Abstract Pinus thunbergii is a popular species of conifer cultivated as bonsai. In an effort to produce superior surface roots on P. thunbergii, bonsai enthusiasts have developed a method of making cuttings from young seedlings to replace any taproots with radially distributed lateral roots. These lateral roots are developed to improve the look of the tree when […]
Bonsai Development
Bonsai Development posts form the heart of Bonsai Tonight. Learn about varieties like Black Pine, Shimpaku and Japanese Maple, techniques like Decandling and Grafting and Air Layering, and bonsai features like Deadwood.
Basic refinement on olive bonsai
I started working on an olive bonsai last summer. After taking the tree home and letting new shoots grow out, I wired the ones I needed and removed the rest. One year later, I’m doing the same thing. Olive bonsai – one year in training The idea is to establish the main branches. Once they […]
Cutback on coast redwood
After wanting a coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, for many years, I now have one in my collection. As the first order of business is to get it healthy, I’ve been feeding and watering heavily this year. Just in the past two months, it’s put on a lot of new growth. Coast redwood It’s still too […]
Getting the balance right
As I approached the decandling season this year, I checked my pines to see if any were on the weak side but still strong enough to be decandled. These trees need to be decandled on the early side so the summer growth has time to fill in before fall. Looking around I saw a lot […]
How to improve ramification by reducing large branches
A common problem of bonsai in early stages of development is that large branches extend from the trunk all the way to the edge of the tree’s silhouette. This is especially true for material that was grown in the ground. That’s the case for the chojubai pictured below. Although a number of small branches are […]