Recently, in the home of one of my Redding neighbors, I saw a bonsai arrangement that pretty much follows what I have been describing above, except that it goes it one better. This gardener, in the search for the “right” rock, had walked miles along the stone fences that divide fields, woods, and properties in our area. Eventually she found a beautifully weathered specimen with a large pocket in the top. This she filled with a rich, moisture-holding soil mixture, encasing some of the roots of her bonsai in it. Then she set the rock in water in a shallow container to help keep it moist. Someday I am going to defy the snakes that are said to lurk in the cracks and crevices of our rock walls and see if I can’t find something to approximate what my neighbor discovered. I hope it will have a few lichens on it. That would be a crowning touch of age and antiquity.
Shaping and Pruning
These are the techniques, says one author, that “make bonsai culture an art.” That statement alone is sufficient reason to invalidate just about all of the specific rules. But there are others—the wide variations among plants and types of plants, plus the personal element, the variances in personal tastes and degrees of artistry.
Instead of trying to cover bonsai pruning and wiring in complete detail (there are many excellent books on the subject), I’d rather speak from personal experience and set down the basic principles as I see them and have used them. By following these principles—not word for word, or too literally, but with your own creative ingenuity and imagination—I feel you can shape a true bonsai plant, or adaptations in the bonsai manner.
First, let’s define the objective—a miniature tree or shrub with every part in perfect scale, the line and design of trunk and branches clearly outlined and not forced or distorted but naturally picturesque. If you start with a very small plant, a seedling, or a rooted cutting, the choice of shape and design is mostly up to you. But more mature plants almost always suggest their own form. A trunk may be slightly twisted, a branch slightly bent, the leaves or needles heavier in one area than another. You simply carry on the illusion in as natural a manner as possible.
In pruning, the first step is to remove all weak or dead wood, and any unwanted branches that cross unattractively or perhaps go off in the wrong direction. Then, you decide whether more branches should be pruned away—to reveal the basic form of the tree in general or the trunk in particular; to lighten the over-all effect; to help create the desired symmetrical or asymmetrical shape. If the plant has been root-pruned, the top should be pruned proportionally. Top growth and roots should always be kept in balance. Growing tips are pinched or cut back to encourage the development of side shoots, or merely to keep the plant in dwarf proportions.
From here on, pruning depends on the plant and the planned design. Slow-growing types may need trimming only once a year; others need constant attention. Any undesirable or excess growth is best removed while the plant is still young so the operation won’t leave an unsightly scar. Needles that are too long can be cut down to proper size from time to time. Leaves that are too large and heavy can be severely thinned. Because fruit that is too plentiful can weaken a dwarfed tree severely, some of it should be removed.
At repotting time you may find a few roots immediately under the soil surface that have enlarged to such a good size they can be exposed above the soil. If possible, spread them out slightly so they form a swelling base for the trunk. This is fun, but takes a bit of doing. You don’t want to end up with something that resembles an unanchored telegraph pole with leaves at the top.
Stems, branches, and trunks are trained by wiring them and then bending them along the lines you desire. Wiring is best done in the spring. New growth is just starting and the older woody parts are more supple and pliant. If the soil is left dry a few days before wiring, the wood will be even easier to work with. You can use ordinary galvanized wire. If you happen to have only copper wire, try annealing it. Hold it in a fire and then plunge it into cold water. The weight and strength of the wire will depend on the size of the trunk or branch with which you are working. Be careful not to get a wire that is so stiff you can’t bend it easily.
As to the actual process, first fasten one end of the wire. Perhaps you wrap it around the trunk, or better still, stick it deeply into the soil. Next coil it rather loosely around the branch that is being trained and fasten it again at the end. Now, using both hands, bend the wired branch in the direction you want it to go. Be firm, but be gentle and cautious. Ease up if the branch shows signs of breaking or being injured. Don’t hurry the job. If necessary, only bend it a little the first time. Bend it a little more the next week, and the weeks after that. If you are tempted to rush, stop and think of the bonsai creations you have seen on display at flowers shows. Usually you will have seen a card that says the creation is fifty or more years old. Be especially careful with old hardened growth or plants with tender bark that is easily bruised or broken. Most important, once you start to bend a branch, don’t change your mind and try to bend it back the original way. It will almost surely die. Plan before you act.