Japanese-Juniper Bonsai Trees
Bonsai trees can be the perfect gift for many occasions other than say funerals and weddings. They make great birtday gifts, mother's day, and father's day gifts. Japanese bonsai is a delicate art form that requires time and patience, sometimes years of this, before the desired outcome is achieved. The word literally means tray growing. With bonsai trees are grown in small pots and manipulated as they grow until they become the desired size and shape of the artist. Japanese bonsai can be created from a variety of trees, although one of the easiest species is the Juniper tree and the sub-species therein. Bonsai trees require a significant amount of care to achieve the desired look and to maintain proper growth. There are some basic care techniques that apply to all bonsai trees. These are extremely important and every bonsai enthusiast should know them, so they are included here. However, the specifics of these techniques change according to the type of tree grown. Juniper bonsai trees are quite popular because they are beautiful and can require less maintenance. Their care is somewhat different than most bonsai trees.
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While some bonsai trees can be grown inside your home, most species do better outdoors. They should be kept in a place where there is plenty of air circulation, but minimal amounts of sun. Direct sunlight, for most species, is too hard on the tree and can do more harm than good. Your bonsai plant needs to have a fairly steady humidity level, one that isn't thirst or drown, so the water levels should be checked often. Too much water can be just as disastrous to a bonsai tree as too little water. If you live in a hot climate you may need to water your tree every day, especially during the summer heat. On days when the sun seems blistering, move your tree to a place that offers plenty of shade and cooler temperatures.
The most active growing season for a bonsai tree is during the spring and summer months. To help your tree along and ensure healthy growing, it's a good idea to keep the tree fertilized until the end of the growing season, something during the fall. Pellet fertilizers are ideal for bonsai trees because they feed the tree for a few weeks, cutting down the maintenance. However, liquid or soluble fertilizers can also be used. While they do have to be reapplied more often, the tree will also respond to the liquid faster so it does pay off. The best fertilizer for a bonsai tree will have low nitrogen content, whether it's pellet or liquid. Too much nitrogen will not harm the tree, but it will cause it to grow longer, thinner branches. During the fall months, in preparation for winter, a fertilizer with little or no nitrogen should be used. Reducing the nitrogen will help to prepare the tree for winter.
Because bonsai are grown in small pots, they need to be repotted every two or three years. If you're not sure whether it's time to repot, watch for poor water drainage and crowded roots. These are both good indicators that the tree has run out of room. Remember that the rate of growth in the roots is very similar to the rate of growth to the visible part of the tree so if the branches have had steady growth, so have the roots. Repotting can take some time and should be done very carefully, so the roots don't get damaged. Because you've uprooted your tree, it may not be able to stand upright. To ensure that it does, you may need to wire the roots to the inside of the pot until it has reestablished itself in its new pot. When wiring, make sure the wire doesn't dig into the freshly exposed roots and damage them.
Part of the allure of the art of bonsai is the pruning required to shape the tree. This part of the bonsai art form is essential, but when done at the wrong times can be difficult on the tree. Pruning the new shoots should be done during the growing season, which for some trees may just be the spring and for others includes the spring and summer months. Pruning older, hard wood should be done during the fall, after new growth has stopped. There are a few different ways to prune your tree, and they will be determined by the type of tree and by the style desired. It's important to include the roots in the pruning. These should be done when the tree is repotted. When pruning the roots remember to prune the upper branches as well to help maintain the health and growth of the tree.
The care for a juniper bonsai includes all of the techniques mentioned above. It needs plenty of water, fertilizer, air flow, and pruning, but the requirements here are somewhat different. The juniper is a hardy plant which is why it is often the plant of choice for bonsai enthusiasts and bonsai beginners. Most bonsai do not do well in the sun, but the juniper needs plenty of light, sometimes up to four hours of direct sun. The morning sun, before the day gets hot, is the best type of sun for the juniper tree. It provides the necessary light and nutrients, but doesn't overheat the plant.
As with other bonsai, juniper trees need their humidity level to remain constant. Because they are easier to grow, you'll often find juniper in the hotter climates. This will affect the humidity level and needs to be taken into account when deciding how much water the tree needs. To help maintain a decent level make sure the soil can drain. If you need to, set the pot in a container of gravel or some other substance that lets water through easily. You don't want excess water to pool in the roots. Checking the humidity is easy. Simply feel the soil every day. If it's dry, add water. If it's moist, you can wait. Some bonsai owners mist the tree on hot days to keep the leaves and trunk moist.
Juniper bonsai can be pruned through the spring and summer months and into the month of September. Don't prune past that point because the tree will begin hardening the new growth in preparation for winter. Pruning is the time to shape your tree. For the juniper bonsai, the cascading tree style is often the easiest. Some shaping requires the use of wire to get the desired effect. If you need to use wire, make sure it doesn't dig into any part of the tree. It needs to rest outside the tree, pushing and supporting the growth but not damaging it.
While Japanese bonsai trees, including the Juniper bonsai, require plenty of maintenance, they are not all-consuming. Bonsai is an art form and, as with any art form, it needs to be loved and nurtured. However, it is also easily learned once you understand the basics. Bonsai trees do require a small time investment, but for many people this time is therapeutic. With bonsai you can disappear into the calming world of nature, of shaping, pruning, and creating something extraordinary out of something ordinary.