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THE medieval Japanese art of decorative miniature gardening ‘bonsai’ is the hallmark of Oriental horticulture. This method of cultivating a tree or shrub in a shallow container, extensively restricting its size, can be traced to the 13th and 14th century A.D. The word ‘bonsai’ literally means "a plant in a tray". The idea is to limit the size of a plant to one or two feet, while still expressing in its entirety, the beauty and volume of a tree grown in its natural habitat. Traditionally, trees such as the cedar, juniper, spruce, fir, ginko biloba and pine and fruit trees such as crab, cherry and tangerines have been grown as bonsais. However, beginners who intend to grow bonsais would do well to start with indigenous trees like neem, guava, tamarind, pomegranate and a variety of citrus trees. The ficus species, with trees such as the peepal, banyan, pilkan and chilkan are ideally suited to bonsai culture, with their evergreen foliage and interesting branching pattern. The natural habits, colours and needs of the tree and its final shape have to be kept in mind while selecting the plant and container, since bonsais can be grown in a variety of shapes. Some of the common shapes that plants cultivated as bonsais can be modelled to are conical, upright, spreading, horizontal and cascading forms. Trees for bonsais can be grown from seeds but it is time consuming and can be left to experts. More developed material like saplings, cuttings or mature specimen collected from the wild can serve as easier alternatives for beginners. The containers for growing the plant should be shallow and at the same time, allow for a wider base to accommodate the sideways spreading of the root system. The minimum depth of the container should be four inches and though the shape of the container varies, earthy tones are preferred over brightly coloured ones, allowing for the plant to be the main focus of attention. Containers incorporating half to one inch drainage holes with small legs are best suited and the drainage holes should be covered with plastic netting and small pebbles or coarse charcoal so as to prevent the soil from being washed off along with the drained water. A mixture of peat, loam and sand should be the first layer over the pebbles on which the taproot of the plant should be placed lengthwise. It is wise to ensure that the tree stands firmly. Avoid putting the tree in the centre of the tray. Since there is always a wrong and a right side of a plant, one has to place it towards the left or right side of the container accordingly. Cascading forms have to be placed more towards the rim of the container. Cover the roots with more soil mixture, pressing the plant firmly. Initially some stones may be required to be placed on top to hold the plant in place. Added use of soil conditioners like semi-burned coconut fibre or rice husk makes the soil mildly acidic, and gives it an excellent water holding capacity, good aeration and drainage capacity. It is a good idea to cover the bonsai with moss to retain moisture. One may even cover the newly planted bonsai with a transparent plastic bag, for a month or so, and remove it after the plant has settled well. These should be kept under shade where only morning or evening sunlight is available. Though in summers they may need watering three or four times, ensure that the soil is neither soggy nor dry. |
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