 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Contents
It is difficult to go to your local
nursery and find a tree suitable for Bonsai. The roots are rarely
suitable and the branches are long and stringy with long internodes.
I find that when I purchase a nursery tree, it takes me approximately 5
- 7 years to re-work it into a suitable Bonsai tree.
I prefer to grow Bonsai from seedlings. This gives me the best control to develop the tree. Seedlings also give you a nearly unlimited selection of species and varieties. Although seedlings are usually sold in lots of 25 or 50, the cost is less than one older tree. As you grow your seedlings you can cull out trees that are not developing as you like. These culls often make nice little gifts if you feel bad about tossing them out.
As I write this, there is a foot of snow on the ground. This is the perfect time to browse through catalogs and decide on which seedlings to purchase. There are innumerable Christmas tree seedling growers that offer many varieties that are good for Bonsai. Some others specialize in deciduous species or liners. There are other growers that have selections with Bonsai in mind. How much you order depends on how much room you have and how much work you want to put into growing. Check out the Links Page.
I start my seedlings in 6" pots. Five years later each tree may be 2-3ft. in diameter and use 20 times the amount of soil. This is where culling becomes important. Once you decide on which seedlings you want to grow, order them so they will be delivered in the spring when there is little danger from sudden freezes that will kill or damage them. In southern New Jersey this is around late April or early May.
Now your seedlings are ordered. You will need to prepare for their arrival. Decide where you will grow your baby Bonsai trees. Most trees should get full sun. Some deciduous trees require a little shade in the afternoon. All should have easy access to water. They will need watering every day in Summer. A battery powered automatic sprinkler control is perfect for the task.
Get enough 6" pots for each seedling. You will often see them listed as ‘mum pots’. They are sometimes available used from landscapers at a great price. Get several 1 gallon nursery pots, also. You will see why later.
Next, you will need soil. Soil from your garden is not suitable for containers. Bonsai soil is cost prohibitive. The soil mix does need to be very well draining. I combine a commercial nursery mix with coarse sand and pearlite at a ratio of about 2:1:1. Most of these are available at your local feed or agricultural supply store. You’re all set! Now you just have to wait for spring (heavy sigh!).
OK, it’s spring! (That fast!) Your seedlings have arrived. This is a good day to call out sick from work. If not, get your seedlings into a bucket of water. If it is going to be more than a few days, heal them in your garden and through some burlap over them.
The first goal in growing Bonsai from seedlings is to develop the roots. You want a shallow root system that extends radialy out in all directions. There are a number of tricks to accomplish this. Much depends on the type of tree. First assemble all of your pots and have your soil already mixed and ready to go. Find a shady place out of the wind to work. Put your seedlings (one variety at a time) in a bucket of water mixed with some mud to keep the roots dark.
When you look at your seedling there will be a long tap root. Small fibrous root will extend along the length of the tap root. You will need to cut the tap root off leaving between 1" and 2" of root with fibrous roots. This sounds drastic, and it is, but it is the only way to grow good Bonsai. You will loose a few seedling but these would have ended up being culled later because of poor root systems.
Gently plant the seedlings in your 6" containers level with the old soil line. Plant some vertically and some at about a 45 degree angle. Be sure there are no air pockets. Water gently as there is not much root holding the seedling in the pot. The soil level often settles. Add more soil to obtain the correct level and water again.
Sometimes you will have deciduous seedlings with no fibrous roots on the upper area of the tap root. Wrap 2mm or 3mm aluminum wire a few times around the tap root about 1 inch from the soil line. Be sure there is no space between the coils. Twist the ends together so it can not open up. This will make a collar. Plant the entire seedling in the 1 gallon container a little deeper than you did the others. If the tap root is curled at the bottom, that is fine. As the tree grows and thickens the collar will cause a layering and roots will extent from just above the wire. All you will need to do, in a couple of years, is cut the tap root off just above the collar. This is a very effective technique on many deciduous trees, especially ones that will end up in very shallow pots (such as Zelkova).
As the first year progresses you need to do very little other than keep the seedlings watered and fertilized as you would any other nursery shrub. Remember, we want a lot of growth on top to force root growth and thicken the base of the tree.
When fall arrives we will begin to treat conifers different than deciduous trees. I am going to use Black Pines and Maples as my examples for each but you can apply the techniques to most other trees with slight variations. I will also be describing training in the informal upright style but, again, other styles can be applied with slight variation.
To develop Maples and deciduous trees see: ‘Developing Maples From Seedlings’.
To develop Black Pines and conifers see: ‘Developing Black Pines From Seedlings’.
|
|
|
|