Basic principles of the Classical School of Bonsai

Aponese Maple Bonsai

Acer palmatum bonsai

How many times have you gone to a nursery and stopped to contemplate the bonsai? Many, right? And they are authentic works of art in miniature. Plants capable of making us feel that we are in the middle of a forest, even in the city. It's amazing. But just like life itself, they too had a beginning. The first to start growing potted trees did so because they wanted to have a little piece of nature In the home.

Some time later, around the year 700 AD, in China, the foundations of what would be known as the first school where this art would be taught were built. We explain what the Basic principles of the Classical School of Bonsai, so you can make your own as before.

Triangularity in bonsai

Japanese pine bonsai

All bonsai must be within a triangle. In exhibitions, it is common for the trees to be accompanied by a small accompanying plant and a painting (called Kakemono, which represents a landscape of the current season). If we see it from a certain distance, we will observe that the three elements form the aforementioned figure. This is because in bonsai philosophy the triangle is the path that leads to heaven. Therefore, in the lower part the accompanying plant will be located, in the central part there will be the bonsai representing the human being and in the upper part the Kakemono representing the corresponding deity.

But, also, in the same bonsai You should also be able to see the aforementioned geometric figure. Thus, the apex (known as SHIN) will always be a little above the rest. On the other hand, we will have the branch that grows in the lower part of the trunk (known as SOE), and the one that is in the middle of both (known as TAI). Putting them together, we have to have a scalene triangle.

Another thing that must be taken into account is the harmony. You have to keep the triangularity in the tree, but at the same time you have to make it look natural. The Classical Bonsai School does not seek to force the tree to create plants that, although they can be spectacular by dedicating many hours of work to them, since they do not have their namesake in nature, they would be very forced. Especially if you have just entered this world, it is best to let yourself be guided for your plant.

Look at the trunk, how does it move? And its main branches, how are they distributed? Just like that, with the passing of the years, authentic works of art will be obtained.

Respect the Bonsai cycles

Eurya Bonsai

Eurya Bonsai

Do you want to start pruning, wiring, transplanting ...? Yes? It's normal 🙂. We have all been through that, and there is no one who is free from impatience. But it is important respect the cycles of each plant. Do not forget that a bonsai is a living being and, as such, it is convenient to treat it. This means that, unless it is a tropical species and we have a cold climate, our bonsai will always be outside. It is essential that you feel the passing of the seasons so that you can face all of them in excellent health.

Of course, to keep it inside the bonsai tray it is convenient to carry out some work at certain times. Here is a little guide that it will help you know what to do At each station:

Spring jobs

Azalea bonsai

Azalea bonsai

During these months in which the temperature remains at pleasant values, when the frosts have already passed, we have to do the following:

  • Transplant: as soon as the winter is over, all species, both deciduous and perennial, will be transplanted. We will use a porous substrate, mixing for example 70% akadama and 30% kiryuzuna. If you have tropical trees, it is better to wait for the next season.
  • Irrigation: we will never let the substrate dry. Ideally, water once every 2-3 days depending on the local weather.
  • Treatment against pests: begins to be necessary. We will spray with Neem Oil or make infusions with garlic and / or onion to prevent them.
  • Wiring: to wire the tree it is important that there is the same distance between turns. Thus, the damage done to it is minimal, practically non-existent, and the design you have chosen will be significantly improved. Once put, we will check it from time to time - once every 10 days for example - to prevent it from getting embedded in the branches.
  • Pruning: prune only if necessary, removing those branches that grow forward, intersect, look weak or do not fit into the design.
    NOTE: If we have transplanted, it cannot be pruned until fall or next year.
  • Fertilizer: fertilize using a liquid bonsai fertilizer throughout the growing season (from spring to late summer).

Summer jobs

Bonsai Acer buergerianum

Acer buergerianum bonsai

In these months the heat is the climatic protagonist, and bonsai do not usually like this very much, especially if the climate is very warm. So, we will have to be more aware of them, and not forget:

  • Irrigation: the substrate dries very quickly, so we will water about twice -or more- a day if the temperatures are very high (above 30ºC).
  • Pinching: Since the tree is growing, you may need a few hairstyling sessions. We will grow between 4 and 8 pairs of leaves, and we will cut between 2 and 4.
  • Transplant: now is when tropical species can be transplanted, such as those of the genus Ficus, Serissa or Carmona.
  • Treatment against pests: During this time, scale insect, red spider and aphid pests are common. We will use chemical insecticides that contain Imidchlorid or Chlorpyrifos, or we can also make homemade insecticides. If the environment is very dry, a trick to avoid them is to spray with rain or mineral water early in the morning or at night.

Autumn jobs

Bonsai of Fagus crenata

Fagus crenata bonsai in autumn

Little by little the trees begin to grow more and more slowly and some, the deciduous ones, will stop and their leaves will change color and then fall. But, during the fall the works are not finished:

  • Irrigation: we will space out the irrigations as temperatures decrease. As a general rule, we will water once every 3-4 days.
  • Subscriber: as the plant stops its growth, it does not need an extra supply of nutrients, so the fertilizer must be suspended.
  • Pruning: if we have not done it in spring, at the beginning of the season is the most appropriate time to do formation pruning, the objective of which is to give our tree a design. We do not have to forget to disinfect the tools that we are going to use with a few drops of pharmacy alcohol, or to put healing paste on each wound to prevent fungi from harming them.
  • Wiring: during these months they can be removed to let the bonsai rest. If we see that they are still necessary, we will put them back next year.

Winter work

Bonsai

And with the arrival of the coldest months of the year, the bonsai caretaker's jobs do decrease significantly. So much so that you only have to water from time to time to prevent the substrate from drying out, and protect it from frost if it is a tropical species.

Are there indoor bonsai?

Since in winter you have to protect certain trees from frost, I would like to talk to you about a topic that is often quite doubted, which is none other than indoor bonsai. Unfortunately, they do not exist; But do not worry, because if you have them only during the winter months inside the home in a room that is very well lit, away from drafts, nothing will happen to you. Thus, you make sure that it will get through the season without problems, while you can contemplate it all those days as soon as you get up.

What is a bonsai and what is not

Juniper bonsai

Juniperus bonsai

You can now find trees labeled "bonsai" at any nursery or garden store. However, For the Classical School, only those that meet these requirements will be true bonsai.:

  • They have to be woody plants, such as trees, shrubs or conifers.
  • They must have been transplanted a minimum of 3 times, from when it was a young tree from seed or cuttings until the moment of its sale.
  • Whoever did it, it must have followed the principle of triangularity and respected the cycles of the tree.

Thus, cuttings rooted and planted in bonsai trays are not really bonsai. You don't have to be fooled by age either: not even the experts agree on this issue. Some say that you should start counting from when the tree germinates, and others from when you start working as bonsai. It is still not clear.

Now, regardless of where you buy it, surely it will help you learn. It is even better to spend less money on a »fake» bonsai and improve it ourselves, than to spend hundreds of euros on a tree that may not teach us so much.

Pine bonsai

Pine bonsai

And with this we are done. We hope these tips have been useful to you, especially to make the initial fear that many of us have when we start in this fascinating world disappear. Cheer up to grow (or have to make) your own bonsai; you'll see how much fun you have 😉.


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