[ How to water ] [ How to make a cut ] [ How to prune ] [ How to jin a branch ] [ Wiring a tree ]
[ Root pruning and repotting ] [ Planting in rock ]

How to water a bonsai

If the soil surface is very dry, immerse the whole container
so that water is absorbed through the drainage holes into the rootball.
Then, water from above. Always try to avoid watering in brilliant
sunshine which may dry the surface of the soil before the water
has time to reach all parts of the container,
and which can result in burnt foliage.

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How to make a cut

After branch pruning, a dead stump often has to be removed. Use curved branch cutters, available in a variety of sizes, if possible.

You can, if you wish, apply a flexible healing compound to the cut to spur healing, but the wound will heal without this treatment.

A concave cut heals flat, the cambium forming a callous. A flat cut, on the other hand, would heal with an unsightly bump.

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How to prune

On evergreens, wait until the shoot has hardened off, and cut where a new shoot is growing. This makes the cut difficult to see.

This tree obviously needs pruning. Using long-handled scissors, cut to a shoot that is growing in the direction you want.

After pruning, the tree's basic shape is again visible. This is the method to follow for deciduous trees.

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How to jin a branch

Remove the bark and cambium layer from the remaining branch
with a sharp, sterilized knife.
The jin gives an immediate look of age to the tree.

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Wiring a tree

The tree loses its shrubby look once the wire is in place.
Be sure to remove wires before they start to
“bite” into the trunk or branches.

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Root pruning and repotting

1. The mass of roots, many of which have reached the edge of the container, are ample proof that this tree needed root pruning, and then repotting. 3. Cut thick roots with root pruners, making sure that you cut them so that they have a flat base on which to sit, this will make the tree easier to repot. 5. Clean and sterilize the container, and place fine mesh over the drainage holes to prevent the layer of gravel slipping through. Insert anchorage wires through the holes.

2. Remove the soil from around the roots, and tease out the roots with a chopstick or other blunt stick or with a special bonsai root rake, available from bonsai nurseries. 4. Finer roots should be cut back by about a third, both around the sides of the rootball and underneath. Use fine long-handled scissors for this job. 6. Add an appropriate soil mix round the roots of the tree, then replace any gravel or moss, and water gently. Keeping the bonsai warm will encourage new root growth.

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Planting in rock

1. Position the roots of your chosen tree so that they will fall into natural crevices of the rock. Use a little “muck” to hold them in place. Muck acts as a clay-like, sticky fixative, making a bed for the roots and establishing a medium through which they can absorb all the water and nutrients they need. Combine milled and unmilled sphagnum moss, sterilized topsoil and a small quantity of unmixed perlite in equal parts. To this mix add enough water to make it hold together in a ball. Knead it and try to press as much air from the mix as possible.

2. If the tree's roots are not long enough to reach the container initially, wrap the rootball and rock tightly with twine to prevent roots sprouting out sideways.

3. Wrap the rootball in plastic and bury it in a deep container filled with sand. This will encourage long, branching roots to grow. Then, plant the tree in the rock.

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