The Art of Bonsai Gardening: A Brief History

Although bonsais today are associated principally with Japanese growers, the art of bonsai cultivation actually began in China. Japanese diplomats and visiting Buddhist students brought the beautiful little trees back with them as early as the 7th century A.D.

Bonsai trees first gained a worldwide audience after World War II. The trees truly captured the world's imagination, however, thanks to a large exhibition of bonsai trees held by the Kokufu Bonsai Association in 1964 before the Tokyo Olympics. Today, similar bonsai exhibitions are held all over the world for friendly competition and enjoyment.

The Process of Growing a Bonsai Tree

To understand the specialty bonsai tools that are required in bonsai cultivation, it helps to first have a general idea of the process of growing these trees.

Bonsai Source Tree

Bonsai cultivation almost always begins with a cutting from a plant the gardener wishes to use as the source for the bonsai. Bonsai trees are rarely grown from seeds.

Besides using a cutting, a quicker route to starting a bonsai is to go directly to a commercial bonsai grower. Gardeners who choose this route should try to find a local grower. Shipping bonsais from a distance is often unsuccessful due to the delicate nature of the trees.

Bonsai Styling

Bonsais are most famous for their elaborate styling. To achieve the gardener's aesthetic goals, bonsai growers start with leaf trimming in order to expose the branches of the trees. After an initial leaf trimming, growers prune back the branches, trunk, and even the roots. Pruning requires great skill; otherwise, the tree can be inadvertently damaged.

To encourage the tree and individual branches to grow in a specific direction, gardeners use wires and clamps. Wiring is also a delicate operation as not all trees are flexible enough to bend in the wire's direction.

Caring for the Bonsai Tree

To keep the tree alive and healthy, the majority of bonsais must be kept in an environment that mimics their native habitat. This means that the humidity level, water quantity, temperature, and sunlight should all be roughly what they would experience in the wild. Because these potted miniature trees can be so finicky, many gardeners choose to grow bonsai trees that are native to their own region.

Furthermore, because the bonsai is kept artificially small for aesthetic purposes, they must be frequently re-potted. Re-potting the bonsai encourages it to grow new roots, which, in turn, allows the tree to absorb nutrients and continue to live and grow. Some bonsai gardeners use growing boxes, large containers with a greater amount of soil than a regular bonsai pot. Growing boxes help the tree to grow thick trunks and branches. After a short while within the growing box, the trees are re-potted again into a training box or a regular bonsai box.

Essential Bonsai Tools

Take a look at these eight tools that are essential for any bonsai gardener:

1. Concave Pruners

Many bonsai growers consider the concave pruner to be the most important bonsai tool of all. Due to the unique shape of these pruners, the tree heals rapidly and smoothly after the gardener prunes a branch. This smooth healing prevents unsightly bumps on the tree's trunk. Typical concave pruners are 8 inches, which is perfect for cutting branches with a diameter of 1.5 inches and smaller.

2. Bonsai Bud Scissors

Bud scissors are small, sharp scissors used principally for trimming buds. They can also be used for trimming leaves and very small branches.

3. Bonsai Wire

Wiring trees to grow in the desired shape and direction is a common practice that is an important part of bonsai cultivation. For this purpose, specialized bonsai wire has been developed to provide the ideal balance between strength and flexibility for the growing bonsai tree. Bonsai wire is usually aluminum, copper, or copper-coated.

4. Bonsai Wire Cutters

Along with bonsai wire, it's also important to have proper bonsai wire cutters. These specialized bonsai wire cutters come in different shapes and sizes, but they are all designed to fit in between the delicate branches of the bonsai without damaging or breaking them.

5. Knob Cutters

The knob cutter, which is also called a melon ball cutter, allows gardeners to remove wood while sculpting their cut at the same time. A strong tool, the knob cutter can cut through thick sections of calloused trunk or roots. For the beginner bonsai gardener, the knob cutter is not an absolutely necessary part of the bonsai tool kit. As gardeners grow more experienced, however, they will definitely want to add the knob cutter to their bonsai tool collection.

6. Root Cutters

Root cutters are an essential bonsai cultivation tool because of the frequent re-potting of bonsai trees. Every time a bonsai tree is re-potted into a smaller pot, some of the long roots must be trimmed back. Although gardeners can use other types of shears to trim long roots, the most effective tool is the root cutter. The root cutter has a coarse blade that, unlike more delicate shears, will not be damaged or dulled by grit or small stones. The root cutter can also perform "double-duty" by trimming back branches that are too thick to cut with concave pruners.

7. Bonsai Pots

When collecting bonsai tools, it's important not to forget to get a variety of bonsai pots. The different types of bonsai pots that are useful in bonsai cultivation include:

Growing Boxes:

Growing boxes can be homemade or store-bought. They are usually large, wooden boxes, at least 12 inches wide and long and at least 4 inches deep.

Training Pots:

Once the tree has achieved the desired thickness and branches within the grow box, it can be transferred into a training pot. A training pot is also technically a wooden box, often built with screens instead of solid wood sides. The training pot is designed to help grow long, fine feeder roots to further aid and speed the growth of the tree. The training pot should be quite deep, usually about 10 to 12 inches.

Regular Bonsai Pots:

Once the bonsai tree has properly developed feeder roots, it's ready to move into a normal bonsai pot. At first, this pot should still be on the large end of the spectrum; over time, a healthy bonsai can be transferred into smaller, more aesthetically pleasing pots.

8. Bonsai Soil

A final "tool" to be mentioned here is bonsai soil. Soils are not "one-size-fits-all;" different types of trees require different soil mixtures. Here are some soil factors to take into consideration:

Water Drainage and Retention:

Good soil should be able to retain water while still allowing excess water to drain from the pot right away. Soils that don't retain enough water will starve the tree of moisture; soils that retain too much water allow salt to build up, drying and damaging the tree.

Aeration:

Good soil mixtures also include particles large enough to create small air pockets within the soil. These air pockets ensure that the roots get plenty of oxygen.

Organic Versus Inorganic Soil Mixtures:

The dark, rich humus that comes from decaying leaves, twigs, and animal matter is known as an "organic" soil. However, most species of trees used for bonsai cultivation come from the Far East where soil is rockier and includes volcanic materials, clays, and other "inorganic" particles. Although good inorganic soil is sometimes difficult to obtain, these soil mixtures are really the best choice for bonsai trees. The easiest type of inorganic soil to find in the West is fired-clay soil. Fired-clay soil can be mixed with additional grit to increase the soil's ability to drain excess water. Acquiring "grit" can be as simple as mixing in a little bit of kitty litter.

Bonsai Tool Maintenance

Once gardeners have acquired the right, high-quality bonsai tools, it's important that they maintain them properly so that the tools don't have to be replaced every few years.

After each use of a bonsai tool, clean and oil the blades. To remove sap and moisture on the blades, try using turpentine. Once the sap and moisture has been removed, dry the tool, and then finish by using an oily rag to wipe off the cutting surfaces.

Traditionally, Japanese bonsai growers use choji oil to clean their tools. This oil compound was specifically designed in the East for keeping everything from gardening shears to delicate sword blades sharp.

Choji oil, unfortunately, is quite expensive. Luckily for bonsai gardeners, however, it's easy to find choji substitutes that work just as well. Gun oil, EP90 gear oil, machine oil, and 3-in-1 oil all work for blade preservation.

Because bonsai tools are used to cut materials such as wood and wire, even the best cleaned and oiled blades will still dull over time. For this reason, when acquiring bonsai tools, it's also necessary to acquire corresponding sharpening tools. Sharpening stones with fine grit and diamond files are the simplest sharpening equipment for maintaining bonsai tools.

Finding Bonsai Tools on eBay

To find bonsai tools on eBay, first go to the eBay homepage. Mouse over the category Home, Outdoors & Decor, then click on Home & Garden. Once on the Home & Garden page, mouse over Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living, then Gardening Supplies, then Gardening Tools & Equipment, and finally click on Bonsai Tools. After clicking on Bonsai Tools, use the search bar at the top to search for a specific tool. All the bonsai tools required for cultivating bonsai trees, including the above-mentioned soil mixtures and tool maintenance supplies, can be found on eBay at competitive prices.

Conclusion

Bonsai cultivation is a centuries-old art that originated in China but, today, includes enthusiasts from all over the globe. Growing and styling bonsai trees is a delicate, challenging gardening task that requires gardeners to stretch both their gardening skills as well as their imagination.

The challenges of growing bonsai trees are best met with proper bonsai tools. By acquiring a little bit of knowledge and the proper set of bonsai tools, everyone can successfully grow these beautiful miniature trees.