This is a series of bonsai classes written by:

Hud Nordin
Cybernetic Arts                rkn@guest.apple.com
Post Office Box 2066           Telephone: 408.248.0377
Sunnyvale, California 94087    Facsimile: 408.248.0416

Class 3

[This is a continuing series of spontaneous and unrehearsed "classes"
on the subject of bonsai. Many new readers were coming on board asking
about how to get started. I believe you should just start making
bonsai. So, I will try to lead you through creating your
first. Besides this gentle counsel, be sure to read the FAQ (which
appears periodically) and search out some good books or people to
introduce you to the subject. I will post sporadically with a subject
containing the word "Class". I am going slow, so be prepared to be
frustrated. If you have questions or comments about building your own
first bonsai, post them "Re:" this thread (and if you have other
questions, try to avoid a subject containing "Class").]

I went to the hardware store to buy some plumbing and, as usual, I
took a swing through the nursery. A bunch of 1-gallon plants, normally
US $5 to $7, were on sale for $3. Hmm. I decided it might be a good
thing if I played along at home with you rookies. I wound up buying
three--a mugo pine (p. mugo), a Japanese black pine (p. thunbergiana),
and a juniper (j. procumbens nana).  Because just the day before, at
the drugstore, I had seen a small, scrawny juniper as a ready-made
bonsai on sale for $12, I am smiling, knowing that soon I will have 3
nice bonsai, that in total cost less.

The first thing I did was cut away the part of the plastic pots above
the soil level so I could see, and get at, the whole plant. Repotting
into a slightly smaller container would work, too, so that "ground"
level was accessible.

I couldn't resist; to help myself see what I had, I plucked the
needles that were growing on the lower part of the trunk. It is
spring, here in California, and each of the plants is growing
vigorously. Each has a very dense growth of branches. I am very
tempted to thin out some of the densely growing branches, if only to
better see the structure of the trees, but I guess I will follow my
own advice and study these trees a bit before doing any pruning. (And,
it's hard not to pinch back those rapidly growing candles, but I'll
wait.)

===

So what tactics do we have to give our bonsai the form of a mature
tree?  Fundamentally, there are two: removing (or adding) material and
shaping existing material.

Raw stock will usually require that some, or a good many, of its
branches be removed by judicious pruning. (If you are a positivist
like me, you can just think of pruning as adding to the "negative
space".) Adding material--grafting branches onto a tree--is not
something you need to get into right away, but keep in mind that it is
possible in those situations that demand it. Another way to add
material takes a little more time and cooperation from your subject:
letting the tree grow it. Sometimes a branch can be coaxed to grow
right where it is needed. Actually, because the bonsai is a living
tree, it is always adding more branches for you to work with. So, your
job of shaping the bonsai is never done! You have been warned. Pruning
is your main ally, and with just a half-hour of clipping on some raw
material you can make something prettier than a cheap ready-made
bonsai, something quite beautiful, especially to the non-initiated. I
know; I've seen the jaws drop.

Existing branches are usually shaped with a mechanical restraint,
usually copper wire. (Other methods include tying branches to rigid
stakes, or hanging weights from branches.) Copper wire is wrapped
around a branch and then the branch is bent into the desired
shape. This kind of stress causes slight (hopefully invisible and
painless) damage to the branch, and, much later, when the damage has
healed and the wire removed, then the branch will retain the shape it
was given. For instance, wiring youthful upward-growing branches and
bending them down below the horizontal, is how we achieve that
appearance of the limbs of an older tree being affected by years of
gravity and weather.  Long, bare limbs can be given beautiful, sinuous
forms that bring the foliage in closer to the trunk. Annoying kinks
can be straightened out. It is a powerful tool.

===

Last time, I left you with a question about how tall will your tree
be. Note that I used the future tense, for its height is mostly up to
you. You could make the tree taller than it is by stretching out the
existing apex, but more likely you will make the tree a little
shorter, for that is one way to achieve the wider trunk to height
ratio that is characteristic of a more mature tree.  Now that you have
identified the apex of your little tree, it may be time to
reconsider. The existing apex may have to go!

Now, you could just lop of the upper part of the trunk, but that will
look like a tree with its top lopped off. But what if you remove the
top just above a small branch that currently grows horizontally, and
you use wire to bend that branch into a more vertical position?
Instantly, you have a new apex, I hope a lower one, and perhaps a
"new, improved" trunk that grows narrow a little more quickly. And, if
that branch was one that had been growing toward the front of the
bonsai, the scar left by removing the apex is now hidden on the back
side of the tree. Luck? No. Planning!

[Are words clear enough here? I have a feeling that I'll eventually
 have to do some ASCII artwork to communicate some of these
 ideas. Holler if a crude picture would help!]

I have hinted at it, but let me state it directly: the height of the
tree depends on which side is the front; the front of the tree depends
on the first branch; the first branch depends on the height of the
tree. Do you get the feeling you are solving a puzzle? This is why
thinking about the design is so important. You will find yourself
often compromising between what you want and what your bonsai wants.

===

I am still not advocating you attack your subject yet. Keep
thinking. I just want you to know some options you have while you are
planning your design.

Think about which branches are undesirable and in need of
pruning. Think about which of the remaining branches will need to be
reshaped. Think about how tall your bonsai will be. The final apex of
your bonsai could be anywhere on your tree right now. So, deciding how
tall your tree will be may not be as simple as it sounded.

[Warning: pruning is better done at some times of the year than
 others. And, it varies by location and by tree. Here is where a bonsai
 book comes in handy. They often include such data. When we finally get
 to it, if it's not a good time to be cutting away at your tree, you
 may want to be very conservative and just prune a few branches for
 practice, saving the extreme work for the right time of year.]

===

Next time I want to talk about aesthetics--of branch structures to
avoid or eliminate, and what kinds to keep. ASCII art, I can see it
coming.