Bonsai — Care and Growing From Seed

Making a Dwarf Jade Bonsai (Formal Upright Style): repotting, pruning and wiring.

Repotting: The new pot must have drainage holes. Cover them with a plastic mesh and add a small layer of grit on top. Place the miniature tree in the new pot and cover its roots with your prepared soil mix, being careful not to leave any air pockets. There should be no problems after repotting and the bonsai shouldn't show any reaction, but observe its behaviour carefully for a month. Apply no fertilizers whatsoever. Protect it from strong winds, sun and rain, especially outdoors. Do not over-prune any branches right away.

Guideline #5: The ideal length of a bonsai pot should be about 2/3 the height of the tree. If the tree is shorter than it is wide, the pot length should be at least 2/3 the width of the spread. The pot's width should be slightly narrower than the spread or longest branches, on both sides.

Pruning: Avoid using scissors; use clippers to remove dead branches. Deciding which branches to remove maintains the desired design — pruning a bonsai is considered an art.

Root cutting: Root pruning is done in the first week of spring. Cutting back the taproot takes time; taking too much of it kills the tree because there won't be enough secondary roots to supply nourishment. Start by cutting no more than a third of the taproot and prune back a third to half of the foliage; with less foliage the roots don't need to supply as much. Let the tree recover and repeat as needed until the root bundle fits your finishing pot, then train the top if needed.

Wiring: Wiring shapes angles and generates branches, but must be done correctly or it can be a disaster. Other techniques include defoliation (to obtain smaller leaves or balance shape) and Jin & Shari, which makes a bonsai look old by creating areas of deadwood.

Watering: Constantly check the soil, keep it damp, and water again when it gets slightly dry; never flood it. Reduce watering once the soil's top third dries out.

Growing from seed: Plant in autumn so they germinate in spring, and select tree species that adapt easily to your local climate. A shallow-tray method: place seeds on the bottom of a shallow tray, cover with about an inch of topsoil, and water; this makes the taproot grow horizontally and the trunk grow upward, so you don't have to cut back the taproot as drastically and can plant in a shallow dish from the start.

Stratification (cold-treatment) step by step: (1) Scarification — soak the seeds in room-temperature water for up to 48 hours to soften the outer shell; remove any seeds that float, as they are likely empty and non-viable. (2) Plant the seed in soft bedding such as peat moss. (3) Bag the seeds — water the peat moss so it stays moist but not too wet, then seal in a plastic bag. (4) Refrigerate to mimic the cold season for 1 to 6 months, checking regularly; plant any sprouted seeds immediately. (5) When seeds sprout, remove them from the refrigerator and plant in soil to simulate springtime. Alternatively, mix seeds with sand or moist peat, refrigerate 3–7 weeks, then sow in 3-inch pots with bottom heat around 60°F; transplant outdoors in spring, 6–8 weeks after germination when about 2 inches tall.

Scarification also means soaking seeds in room-temperature water for 24–48 hours; hard-coated seeds can be filed or scratched with a pin or needle until the white layer shows. When growing at home you can bypass extreme measures with simple scarification, or use the oven method.

Seedling care: Germination time varies by species from weeks to several seasons. Once seedlings develop two true leaves and outgrow the seedling tray, pot them into a larger container — insert a pencil beneath the roots to push them out rather than pulling by the delicate stems. Then care for them like any bonsai: direct sunlight and regular watering. Begin a fertilization regimen once the trees are 5–6 weeks old.

Choosing the best soil: Most species (maple, pine) do well in well-draining organic commercial potting soil. Never use garden soil — it is too heavy and usually unsterilized. Fill a bonsai pot with several drainage holes to within 1/2 inch of the lip; coffee filters can cover the holes if soil crumbles out. Water thoroughly and let the excess drain for 30 minutes.

Deciduous tree bonsai soil mix: 50% Akadama, 25% Pumice, 25% Lava rock.

Sources: https://www.bonsaitreegardener.net/ ; https://www.bonsaiempire.com/ ; https://www.instructables.com/id/Starting-a-Bonsai-From-Seed/