A bonsai is a recreation of a natural tree in miniature form.
It is a marriage of art and nature that never fails to fascinate and delight anyone who has been privileged to see a wonderful specimen of a tree in bonsai.
As an art form, shaping a bonsai plant is necessary for the appearance of a natural tree, but did you know that the shaping and pruning is necessary for the plant's health as well? Historically, when one wanted to shape a bonsai tree, one would use weights suspended from branches, or would tie down branches with string attached to the base of the pot or to the ground.
As technology and manufacturing techniques evolved, however, using wire to shape a bonsai tree has become the standard.
When shaping a bonsai plant, consider the natural shape and inclination of the tree before you begin.
If it is growing tall and straight, you do not want to try to train it to grow in a cascade style.
Neither would you want to try to train a willow that naturally grows in the weeping style to a formal upright style.
Consider the main trunk line.
Shaping a bonsai is more about guiding it along its natural inclinations than forcing it into a mechanical shape.
Bonsai is the marriage of art and nature and they must work in harmony to work well.
Once you have decided on a general shape for your bonsai tree, it is important to choose the right sort of wire.
You want to make sure that you're choosing wire that will not harm the bonsai's trunk, branches or soil.
Some people use copper wire, but as copper is increasingly expensive and can leech harmful chemicals into the soil, aluminum wire or plastic coated wire have become more popular.
When shaping your bonsai plant, make sure that you have not watered it for at least a day.
A recently-watered bonsai tree will have branches that are too stiff to shape well and you can damage your plant that way.
Ideally, you should shape your bonsai tree just before the growing season in early spring.
This will train your little tree to grow in the shape you want it.
Be very careful not to wire a bonsai tree too tightly, as this can scar the trunk or branches as well as inhibit the sap flow into the tree.
When wiring, start from the thickest part of the trunk or branch, and work carefully to the thinnest part.
Be careful not to wrap the wire too closely together as this will have little effect in shaping.
Make sure that your wiring will gently guide your tree into the shape you want.
It generally takes an entire growing season to shape your bonsai tree after it has been wired.
However, if it has not yet shaped to your satisfaction, always remove the wire at the end of the growing season and rewire it if you intend to continue shaping your bonsai tree for a second season.
This will avoid marking and scarring your bonsai tree.
"As the twig is bent, so the tree is inclined" is a wonderful and valid principle to follow when shaping your bonsai.
It is a marriage of art and nature that never fails to fascinate and delight anyone who has been privileged to see a wonderful specimen of a tree in bonsai.
As an art form, shaping a bonsai plant is necessary for the appearance of a natural tree, but did you know that the shaping and pruning is necessary for the plant's health as well? Historically, when one wanted to shape a bonsai tree, one would use weights suspended from branches, or would tie down branches with string attached to the base of the pot or to the ground.
As technology and manufacturing techniques evolved, however, using wire to shape a bonsai tree has become the standard.
When shaping a bonsai plant, consider the natural shape and inclination of the tree before you begin.
If it is growing tall and straight, you do not want to try to train it to grow in a cascade style.
Neither would you want to try to train a willow that naturally grows in the weeping style to a formal upright style.
Consider the main trunk line.
Shaping a bonsai is more about guiding it along its natural inclinations than forcing it into a mechanical shape.
Bonsai is the marriage of art and nature and they must work in harmony to work well.
Once you have decided on a general shape for your bonsai tree, it is important to choose the right sort of wire.
You want to make sure that you're choosing wire that will not harm the bonsai's trunk, branches or soil.
Some people use copper wire, but as copper is increasingly expensive and can leech harmful chemicals into the soil, aluminum wire or plastic coated wire have become more popular.
When shaping your bonsai plant, make sure that you have not watered it for at least a day.
A recently-watered bonsai tree will have branches that are too stiff to shape well and you can damage your plant that way.
Ideally, you should shape your bonsai tree just before the growing season in early spring.
This will train your little tree to grow in the shape you want it.
Be very careful not to wire a bonsai tree too tightly, as this can scar the trunk or branches as well as inhibit the sap flow into the tree.
When wiring, start from the thickest part of the trunk or branch, and work carefully to the thinnest part.
Be careful not to wrap the wire too closely together as this will have little effect in shaping.
Make sure that your wiring will gently guide your tree into the shape you want.
It generally takes an entire growing season to shape your bonsai tree after it has been wired.
However, if it has not yet shaped to your satisfaction, always remove the wire at the end of the growing season and rewire it if you intend to continue shaping your bonsai tree for a second season.
This will avoid marking and scarring your bonsai tree.
"As the twig is bent, so the tree is inclined" is a wonderful and valid principle to follow when shaping your bonsai.
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