Many people keep a bonsai to brighten a room or balcony, but there is no need to buy one. A guide in Samakal's lifestyle pages sets out how to make a bonsai at home.
Beginners are advised to start with trees that take to bonsai easily: banyan, ficus, money plant, jade plant, boxwood and juniper. According to the guide, anything from a money plant to an orange tree can be trained.
The pot should be shallow with good drainage, which also keeps the roots from spreading. The suggested soil mix is 40 percent garden soil, 30 percent sand or perlite and 30 percent compost.
Shaping starts with root pruning: about 40 percent of the roots of the chosen plant are cut away, and cutting the thick roots encourages fine ones. The top growth is then trimmed back, which is called shoot pruning. Finally, copper or aluminium wire is wound round the branches to bend them into shape, a technique known as wiring. The guide says the wire can be removed after three months.
Water only when the soil in the pot has dried slightly; a spray bottle helps avoid overwatering. The tree needs liquid fertiliser, and a small amount of organic fertiliser once a month is an option. It needs five to six hours of sun a day, and an indoor bonsai can stand on a balcony or by a window.
For city families with little space, bonsai is a hobby of patience: little soil, regular trimming and measured watering are the whole technique.
Photo: Banyan bonsai in a pot, Ks.mini / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: samakal
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