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Posted by: Duct Tape Fixes All on 2010-02-04, 17:38:20
Any shrub or tree can be made into a bonsai. To get a bonsai from a grown tree, you will want to follow these instructions: 1. Find a small branch which will be a suitable size for a bonsai. You will be pruning this cutting, so it is better to make it bigger than desired than the ideal size and have to make it too small. 2. Decide how tall of a trunk you would want to start out with (the part visible from the top of the soil to the bottom set of leaves) and make a mark on the branch to represent this length. Half an inch below this mark, make another mark. 3. Using a sharp knife, make a cut around the circumference of the branch at each mark, deep enough to cut through the bark, but not to the point where it damages the heart wood. Make a cut connecting the rings, and remove the bark piece. The branch must stay attached to the tree in order for this to work. 4. Using a dish scrubber, remove any green matter on the exposed wood. This matter will attempt to regrow the bark, thus making the following steps difficult if not impossible. 5. Using rooting hormone, sprinkle a thick layer on the exposed wood. Soaking sphagnum moss (burlap does work, but you'll need two layers instead of one) in water, wrap it around the wood and close it off at both ends, creating a seal around the wood. Cut open a sandwich bag and wrap this around the moss and seal it with tape. This creates a water and air tight seal. 6. Check every few days to look for roots poking through the moss. Once roots have developed, you can cut the cutting off of the tree and plant into a pot. You now have a smaller version of the tree. Prune to your liking and enjoy. |
