Why Bonsai?
Bonsai as many of us know is the art of growing and maintaining miniature trees. If we literally translate the word Bonsai in Japanese, it would mean “Planted in a container.” If however, you are under the impression that Bonsai means dwarfed trees, thinking the idea of growing dwarfed trees to be unattractive, now would be a good time to let go of that idea. Bonsai is actually a well maintained miniature form of a tree, following several techniques which involves regular pruning and wiring.
Although the word Bonsai is Japanese, the art form (penjing) originated in the Chinese empire over 2,000 years ago. Then another thousand years later, the Japanese copied the Chinese art form and adapted it to their own cultural context. But it only started gaining popularity after the West became familiar with, in the 19th century. In Bangladesh, there has been a recent surge of Bonsai enthusiasts who practise the art on their own as a hobby. If you have an inclination for such a hobby and would like to develop it, there is no time like the present to get started.
Bonsais are usually designed to reflect a number of common situations of a tree. However, each Bonsai tree is unique in its own right and the care required for each is distinctly different as well. Thankfully there are some basic steps which any beginner should follow.
The ready-made approach
Most people start growing Bonsais after buying a tree. This, without a doubt is a nice way to start, although a more exciting and inexpensive course of action would be to grow and style a tree from the ground up. A word of caution for beginners, it is crucial to select a tree species which matches your circumstance. You have to figure out if you want an indoor Bonsai tree or an outdoor one. A safe bet is to choose an indigenous tree species.
Once you have selected your species, the next step is to acquire the tree you have decided on. You can visit online stores to choose from a large variety of Bonsai trees on offer. However, as a cost effective solution you can get a Bonsai starter kit which will enable you to create your own tree and simultaneously learn the basics of Bonsai.
Getting down and dirty
Another inexpensive but slower method is to cultivate a tree yourself; using seeds or cuttings. It would generally take around three to five years before the tree can be trained, so you might want to do this as a side project.
Now that the tree has been either acquired or cultivated, the next step is to shaping and styling it by pruning and wiring. The main goal will be to keep the shape and style of the Bonsai as natural as possible.
The maintenance cheat sheet
A crucial part of growing a Bonsai tree is the proper maintenance and care of the tree which is unique for each species. However there are a few basic rules that apply to all. Since Bonsais are planted in small pots, paying attention to the appropriate amount and timing of watering is crucial. The soil should neither be submerged under water nor be left too dry. It is suggested to check regularly and repeat watering whenever it is found to be dried up. Every two years, the Bonsai should be repotted carefully and in a different pot. Besides regular watering and repotting, Bonsai trees would also require fertilising. However, the frequency of fertilising would depend on what species of Bonsais you have chosen.
If you have a tree and you need a little assistance you can even get your hands on books that provide guidance so long as you know where to look. So it's time to make a choice, whether to walk the path where a dream forever remains a dream, or to step onto a path which will lead to the fruition of life and art taking birth through your very hands. Given what technolgy and information can do for us these days, I'd say it's an easy enough choice.
