What is Bonsai?
Bonsai is the art of growing trees and other plants in small containers in such a way that it becomes the miniature of a real tree. A Bonsai tree may be 12 years old but have a height of one foot only. The art of Bonsai originated perhaps more than one thousand years ago in China. Early Japanese aristicrafts also showed a fondness for Bonsai and contributed greatly to its development. Bonsai is different from normal pot- planting as it is considered an art form. A Bonsai tree is carefully shaped to remain small but still has the appearance of a large tree. It does not need large pots but small containers and not much of soil. A Bonsai container has holes in the bottom which are covered with small nets so that the soil does not flow out with the water.
How to grow it?
The plant is then taken out of its original pot and one third of its root is cut off. It is then tied to the bottom of the pot with the help of wires. Soil is them spread over it to cover the container, but about an inch of the root is allowed to stay on the soil to enhance beauty. The soft branches of the plant are coiled with wires so that they are compelled to grow the way the planter wants them to grow. This allows the planter to give the tree a particular shape. A Bonsai plant never allowed to grow to high. In fact bonsai is classified in two ways____
(a) The style in which the branches and shaped, and
(b) Their sizes.
Plants that are bellow 6 inches are called miniature, 6-12 inches: small, 12-24 inches: Medium, and those more than 24 inches are called large. Almost all woody plants can be grown as Bonsai. The Art of Bonsai is now quite popular in many places of the world. For some people, it is not only an interesting pastime but also a moneymaker. After all we say Bonsai is the Art of kind.
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