How do I make a bonsai from Nursery Stock?

TreeBay

We generally begin the process by pruning the top of the tree, because that tells us how much root will be needed to support the remaining foliage.

In practice we will be working to reduce the mass of the rootball and doing some selective pruning of the top of the tree to reduce the plant size sufficiently to accomodate a bonsai-style container in the future

The first transplant rarely gets you as far as the "final" bonsai container, but it is reasonable to expect that two repottings from now you could be in a showable bonsai container.

TOOLS

Sharp tools help because they are less likely to crush or tear stems. *You can see some basic bonsai tools at TreeBay Bonsai Tools & Supplies

CREATION PRUNING

There are three main factors in the first pruning. *You want to define the silhouette of the tree, select an apex, and choose a front.

CHOOSING THE FRONT

If you place your tree on a table where you can twist it round to examine it from all sides, you will probably find a side that appeals to you most, based on the arrangement of roots or alignment of the trunk. *That side is considered a potential "front" for the tree. * Often the opposite side may be an alternative front because of symmetry, but you may decide it is a definite BACK based on flaws.

THE SILHOUETTE

The silhouette is the outline of the branches of the tree defined by the limits of the outermost branches. *Some trees have silhouettes that are triangular, oval or flare shaped. * The shape of the silhouette is defined by the height of the tree and the arrangement of the branches. * The outline should be slightly irregular so as to appear natural, but a general profile should be discerned. *It will be hard to choose an exact shape for the tree until you have defined the apex, so we will look at that next.

THE APEX

Trees are different than shrubs because they are defined by a dominant trunkline, as opposed to a somewhat haphazard arrangement of branches of approximately the same size. *The trunkline tapers as it rises but can generally be identified at least through the top 3/4 of the tree before it disappears in a canopy of foliage. * The trunkline must either taper or move or it can be considered monotonous and boring.

Some trees may have more than one trunk, but the trunks should be complementary in shape and contrasting in size with thickness in proportion to height.

DEVELOPING THE TRUNKLINE

The next step is to define the trunkline of the tree if it is poorly defined (due to lack of taper, long straight regions, trunk too tall, etc.)

You will be cutting back to existing branches in most cases to try to define a silhouette that is pleasing and interesting. *With the weeping fig, it may be necessary to apply bonsai wire to coax the branches into a more elegant, draping appearance in the future.

If you can post a photo, you'll get some more specific advice. * It's difficult to make general suggestions, but one can usually identify the points of the tree that are most interesting and those areas that are devoid of interest (long straight branches, areas with no movement or taper). *Ultimately you will want a trunk that tapers towards its apex, so you can select branches that achieve this effect, so to create a pleasing trunkline you would probably be cutting the apex at a point at which a smaller branch emerges that can be arranged to represent the top of the tree, and from that branch another smaller branch will be chosen and so forth.

BRANCHES

With the height of the tree defined, you can go back and remove redundant or poorly placed branches to open up the interior of the tree. *The idea at this point is to further define the trunkline, create branches which taper and move and are logically arranged in size and position. *Multiple branches emerging from the same point or branches that emerge at undesireable angles are points to consider for deletion.

THE ROOTS

You're now in a good position to open the rootball and trim the roots. *You will want the root system to be shallow, efficient and well arranged. * You need to leave sufficient root to support the remaining foliage of the tree, and definitely error on leaving too much rather than too little. *Thick roots do a bonsai little service. *It's the fine feeder roots that will do the lion's share of the work. *

Rootwork and repotting are really outside the scope of this comment, but if you search this forum on "Camellia Repot" or look int TreeBay Bonsai Tools & Supplies or bonsaiTALK Links >Techniques >Repotting for articles about repotting and soils, it will get you started.

SUMMARY

The development of a bonsai is a process of continuous refinement, but I hope these tips can get you started. *The key points to understand are the goals in styling (creating a pleasing plant with appropriate proportions) and using the appropriate pruning techniques to achieve that end. *If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Best regards,

Matt

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