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You May Want to Consider Artificial Bonsai Trees

By admin On January 26, 2010 No Comments

Maybe you would like your garden to show the beauty of Bonsai trees but are not sure if if you are ready to care for the genuine plant. You may want to consider laying out a design that incorporates artificial Bonsai trees. The main positive feature of this option is the fact that it frees you from the extremely time consuming requirement of constant attention and maintenance that will be required to maintain the real thing.

Artificial Bonsai trees can still provide the uniqueness and aesthetic appeal of the real thing. By utilizing artificial Bonsai trees you will not have to worry about planting seeds, pruning, watering, and all of the other care processes that you would normally expect with living plants. Surprisingly, there is a large market and worldwide resources to satisfy that need.

Where to Look

If you decide to investigate the potential of this technique, then one of many places you will surely want to get dependable information is the Bonsai Boy Company. They are an established and popular company that offers one of the largest selections in the world for all forms of Bonsai trees, both real and artificial.

They offer Bonsai specials, Bonsai pots, Juniper Bonsai trees, Bonsai soils, Bonsai books and videos, flowering and fruiting trees, outdoor evergreen trees, outdoor deciduous trees, one of a kind trees, corporate gifts, figurines, humidity trays, desktop grow lights, natural stone landscapes, fertilizers and chemicals, tools and wire, and much more.

Another great resource that offers artificial Bonsai trees is Bonsai Gardener. This company offers a wide variety of Bonsai trees for you to choose from. They offer some of the most affordable prices that you will find on the market today.

Whether you are looking for a genuine living Bonsai plant and are eager to invest the time and effort that will going to be required of you, or you are just looking to get the aesthetic appeal of the real Bonsais foregoing the hassle, there will be very realistic artificial alternatives for you to choose from as well.

Bonsais are considered by many one of the most unique and beautiful trees in the world. Not only that, but because of their miniature size they are very versatile in terms of physical location and space requirements. Their compact nature and adaptability to heavy pruning means you can fit them into nearly any landscape design.

They are not dangerous to children or pets, and add personal style and taste to any landscape design. Endless options are open to you when designing with Bonsai plants, and if you are looking for a unique and distinctive tree, you may decide that the artificial bonsai tree fills your need very nicely.

Bonsai Tree Care Information – From Watering to Pruning to Soil

By admin On January 25, 2010 No Comments

The practice of Bonsai began in China and Japan hundreds of years ago, and is simple the miniaturization of naturally occurring plants and trees. Bonsai trees are not “special small” trees, but rather trees that ave been slowly miniaturized from their full size.

The main areas of tree care are the following:

Watering your Tree

Bonsai Trees require more watering than most plants, as they are grown in less soil and the soil itself is free draining (meaning it doesn’t retain the water and lets it pass through). The type of tree, the sunlight it is exposed to all factor in to how much watering should be done. You can tell if your Bonsai Tree needs water by looking at it, feeling the soil and if you prefer; by using a moisture meter to be certain.

Fertilizing your Tree

Bonsai plants are grown in smaller amount of soil compared with other trees and plants, therefore fertilizing and feeding your tree is key. You will want to fertilize once in the Spring and once again in the Fall to ensure maximum health and growth. Your fertilizer should contain chelated iron, nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. Make sure before you fertilize, to water your tree and then apply less than the recommended amount.

Misting your Tree

Bonsai trees and plants in general thrive in a humid environment, something that is somewhat uncommon in most of the world. Some gardeners would recommend misting your plants, to recreate this humid environment. The issue with misting is that it’s only a short term benefit to your plant. We recommend placing a tray below your tree, which you fill with water and allow natural evaporation to do the work to create humidity. Make sure the plant is setup off the tray so the roots are not sitting in the water constantly.

Sunlight for your Tree

Bonsai trees thrive in a sunny location, and only with a few exceptions (repotting, extreme trimming) it should live permanently in a sunny spot. It’s a good idea to leave your plant within a foot of a direct source of ultraviolet light. Southern (east/west okay too) exposure is best, if you plan to grow in a northern exposure location you may need the assistance of grow lights. Do not use Incandescent light as it is much too hot and does not provide a complete spectrum of light. Choose your type of tree wisely as some do better in less light and some require lots of light.

Trimming & Pruning your Tree

One of the main attractions of Bonsai ownership is the possibility to shape and mold your tree to meet your vision and desire. However there are fundamental concerns you need to keep in mind whilst pruning your tree. Balance is very important, and keeping a nice even distribution of branches over the your roots below is key to keeping your tree healthy and complete. You begin shaping your tree when it’s very young, and continue to shape even as your tree ages year after year. Butterfly shears are used to remove leaves and branches as needed. Large branches should only be removed with a concave cutter. Maintaining your trees appearance while minimizing the appearance of pruning is essential.

Protecting your Tree (from disease and pests)

Similar to many other trees and plants, bonsai are vulnerable to attacks by diseases and various pests. If you keep your bonsai in excellent health, you can ward of insects who are attracted to dyeing and weak trees. A healthy amount of light, fresh air and clean soil will ensure your bonsai stays healthy and gives you years of enjoyment. Insecticide soap spray is an option, however you should re-apply on a regular interval to prevent attacks from coming back.

Training your Bonsai

Expanding on the training idea of pruning and trimming, bonsai can be further trained using copper wise or hemp rope. The copper wire is rooted at the base of the tree and than wrapped around the trunk and branches, which allows your to train the branches to grow in your desired direction and shape. The wire should be wrapped closely but not too tight and the bends created should not be too extreme as to damage the branch. Once the wire starts biting into the bark, it should be removed. Removal should be done by snipping the wire at each bend, do not un wrap the wire as it can damage the branches and bark.

Soil for your Tree

When discussing watering above we noted that Bonsai trees use free draining soil, which means that it passes the water through and does not retain like typical potting soil. The makeup of the soil allows the roots of your bonsai to breathe freely. Bonsai soil comes in two main types, conifer and tropical mixtures. When you repot your tree make sure to do so with dry soil.

Repotting your Tree

As your bonsai grows and matures it will need to move containers. However unlike most repotting we do not upgrade our pots to larger sizes. When the bonsai is repotted the roots should be trimmed to fit the previous container size. Average time between repotting is 5 years, however it should be checked annually to verify root ball size. When trimming the root ball, do not remove more than 1/5 of the root material. Finally when repotting keep the bonsai out of the sun/light for at least a week.

Why Do You Need to Find the Right Bonsai Pot?

By admin On January 24, 2010 No Comments

Choosing the right bonsai pot is a thing that should be considered carefully if you have an interest in growing bonsai trees. The main value of a bonsai is its aesthetical appearance. A bonsai is a beautiful plant that will decorate your house nicely. It has a unique look and a certain appeal that can beautify any room or garden. Therefore, if you carelessly choose the pot of this beautiful plant, you will definitely diminish its beauty and along with that, its value.

The function of a bonsai pot is not limited only to its appearance, but it has a much more significant function in the life of a bonsai plant. A bonsai tree basically is the same thing as the ordinary tree. The only difference is its size. In order to keep a bonsai tree stays small, it has to be placed in a small container or pot. This pot will restrict the growth of the plant and thus it remains small. On the other hand, it also should be able to contain enough moisture that is very critical for the health of the bonsai. This moisture must not make the soil too soggy as well because it may rot the root system. In this case, finding the right moisture balance is essential to maintain the health of the plant.

The right size of a bonsai pot

Growing a bonsai tree is considered as a work of art because maintaining aesthetic value is very important in the process. One of the important factors that should be considered is the size of the pot. Since this factor is very important, experts suggest an exact formula to determine the proper size of a bonsai pot in relation to the dimension of the bonsai tree. The basic formula says that the width of the pot has to be the same or wider than half of the span of the tree and the depth has to be at least half of the height of the tree. This formula will help you to determine the right size of a bonsai pot. In addition to the size, a bonsai pot should have sufficient number of drain holes so water will not soak the soil, which can rot the roots.

The right color of a bonsai pot

It is obvious that the color of a bonsai pot that blends nicely with the bonsai tree will enhance the appearance of the plant. In general, brown color is suitable for most types of bonsai tree. Other colors that you can consider are pale yellow and off-white as long as you can match it with the color of the leaves. Many people like using glazed pots and they indeed look beautiful, although you will need to spend more money to buy one. You can choose other colors if you like. The most important thing is that you should match the color with the leaves, flowers, and the style of the tree. Otherwise you will ruin the aesthetic value of the bonsai.

Bonsai tree care

By admin On January 24, 2010 No Comments

First and foremost think about the conditions the tree will be in. Indoor Bonsai will generally need to be close to a window or be supplemented with artificial light. A small tray with gravel and a little bit of water under the tree will add humidity around the tree. It may not need to be watered every day but it should be checked daily as the small pots can dry out rather quickly.

Steps in bonsai care

Watering Watering is the most important part in bonsai care. This is the crux of the art of bonsai. Most Bonsai tree that die are lost due to dehydration, either from lack of watering or from being kept in a low humidity environment (indoors) for too long. How often you should water is a common question people ask about bonsai trees. There is no hard and fast rule prescribed for the same. When the soil begins to dry out water your plant thoroughly until the excess water runs out of the bottom of the pot, signifying you’re done. Remember, over-watering is as bad as under-watering, thus all the fuss about getting it just right.

Pots and soil The soil you use affects rooting, feeding, watering and transpiration, it is where half your tree lives so this is the second biggest consideration in maintaining your bonsai. While the needs of individual species vary greatly a good rule of thumb is 30% grit, 70% humus for deciduous trees, and 70% grit with 30% humus for evergreen-needled plants. Bonsai trees should be fertilized with a water-soluble fertilizer once or twice per month during the growing season. However the choice of fertilizer may vary depending on the species you’ve chosen to miniaturize. Always apply fertilizer when the soil is wet. Bonsai trees are intentionally allowed to become root-bound in their containers, and the roots too, are pruned.

Pruning A bonsai plant is pruned in two ways viz. branch pruning and root pruning. Pruning of branches is performed in spring. Much, but not all of the new growth is removed. Branches are selected early on as the only branches to be allowed to prosper, while the excess branches are mercilessly pruned off. The main factor in maintaining bonsai is the removal of all but the most important parts of the plant. Bonsai is all about the reduction of everything just to the essential elements. Also Bonsai trees are intentionally allowed to become root-bound in their containers, and the roots too, are pruned. But root-bound plants won’t thrive forever in that condition and, indeed, bonsai trees must be re-potted every two or three years to furnish the roots with fresh soil.

Changing the shape of the tree Bonsai tree wiring is an advanced skill to grow the bonsai into an art form. Desirable branches are wired to control the direction in which they grow. Wiring can do a great deal to change the shape of the plant, but it can also do a great deal of damage to the plant if done incorrectly.

To sum up This may seem like a lot to do to just to buy a little tree, but it’s no different than any other informed purchase, just as you wouldn’t buy a fish without having a special home for it you should have a special home for your Bonsai tree.

Bonsai Tree Secrets Guide

By admin On January 23, 2010 No Comments

Growing and maintaining a healthy looking bonsai tree can sometimes prove to be a tough task

for those who are unaware of the necessary attention,patience and dedication needed in order to successfully grow and nurter a bonsai tree.This is where I would like to talk about and review a very helpful bonsai tree guide I recently bought, which is called “Bonsai Care Secrets”.This guide shows

people how to grow as well as take effective care of their bonsai trees.

This easy to follow,step by step guide which is also loaded with more than 50 colour photos, guides you in growing and maintaining a healthy looking bonsai tree.It does not matter If you are a beginner

or an experienced gardener who is already aware of bonsai tree needs, this ebook will

greatly enhance your knowledge for growing successful bonsai plants. With this ebook you will learn many aspects such as identifying ideal loactions for planting, different growing techniques, disease curing and general training all your bonsai trees.

The other important topics talked about include “How to identify types of bonsai for indoor or outdoor growing”,” Three simple ways to grow bonsai from cuttings or seeds” And various other tips and tricks to pruning and shaping a bonsai tree.This will help you achieve great success in growing your first Bonsai tree! This package also includes three bonus gifts which are “Growing Bonsai for Beginners”,”Growing Bonsai from Seed” and “Three Reports on Composting, Pest Management and Mulching”. This package is an absolute must for anyone interested in growing or maintaining bonsai trees.

US Bonsai Gardens to Visit

By admin On January 23, 2010 No Comments

Visiting a Japanese garden is a serene experience. It beckons its visitors to leave the world behind and enjoy the beauty and splendor of nature. Bonsai are included in most Japanese gardens and enhance their uniqueness and beauty. In a Japanese garden you are encouraged to observe, listen and reflect. Visiting just one of these gardens is a treat for all of the senses.

The United States National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington DC has one of the largest collections of bonsai and penjing trees in North America. The garden began when Japan donated 53 bonsai trees to the people of the United States to commemorate the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976. It now contains over 150 plants donated by American and Japanese bonsai masters and penjing from China. The exhibit also includes viewing stones and ikebana which is Japanese flower arranging. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every day of the year except Christmas.

The Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection in Federal Way Washington was created in 1989 by the Weyerhaeuser Company to honor their trade relations with Pacific Rim nations and as a tribute to the Washington state centennial. It contains over 50 bonsai trees from around the world and is free of charge. It is opened year round March – September 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Thursdays and October – February 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Thursdays and Fridays. The bonsai represents works by renowned artists and several of their trees have won awards.

Elandan Gardens located in Bremerton Washington is a family-owned garden that is opened to the public. The collection includes trees more than 1000 years old. The owner, Dan Robinson, has spent more than 40 years dedicated to the art of bonsai. Built in 1993, it is located on six acres of land off the shores of Puget Sound. It is a dynamic garden, changing from season to season as Dan continues to add more bonsai to his collection. The garden is open Tuesdays through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are closed on Mondays and the month of January.

Harvard University Arboretum or the Arnold Arboretum is home to the Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection. Most of the trees in the Bonsai collection were imported by Larz Anderson in 1913 when he returned after serving as ambassador to Japan. The trees were donated to the Arboretum in 1937 and 1949 with the deaths of Larz and eventually his wife, Isabel. They also donated funds to build a shade house for their display. Today, due to theft and inexperience with the bonsai when they were first donated, there are only 15 of the original 39 trees left, but the collection is still enjoyable to look at. The bonsai can be viewed mid April through early November from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The international Bonsai Arboretum is owned by William N. Valavanis and is dedicated to the art of bonsai. It is mainly an educational facility to teach bonsai, but it also sells bonsai equipment. The bonsai garden can be viewed by appointment only. It is an unusual garden full of sculptured trees and rare plant material. It is located in West Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester.

One of the most spectacular conservatories in the United States is the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It features 13 indoor garden rooms and 6 outdoor garden areas. One of the outdoor gardens is the Japanese Courtyard Garden that includes Japanese lanterns, a quaint stream and a beautiful bonsai collection. The conservatory is open year round, seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. on Fridays.

Fighting Bonsai Disease and Damage

By admin On January 22, 2010 No Comments

Bonsai have a tendency to decay and are susceptible to damages. For this reason, you must learn all the rules about treating the plant for pests and diseases. This requires you to be versed in recognizing the symptoms of an endangered plant. Decay and damage comes from lack of care, as well as from red spider mites, scale insects, and mealy bugs, aphids, which include the greenfly, gall aphid, and the black fly. Wooly aphids also attack bonsai as well as goat moth, leopard moth, geometer moths, small ermine moths, etc.

Spider mites include the web-forming tetranychus and the glasshouse reds. The greenhouse mites and the red spiders often feast at the underside of bonsai or other plants, especially at the leaves. The spider mites and greenhouse will chew at the foliage as well. If the spiders or mites gnaw at the leaves, you will notice marks, patterns, or irregular patterns, which turn yellow, or silver-gray. It depends on how severe the pests have attacked the bonsai. The tree may fade away if you do not treat immediately. The web-formers create webs, which you will find on the trees. To eliminate the problem and save your bonsai spray the plant/foliage with insecticides. You need to spray the undersides. Use acaricides immediately if you notice mild symptoms. You can use defensive action at the start of spring, otherwise use a selection of acaricides so that the pests do not adapt to the chemicals.

Red mites or the red spiders will feast on needles. This will cause the needles to show signs of damage. The plant will change from its natural color, changing to reddish-brown, yellow, etc. The needles will finally fall off the plant if you do not treat. The spiders will produce a matted web between the branches. This will cause the carbohydrates to slow production, since light and chlorophyll is reduced, i.e. the process of plants ability to produce basic carbohydrates produced from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, etc are reduced. The plant will not have the energy produced from photosynthesis processes to continue its growth and produce macrobiotic cellular pigments that absorb from radiant sources.

To treat your bonsai you will need to consider the plants. If you produce conifer and deciduous trees you can wait until the climate is warm and dry the plant. Continue treatment by cutting and destroying any branches that have been severed. Once the bonsai starts its new growth (usually near the end of winter), you can spray the bonsai with tar oil. Tar oil is a thick black substance, which is obtained from destructive distillation process and extracted from macrobiotic fluids. (E.g. coal or wood) Spray the tar oil with caution. Tar oil will destroy the female reproductive cells, or eggs. As the spring nears, use methodical acaricides and spray the bonsai. You will need to spray the bonsai again in the summer with distinctive acaricides. You should water your bonsai munificently in the summer and vapor the foliage methodically.

The deciduous trees will show signs of damage, such as hibernated eggs, which are often found on the branches. At the bark, you may notice red patches. During spring, the mites may leave holes in the leaves. You will find the mites predominantly at the underneath of the leaves. Mites and spiders often drop eggs on confers in cracks, especially at the bark. The eggs are also deposited at the foundation of the plant needles. Geometer moths leave trails on foliage. The pests will feast on foliage and leave perforations in the sprouts, or buds. Geometers will also leave silky web trails in the soil or at the foliage. To treat the problem sprays the bonsai at the last months of winter with oil-based solutions. The oils will obliterate the eggs. Once spring arrives, treat the plant with parathion-based solutions made by chemical processes, or use lindane