Bonsai 101 - Chapter 10: How to Get Trees to Turn Into Bonsai
How to choose the RIGHT trees for bonsai!
Getting Started
You might as well start with the right foot forward when getting your bonsai, since it will increase in value over time – not only financially, but also sentimentally – and, frankly, you will soon forget the few extra dollars you spent on the tree to get something you really like.
Generally, no matter what size raw material you start with, it will take at least 2-3 years for it to take shape, and then and then several more years to have the aged, manicured look with significant ramification. After that, continuous improvement can go on (hopefully) indefinitely – even generationally!
Assuming you start with a nursery-grown plant, my recommendation is to first decide on the size of the bonsai and one that can be made into the style you like. You can find trees with skinny, chopstick-sized trunks if you’d like to start with a small bonsai, or you could look for a thicker, 2” wide trunk to make an in-your-face bonsai.
You could start with anything from a 5 to a 15 gallon-size plant that has already been growing for five or more years, but you might as well go for something a little bigger if you can afford it. For example, Japanese maples and Chinese elms in 15 gallon size nursery cans are generally not too difficult to find for under $100. They – like most landscaping trees – tend to have few or no lower branches, but branching occurs quickly if you cut the tree to slightly more than half of the height you want your bonsai to be.
Buying A Tree
It can be fun to go through nursery stock when picking out your tree to make into a bonsai.
Consider buying an older tree with a thick trunk to get a head start.
Pay attention to the base, because that won’t improve over time. Find one with a good taper and without tangled roots. Tangled roots aren’t something that can really be fixed over time.
Select your tree with a long-term vision in mind of what you could do with it, especially if you have a vision of what you could do with some drastic cutting – in other words, do not limit your tree options by their current appearance, but by what they could grow into.
With that in mind, pay attention to the appearance of the trunk, as that’s not something that will really change over time.
Look for interesting features – such as a thicker base, exposed roots (dead or alive), or a twisted trunk – as these will make your bonsai stand out. Of course, in time, you can introduce tapers and turns of the trunk by cutting off the leader and building up a new apex. (Please refer to chapter 9 for more information on growing your bonsai tree.)
Collecting a Tree
There is no better way to get good bonsai material than to dig up a tree from your garden. Doing so would also not deprive the public from enjoying an old tree in the wild. Sometimes you can even find listings on Craigslist or Nextdoor for people who want to give away trees when they’re relandscaping. It is a trove of treasure when you can dig up an old hedge for almost no cost.
Spring is the best time to uproot a tree.
Watering your tree well will soften the soil, making it easier to dig up. The extra water will also encourage the growth of fibrous roots, which will help to keep the tree fed.
Dig up a section at a time – over a period of several months – so that fibrous roots will begin to establish, which will cause less root shock once it is fully uprooted.
Make sure that you cut back growth on the exposed branches to compensate for any root loss.
Pruning (to your desired shape) as you go will reduce the “training” time…and will simultaneously force more growth in the remaining parts of the tree.
Once fully uprooted, place your tree in partial shade to preserve moisture. As soon as new leaves begin to emerge – which will usually be in a matter of days – you can move the tree to full sun.
Potting Your Tree
Keep your tree in a large growing pot as long as you can to enable faster growth, and postpone putting it into a bonsai pot until you are satisfied with the development. There is less soil in a bonsai pot, which slows down the growth.
Be sure to water any trees you buy frequently to keep the growing medium moist. Most nurseries nowadays use a very high percentage of organic mix, and then drip/feed them with slow-release fertilizer to speed up the growth to quickly have a sellable tree. Your normal watering schedule may very well be inadequate.
An alternative approach would be to mix in the existing soil with an equal part of your garden top soil, to better retain moisture and fertilizer.
Once you are ready to repot, start by moving your tree to progressively smaller growing pots, while reducing the depth of large roots. This will help to train your bonsai to have ample fibrous roots, which will allow it to thrive in small bonsai pots.
Plant young bonsai in a deep bonsai pot to speed up growth. And if the bonsai displays better in a very shallow pot, grow it in a deep bonsai pot and transfer to a shallow bonsai pot by keeping most of the soil by tapering the top layer to the edge of the pot so that the tree looks right and still retain a large amount of the rootball.
Remember to always compensate for root loss by reducing the amount of existing leaves on top.
About Bonsai Heirloom
We document bonsai transformations and the philosophy behind them. If you're feeling inspired to begin your own bonsai journey, consider adopting a bonsai from our curated collection. Each tree is hand-selected, artistically shaped, and ready to grow with you.