Collin

I'm new to this hobby and have a general question not related to any particular species or style.

My question is about the trunk height to width ratio which I understand should be about 6:1. I have read about seven books about bonsia and most have pictures of bonsai at various stages of development. I regularly see pictures of trees in bonsai pots where the height to trunk ratio is clearly more than 6:1.

I've purchased some nursery stock and performed some basic techniques such as pruning, wiring, trunk chopping, and creating a new apex from a branch. I think I understand the basic techniques. I envision most of my trees to be around 12 inches tall and have pruned them accordingly. However, a height of 12 inches requires a trunk width of 2 inches at the base. None of my trees have a 2-inch trunk at the base although a few have about a 1-inch trunk at the base. I am worried I am creating funny looking shrubs as opposed to creating bonsai.

My question (finally) is how much should I expect the trunk to thicken after I start styling it? I planned to do some pruning and height reduction while leaving the trees in the 1 or 3-gallon containers in which I purchased them. I assume the trunk won't thicken much once they are in a bonsai pot. Will planting them in the ground make the trunk thicken more rapidly than leaving them in a full-sized pot? Also, what affect does height reduction have on the rate of trunk thickening?

Thanks in advance,

Collin

Advertisement