I've been watching bonsai videos on YouTube. I particularly recommend OrlandoBonsaiTV and Graham Potter of Kaizen Bonsai in the U.K. who makes great videos. There are quite a few bad ones, made by men who seemed to have learned the art of bonsai from a dude who works at a roadside bonsai stand.
Where are our female bonsai growers?
Two things to look for in good bonsai videos:
1) If the subject of the video (the plant) is from a nursery, does the grower actually look at the roots and tree base before they start hacking away at branches? Good bonsai stylists almost always begin at the base and work up (sometimes this is implicit, sometimes explicit).
2) Although I have seen someone who should know better merely hack off roots without combing them out (or using a root hook to remove excess potting media), the worst of the amateurs invariably do this. I think this comes from the mistaken idea that getting the plant into a bonsai pot, no matter what, is the first thing one does. WRONG. The first question I must ask myself is: Given the season of the year, and the health of the tree, what would be best to do right know. Sometimes the answer is NOTHING, and merely set the tree aside for it to grow on a bit more.
Here is a draft of the hierarchy of bonsai I use to assess a plant:
1) Is this plant beautiful - do I like it?
2) Is it a species or variety that I am familiar with and which I know would make good bonsai?
I am still trying to identify a few interesting plants in my collection that are actually in the process of becoming bonsai. I think both are small-leaved Viburnum species, but even knowledgeable nurserymen don't know what they are either. Some common plants rarely make good bonsai, for instance oaks, cherry laurel, and pittosporum.
3) Given the vigor of the plant, how long will this tree take to develop into a bonsai at least 14 inches (36 cm) tall? Some things are worth spending a lifetime doing, others not.
4) Gently removing the plant from the pot, I assess the roots. Does this tree need to be in fresh media? Does it need to be in a larger pot? Given the time of year, what can be done to advance the growth of this plant to the next level? If the plant is in full active growth, with a lot of fresh new leaves, it is better to leave it alone until the leaves harden off and I can then more safely work with the soil and roots.
When working with pre-bonsai in nursery soil I assess the health of the top of the plant:
- Is the plant vigorous, growing lots of leaves and branches?
- Does it look like it has been in this pot a short or long time?
- Does the soil appear to be of a type that is suitable for this type of plant?
- If I want the plant to develop a heavier trunk or branches, is there enough room in the pot to support this growth? If the roots are actively growing the top can be supported, if not, the plant may simply not do much until it can be repotted.
- When can I safely repot this species? For instance Bald Cypress should only be repotted in January (in the northern hemisphere).
5) If the roots are healthy, I will scrape away some soil at the trunk base until I can see the root flare (nebari). I ask "Is this tree planted at the correct angle and depth to look its best?
6) Given the appearance of the tree base, where are possible viewing fronts of the tree?
7) Given the lower branching, which of the possible fronts will make the most beautiful arrangement of branches?
Small forest planting of Dwarf Hinoki Cypress - Chamaecyperus obtusa var. nana
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