BONSAI GROW GUIDE
There have been volumes – no, libraries – written about the science and art of bonsai. We hope this little introduction will stimulate the reader to consider this amazing horticultural hobby. Our Bonsai Tree Planting Guide will give information to beginners and enthusiasts alike for growing bonsai trees. 
Bonsai collection at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens in Asheville
Bonsai collection at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens in Asheville
The art of growing miniature trees in containers (called penjing) was practiced by the Chinese more than 2000 years ago. The Japanese took up the practice a thousand years later, and called it bonsai, pronounced bone-SIGH. It was also used in zen buddhism. It was introduced to Europe in the late 19th century, but the dwarfed plants were considered horticultural curiosities and even monstrosities. Not until after World War II did bonsai as an art form really catch on in the West.
Types of Bonsai Plants
Most any tree species or woody plant can be made into a bonsai specimen, but some are better than others. The best plants for bonsai with relatively small leaves, flowers, and fruits are favored. Conifers, with their small, needle-like leaves, are especially good subjects for types of bonsai trees. But don’t discount rhododendrons, crab apples, various maples, elms, birches, hawthorns, willows, jasmines, plums, alders, firethorn, wisteria, and even semi-woody subshrubs like rosemary, wormwood, sage, and oregano. (Latin names provided below.)
Japanese Maple bonsai trees are gorgeous and one of our favorites! Among the best plants for the novice to grow a bonsai with are any of the junipers, Japanese maple, European beech, weeping fig, Malaysian fig, jade tree, firethorn, Chinese elm, Dwarf Schefflera, littleleaf cotoneaster, boxwood, and dwarf pomegranate.
How to Start a Bonsai Tree
The best way to learn the art and science of bonsai is from a teacher. Look for a bonsai club in your area. Bonsai enthusiasts are only too happy to welcome newbies to their hobby. Check out this list here for a list of all the Florida Bonsai Clubs.Bonsai starter kits are available from dealers. These generally include a plant – often a juniper – a flat bonsai pot, instructions, and various tools for bonsai tree trimming, training, and caring for your specimen. Kits are good way for beginners to get their hands dirty the first time. You can get yours at a local nursery or online.
If you are looking how to grow a bonsai then read then steps ahead to leaf you in the right direction. Remember with all things plants, practice and experience make you the master. Bonsai styling is an art!
Choosing a Starter Bonsai Species
Bonsai dealers offer “pre-bonsai” plants with good bonsai potential that have already been trimmed and root pruned a little depending on the kind of tree.
Pick a unique tree! The gnarled look adds character and a special touch to your bonsai
One bonsai tree that we would suggest is the Procumbens Nana Juniper Bonsai Tree is a low-maintenance indoor plant that adds a touch of elegance to any space. With its delicate, bright green foliage and soft texture, it brings a calming presence to your surroundings. Ideal for beginners or experienced bonsai enthusiasts.
If you love the idea of a bonsai tree but also want the added beauty of blooming flowers, the Frost Proof Gardenia Bonsai Tree is an excellent option. This bonsai tree is known for its ability to withstand harsh conditions and still produce stunning blooms. With its fragrant white flowers and glossy evergreen foliage, the Frost Proof Gardenia Bonsai Tree is a perfect choice to enhance the elegance and charm of any space.
A rooted cutting can be used to start a bonsai specimen, but you can find your own pre-bonsai at your local nursery. Look for picturesque specimens with thick trunks and many branches. Remember, they don’t have to be trees: Vines, evergreen shrubs and semi-woody sub-shrubs can be trained to outstanding bonsai specimens.When choosing a nursery plant for bonsai, look for a healthy specimen that isn’t yellowing, is well rooted in its small pot, and without pests. Pick one with a relatively thick trunk, preferably twisted or misshapen. Nursery rejects are often perfect subjects for bonsai.
A thick trunk makes the plant look older, which is what you want. You also want the trunk and the limbs to taper towards their ends. Trunks and branches that are the same diameter bottom to top just don’t look right. Some dead branches on the potential bonsai tree can be a good thing. The scars from old branches help to make the specimen look older and more weathered.
Bonsai experts often have to create scars when their subject is too “perfect.” Root systems that spread out from the trunk on the surface of the soil (called nebari by enthusiasts) make the specimen look older and are always highly valued. You don’t want them criss-crossed, though. The first branch should be the largest branch and should be about one-third of the way up the trunk. Avoid plants with most of the larger branches near the top.
Early Training and Bonsai Trimming
Prune your tree by trimming the root mass when planting in a new container. Ask us for more detailed questions! Remember, unless your plant is a tropical house plant, typically grown as an indoor plant, it will need to stay as an outdoor bonsai. Tropical bonsais are a fun and easy to grow indoor houseplant too.
You can turn tropical houseplants like ficus into indoor bonsai tree…check out this article. Just be careful the tropical tree doesn’t get burned by too much full sun. Keep it well watered, but don’t allow the soil to remain soggy. You should start the actual bonsai training of your new plant in early spring growing season. Bring indoors when the weather changes and the cold temperatures drop.
Remove the plant from its pot and place the root ball in a bucket of water and slosh it around to wash off most of the old soil mixture. Take the root mass out of the water, spread out the roots, and trim away about one-third of their length. Cover the roots and repot into a “training” container slightly smaller than the one it came in. Repeat in six months. You should repot your bonsai tree into its (usually smaller) final display container within a year or two.
Bonsai Tree Soil
Our bonsai soil is professionally mixed and comes in a resealable bag for easy usage! You can make your own potting mix with soil, leaf mold, and sand, but there is nothing wrong with a good quality commercial mix, and it’s convenient. Perfect Plant’s offers their very own pre-mixed Bonsai Soil Mix that will enrich and deliver the nutrients your bonsai tree needs to thrive with organic matter. Soil components include: pine bark, spaghnum peat moss, crushed grit, and sand for proper drainage, aeration and water retention. You may want to add extra pebbles, perlite, or lava rock to improve the drainage, though depending on your container/pot. This is the best type of soil for bonsai trees.
The Bonsai Container
The container makes the tree! Choose wisely… Bonsai artists take great care in the selection of the final container for their works of art. They balance the dimensions, shape, depth, and color of a container with the specimen that will be displayed in it. Here is where your individual creativity comes into play. Just make sure tree’s growing in a shallow pot with drainage holes. You do not want root rot.
Bonsai Training & Pruning
Making the proper pruning cuts will make sure your bonsai stays the right shape… don’t worry though it’s a learning process. Pruning is how we keep our bonsai specimens miniaturized and artistically shaped.The goal is to create a Bonsai that resembles nature as nearly as possible. Major pruning should be done in spring and summer, but you can make touch-up cuts any time. Keep up with pruning to maintain desired size and shape.
Use a concave cutter or branch cutters which allow you to cut branches flush with the trunk. This leaves a wound that heals better than ordinary flat bladed pruning shears would.
Maintenance pruning is another place where your individual artistic creativity comes in, but there are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind. If two branches occur at the same height of the tree, keep one of them and remove the other. You don’t want a lot of branches near the top of the specimen, so remove those that are crowded or disproportionately large. Pinch back (nip) new growth before it becomes woody to encourage the growth of side branches. Pinching back terminal buds makes the plant bushier. You can then select which of the new shoots to keep.Leaf pruning is also important to prune your bonsai to the leaf size you desire. Whatever leaves and branches you choose to prune, make sure to do it during the growth season.
Bonsai experts bend and shape branches by “wiring.” If you wrap aluminum or copper wire in a spiral around a branch, you can carefully bend the branch into the desired curve and basic shape. It should take just a few weeks for the branch to be retrained, and you can remove the bonsai wire before it scars the growing branch. You can find more information on this here. Wire train into a formal upright style and shape your tree to your heart’s desire. Remove the wire once the tree has attained the shape.
Bonsai Tree Care
Wire training is a practice! Bonsai Society has got you covered on specific tips and tricks Caring for a bonsai is easy! Bonsai plants should be watered once a day; twice a day during hot, dry weather. Water your bonsai until the surface of the soil is saturated and water runs out the bottom of the pot. As for fertilizer… be sure to check out our very own Bonsai Fertilizer by Perfect Plants.This fertilizer releases slowly over time in granular pellet form. It will last for one full year just be sure not to apply in the winter time. You will see greener leaves, stronger roots, and durability in your bonsai trees! Bonsais require fertilizer to stay healthy, since they are kept in the same pot for many years fertilizer will provide the nutrients the soil lacks.
Distribute pellets evenly around the base of the trunk of your tree and just beneath the top of the soil. We recommend poking a few small holes and filling them with a small scoop of pellets after watering your soil. Established bonsai conifers should be repotted and root pruned every 3-4 years, and deciduous trees every year or two. You want to root prune to encourage the bonsai growth habit and not to encourage mature tree growth.
Artisans have been perfecting bonsai for thousands of years. We are fortunate to have their experience and wisdom to guide us. Check out the American Bonsai Society (http://absbonsai.org/) and look for local groups in your area to help you get started in this ancient horticultural art.
Imperfection makes each tree unique and special to you. Good luck!
Grow a bonsai garden – they are easy to care for and fun to grow.
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