So you want a bonsai but you don't know where to start

Bonsai is a Japanese word that is now used everywhere to mean a tree or shrub planted in a shallow container, and trained to look like a full-size tree.

Many of us have admired bonsai trees and have been tempted to grow one ourselves. Often they are bought, perhaps as a gift, from a garden centre. These trees usually come with very limited instructions and sadly most of them die.

You are not alone

People often think that it was their cavalier disregard of the needs of the tree that has caused its untimely demise. This is probably not the case. Many of the ready made bonsais available at garden centres are really not very good material for the purpose (although things are improving).

Unless the tree is purchased from a specialist bonsai nursery, there is a good chance that the tree will be one that has been grown quickly to form a thick trunk, had its top lopped and then been planted in a pot that is far too small. It has little chance of survival, unless remedial action is taken.

What went wrong?

Something that is not often properly understood is that a bonsai is not a special kind of tree. It is an everyday tree that has been trimmed, pruned and shaped to form a miniature tree. It is not surprising, then, that most bonsai trees fail to thrive on the windowsill.

The garden centres are often at fault here for not explaining this. To keep your new acquisition healthy, you need to recreate the sort of conditions the tree would find in its natural habitat - and most people's living rooms do not provide these conditions. Even with the proper care and attention garden centre bonsais often prove difficult to keep alive.

So what can I do - I want a bonsai?

There are many books on bonsai that give full details on how to grow beautiful bonsai, but this article is intended to provide guidance for those who do not wish to invest a lot of time or money (until they get hooked!)

The best material is also the cheapest - it's free! The ideal starter is a young sapling of a native tree. You are looking for a small tree a foot or two in height, probably a single, slender stem. If it has a couple of branches, so much the better. You must ensure that you have permission if you wish to take a tree from private land, and taking trees from the wild is forbidden in some cases, but many gardens will readily provide material which is normally discarded as weeds.

Hawthorn trees are ideal in temperate climates like the UK - they are slow-growing and have small leaves. Young shoots which are ideal are often to be found beneath hawthorn hedges. Privets are also very suitable. Any woody plant will do, but it's best to choose one with fairly small leaves.

Trees such as sycamore and horse chestnut, although very common, are less suited as they have very large leaves which do not look at all in scale on a bonsai. If you would like a bonsai that is on the large side, you could do worse than plant an acorn or two!

Once you have found your sapling, you should dig it gently out. This is best done in early spring, before the buds have begun to swell, but it can be done later. You will find that your new tree has a long tap root. Cut about half to three quarters of the length of this taproot off, and plant the tree in a small pot with some fresh compost.

As you now have quite a tall plant in a shallow pot, it is a good idea to secure it in its pot. You can use garden wire for this, obtainable from any garden centre. Pass the wire over the top of the rootball and thread the ends through the drainage hole(s) in the pot. If your pot has two or more drainage holes, pass each end of the wire through a different hole. Ensure your tree is properly seated in the pot, and then wind the two ends of the wire together underneath to secure it. If pot only has one hole, pass both ends of the wire through it. Then find a stick that is longer than the hole is wide (garden cane, a twig or even a pencil) and wind both ends of the wire round the stick to secure your tree.

You can use ordinary garden secateurs or gardening scissors for all this - you don't need bonsai tools. Nor is there any need to use a 'proper' bonsai pot, but if you can find a pot (plastic or unglazed inside) that is fairly low and wide it will look better. Why not use that pot that the dead bonsai from the garden centre came in?

You do not need to be terribly fussy about the compost - this was a tree that was growing quite happily in the back garden! A good bet is to use around three parts of ordinary potting compost to two parts gravel - you want good drainage. One researcher had considerable success using the soil the sapling was growing in, but this does encourage weeds and it really is best, and not expensive, to provide new compost. Once the tree is potted up, reduce the height of the stem by about half - this will encourage branching.

That was easy, but all I have is a twig in a pot

The best thing to do with the tree now is to leave it alone for a while. Once it is potted up, keep it moist and do not allow it to dry out - remember, there is very little root. You should check it every day - once it is in leaf it can dry out very quickly in warm weather. However, it is important not to overdo it and allow the compost to become soggy and waterlogged.

It is important to emphasise that the tree should be kept outdoors. That is where it was growing, before it was harvested, and that is where it needs to be to thrive. It can be brought in for a day or so to be admired, but it should live outdoors. After a few weeks you should see signs of new growth. It is safest to leave well alone this first year.

Help - the leaves are going brown!

Unless you have chosen an evergreen tree, the leaves are going to fall in the autumn and the tree will become dormant. Obviously, the leaves should not all drop in the autumn from an evergreen (evergeens do shed leaves, but only one or two at a time, and not only in the autumn) but there should still be a dormant period in winter when no new growth takes place.

Do not be tempted to bring your tree indoors. When frost threatens, it can be placed somewhere sheltered - a garden shed, an unheated greenhouse or garage, or a porch. It doesn't matter if it doesn't get much light whilst it is dormant, but don't allow it to dry out. Don't worry about the cold - the tree will be 'expecting' a cold spell. Provided you avoid the compost freezing solid it should come to no harm.

What next?

In the early spring, just before the buds begin to swell, it is time to start the process of turning your twig into a bonsai tree. Take it out of the pot, and gently clean most of the compost from the roots. You should see fine, fibrous roots beginning to form. Trim off about a third of the rootball. Replant it into the pot with fresh compost, being sure to work the compost well into the roots. A chopstick is the ideal tool for this. Water it in, and then keep moist as before. It is important that you do not allow a freshly rootpruned tree to become waterlogged, nor should you fertilise it for a couple of weeks.

In late spring you can start thinking about pruning. It is beyond the scope of this article to give advice on creating the formal bonsai styles - with this first effort it is better just to train the tree into a shape that pleases you. You should control the height of the tree and encourage branching by stopping the top growth. This can be achieved by pinching the growing tip between finger and thumb. If you wish to reduce the height further, then clip it back with your secateurs or trimmers. Allow the branches to grow as far as you wish, and then trim them back. Prune back to a bud that is pointing in the direction you wish the branch to go, it will grow in that direction. Don't be afraid to prune your tree - it will not kill it provided you always leave buds for regrowth.

You should repeat this process every year for the first five years or so, after which you should reduce the frequency of root-pruning and repotting to every other year, or even every three years - there is no hard and fast rule. You should be guided by the tree, and whether it needs it.

That wasn't so difficult - what should I do for an encore?

Once you have created your first bonsai, you will probably want to do more. This is a sign that you are becoming hooked. Don't resist it. Buy some bonsai books, join a bonsai club. Look out for exhibitions of bonsai - be inspired by the bonsai that enthusiasts have created over the years. Experienced bonsai growers are normally glad to share knowledge and help out beginners, whether through a club, at an exhibition, or via an internet forum. You can discover techniques like wiring, and growing trees over rocks, or in forests. Visit a nursery and treat yourself to some young trees to work with. Bonsai is a hobby and an art for life.

I want to know more!

The following links contain further information, including pictures of trees to inspire you, as well as detail on more advanced techniques. They have a forum where you can go to get advice from more experienced bonsai growers if you have a question about your own tree.

Garden Web Bonsai Forum

The Bonsai Site