Bonzai gardening is a combination of learning what

trees are best suited for this technique and how to take care of it to
ultimately have a beautiful potted tree. The word bonzai literally
means potted tree and covers the Japanese bonzai, the Chinese penjing,
and the Korean bunjae. This art of growing miniature trees is a great
stress reliever and for the gardener a challenge that can have awesome
results.

The first bonzai trees were grown by the Chinese around
CE 200. The theory is that this technique was started as a way for
healers to easily move around the plants they needed for their
medicines. From China this art form spread to Japan during the Tokugawa
period (1603 to 1868 Japan was ruled by shoguns of the Tokugawa family)
when gardening of the landscape grew in importance. There are several
different styles of bonzai, some are used more than others.

* The formal upright style is just that. The trunk emerges from the soil and goes straight up.

* The informal upright comes out straight and incorporates bends and
curves, however, the top of the tree is always directly over the roots.

* The slant style has the trunk coming out of the soil at an angle and the top of the tree going either to the right or left.

* The forest style is usually an odd number of trees in the same pot
typically the same species but different heights to mimic the forest
which has varying ages of trees.

* The root over rock style has the roots of the tree wrapped around a
rock with the rock at the bottom of the trunk and exposed somewhat. The
fig tree is the most common tree used for this method.

These
are just a few of the examples of bonzai gardening. In addition to the
many ways of growing bonzai, there are different sizes. To achieve the
desired effect of the tree you choose, pruning of the leaves and the
roots must be done in a consistent matter. Shaping can be done by using
copper or aluminum wire if the tree takes well to this. If not, shaping
must be done by pruning.

A concave cutter is a must for pruning
these trees as it cuts flush with the tree and does not leave a stub.
Branch bending jacks, wire pliers, and shears of different sizes are
the basic tools you will need to manipulate the trees into the shape
you desire.

The soil preference is usually a loose type that
drains fairly fast and has a base of sand or gravel. Fertilizers can be
either organic or a chemical type. Good results have been had by both.

Because
of the small size of the pot in which the tree is planted, watering has
to be done carefully. Depending on the species, some can tolerate dry
soil for a period of time while others require almost constant
moisture. They can be watered by setting the plant, pot and all, in a
container of water or using a very small hose. The beauty they project
will be well worth the time and effort you put into the bonzai tree.