Trees have a natural tendency to distribute growth to the top (and to a lesser extent outer parts of branches) which is called ‘apical dominance’. This natural mechanism encourages trees to grow higher in order to prevent them from being shaded out by competing trees. By distributing growth to the top and outer edges the tree’s inner and lower branches will eventually die, while top branches grow out of proportion; two effects not desirable for the design of Bonsai trees. This basic background reveals the importance of pruning as a technique to counter apical dominance. Countering apical dominance is achieved by pruning the top and outer portions of a tree more thoroughly, forcing the tree to redistribute growth to the inner and lower parts. When to prune Bonsai? Maintenance pruning can be done throughout the growth season, usually March to September. How? As mentioned previously, maintenance pruning is required to maintain a trees' shape. To do so, simply prune
Growing a healthy bonsai is pretty straight forward, but we’ve all made bonsai mistakes. For many beginners, the learning curve is fraught with frustration and dead trees. In this article, we’ll cover 5 mistakes you might be making that could spell the demise of your miniature tree. A bonsai tree is a truly unique addition to a home, part decoration and part house-guest. Bonsai trees are no mere houseplant! These are genuine trees, bred from mother nature, with the potential to live as long as you. But they need proper care and handling. It’s easy to think of trees as “taking care of themselves,” but bonsai have special needs that must be met. They’re easy to care for, but there are still a few important rules to follow to ensure they’re able to fully express their inner beauty for many years. Biggest of the Bonsai Mistakes? 1. Impatience! Bonsai is an art in which trees are trained and developed over years, and even decades. You’ll probably see trees online from bonsai p