Bonsai - 4 easy steps to creating this stunning miniature.

My obsession to bonsais started when i wast in the 4th standard ...id go behind in the nursery post school hours armed with a scissor snipping chopping any plant that came my way. In the process i many a times pisssed my dad of tons of times. But through all the so called destructive behavior he saw through ...and the very next bonsai village( a yearly exhibition in jamanabai narsee school) i was a proud owner of a ficus retusa...:
Though i chopped of one of its main stems she still is a beauty. I appropriated a beautiful Bougainvillea bonsai then ...which was given to mrs jolly kuriakose (The awsomesst English teacher ever).Now at 25 i own more than 500bonsais of more than 65 varieties. Though iv done my courses (bsc in horticulture,Ma in landscape management ) the only knowledge i had about bonsais was of the practical type and some of these methods though

unorthodox the results were second to none so i thought of telling yo guys about them:::

1) Plant selection:
When selecting a tree species its important to consider your geographic location. Some trees lose their leaves in the winter and require the temperature to drop below freezing so that they can enter a dormant state and prepare for the spring. Other trees will not survive long in the freezing weather. Some trees will require a lot of water during a hot summer while others are heat hardy. Research the kind of trees that do well in your area Select plants that are hardy. The 5 varieties of tree most commonly used for bonsai are: 1) Ficus; 2) Juniper; and 3) Chinese Elm.4)Bougainvillea 5) Brazilian rain tree. And though yo may like to think a coconut tree could be made into a bonsai....IT CANT...(iv got tons of people asking me if iv got a coconut bonsai...still looking for how best to answer them)

2) Visualize :Each and every plant has a character of its own .When it comes to choosing a training bonsai i strongly suggest a plant with a distinct stem formation(easier to start up this way)When choosing a plant, look for leaf color to make sure that the plant is healthy. Then look around at the selection of plants and imagine what each plant would look like after it is pruned. It's important to visualize the bonsai before you buy the plant and bring it home. You do not want to bring a plant home only to decide that it isn't immediately suitable to be a bonsai.
3)Selection of the pot:

In Mumbai there aren't very many ceramic pot options plastic bonsai pots are freely available in the markets. Your plant will then have to be planted in a suitable pot. Select the pot keeping in mind that it should be able to hold enough soil to cover the roots of the plant. At the same time, the pot should not be too small or it will not be able to give the plant the support it needs.Remove your tree from its bindings or container and gently place the sapling tree on a clean, flat surface. Remove the excessive soil from the roots and inspect the roots thoroughly.Look for damaged and wilted roots. Use your sharp, sterile pruning shears to remove those damaged roots. Trim the taproot, or long downward growing root, from the system. Cut the taproot with a flush cut, avoiding ragged cuts and edges.Plant your newly pruned bonsai in a shallow, well-drained potting container.
4)Training & pruning :

this is what i love...there are 3 basic ways to tran a bonsai:
1. Bonsai styling by pruning. An occasional thorough styling as well as regular maintenance pruning are essential to create and maintain a miniature tree. When shaping a tree, deciding on which branches fit the design and which ones need to be removed can be very tricky. Take the tree’s basic shape as given (do not try to make radical changes) and decide what should be the tree’s front. From this position on start thinking about which branches need to be pruned in order to improve the tree’s overall shape. After having styled the tree regular pruning is crucial in forcing the tree to grow a dense foliage and branch structure, while remaining its shape.

2. Bonsai training by wiring.

Like pruning, wiring is an essential technique to style Bonsai trees. By wrapping copper-wire around the tree’s branches you are able to set the shape and angle of the branches. When wiring a tree, start with its main branches. Thick branches need thick wiring; as a rule of thumb use wire of about 1/3 to 1/4 the thickness of the branch. Try to wire two branches of equal thickness with one piece of wire. It is important to maintain an edge of about 45° when wrapping wire around the branches, providing some room for growth.

3. Other Bonsai styling techniques. Many other Bonsai styling methods have been developed, including defoliation, creating deadwood and planting rock formations.
There loads of training bonsais ,and bonsai materials are now for sale at the nursery do drop by and pick up your own very own starter bonsais.