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What Bonsai Gardening Is All About
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Bonsai is a Japanese art form which has been handed down over the years and it can be translated to mean "tray garden". It is an art that focuses on growing trees in small pots or trays and then pruning the branches and the roots.
This way you train the plant to grow the way that you want it too look. A bonsai plant will end up looking like an old looking tree in a miniature shape. Bonsai plants have to be taken care of properly and if they are they live to be older than larger scale versions of the same species of plants.
Bonsai plants aren't naturally small and they are trained to achieve this appearance. After Bonsai training training, they tend to look like dwarfs. Their height ranges from as small as 2 inches up to 3.33 feet. These plants include those who have already been trained by a real bonsai artist or the untrained starter plant that needs little or no training.
It is essential that you find the species that you have bought so that you can find out the particular care that they require in terms of watering, pruning and re-potting.
Bonsai plants aren't indoor plants. They may be brought indoor on certain occasions but if they have to survive, they must spend most of their lives outdoors. They shouldn't be placed in contact with direct sunlight. Make sure that you use a potting soil mix or a pre-made bonsai soil mix. Since the container is small you need a small water reservoir.
It needs more water in weather that is dry and hot and a lot less water in weather that is cool and rainy. You also need fertilizer to restock whatever that gets washed away during frequent watering. Feedings tend to take place anytime from early spring to late in the summer.
With Bonsai plants regular repotting is often required. This helps to promote the growth of these plants and to maintain their health as well. Repotting should be done when the plant is at its most dormant stage and this is during early spring or late in the autumn. Younger plants will tend to need this every two to three years and older plants will require repotting a lot less often.
In order to give a Bonsai plant the required look you have to prune the plant regularly. This pruning is usually performed during the growing season. You should to this with fingers and by pinching the new growth to grow with much more bushiness. Use scissors only to trim the new shoots and leaf pruning to get rid of the bad leaves.
Aluminum wires should be used to guide the branches of the tree and the trunk in different directions. These wires should be loosely wired around the desired part so you don't damage the bark and then they should be gently bent into shape. When the tree is grown this way you can proceed to remove the wire.
When you look at a Bonsai plant, you will clearly note that is an art form. It has been carried out throughout the years and takes care in order to achieve the look that is desired. Through this time the grower will have expended a great amount of patience and care during the life of the plant. The beauty that results in the end is a true testament to the work of an artist and should be admired in the end.
Guy Starbuck is a crazy dreamer and author who writes for PlantWebsite.com, MiniGarden.com, and RoseMaven.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Guy_Starbuck
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