by Zach Smith | Feb 5, 2015 | Care, Elms, Hornbeam, Potting, Wiring
The technique of creating bonsai comes down to one basic principle: making a series of decisions that guide a living tree or shrub toward becoming a miniaturized version of its normal self. This may seem obvious when you think about it, but often we have this vision of a bonsai in mind in the face of the reality of a piece of material that looks nothing like what you want it to be. In other words it looks like Point A, not Point B.
“Okay,” you may be thinking, “so how do I go about making good decisions?” This depends, of course, on where your bonsai or pre-bonsai is in its development. For example, let’s say you have a shrub you bought from a nursery or box store. It’s got lots of branches – more than you need, which is very good – and a good tapering trunk line. In such a case, your decisions come down to the following:
- Choosing the front
- Selecting the branches
- Wiring the branches (and the trunk, if it needs shaping)
- Moving the branches to the appropriate positions
- Potting the tree (if it’s the right time)
Now all you have to do is make these decisions good ones!
I know that sounds a little simplistic, but learning sound technique is a repetition of the process of making good decisions on material in varying states of development. As you practice bonsai you get better at making these decisions.
So, for the decision pathway described above here’s a good example. This blackgum was a much taller sapling that had branching up and down the trunk. In the lower half of this sapling was a bonsai-in-the-making. The decisions I made were as follows:
- Cut the tree down to a side branch suitable for a new apex that continued the tapering from soil to crown; make sure there is a suitable set of branches
- Find the front of the tree; often this is driven by where the branches appear on the trunk
- Wire the side branch I cut to and direct it upward to make the new apex
- Wire and position the branches, then trim to the appropriate shape – the planned style is a basic upright broom-form
- Pot the tree in a suitably-sized bonsai pot
The result is quite good, don’t you think? This bonsai-in-training looks just like a tree in winter.
Here’s a very different tree with a very different decision pathway. In 2013 it went from a nursery container to a bonsai pot. As collected, it had some mature branches that were kept for the design. I had chopped the trunk and directed a new leader for the eventual apex. Once in the bonsai pot, I let it grow well into summer. In this photo, the tree is clearly overgrown. But … that decision was the correct one for the tree at this stage of its development.
What was next for this tree? I actually had a couple of options: one, cut the tree back hard and encourage budding toward the interior; or two, let it grow out again through October. In this case, either option would work equally well. This was a mature bonsai in the making, with a trunk the size it needed to be, all the trunk character it needed, and a branch set and apex well on their way to refinement. There was no rush, in other words, nothing that had to be done at this point.
If you build a large collection, you’ll find your decisions beginning to span the collection. That complicates things, of course, but it also mitigates the temptation to overwork a small number of trees.
Here’s a tree you’ve seen before. Nice natural raft, collected and put in a big training pot and then left to grow for a couple of years with literally no attention other than feeding and watering. When the time came, what was the decision pathway?
- Pot the tree in an appropriate bonsai pot
- Select the trunks suitable for the raft; do any preliminary trimming necessary
- Wire the trunks and any branches needing shaping
- Thoroughly trim, meaning work each new trunk to the proper shape; do any additional trimming or rough carving needed
- And finally, make sure the trunks as a group exhibit the proper balance and interplay
Here’s the tree following execution of Decisions 1 and 2. Notice how each decision – each step – brings the tree closer to the desired outcome for the specific work session. Now, you can only do so much in any single session. No, let me rephrase that: you should only do so much in any single session. Newcomers to bonsai tend to be so excited over their first tree that they want to work it to masterpiece status in one go – and I mean trees that are literally seedlings with barely any branches to speak of. This is a normal and natural desire. I think we all share it. But it’s got to be overcome. Very few species will tolerate much overworking, and most end up poorer in quality when the misplaced enthusiasm ends.
Here we are following Decisions 3 and 4. The trunks are wired and shaped. Everything that doesn’t look like a bonsai has been trimmed away. The trunks have a good interplay and the overall shape of the bonsai is appropriate.
And that was the end of the session for this tree at that time. I next left it alone to grow out for a while.
What sort of decision making process do you use when you work on your trees? Do you wing it, or actually plan step by step? If you’d like to share your approach, just leave a comment below.
by Zach Smith | Jan 25, 2015 | American Elm, Care, Elms, Potting
Today it was time to harvest an American elm, Ulmus Americana. This specimen has been growing away in an old garden area for the better part of a decade. I knew the trunk was at least 1″ at the base, which is usually the smallest size I’ll lift. It also had a nice slight movement of the trunk, and I had cut the tree back some years ago in order to encourage taper.
This first shot is the tree as it sat in the ground. It doesn’t look like much from this angle, does it? Not to worry.
Here’s the tree with its roots washed off, shot at a better angle. Now you can see there’s something to work with here. The specimen had a nice set of radial roots, though there’s been some haphazard growth. But that’s what the saw and cutters are for.
If you’ve ever worked with American elm, you’re bound to have noticed that the bark will separate from the tree very, very easily. Even with the sharpest of cutters and taking great care, it’s common for the bark to pull away. I always try to use a saw for the bigger cuts, as this seems to prevent the problem altogether. I also use a very sharp knife to carve the edges of cuts. Always cut toward the inside of the cut.
Now the roots have been cut back. Notice how far back I’ve cut them. It’s all got to be done with the idea in mind of how the tree will fit into a bonsai pot. This tree will end up about 15″ tall. That means the pot will be no more than about 7″ long if oval or in diameter if round. The root spread of this tree stands at roughly 4″, so you can see this will take up a goodly share of the pot’s expanse already.
Now came the fun part, finding the trunk line. Compare this shot with the one just above. I had considered training this tree as a broom-form specimen. The problem with that idea was, two of the three leaders were already too thick for it to work. I knew that as I developed the crown, these leaders would continue to thicken and produce a nasty reverse taper. Also, broom style trees typically don’t have much taper in the lower trunk, whereas this one tapered very nicely right through to the chop.
Here’s the tree in its nursery pot. It should bud nicely this spring, and at that time I’ll begin the selection of branches and the new leader. In just a couple of years this tree will make a fine American elm bonsai in training.
by Zach Smith | Jan 23, 2015 | Care, Elms, Sweetgum
Willow Oak – Quercus Phellos
More often than not, when you collect or otherwise acquire a tree you can see right away what it’s going to be in terms of style, size, branch placement, etc. This isn’t always the case, however. Sometimes it’s not immediately clear how to style a tree, or you work on the tree for a few years and make some progress but you’re still faced with challenges in getting the styling right.
This is my amazing willow oak. The trunk base is 3″ across, and the height to the original apex is just 10″. It has thrown branches in the right spots, and they’ve thickened well as the tree has gained strength and gotten used to life in a limited space. The new leader emerges at an unusual angle, but I’m confident it’ll only make the tree more unique.
Yet there’s an obvious problem with this tree. Considering its stature – short and stout – the spread of the tree must be very limited. As it is, the spread is approaching three times what it should be. Now, in order to get branches to thicken adequately to establish the right proportions with the trunk you have to let them run, at least to an extent. But when you do this, the branches don’t have the taper you need. Branch size needs to be in proportion with the trunk; branch movement needs to reflect trunk movement; and lastly, branch taper needs to mimic trunk taper.
Another obvious thing about this tree is that none of the visible branches has sufficient taper, when you take into account how far from the trunk they can extend and still maintain that appropriate spread. This means they must be cut back hard – and cut back hard more than one time.
Building this tree from just a trunk has taken three years to date. I estimate it will take another 10 years to complete all of the steps vital to producing the right branch structure and proportions. The good news is, this tree can go into a bonsai pot this year. It has thrived in quite a limited space since I collected it, so I don’t anticipate any difficulty in completing the structural work once it’s in a more permanent home.
Here’s a little historical perspective, by the way. Back in June of 2014 this is what the tree looked like. You can see the craggy excess of dead wood in the apex, which had been there since I collected the tree. It wasn’t adding anything to the appearance, so I went ahead and carved it off. The result is what you see above.
What do you think of this specimen? Have you grown oaks as bonsai? Leave a comment below and share your experiences.
Sweetgum – Liquidambar Styraciflua
Next is my “sumo-style” sweetgum. With it I face the same challenges as with the willow oak above, only more so. The trunk base is 6″ across and it’s only about 10″ to the original chop. From this view, you can see the nice hollows in the trunk and my goal is to make them an integral part of the design (of course!). You can also see how vigorous the growth has been. This photo was taken three years after collection.
What’s hidden by all that foliage is a difficult styling challenge, however. I cut this tree back hard in late summer 2014, and this is what I was left to work with:
To me the tree looks a bit anthropomorphic, like someone with their arms thrown wide open. Is there a tree structure lurking in this stump? The easy answer is yes, but the tough part is making it happen. Just as it is with the willow oak, I have to add girth to the branches of this tree while also achieving movement and taper while keeping the spread properly confined. In addition, I have to build the upper part of this tree. Where the new leader joins the original stump there’s too great a difference in thickness. To grow this out properly will take the same taper-building process as with the branches. Luckily, sweetgum is apically dominant so I shouldn’t have any problem getting it to grow taller. The key, of course, will be to cut it back hard repeatedly. How long will the process take? I’m thinking five years may be enough, especially if I keep the tree in a growing tub.
I’m planning to pull this tree for some root work this spring. Sweetgums are vigorous rooters in confined spaces, so you really can’t go more than a couple of growing seasons without some serious cutting. In the case of this tree, I’ve forgotten what it came out of the ground with, though I suspect it left a lot to be desired. But I’m not concerned, since I know the tree will develop roots I can work with as it moves closer and closer to becoming a specimen bonsai.
How about sweetgum? If you haven’t grown one, you’re missing out on one of the best bonsai trees for beginners and experienced artists alike.
When will we have new sweetgums for sale? Hopefully in the spring. Sweetgum collecting season is not until May, but I’m in hopes of being able to release a few pieces before then.
by Zach Smith | Jan 10, 2015 | Care, Elms, Potting, Water Elm
I planted out this water-elm as a cutting back in 2010. I figured it would do fine, but what I really wanted to know was how fast they’d grow in the ground under ideal conditions. Out in the swamps, water-elms have a tough life and in some places go literally under water for months on-end. We know from ring counting that it takes up to 30 years for the species to put on an inch of growth under these conditions. So you can see my incentive for the experiment.
The trunk base on this tree is right at three inches, in under five years. That’s fast growth! It got to about eight feet tall before I cut it the first time. I chopped the trunk three years ago, not because the tree had no taper – it put on taper all by itself – but rather to create the tapering transition in what will ultimately be the apex of this tree.
I lifted the tree in a couple of minutes using my handy cordless reciprocating saw. After shaking off as much of the native soil as I could, next came the root washing step. This next shot shows the result. Notice the huge root that coiled down into the ground! That one needed to come off for sure.
Here’s the tree with the roots cut back the appropriate amount for the ultimate bonsai pot. I left a couple of the branches that had grown during the tree’s development; I think they may be useable in the final design. The good thing about this tree is it makes a very strong statement. The trunk has a graceful curve, but I’m inclined to call it a masculine tree. What do you think?
Finally, here’s the tree potted in a nursery container. It’ll root profusely this year and throw enough buds on the trunk to allow for its initial shaping. By next year, the tree will be ready for a bonsai pot.
The bark on this tree is exfoliating for the first time, by the way.
This tree is available in our Elm Bonsai section. A deposit holds it till spring, when it’ll be ready for shipment.
by Zach Smith | Jan 7, 2015 | Care, Chinese Elm, Elms, Potting, Privet, Soil, Watering, Wiring
From time to time I’m approached by someone who has become excited about bonsai and wants to get into the hobby. Sometimes they’ve been given a bonsai as a present, sometimes they’ve bought one from a roadside vendor or home improvement store – a “mallsai,” as it’s called. From such humble beginnings often comes a fiery passion. All too often, however, the initial surge of excitement crashes headlong into reality as the new enthusiast discovers that bonsai is one of the most complex simple things you can do. Many quit when their tree mysteriously dies; I mean, if you don’t know why, what’s the point in repeating the disappointment and especially when it costs you money to boot?
A Chinese Elm Starter Bonsai
There are key factors the new bonsai enthusiast must know and apply when starting out. While it’s not possible to guarantee success – everyone’s situation is a little different – understanding these factors literally forms the foundation of everyone’s ability to grow miniature trees, from the greatest master to the rank amateur. In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say that until you truly understand them, you are destined to fail.
Here are my five fundamental bonsai factors for the new enthusiast:
1. Every plant is an outdoor plant, even those that may be kept indoors for a short period of time.
Many a new bonsai enthusiast is attracted to the idea that bonsai are indoor plants, and they envision them sitting on a shelf in the living room. You have to forget this idea. Yes, I know, you’ve read on the Internet about indoor bonsai and there’s lot and lots of information about how to do it. To be sure, many bonsai experts are able to maintain bonsai indoors. You are not an expert (yet). So forget this idea.
2. The most common cause of bonsai mortality is drying out. What’s extra sad about this problem is sometimes the tree dried out before you even got it, but it’s a juniper and they die very slowly and remain green right up to the end. (Not all “mallsai” are junipers. Junipers are popular in the commercial trade because they look like little pine trees, they’re hard to kill and stay green even after death, hence they can be shipped across the country and sold to unsuspecting buyers.)
The tree above is a starter Chinese elm bonsai. If you’ve read my article on Chinese elm as one of the best bonsai trees for beginners, you know how I feel about the horrid “S-curve” Chinese elm. They are the bane of the commercial bonsai industry. If you’ve ever seen one, compare it with the tree above. Though very short, less than 10″, the tree has a solid design and is well on its way to being a small work of art.
3. The second most common cause of bonsai mortality is suffocation of the roots, due to poor soil. Bonsai are not houseplants, which are potted in a completely different type of soil than is used for bonsai. Unfortunately, all too often beginner bonsai, or “mallsai,” are potted in commercial potting soil. This is done sometimes to overcome the likelihood that watering of the tree will be spotty at best during the period of time between creation and retailing to you.
If you have a “mallsai,” one of the first things you must do is understand what’s going on in the pot. Check the soil surface. If it’s rock solid and you can’t move any of the soil, then you have one of the dreaded glued-on-rocks impervious soil surfaces. Watering is impossible. If you have this, your first order of business is to break the entire surface layer off and discard it. Underneath you should find some sort of potting soil, hopefully. Whether or not you had the glued-on-rocks problem, your next order of business is to gently stick your finger into the soil to gauge how much moisture is present. If it’s soggy, you have a problem. Let the soil dry out for a couple of days before watering. If the soil is dry, water thoroughly and watch to see if the water drains out. If it drains well and quickly, you’re in good shape. If it pools and drains slowly or not at all, you have a problem which must be addressed as soon as you can. The fix is beyond the scope of this article, but you can email me if you find yourself in this situation.
4. Learning bonsai involves killing trees. If your first bonsai does not die right away, this does not mean you’re a bonsai expert. It just means you haven’t suffered your first loss yet. If you want to practice bonsai, you have to be prepared to lose trees along the way. Everyone loses trees, even the greatest of the masters. It’s part of the price you pay for the sublime enjoyment of one of the highest of the arts. So get as many trees as you can comfortably fit into your bonsai space and maintain, given your lifestyle. More is better. You learn more by doing more. If you only have a few trees, you’ll tend to overwork them and this is just as harmful as letting them dry out. Overload yourself and your bonsai time.
What’s the average life expectancy of a bonsai? Over the long haul, you an expect your average tree to live between five and 20 years. I know this may sound a bit morbid and perhaps even discouraging, but bonsai exist in a very limited space and as a result are at enhanced risk and exposure. Drying out, root suffocation and freezing are the biggest risk factors and never go away.
That’s the bad news. The good news is, you can learn the skills needed to style and shape a bonsai to “completion” in as little as three years. In five or six years, most average size bonsai are fully developed and showable (if you should choose to pursue showing your work). By the time ten years have passed, barring issues along the way, your trees should be outstanding examples of the art if properly trained and maintained.
5. Take as many classes as you can, with teachers who know sound bonsai techniques. Sooner is better. Very few individuals are successful on their own, without getting advice from some source. I did well with books and magazines back in the day, but frankly I would have been better served if I’d learned directly from someone who’d already made the mistakes I was destined to make. It’s water under the bridge for me, but it needn’t be for you. Find someone who teaches, and first learn techniques. Then practice them faithfully, on every tree you work on.
A Chinese privet bonsai, shaped and styled using time-tested techniques.
Why techniques? Bonsai is a lot like music. The finest musicians play scales daily. Why? Because scales are the fundamentals of the art of music, and fundamentals must be practiced or you won’t get to the art part. With bonsai, wiring, pruning, shaping, root-pruning, and so on are the scales and must be practiced, otherwise you won’t get to the art part – guaranteed.
This last tree is an example of a bonsai just a year in training from a mere trunk. While I knew clearly the basic style of tree it was going to be, I had no way to know the “details.” But I didn’t need to. I simply wired and shaped the branches, and made sure they were moved into the appropriate spots. All strictly based on technique. Even at this stage of its development, I felt there was art in this specimen.
If you’re a new bonsai enthusiast, you have a challenging and exciting road ahead of you as you learn about bonsai. It’s a journey we all take, and the journey’s the thing. But I hope these tips can help you avoid a few of the pitfalls along the way.
Was this article useful to you? Let me know by leaving a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.
by Zach Smith | Dec 20, 2014 | Care, Elms, Potting, Water Elm
I’ve worked with many students through the years, and what seems to stymie most is how to see from beginning to “end” with the particular specimen they’re working on. We select trees for certain characteristics, trunk movement and character, taper, good nebari, and so on. Except for that rare one, however, this is only the beginning. Every bonsai enthusiast has seen, either in person or in photos, stunning specimens that evoke such wonder that it can seem an impossible task to get from raw material to finished tree.
What I emphasize to my students is very straightforward: rules and techniques. It’s only the rare individual who gets to cut in line from practiced technique to art. So unless you’re a savant – I certainly was not and am not – you have to learn bonsai step by step, rule by rule, and you have to practice on, mangle and yes, kill, many trees. I do advise a guiding hand, of course, so you may want to consider taking a one-on-one class or doing a workshop. Regardless, if you want to do bonsai right you must be prepared to pay your dues one way or another.
I’ve found that one of the best ways to learn how to build a bonsai is to see how the masters do it step by step. Here’s a progression on a neat water-elm raft I collected back in 2010, taking the tree all the way through its design to the pinching and refinement/maintenance stage.
Here’s the tree a couple of weeks after I collected it. You can see the new shoots just beginning to push. I think you can also see the potential I saw. I just knew there was a bonsai in there somewhere!
I let the tree grow out for the next season, for two very good reasons: 1) to regain strength, and 2) I hadn’t yet figured out quite what I wanted to do with it. This didn’t mean I failed to recognize this tree as a future raft-style bonsai; rather, I wasn’t yet ready to tackle the necessary styling grunt work.
Here the tree is sitting in an old Tokoname tray I had had for 20 years. (What to do, what to do?)
The first thing I figured out was the pot didn’t quite work. I had this terrific Paul Katich oval on hand, and once I matched up tree to pot the first stage of making a bonsai out of this material was done. Now, it’s important to note here that you don’t necessarily take this step first. It usually comes last, in fact. But in this case there was no harm done – I knew with complete certainty that tree matched pot.
Now the tree is in the pot – wired in, of course, to prevent movement I don’t want – and the editing process is mostly done. Compare this photo with the first two above. What had potential, but at the same time was a tangled mess of a challenge, now seems much less daunting. In fact, I was able to see “bonsai” at this point.
Next came the necessary wiring of trunk and branch. In any multiple trunk specimen, it’s vital to ensure the trunks relate to one another in a harmonious way. The basic shape of a bonsai, when considered in two dimensions, is a triangle. Look at this specimen and you can see the top two sides of the triangle I intentionally created at the pruning phase.
Here’s the new raft-style water-elm bonsai all leafed out a few months later. Does this work as a forest? You bet it does. Compare it with the raw material I started with. It isn’t always easy to see the bonsai in the tree, but with practice it gets a lot easier.
Here’s the last photo I took of this bonsai before sending it on to a client. It was taken only four months after the previous photo. You can see I’m already getting good leaf-size reduction from continuous pruning and pinching.
All in all, I’m very proud of this water-elm bonsai. It’s one of my all-time favorites.
You too can learn how to master bonsai techniques. Classes begin in late-April 2015. One-on-one sessions are $150 for 6 hours of instruction.
Workshop schedule to be announced.
