Bonsai In-situ

Stompy

I had an idea. I have been wanting to get outside and start searching for a tree that would make a good bonsai so I could dig up. Well, if I find a tree in a public place, off the beaten path where nobody goes, like a park or something, why can't I just "bonsai" the tree right there? I mean, I would never dig it up or worry about its roots. Just find one that is already dwarfed and work on everything above the soil. I would have to go on a little journey every time I wanted to see it, but talk about low-maintenance . Has anyone done this? Is it still considered bonsai if you don't put it in a small pot or trim the roots?

I think it would be a very good way to practice wiring and things without worrying about trees dying.

Maybe I missed it and there are millions of people doing this already. I'm a newbie and I thought it was a pretty cool idea.

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Candy_J_Shirey

Stompy - Your tree (that is still planted in the ground) is not a bonsai. A bonsai is a tree in a pot. -Candy

Attila

Hi Stompy,

I am doing that on my lanscape-trees in my backyard in order to enhance their appearance.
However, I would consider a waste of time doing it on a tree that doesn't decorate my property.

When you practice on a tree growing in the ground, you are missing an important aspect of bonsai: learning how to grow a tree in a pot-culture environment. It take a lot of practice to do it right, so you should practice your wiring simultaneously with watering, feeding, root-pruning, etc.

A tree that grows in the ground has a somewhat different response to pruning and shaping than a tree growing in a pot.
Since its roots are growing unchecked, the growth is much more coarse, healing time is faster, and the energy-distribution in the tree is different.

With the tree in the pot, you alter the energy by root-pruning, branch-pruning, feeding or lack of feeding, watering. The variables affecting the growth of the tree are different, so you should practice within those variables.

Regards,
Attila

Bart Thomas(deceased)

Stompy:

What you are proposing is called a Niwa-gi (Thanks Andy R)

Doing it a Park without permission is NOT a good idea!

Consider also, that once you wire it, YOU are responsible for removing the wire.

TreeBay

Around here it's called misdemeanor vandalism punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) and imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days or both such fine and imprisonment

You might as well dig it up!

Regards,

Matt

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Ralph

I knew there was a name for it. You see it in some Japanese gardens, and in front of Japanese restaurants.

Stompy

If I dig it up, do I get to bring the tree to prison with me?

Ok, say I had permission to fiddle with the tree. Is there anything at all to be gained from leaving it in the earth? I just thought it was a good way to learn without killing a bunch of trees.

rockm

No public park system in its right mind is going to give permission for a private citizen to fiddle around with public property. Buy a bonsai ficus and learn how to care for it and keep it alive. That is the biggest hurdle for beginners, anyway, not learning design.

Tony

And there you have it, Stompy. You're only a mere private citizen. It's the collective public good [socialism] that rules these days. It ain't like the good old days when you could take an unwanted tree from a place where no one ever saw it or cared about it. That kind of thing these days can get you a couple of years in jail, a $10'000 fine, 5 years probation, stripped of your right to ever vote again or to ever own a firearm again. And that felony charge won't look good on your job discription. It really isn't worth it for a tree.

Land of the free and home of the brave indeed.

Tony