Bonsai Trees – Stunning Examples

Short video showing off some great examples of Bonsai trees

Duration : 0:3:30

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How to grow a mini bonsai tree?

I recieved a mini bonsai tree kit as a gift. It came with a pot, soil, decorative gravel, and the seeds. How do i set this all up. The pot has a 1 cm whole on the bottom, so how do i put the soil in there without it falling through to the bottom? Also, after i put the seeds in the soil, do i put the decorative gravel on top right away, or do i wait until the seeds have started to sprout? Also, how many seeds should i plant in the pot? The container is only 2in x 2in so it is not very big, so i am guessing you only want to end up with one tree, but do you want to plant more seeds then that? This is my first one and i am very excited about it, but obviously could use some guidance. Thanks for your help!

Put a screen over the hole. You will want this to flow freely for watering. Plant 2 or 3 seeds and the thin them down to one when you see which looks the healthiest. Don’t put on the rocks until this is done. When you water, put the entire plant in standing water,almost to the top. Let it sit there for 20-30 minutes,then remove. Pick up a book on beginning bonsai and learn about it. It requires patience and takes many years to grow one from seed. You probably won’t want to trim the roots for at least a year or two. Be careful not to over prune when shaping your bonsai. Have fun. It is a very satisfying hobby. Please get a book on the subject though,as you will probably have many questions as your bonsai grows.

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can a bonsai tree be started with just a branch?

I hope that someone can help me. i want to start a bonsai tree and i’ve been told that i can do this by cutting off a small branch from a bush or a very young tree. is this true? please respond. thanks.

i understand that you can use rooting powder to encourage the growth of roots on cuttings. the important thing though is that you have to have a smooth cut to work with. a jagged cut will just rot in water and also harms the tree you take it from.

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Choosing what roses to buy

Let't talk a little about roses on Bonsai Life blogspot.

Before you pay out good money for a rose, make sure you’re getting a premium-quality plant. It should have green shoots and smooth, well-ripened wood that doesn’t yield to the touch when pressed. Roses sold in plastic bags should have a fresh, green look to them: if they’ve been stored too long, or in excessively dry conditions, they’ll have a shriveled look and may produce shoots prematurely. If you buy roses by mail order, you obviously can’t check them before you buy, so use a reputable supplier.

A grade-one bare-root bush rose tree must have a minimum of two good shoots, each with the diameter of a thick pencil. The stems must look fresh, not shriveled. The roots must be fibrous and in a moist condition, with a minimum length of 10 in (25 cm). Container-grown, containerized and prepack roses must meet the same standards as hare-root plants.

Roses are sold in a number of different ways. Traditionally, growers lift them in autumn and sell them bare-rooted, either individually or in quantity (which makes them cheaper). Bare-rooted roses are often excellent value for money.

Plastic bags or boxes Sometimes roses are sold bare- rooted in plastic bags or boxes. These are packed in moss or other organic materials, and are often sprayed with a harmless wax to prevent evaporation. The roots and shoots are trimmed to fit the bag or box, but still need pruning in the spring.

A more reliable way of growing roses is to buy them containerized with their own root ball, ready for planting. These, too, are pruned ready for planting and are often covered with a thin layer of wax. Because the roots have their own root ball, they are likely to get off to a better start after planting.

Container-grown plants are even more likely to transplant well, as their roots will not be disturbed whets they are moved. Before you buy a container- grown rose, check that it has actually been grown in the pot rather than containerized, and make sure it has a well- developed root system. If it doesn’t have its own solid root ball, leave it in the pot when you plant it, and don’t remove it from the pot until the autumn.

There are obvious advantages its buying your roses from a local nursery or garden centre, especially one that you know has a good reputation. Apart from the convenience, you can easily check the quality and condition of the plants. Mail order is riskier, although you may have little choice if you want an unusual variety.

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Bonsai Tree, Any one here loves to grow one in the house?

I’m thinking of getting a bonsai tree…

Any tip? Best price? Advice?

The hardest part to give advice on is choosing a Bonsai. This is because I guess it is a very personal thing. The best advice I can give is get a bonsai that somehow "moves you" – one that shouts out at you "Take me home with you"

On the Practical Side of things:

a) Get a Bonsai that will grow in your environment, i.e., do you live in a flat, do you have a garden, do you live in a COLD or Warm part of the world.

b) If you keep house plants, get a Bonsai that similar to a house plants, Ficus, Chinese Elm, Jade Trees and the like..

c) Do a little bit of research – find out about trees in your garden or neighborhood – these are more likely to survive with you…

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Seasonal bonsai

The charm of the wooden tree is not only to its full splendor color of its crown, but also in the nude forms of the seasonal trees, which offer excellent decorative solutions, especially when the selected tree style represents aesthetic achievement, commendable.
To grow these trees in a container, you must know the characteristics of each instance, collect data that it requires and that it prefers, while being in the natural environment. For example, Birch (Betula Sp.) requires a lot of light and water in a dry and cool environment. Hornbeam (Carpinus Sp.) needs to be in the shadow, at least in the summer, and large quantities of water, not too hot and any dry climate. In the same time, to Willows (Salix Sp.) humidity must be permanent, it leaches flooding satellite water and prefers solar space with sharply continental climate.

Most of these species have a varied range of requirements that are broadly similar for all. Work on trimming a certain size of wood branches should be done in late winter when vegetable juice have not yet come up, and young shoots should be particularly frequently in spring and autumn to regulate the growth of leaves and twigs.

Typically, in each tree specie, there are several types suitable for containers, and you should choose those which have special nature for becoming a bonsai.
To the recommended eligibility requirements include: slow growth, small size and tiny leaves, while by aesthetic criteria (color leaves and flowers, appearance or crown form) they may not be suitable.
The specie that receives the necessary nutrition and attacked by pests or disease is more likely to survive than the plant grown in the wrong circumstances. Despite this, in each species there are specific diseases, which you need to know and recognize before they appear.

Other problems are because of overcrowding ornamental plants occur in the area of growing, which are transmitted from each other. Other causes are the conditions and lack of ventilation of abnormal moisture in plants. Selectable style cultivation of any kind of seasonal tree must be implemented on the basis of the extent prescribed by the nature.
The most practical and the recommended way to acquire new instances of a bonsai are already seedlings into close on the development of the grown plant in container. Particular pleasure represents cultivation of trees from seed, although it requires a lot of time to wait to grow by an adult bonsai.
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Quercus sp. or Oak tree bonsai

Some of the quercus sp. types with a persistent leafage through the whole year have a powerful and leafy form, are capable in to resisting the most severe climatic conditions. Both cork and rock oak leaves from the face side are soft and smooth, having a dark green color, oval form, with the prickles on the edges, and from the inside the velvety surface of whitish color. The trees have a slow tempo in growth, which contributes to the formation of a very powerful trunk and surprisingly beautiful crowns, sometimes it makes an irregular open shape. Acorns - typical and recognizable fruits of oak. They are covered with brown rind with a small cap in the base of fruit.

Caring in vegetation period

They are moved out to dry and hot solar places, where they look noticeably. Cold winter, even when temperatures are below the freezing limit, doesn’t represent any threat for the oak, although, because of the limited volumes of the soil, in which the roots are developed, it should always be conceled. The minimum water supply and rare irrigations are possible only during complete drying of substratum with the ideal drainage of soil. The introduction of fertilizer is produced in spring and in autumn. Every one-two years repot, ensuring with dense clay basis with an addition of 1/3 of plant compost.

Styling the bonsai

The trimming of new flights should be spent in the end of the spring – beginning of summer They are moved away, when the first leaflets will just come out and the stem is not yet lignified. The lignified branches in winter are cut by the clean and final shear.

It is necessary to remove leaves fallen during the year and to brush the base of the stem of the rocky oak, because of the surplus of humidity green spots appear there. The increase of the plants is controlled by trimming, since their slow development and hardness of wood do not give effect with wiring, especially for the cork oak, which possesses a very vulnerable crust.

Illness and wreckers

Trees possess stability to the defeat by insects and by woodlice, although the medium with the increased humidity can lead to the defeat by fungus diseases. The propagation of powdery mildew must operationally be stopped, the tree is moved into a drier place, reducing the water supply, and after the removal of sick leaves spray away the appropriate fungicide.

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Pinus sp.

The most of the plants from this specie are the natives of the northern hemisphere and are fitted out to any medium. These are the inhabitants of coast, which grow on the strip of the adjacent to the beach dunes, which grow at the steepest abrupt and most unapproachable apexes. They all can become majestic bonsai. Pinus incinata and Pinus mugo are the most valuable because of the size of the aches and small height.
Pine trees have the unique crust, formed by numerous shield-shaped plates and fish-scales of the irregular shape, which easily are separated from the stem. The needles are grouped on the branches, beginning from the formation of small beams from two to five needles, but the remaining surface is covered with scaly needle without the chlorophyll. Seeds in the majority of the cases are winged and resound by wind. Both needles and cloths of stem and branches have glands, which release resin - very dense substance, which heals and which protects pine tree from the pathogenic organisms.

Caring in vegetation period

Sunlight is necessary for pine trees the whole year; therefore they require arrangement at the open and solar places. It should always be selected a well warmed place for the best growth of the tree. The only exceptions are the superfluously moist and closed places with poor air ventilation, especially in the rainy season and frost, since such conditions are heavy for the roots. Irrigation must be moderate. It is possible to manage without sputtering water from the pulveriser even in the summer period, since the pine trees fell well in hot and dry medium. To prepare a good soil, it should be considered the needs of each species, since some plants need exceptionally lime soils, others in the clay and siliceous and even sandy soils. Fertilizer must be introduced on the peak of the development of plant from the beginning of the spring to the autumn only before the radical trimmings or after transplantation. Transplantation should be produced before the appearance of the first flights, trying with the cutting of roots not to injure pivotal root.

Styling the bonsai

Needles in autumn are moved away, removing the dry and damaged needles at any time of year. Since the beginning of the appearance of new flights the needles should be removed, leaving about 1/3 of it in order to stimulate the appearance of smaller and more numerous needles. If on a branch appear immediately two flights, then the longest flight should be removed. Pruning branches should not be performed in the period of an intense growth of the pine tree, when the loss of resin can be very significant; branches should be cut in autumn. For changing the direction of branch growth it is necessary, prior to the beginning of the rest period, to wire them, dismantling them only in spring.

Illness and wreckers

It is necessary to scrupulously inspect leaves and branches in order to reveal the wreckers, which were settled on the tree (silk cocoons of the caterpillars of march silkworm, larva of beetle - grinders, aphis and woodlice). All this must be thoroughly processed by chemicals in order to avoid their propagation. From the most extended diseases it is possible to expect the appearance of brown abscesses, rust and root white rot. The introduction of poor quality fertilizer can cause the appearance of dry or reddish tips in needles, it is possible to entangle it with the fungus infection.

Typical forms of species

Pinus cembra. European cedar (European cedar pine tree). The alpine pine tree, which is possible to achiev remarkable results in the style “cascade” and “the tree, bent by wind”. Pinus sylvestris. Forest pine tree (usual pine tree). It issues characteristic pale crust, and also small needle and pine lumps. The mountain regions of the European continent are natural living environment; therefore this form of pine tree is fitted out to the extremely unfavourable climatic conditions. The separately appreciated property is the dual painting of its needles, dark green outside and gray from within. Pinus densiflora. Dense flower pine tree. Native of Asian continent. One of two undersized forms together with Pinus of mugo from the pinus sp., that are developed in the form of bushes, especially in the first years of life. Pinus mugo. Mountain pine tree. Natural living environment is located in the central Europe mountains. It is characterized by slow increase and thickset form in the adult state, which makes it separately suitable for the cultivation in the container. Pinus nigra. Austrian pine tree (s. black Austrian). Native of South and central Europe. It grows on the lime-stony soils. It has long, flexible and almost dark needle. Pinus pentaphylla. Himalayan pine tree. The native of Japan contains in the beam five needles. In contrast to the rest of the kinds when cutting of branches it is recommended not to touch the place it was cut, till it is completely dry.
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Juniper sp.

Well known and one of the most popular - Juniper bonsai. It habituates in the northern hemisphere of the World. For growing a bonsai, it best suits species form South-Est of Europe and Asia.
Particular characteristic of the fruit is a common one for the whole Cypress group. The leaves happen to be of two type: pinnacle and very rigid or scale. Sometimes both of them appear to be present on the same bonsai. An interesting fact is that fruits of the Juniper are used to make the sort of alcohol called Jin. This tree likes a lot of sun rather than a watery environment.

Caring in vegetation period

Every king of Juniperus sp. is felling well under high-level sun radiation, but suffers being in a dark place(except heated seasons, when we talk about young plants).Juniper is very steady to most uncomfortable weather state and temperature, though when it is frosty weather you should guard its rhizome. Juniper does not attach to the group of plants which needs a lot of watering, so it is recommended not to water until the soil is fully dry. It is also not recommended to settle the plant in high humidity environment. Adding nutritive material best suits to a warm time of the year in a moderate way. You should not abuse using nutritions, when it is a favorabil season to browse.
In the end of winter it is the best time to trans-pot the Juniper and to prune (before the young runaway appears). Every 3 or 4 years, you should cut the rhizome to 1/3 of its true length, which makes a good plant invigoration of the existent rhizomes and appearance of new ones.

Styling the bonsai

The species which have pinnacle leaves, you should firstly completely remove the yellow ones, from the center of the crown, trying not to leave there a thing. The trees with green squamiform leaves should not have new runaways and the pruning is good to be spent in spring and autumn.

Because of the low growth it is not a must to cut branches for changing the direction of the trunk, but it would be much more useful to wire, that could be done in autumn and un-wire not earlier than 7-8 months.
You could apply other, much harder techniques, thanks to a high flexibility and durability of its wood material. It is often used the technique of forming the tree by attaching weights or cross-piece.

Illness and wreckers

The stables and leaves of these plants are rarely exposed to insect, tick or woodlouse invasion in the specific power of the bark and leaves. But it can't be neglected the possibility of being infected with the fungus Coryneum cardinale, that slowly destroys the infected tree. The illness begins with discoloration of the leaves and appearance of some black spots on the surface of the trunk and branches, which provokes branches to become dry.

With the help of fungicide, especially sistematical, you could get rid of it. In this case you should necessarly remove dry branches, to eliminate the possibility of uncontrolable spreading of the fungus. Read more!

Bonsai forest pictures

Here are some amazing forest pictures, I like bonsai forests most of all, just incredible nature art:
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