Bonsai Trees

Bonsai trees, indoor Bonsai trees care, pruning bonsai trees and the best bonsai trees care, bonsai trees advice.

  The art of growing bonsai trees was originally the practice of containing the size of ancient wild trees in China. Bonsai is a Chinese word pun sai, this word means

'tree in a pot'. Bonsai trees are normal shrubs and trees that are miniturised.

They still go through normal seasonal phases of bearing fruit, flowering, and shedding their leaves.

  It has taken many years for plants to grow and they take advantage of natural light, wind, rain and normal seasonal changes. Growing them indoors means they have to adapt to dimmer lighting conditions and lower humidity levels. Bonsai trees may be able to live for a short time indoors but it will never grow strong and healthy. If the tree is constantly kept indoors for it will inevitably result in the tree dying unless the tree is put outside to regain its health. Some bonsai trees can be grown indoors for a short period of time, these are tropical types but these are trees that are protected against the cold, but tropical species that are kept indoors do need to go outside as soon as the threat of frost has passed in the Spring. Outdoor bonsai may be kept in the house, provided that a cool area is selected and that the duration is no longer than a couple of days. Some tropical species of tree are suitable for growing indoors but even these should spend the summer months outside.

  One important thing you need to understand when growing bonsai, is that the plant keeps its small size through regular pruning, if this isn't done it will continue to grow until it no longer looks like a bonsai but an ordinary garden plant or tree. The roots of a bonsai need to be annually pruned, this is not to keep it small. Root pruning produces a small tightly packed ball of roots that enables the plant to be planted in a suitably sized container. If the roots aren't pruned then the roots of the plant will keep growing till they fill the plant pot up and strangle the tree. By pruning about a 1/3 of the roots every year you can put new soil into the pot and this allows new roots to be able to grow.

  Pruning and shaping your first tree will allow you to find that there are many basic ways to pruning a bonsai, but these are only basic guides and you should try to replicate the look of the original tree as it would look in its original habitat. What you need to try and create is a miniturised natural looking tree that resembles as close as possible its full grown counterpart.

  Growing a bonsai tree can be a very rewarding pastime, over a period of time you can nurture and shape your tree into a unique work of art that you have created and can be proud of.