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What is A Backyard Bonsai?
By Chris Meagher
Bonsai plants are essentially trees and shrubs that are trimmed and clipped to maintain them at a miniature size, compared to their wild cousins. The plants and shrubs thrive on this procedure, simply because they get a lot of care, consideration and have a life expectancy comparable, even greater in some cases, than their wild counterparts. Bonsai is often mistaken as a process of abusing and depriving a plant, in order to keep it's growth stunted. Actually, the opposite is true - these are some of the healthiest, most pampered and well looked after plants on the planet. Bonsai can be bought from essentially anywhere in the world, their popularity has seen a large increase in the growth of specialty stores, devoted to the developing and caring of Bonsai. Of great importance, is to be aware that the roots of Bonsai are also pruned, once or twice a season. This is mainly because this restriction assists with the miniaturisation of the plant. Also keeps the balance between above and below ground (very Zen), prevents the plant from becoming pot-bound, also allows for sculptural effects using the roots (over rocks and such). Now, if you plant your Bonsai in the ground, there is nothing to restrict the root growth - and off they will go! This will result in an explosion of vigorous growth up top. Obviously, digging the plant up every 6 weeks or so, to prune the roots is going to do more damage than good, to the overall health of the plant. So, you are left with the fact that, you are going to have to maintain a constant regime of clipping and trimming, just to keep the plant in check. Ultimately, you are going to get tired of this - and that is a fact. Also your beloved little living sculpture, will end up looking like a ball on a stick. The whole point of Bonsai is to emulate the normal growth of a plant, only in miniature. All the restrictions of trimming and fussing, slow the whole growing process down so that it is comparative to the overall size of the plant, and to the amount of time it took to get there. Do not plant Bonsai in the ground, unless you can afford an army of gardeners that enjoy fruitless endeavours. (They won't) Backyard Bonsai do well and look great on a patio, or in a courtyard, and some of one of the most healthy Bonsai specimens are indeed to be found growing outside. Nevertheless, it is of great importance that you buy your Bonsai from a outlet close to your home area, therefore making sure that your new specimen can contend with the conditions you are likely to subject it to. Should you reside in high temperature areas of the united states and are considering buying on the Web, you shouldn’t be purchasing a Bonsai from a cold climate area, as there is a good chance it will not survive in your particular locale. Do outside Bonsai require much less treatment than a house, or indoor Bonsai? Simply because you have placed your Bonsai outside, does not mean you can ignore it and just expect it to maintain the miniature form, or even survive for that matter. A Bonsai that isn’t clipped and trimmed, will cease to become a Bonsai and will simply turn into a straggly looking bush or tree, in a tiny pot. Maintaining your outside Bonsai in a container (there are purpose-crafted pots made specially for Bonsai), which is the usual, sensible and most practical way to do it, try to resist bringing it into the house for any extended period of time. No matter how unwell it may appear it will doubtlessly not appreciate the abrupt change in environment. If the plant doesn't look all that flash, this will more likely be due to some reason other than being outdoors. Check the watering situation first, then look at other factors; too much sun can cook the roots inside a pot, depending on what it is made of; is it situated in a breezeway?; is your dog doing the watering for you? The most healthy and hardy of Bonsai can probably tolerate a day indoors, perhaps two, at the very most, as a center piece with bragging rights. Putting your Bonsai indoors during the cold months and placing it anywhere near a blazing heater, is undoubtedly going to burn the leaves if not the roots, and your prized specimen will probably perish from dehydration, too. The opposite can also be true, bringing a Bonsai in through times of high temperature and plonking it near to the air conditioning unit, is the same as a surprise frost in summer and will also kill your Bonsai. Do not put your outdoor Bonsai in the shower-room.
There are many folk that think that placing plants in the shower-room, with all that steam, sort of tropical-like, is a good idea. Not really. The heat from the steam actually dries plants out rapidly, so your plants must have adequate watering to counter this. Steam also opens the pores in the leaves, basically they perspire, leaving them in a weakened state - then what are you going to do? Can't just dump them outside again, the shock will doubtless kill them. Solution: just leave them outside. I hope this helps to explain a bit about outdoor Bonsai.
Mr Meagher has been a gardener and organic gardener for 45 years, permaculturist for 29 years. Further reading to be found at : Gardening Secret
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Great post Thank you:)
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