roots.
Water daily, making sure that water runs all the way to the bottom, but doesn’t pool to the extent of filling up the tray. Water left standing in the tray makes it impossible for the pot to drain and encourages mold growth.
More than daily watering may be required depending on the type of soil in the pot and your climate. The amount of water necessary also varies from one species to another.
Pines and other conifers need less water and they do well with moderate drying periods. Deciduous and flowering trees require more moisture than conifers. Curled leaves on deciduous trees indicate dryness. Make sure that flowers are not wilting when they should be blooming.
Some experimentation, accompanied by careful monitoring, will be necessary to adjust to your specific tree and circumstances.
Bonsai wire is used to hold the branches of a Bonsai tree in place in order to shape them. The bonsai wire remains wrapped around the trunks and branches until the tree is able to maintain the desired shape, during which the bonsai wire is removed.
Our aluminum wire
has copper color anodized coating, and is designed for shaping and holding branches and small trunks inconspicuously. Re-usable and easy to apply, it is softer than copper wire and less likely to damage the tree. 2.0 mm dia wire in a 150 gm size coil.
You can get bonsai wire from any supplier of bonsai tools and accessories. The types that they will have are plain silver aluminum and a copper-colored anodized aluminum wire.
You can choose either bonsai wire. The advantage of a plain silver bonsai wire is it will be easier to see under developed branches than the anodized one when you need to check your wiring later. On the other hand, the copper or brown color of the anodized wire will blend well with the tree branches so they would be more pleasing to the eye.
If you cannot obtain bonsai wire, you can substitute a wire any type of wire that is easily bendable and removable. Bonsai wire comes in different sizes from 1 mm to 7mm, usually weighing 100 to 150 grams and can be over 100 feet long.
Choosing the right size of bonsai wire can be tricky. Some find it easier to buy coils in different sizes but still, you do not want to waste money buying wires that you will not be able to use. One way to determine the size of bonsai wire that you need is to find a wire that you can bend with the same effort as you would bending your tree’s trunk or branch.
If it is easier for you to bend the wire than the wood, then you would need a thicker bonsai wire. Alternatively, if you find that the wire you bought will not be strong enough to do job properly, then you can try double wrapping the wire by applying two wire pieces.
