How to Grow Bonsai Trees : How to Make your Own Bonsai : Bonsai Lessons for Beginners

Just getting started in bonsai? This video with tips for beginners will help you learn how to grow bonsai trees.

Expert: Mike Hansen

Bio: Mike Hansen, owner of Midwest Bonsai, has been growing, caring, selling, and instructing others in bonsai care for years. Mike is an expert bonsai master.

Duration : 0:3:35

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can you grow a bonsai tree from another bonsai?

ok i have a bonsai tree but i would like to make a second one. its a ficus and i have had it for almost a year now so its about 4 years old but i dont know if it is possible to make a second tree with it. if you could help then please do. thanks!

You can propagate trees into bonsais either from standard or previously bonsaid trees, though you’ll likely have more vegetative growth from a plant like a Ficus that is not previously bonsaid. That said, many Ficus are fairly easy to propagate, usually I find the air layering technique to be the most succesful. Choose a reasonably mature piece of stem, either the previous year’s growth, or current years that’s a few months old. This involves making a cut an inch or so long on part of the stem, just lifting up some of the surface bark – it doesn’t need to be totally removed from the plant, though can be lifted, using something to keep it from sealing back up, like a little match stalk etc. You then start surrounding this part of the stem with something like sphagnum moss, and enclosing this by using some string tied around it. Adding some hormone rooting gel or powder will encourage rooting, before you cover it with moss.

Keep the sphagnum moist, enclosing within a tied down pieve of plastic, and you should start to see roots forming into it, from the Ficus stem. If the moss is too wet, it can cause some rotting, so beware of this.

When there is a good root system that’s formed, you can cut this piece of your plant away from the parent, using a sterilized knife, just below the area that is wanted, and immediately above your parent plant’s leaf buds, where it will subsequently grow shoots from.

Keep your new cutting enclosed in a polythene/plastic cover, to help preserve humidity levels, and plant into a well draining potting soil. Once more fully rooted, it can be fertilised, and managed as you would your other bonsai.

Otherwise you can propagate Ficus from seeds, produced by plants that flower and are pollinated – your current plant may not be at this stage at its current age. It doesn’t matter if the seed comes from a currently bonsaid plant or not, its genetic material will be the same, and it will grow according to the prevailing conditions.

Hope this helps.

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Garden for the Elderly

A garden for the elderly should seek to help to compensate for some of the problems that arrive as we get older, from lack of energy and mobility, to failing eyesight. With wide, paved areas, the garden uses a range of materials, and has a pergola, raised beds and a raised pool. The pond and many of the beds are edged with seating so that they can be enjoyed from close at hand. A bird bath, bird table and the inclusion of plants to attract bees and butterflies bring nature to the garden.

The things you should consider for a garden designed for elderly are mobility – a problem for some of those for whom the garden was designed; eye-sight may be poor for some garden users; and scent is particularly important for older people.

Wide paths provide access for wheel chairs and for people to walk side-by side. Gentle slopes rather than steps. There should also be lots of seating in both sun and shade.

Using strong and contrasting colors helps to overcome the problem older eyes have in adjusting to a move from an area of light to one in the shade.

When eye-sight or hearing is reduced, flowers which give off scent provide a lot of pleasure.

The paving was picked for its non slip and non-reflective properties. Changes in colour and materials arc used to herald clearly, for she less

well-sighted, that they are entering a new area. Seating surfaces in dark green are made from a recycled polystyrene waste material which is warm to the touch and relatively maintenance free. It does not absorb seater no can be quickly dried after rain.

The pergola provides a frame for climbers, and shade for the seating area below, from which the scent of the climbers can be enjoyed.

Raised beds and the raised pond bring the pleasures of plants and water up to a more accessible level to those walking, sitting or in wheel-chairs

Apart from providing a number of specimen plants with decorative leaf-shapes and autumn color, Barbara picked plants for their aromatic leaves or fragrant flowers. She chose bright colors that could be seen clearly by those with poorer sight. Orange and yellow have been used extensively. often side-by-side for vivid contrast

A mix of leaf and flower shapes and, colors allows each plant to be defined against the other. The silver leaves of a Eucalyptus gunnii overhang the pale yellow flowers of Achillea ‘Moonshine’.

The bright sunny colors of black-eyed Susan, Rudbeclsia fulgida, the yellow flowers of the lily ‘Connecticut King’ and bright orange marigolds also show up strongly against a green background.

Flowers in tones of a single color work well in a container. Here the small, soft pink flowers of Nemesia Carnival Series rise above the rim while the pendent deep pink flowers of the climbing Rhodochiton appear around the edges and trail clown to the ground

In these raised beds Barbara has used the two colors most easily seen by older eyes. The bright orange flowers of Rudbechia ‘Marmalade’ are elevated to eye-level creating a strong contrast against the paler yellow daisy-likeheads of the Argyranthemum ‘Jamaica Primrose’.

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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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