Bonsai Carmona Carmona - S-Shape M

Bonsai is an art form.

Literally translated, Bonsai means: tree in pot. Bon stands for plant and €˜sai' can be translated as bowl or pot. Bonsai is grown in Asia and evokes the image of an old tree.

A bonsaiist tries to use living plant material to create a reduced image of an old tree or landscape in nature. Compare it with a painter or a sculptor, one tries to capture an impression of a landscape with paint, the other does this with a piece of wood, for example, the whole becomes a living work of art.

History of Bonsai.

Even before the beginning of our era, Chinese monks saw the beauty of trees that remained small in nature and attributed great powers to them. As an image bearer of the mountainous environment, they took the trees home and cultivated them further in pots. Later on, other tree species were also used, resulting in a cultivation and mold culture that has come to be called Bonsai. To this day, Bonsai is a widely spread hobby in China and is called Penjing.

Both in Japan and in Korea there is a long history of Bonsai. Penjing was introduced in these countries from China and with its own perception elevated to bonsai art in which many new techniques have been developed.

In Europe, the bonsai was only introduced in ^the 20th century. This was done through shows and always as an entry from China or Japan. The bonsai as a hobby is about 50 years old in Europe. It has only been about 20 years since bonsai has emerged as an ornamental plant product and is now indispensable.

Care Tips

Pitch

Your Bonsai is grown in South China and is used to an annual temperature between 12 and 30 degrees Celsius. That is why it is extremely suitable for standing indoors. If the outside temperature is higher than 12 degrees Celsius, you can also place the Bonsai outside. Bonsai need light to grow well. Place your Bonsai in a light place, possibly with some direct sunlight. Prevent your tree from being in direct sun all day.

watering.

Your Bonsai is a living tree. All trees need moisture to survive and grow. Too little water will dry out the leaves and, if it lasts for a long time, also dry out the sap flow. Too much water causes the roots to rot in the shell and weakens the tree. Water your Bonsai when the soil starts to dry up and wait with the next watering until the tree has absorbed the water (in a normal location this is about every two days). Always make sure that the root ball is well filled, the excess water runs out of the pot through the bottom.

Nutrition

Every Bonsai needs certain substances to maintain its systems. It is best to use solid or liquid Bonsai food that you can obtain from us. You press solid food into the soil and dissolve with the watering. Most known as solid food is the Biogold, take the largest size of the pot in cm, this is the maximum dose of the number of grains that you press into the soil. You mix liquid food with the irrigation water. Use the dosage as indicated on the packaging. You can also use normal plant food, but keep in mind to adjust the dosage to 60%. Your Bonsai grows all year round and therefore needs nutrition all year round.

repot

Thanks to the good breeding, this Bonsai is in perfect balance. The proportion of roots and foliage is excellent and the scale has also been chosen with care. After a number of years (we recommend around three years) of healthy growth, the roots will start to pinch in the pot and the Bonsai can be repotted. This gives you the opportunity to prune the roots, so that the root ball remains young and vital. Repotting is best done in the spring. Remove the tree from the pot and carefully comb out the roots. After this you can prune 30% of the roots. For good rejuvenation, remove some thicker roots. After this, the Bonsai can go back in its own shell. Put some good loose potting soil, possibly mixed with some sharp sand, at the bottom of the pot and place the tree on it. After that, you can fill the shell with the same new soil mixture.

Soil types

Akadama is a clay granulate and particularly suitable for Bonsai. This type of soil ensures a good moisture balance in the pot, has a neutral acidity and does not contain too many nutrients. The soil can be applied 100% or mixed with potting soil up to 50%. Kiryu is a rock that provides extra good drainage in the bonsai pot. It is particularly suitable to mix with Akadama for Bonsai species that like dry feet such as Pinus, Picea and Juniperus. The maximum mixing ratio is 50 Kiryu.

Diseases and plagues

A healthy Bonsai has little to no problems with diseases and pests. Lice or spider mites may get in. You can recognize louse by the sticky drops and spider mites gives the leaves a slightly speckled pale color. To prevent aphids and spider mites, make sure that your Bonsai is in a well-ventilated place. This also prevents any infestation by fungi such as mildew. In every garden center you can buy adequate means to combat the above.

pruning

Every tree has a natural tendency to grow at the ends and to shed the oldest leaves or needles from the inside. For a beautiful, finely branched Bonsai you have to break this trend. This can be done very easily by pruning the growth at the ends. The Bonsai you have purchased already has the right shape and size and therefore only needs to be maintained. You can remove all shoots that extend beyond the silhouette of the tree. All shoots on the branches that grow downwards or upwards may also be pruned away. This way you keep the Bonsai healthy and in the right shape. You will find all the necessary tools on our site.

wired

Young branches naturally grow upward and only bend over time. The branches of your Bonsai are bent downwards to give the image of an old tree. You can further determine the shape of your Bonsai yourself by means of wiring. If you wrap the branches at 45 degrees with wire of the correct thickness, they can be bent into any desired shape. After some time, the branch will thicken further and pinch the wire. Now is the time to remove the wire again