This Is NOT A Bonsai...
For the next two weeks, I have passed the pen (or, in actual fact, the keyboard) onto my foreman and friend Randy Mason, who will be sharing with you his passion; the fine art of mutilating perfectly healthy and happy plants, more commonly known as “Bonsai” (oops, I may have just lost a friend and foreman…).
I am – of course – just kidding; there are millions of people who enjoy Bonsai and as this is not my field of expertise, I am more than happy to let Randy fill you in on all you need to know. I will be back in a couple of weeks to show you what you can do in your garden to help you achieve “The One Tonne Challenge”.
Until then, happy Bonsai!
René Trim
***
I am above all, not an expert in Bonsai. I dabble. And I enjoy what I have created in my dabbling. I am still experimenting, and learning. But I am willing to share with you what I have learned, even my dismal failures…
“This is NOT a bonsai…”
…and the maker of the statement was correct. But then, again, what is a bonsai? Bonsai is a form of manipulation of a specific plant (usually a deciduous or coniferous tree). The manipulator is human, as opposed to the manipulation by the elements on similar trees found naturally, in, well…Nature.
Bonsai originated in China, where they are called Pen-Jing. The Chinese Pen-Jing is meant to reflect a landscape that occurs in Nature, but at a one tenth, one one-hundredth or one one- thousandth scale. Bonsai is the Japanese take on this art form, and almost literally means “plant in a tray”. The goal of Bonsai is to reflect, as closely as possible, what might be found in Nature.
What I have done, however, is a little different, in that I have taken a cutting of an Abutilon x hybrida (Flowering Maple) and placed it in a shallow pocket of a lava rock.
I cannot do the traditional removal of the tree from the pot every second year or so, because to do so would cause irreparable harm to the root system. The root system has anchored itself to the crevices of the lava rock. This kind of tearing, I believe, would severely damage, if not kill, the Abutilon. I have to content myself with the manipulation of the leaves, and branches.
Originally, there were two Chinese Junipers (Juniperus chinensis) growing out of either side of the lava rock’s pockets. I, in my ignorance, killed them. I watered too often, did not provide them with the sun exposure that they required, and basically was negligent in my care of these plants. It is a common enough mistake to over-water. I have since learned to water when the plants tell me that they need watering. No, I do not hear voices from the plants, but use a common greenhouse technique called Wilting Point, which is much easier to ascertain with deciduous plants. There is another technique for conifers or any other plant, and that is simply by touch (greater discussion in future columns).
When the rock was given to me, my first thought was that it resembled a mountain. The lava rock itself, is approximately 12” tall, and at the base is 9” wide tapering to 4”. It is uniformly grey in colour. I am still experimenting with trays that hold the lava rock. At present, the most aesthetically pleasing tray is a shallow circular grey dish, but I am forever on the lookout for an oval or oblong tray. The lava rock sits nicely within the dish, but I have yet to find suitable filler for the bottom of the tray. I have tried aquarium grade sand, which has a nice texture, but unfortunately repels water, causing a hideous and messy pooling effect in the tray.
The Abutilon is now 9” inches tall, with two main branches that rise above the main trunk. These are peppered with leaves that I regularly nip away. The basic rule of thumb is nip away no more than 40% of the leaves. This will allow for further development of new leaves, and will not harm the essential photosynthesis process that all plants require to survive. I judge which leaves are nipped by their proportions to the rest of the plant, and the overall proportion to the “view” that I am trying to create. You are saying to yourself, how be this different from traditional bonsai? Well, the other plant that is sharing attention in the lava rock is a Coleus cutting. This is definitely not traditional bonsai.
The Coleus cutting is doing rather particularly well in this setting. And it rivals in both form and beauty the Abutilon. It also adds colour to the setting. This was a risky effort as I had not, prior to this experiment, used herbaceous cuttings in a bonsai format. Now, a few years later, the Coleus has a marvellous woody trunk that seems to flow from the lava rock in a gracefully upturned swoop, whereas the Abutilon is more tree-like and traditional, with a single main trunk that is erect and tapering.
My next endeavour, besides finding suitable filler for the base, will be to attempt to grow moss on the lava rock. That will require a slow and diligent process of layered “painting” of the moss formula. Why not just plant commercially acquired moss? Well, where would the fun be in that?
In retrospect, the speaker of the statement, “That is not a bonsai...”, was quite correct. In fact, what I have done can be more likened to Pen-Jing. And quite frankly, no matter what it is called, it does not really matter. What is important is that I enjoy whatever I have created, and that it adds colour, form and pleasurable feelings to my home.
Whatever you attempt to do with your “bonsai” or “Pen-Jing” is up to you. What really counts is that you derive some sort of happiness, knowing that you care for an object that creates a focus in your home, and has the added value of contributing to the oxygen replacement of our environment. In future columns, I will be discussing in greater depth the history of Bonsai and Pen-Jing, as well as, “Wilting Point” and other techniques mentioned, and types of cuttings and styles of Bonsai.
I am – of course – just kidding; there are millions of people who enjoy Bonsai and as this is not my field of expertise, I am more than happy to let Randy fill you in on all you need to know. I will be back in a couple of weeks to show you what you can do in your garden to help you achieve “The One Tonne Challenge”.
Until then, happy Bonsai!
René Trim
***
I am above all, not an expert in Bonsai. I dabble. And I enjoy what I have created in my dabbling. I am still experimenting, and learning. But I am willing to share with you what I have learned, even my dismal failures…
“This is NOT a bonsai…”
…and the maker of the statement was correct. But then, again, what is a bonsai? Bonsai is a form of manipulation of a specific plant (usually a deciduous or coniferous tree). The manipulator is human, as opposed to the manipulation by the elements on similar trees found naturally, in, well…Nature.
Bonsai originated in China, where they are called Pen-Jing. The Chinese Pen-Jing is meant to reflect a landscape that occurs in Nature, but at a one tenth, one one-hundredth or one one- thousandth scale. Bonsai is the Japanese take on this art form, and almost literally means “plant in a tray”. The goal of Bonsai is to reflect, as closely as possible, what might be found in Nature.
What I have done, however, is a little different, in that I have taken a cutting of an Abutilon x hybrida (Flowering Maple) and placed it in a shallow pocket of a lava rock.
I cannot do the traditional removal of the tree from the pot every second year or so, because to do so would cause irreparable harm to the root system. The root system has anchored itself to the crevices of the lava rock. This kind of tearing, I believe, would severely damage, if not kill, the Abutilon. I have to content myself with the manipulation of the leaves, and branches.
Originally, there were two Chinese Junipers (Juniperus chinensis) growing out of either side of the lava rock’s pockets. I, in my ignorance, killed them. I watered too often, did not provide them with the sun exposure that they required, and basically was negligent in my care of these plants. It is a common enough mistake to over-water. I have since learned to water when the plants tell me that they need watering. No, I do not hear voices from the plants, but use a common greenhouse technique called Wilting Point, which is much easier to ascertain with deciduous plants. There is another technique for conifers or any other plant, and that is simply by touch (greater discussion in future columns).
When the rock was given to me, my first thought was that it resembled a mountain. The lava rock itself, is approximately 12” tall, and at the base is 9” wide tapering to 4”. It is uniformly grey in colour. I am still experimenting with trays that hold the lava rock. At present, the most aesthetically pleasing tray is a shallow circular grey dish, but I am forever on the lookout for an oval or oblong tray. The lava rock sits nicely within the dish, but I have yet to find suitable filler for the bottom of the tray. I have tried aquarium grade sand, which has a nice texture, but unfortunately repels water, causing a hideous and messy pooling effect in the tray.
The Abutilon is now 9” inches tall, with two main branches that rise above the main trunk. These are peppered with leaves that I regularly nip away. The basic rule of thumb is nip away no more than 40% of the leaves. This will allow for further development of new leaves, and will not harm the essential photosynthesis process that all plants require to survive. I judge which leaves are nipped by their proportions to the rest of the plant, and the overall proportion to the “view” that I am trying to create. You are saying to yourself, how be this different from traditional bonsai? Well, the other plant that is sharing attention in the lava rock is a Coleus cutting. This is definitely not traditional bonsai.
The Coleus cutting is doing rather particularly well in this setting. And it rivals in both form and beauty the Abutilon. It also adds colour to the setting. This was a risky effort as I had not, prior to this experiment, used herbaceous cuttings in a bonsai format. Now, a few years later, the Coleus has a marvellous woody trunk that seems to flow from the lava rock in a gracefully upturned swoop, whereas the Abutilon is more tree-like and traditional, with a single main trunk that is erect and tapering.
My next endeavour, besides finding suitable filler for the base, will be to attempt to grow moss on the lava rock. That will require a slow and diligent process of layered “painting” of the moss formula. Why not just plant commercially acquired moss? Well, where would the fun be in that?
In retrospect, the speaker of the statement, “That is not a bonsai...”, was quite correct. In fact, what I have done can be more likened to Pen-Jing. And quite frankly, no matter what it is called, it does not really matter. What is important is that I enjoy whatever I have created, and that it adds colour, form and pleasurable feelings to my home.
Whatever you attempt to do with your “bonsai” or “Pen-Jing” is up to you. What really counts is that you derive some sort of happiness, knowing that you care for an object that creates a focus in your home, and has the added value of contributing to the oxygen replacement of our environment. In future columns, I will be discussing in greater depth the history of Bonsai and Pen-Jing, as well as, “Wilting Point” and other techniques mentioned, and types of cuttings and styles of Bonsai.
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posted by Davor Novakovic @ Monday, May 23, 2005
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