Victrinia Ridgeway
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Essay: The States Of Bonsai (With photos)

The following is a series of observations based on real world experience and study under the guidance of my teacher (Daniel Robinson) and others. Consider it, in a fashion, as an Intro to Bonsai Horticulture 101/102. This will not reveal anything earth shattering to those long in the art… but to those who do not have easy access to advanced practitioners or still find it all a bit mysterious, it may be the beginnings of an understanding that will grow with your own experience.

In fact… though I am an advanced student, I make no claim to having all the answers, and acknowledge that none of these concepts I am about to put forward are all encompassing to all bonsai. So I invite exploration and conversation about any and all of it… even disagreement… as it will lead to clarity all the way around. I may not explain something well… and will even venture to say there are likely important omissions and the specific needs of bonsai are as varied as the species we grow. But when we engage in the exchange of ideas and experience, we all tend to be better for it. My hope is to encourage all of our growth by thinking of how our trees grow in a way that is more holistic… and how the things which we do (both intentional or not) effect the whole tree.

Please also note... this essay was written from the perspective of my experiance, which is focused on outdoor species. It should be read through that understanding.


The States Of Bonsai:

[img]https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j192/theladysabine/Bonsai%20Forum/Blackpine9531sm.jpg[/img]

Sometimes we can get caught up in all the esoteric and lofty bits of bonsai... the art at the soul of it. We see images of trees in pots that take us to faraway places, or show us expressions of incredible age and perseverance, and we are captivated. it's often easy to connect with these trees… they are a deeply visceral experience for those who become devotees - but it can sometimes be difficult to understand how to recognize the needs of our own humble efforts, or how to provide for them, especially for one new to the practice.


[img]https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j192/theladysabine/Bonsai%20Forum/lilbox.jpg[/img]


It is in those times, when you hold a tree in your hands with the nervous itch of a parent with a new born babe, that it can be very good to keep in mind what can be thought of as the seven states of bonsai. By states I mean their physical condition/activity in any given time: Active growth, Reproduction, Stasis, Stress, Recovery, Dormancy, and Dead.

It is important to know that more than one state can be in play at any given time. It might even seem ridiculous to some to think of bonsai in such simplified terms and but knowing where you are at, can lead you down the path to know what to do, or better… what questions to ask. You might have even thought it was amusing to read the last state of dead… except that if you understood the consequences and interplay of all the rest, you can make great headway in staving off the last. They don't even run in any particular order and excepting the last. They are, through the consistent practice of the art, the ever changing dance you will experience over the seasons and years with each and every tree you take into your care.


Active Growth: Of them all, active growth is generally the easiest to recognize. A majority of the tree exhibits new and hopefully vigorous growth. When in active growth many different things are occurring simultaneously. Leaves and branches are extending, roots are also extending and multiplying, and in the case of deciduous trees wood is being added over the whole structure of the tree equal to the mass of the extensions of growth. So the more growth added on, the more size the trunk and branches gain. Conifers will tend to add that extra wood at the end of their active growth period, though they can actually add wood in the early stages of growth on particularly strong trees pushing a lot of growth.

[img]https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j192/theladysabine/Bonsai%20Forum/LenzLarch.jpg[/img]

For most regions early spring to fall is when you can expect this activity to be going on; unless you are talking about tropical species, which can have several active growth periods during a given year. Forcing trees to go outside of that normal period is possible with experience and the ability to provide the right environment, but there can be serious risk of stressing the tree and it should not be attempted without serious consideration and preparation. (For example, it's not unusual for masters to force a tree to bloom earlier or later than normal in order to have blossoms on the tree timed for a particular show.)

It is also during active growth that most of the “funâ€
Last edited by Victrinia Ridgeway on Wed Jan 26, 2011 4:43 pm, edited 5 times in total.

Victrinia Ridgeway
Senior Member
Posts: 264
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:46 am
Location: Bremerton, WA

When I think of working on a tree... keeping in mind all the things I have learned about it... I balance timing with strength vs stress.

One example is my satsuki... I was planning on having it in a show, and I wanted to reposition it in the pot, but not overly effect the roots so that it could withstand the bloom period. So a couple months before the show I removed the tree from it's pot and removed the minimal amount of roots which would allow me to have it in the correct position without overly distrubing the tree. It kept the impact minimal and the look was exceptional. But I also did not disturb the roots again that year.

Generally if I lose a tree... it's an enviornmental impact I neglected to account for... ie a sneak attack deep freeze I wasn't expecting to be as bad as it was... or a wind storm blowing up that I didn't know what coming.



V

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Gnome
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Victrinia,

Thanks for this informative essay, I'm still digesting the material. Surely another candidate for the library section.

Norm

Victrinia Ridgeway
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Posts: 264
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:46 am
Location: Bremerton, WA

It occures to me an essay on bonsai with no bonsai is something akin to a fashion editor writting on trends without photos of clothes. Hopefully I'll still be able to edit it and add images later this evening, so that I can fix that. ;) :lol:

V

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manofthetrees
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very nice... definate library material. definately a bonsai 101

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froggy
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Thank you - I know how long it took me to read it, so I appreciate the effort that went into writing :)
It took me 3 days to finally sit down and read through everything - maybe the pictures will help :P

It seems to me that a lot of the things you mention get to be almost 'intuitive' as you work with your trees and plants over time.
Only when people ask questions and have problems does one stop to think about them...
So it is nice to see them all gathered without dieing trees as a cause...

Victrinia Ridgeway
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Posts: 264
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:46 am
Location: Bremerton, WA

Photos added... boy howdy... it looks even longer... but there is now photo-goodness to distract you from how long it takes to read it. lol

I put some larger res photos up to let people enjoy the quality of the trees involved... I have worked on all of these trees (except the Telperion trees of course) over the course of years, and all these photos are mine. Most of the trees are from Elandan Gardens, but a few are mine. I don't mind if people save photos for their own enjoyment... but I'm not a fan of my work being used in other iterations without my permission. If someone wants to use a photo for something, just ask... I usually only ask for credit. ;)

Enjoy!

V

Victrinia Ridgeway
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Posts: 264
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:46 am
Location: Bremerton, WA

froggy wrote:Thank you - I know how long it took me to read it, so I appreciate the effort that went into writing :)
It took me 3 days to finally sit down and read through everything - maybe the pictures will help :P

It seems to me that a lot of the things you mention get to be almost 'intuitive' as you work with your trees and plants over time.
Only when people ask questions and have problems does one stop to think about them...
So it is nice to see them all gathered without dieing trees as a cause...
It is an interesting combonation of intuition (being so familiar with your tree, you notice things even in a passing glance), as well as knowledge...

I was once walking past a tree and noticed a single oddly shaped leaf. It stopped me dead in my tracks as odd leaves are not generally something that "just happens" there's usually a reason. And low and behold I found an aphid problem had developed in a matter of mere days.

I delt with it... but it took weeks to completely knock out the problem... Only time I've ever had a problem with a pest. (knock on wood)

V

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applestar
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Oh WOW Victrinia! I read it through once before you added the photos and I just came back to read it again, and ended up scrolling through just to enjoy the photos! Be assured, I'm going back to read it in full measure.
Thanks for posting this!



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