Transcript How to Trim a Bonsai Tree

How to Trim a Bonsai Tree
By: Jon Ziemer
Introduction

In the next few minutes I am going to tell
you how to get started and how to care for a
Bonsai tree.
What is Bonsai

Practiced for centuries in China and Japan,
bonsai is the reproduction of natural tree
forms in miniature. Bonsai trees are living
miniature trees which increase in beauty and
value as they mature over the years.
 The selecting of a pot suitable to the
beauty of the tree, and the arranging of
small stones or figurines at its base.
 Bonsai is an art.
Materials Needed







Bonsai containers
9-to-20-gauge copper or painted aluminum wire
(for shaping)
Screen wire (to cover drain hole)
Potting medium and gravel
Chopsticks or similar sharp sticks
Pruners (some should be for fine work)
Potted plants (to be trained to bonsai)
Example of Bonsai
Getting Started
Step 1: The trunk is
shortened by 2/3
with a concave
cutter.
 Tip: It's fairly
easy to grow a new
plant from the old
top.

Step 2: The trunk is
wired with 1/8"
aluminum wire.
 As the trunk is
about 1 inch in
diameter, twin
wiring will be
required in order
to get it into the
desired shape.

Step 3: Remove all
the leaves.
 New smaller leaves
will grow back in a
few weeks time,
inducing new
branches on the
tree.

Step 4: The trunk is
carefully plied into
an "S" shape.
 In a few months
time, it will keep
it's basic shape and
the wires can be
removed.

Further Along the Bonsai
Road

After one month

After three months
How to Care For an Indoor
Tree

The plant receives at
least two hours of
direct sun.
 Avoid using normal
household filament
and fluorescent lamps
as they do not emit
light at the right
wavelengths for
healthy plant growth
Heat and Humidity
It is bad to
subject plant to
sudden
temperature
changes
 They should not
be placed near a
heat source.
 Don’t place on
window sills

Stand your trees
on trays full of
gravel immersed
in water.
 Evaporation of the
water will provide
a moist
microclimate
around the tree.

Rotating Trees

Rotate so all side of tree gets light.
 The side that doesn’t get light will shed the
branches.
Watering
The top layer of soil must be allowed to
dry down an inch before watering.
 Use a fine-spray bonsai watering can is
not available, put your bonsai in the
sink, fill the sink with water until it
reaches the rim of the bonsai container,
let it sit for 15 minutes
 Other methods will wash soil particles
out of the pot.
 Frequent misting of foliage does not
contribute to soil problems, and is a good
method for increasing humidity.

Conclusion

After watching and
hearing about how to
get started and how to
care for a bonsai tree I
hope you learned more
about them and that
they are not that
difficult to have,