Bonsai
From WhiteStar 02
Tips and tricks gathered from various message boards and web sites.
[edit] My first bonsai course
I went to a full-day introductory course this weekend (Sunday the 20th of August). The first 2 hours were theory on the basic forms and general care. Then we spent 5 hours where:
- Each student got a tree by random draw.
- Each student would go in front of the class, pick the front of the tree with the help of the teacher, then decide the general direction to take for the tree and make the first few cuts (some more drastic than others).
- Once each student had a starter bonsai, we would repot the bonsai (again with the teacher's help)
- Each student would then get personal instruction on how to water the tree.
The trees chosen were the classic "beginner's bonsai" - Ficus Microcarpa (Retusa). They were all around 7 years old, and all the same general style, each having a very curved trunk.
The first time we went in front of the class with our tree, the teacher pruned them heavily. I guess this is normal for a first shaping, but it seemed very drastic.
[edit] Ficus
- Botanical name: Ficus Microcarpa (Retusa) (Species guide)
- English name: Chinese Banyan tree
- Age: ~7 years
- Style: Informal upright (Moyogi)
[edit] (2006/08/22)
This tree was originally pretty badly placed, with the big curve in the trunk giving a totally horizontal stretch of trunk. It also had some bad branches (especially the original head of the tree, which was between two curved branches and was cut to favor one of those).
The current form and placement were determined with the help of the teacher. I don't really like the curve of the main branch (to the left) which seems too low to me, but I'll see how it turns out when it makes some ramifications - I guess I can always wire it and move it back upwards later. Other than that, I'm anxious to see how it will look once some more leaves and branches will have grown.
The planned "head" of the tree is the top curved branch that points to the right. It separates into two branches. The one that points up will be the head in a few years, while the one that points right will probably be wired to go fill the void a bit lower.
The two small cut branches (one left, right atop the main branch; one right, outside the big curve in the trunk) will probably be cut later. I'm waiting to see how they develop. Especially the one on the right which I find is badly placed. While cutting that one, I could probably cut a piece of the angle from which it comes out of the trunk so it would be less angular.
In addition, I find the pot is not well suited to the tree's current and future shape. A pot with sides curving outwards would be best, I think.
One good thing is that the tree has already started sprouting new leaves. I hear that Ficus lose all their leaves in a hurry when they're in shock, so it would seem that I've taken care of my tree pretty well up until now (though it's probably too early to tell).
P.S. Sorry for the bad background in the picture. I wanted to take a picture ASAP to post it here and that's all I could find to use at the moment. I'll make a better picture soon (a red background would be nice!).
