Bonsai

Banzai is a japanese war cry. Bonsai, (pronounced : Bone-sigh), the art of growing miniaturized trees and plants is a hobby I've been studying for years and years. Because of the unsettled lifestyle I've had in the past, it has been difficult to keep any bonsai stock for very long. However now that I've stayed in Logan cosistantly for over three years I've been able to keep a few trees going. Here's one of them.


This is the story (so far) of a black pine that I acquired in September of 2006.




The first picture shows the tree as I bought it from Lowe's in a 3 gallon nursery pot. It is approximately 4 feet tall.





















The second picture is in mid-July of 2007. About a third of the tree's height has been removed and it is planted at an angle in a larger pot with plenty of drainage. This is done for several reasons reasons: First, if roots are kept too wet, they will rot and die- and so will the tree! Second, the faster the water drains, the faster the roots will grow to follow it. More roots equals a stronger, healthier tree! The "pot" is exactly what it looks like, a laundry basket. It is lined with window screening to hold the soil in. Planting the tree at an angle creates a more visually interesting form for the trunkline. A lot of foliage has been removed as well. This is also done for a couple reasons. One, it lets more light into the inner parts of the tree, which will encourage the tree to produce more secondary branching on the remaning limbs. It allows the viewer to see the trunkline of the tree and gives it a patina of greater age when you can see the cracks and fissures in the bark. An old gnarly tree with bends and twists in its trunk shows that it has withstood the pressures and ravages of time and is much more interesting than a young sapling with a straight trunk and Christmas tree-like silhouette.







This is the pine in late Spring '08. It has been repotted again into a shallower pot so more people can recognize it as a bonsai in training. The pot is still much larger than the final pot will be eventually. Foliage has been thinned out a little more and separated into more of the "pad" shape they will eventually need to be in. It is still growing strong and is healthy.





This is not my tree! It is a good example of the vision I have for mine someday though. My plan is for mine to reach this point in 7-12 more years, most likely closer to the 12 years... or more!

Here is a pine tree I saw on my hike last Saturday. It must be centuries old! Very inspiring!