Section 1 -- Table of contents

Part1
* Section 1   -- Table of contents
  Section 1.1 -- Introduction
  Section 2   -- What is Bonsai?
* Section 3   -- Administrivia

Part 2
* Section 4   -- Frequently Asked Questions!
  Section 5   -- Soil
  Section 6   -- Watering
  Section 7   -- Junipers
  Section 8   -- Indoor bonsai

Part 3
* Section 9   -- Clubs, Associations

Part 4
* Section 10  -- Reading material (Books and Magazines)
* Section 11  -- Permanent Bonsai Exhibits
* Section 12  -- Japanese Gardens

Part 5
* Section 13  -- Suppliers and Nurseries
  Section 14  -- Turface Suppliers
  Section 15  -- Pricing

Part 6
  Section 16  -- Dictionary of Japanese bonsai terms
  Section 17  -- Dictionary of selected Latin botanical terms
* Section C   -- Contributors...

* = (last changed May 26, 1995)

Section 1.1 -- Introduction

This document has passed through many hands in its evolution.  This
section will be used to identify the current maintainer, make some
general statements, and then explain what to expect.

Dan Cwiertniewicz is the current maintainer of this information.  Dan
has been interested in Bonsai for about 5 years now.  Only the past 3
have been successful years for keeping trees alive.

This FAQ is the work of many people, and often it is difficult to
give everyone credit for their contribution.  Suffice it to say that Dan
is not the originator of all of this information.  If you have a correction
or want to make additions to this FAQ, please let Dan know.


Section 2 -- What is Bonsai? (Mike Bartolone)

This was, at one time, the most commonly asked of all FAQ's; but
since The Karate Kid was first shown, it gets asked a little less
frequently.

The word bonsai (according to my Japanese friends) is pronounced
as follows: "BON" (as the French would say "bon" or the Germans
would say "Bonn") is pronounced with the lips nearly closed with a
.3 second hum. The second syllable is pronounced quickly as "sah-
ee". You will hear some people pronounce the BON in bonsai with a
short "O" and others with a long "O", but the correct
pronunciation is really neither.

The word literally means a plant (usually a tree or shrub) grown
in a tray or dish. Growing trees in pots began in Egypt about 4000
years ago, mostly for practical reasons, mobility, and
convenience. The Greeks, Babylonians, Persians, and Hindus copied
the technique. The Chinese were the first to plant trees in pots
for aesthetic purposes, about 200 AD. The art of bonsai then moved
to Japan with the monks, who also brought Buddhism, in the 6th and
7th centuries. This data is supported by a scroll from Japan's
Kamakura period (1192-1333) describing life in the Heian period
(794-1191).*

Bonsai as we now know it was perfected in Japan.

The original bonsai trees were usually collected, already dwarfed
by nature. Today, however, it is probably better to allow such
specimens to stay where they are. In many locations, collecting
them in the wild is against the law. In others, the chance of
finding a suitable specimen is almost zero.

One common misconception is that a bonsai is a specific type of
tree. Yes, some trees are more frequently bonsaied than others,
but bonsai can be made from almost any woody stemmed tree or bush
species. Some of the more classic bonsai are Japanese Black Pine,
5 needle pine, Sargents Juniper, and Japanese maples. In the past
20 or so years, a great many species not previously accepted as
bonsai have also joined the list. Some tropical trees, and plants,
such as weeping willow and Jade, are just two.

Over the years, techniques have evolved which allow the grower to
change the height and direction of the tree's growth, and in some
cases to dwarf the foliage as well as the plant. Today, bonsai is
an art form, a living sculpture. There are certain classic or
traditional forms that can be found and followed, but the basic
rule of thumb for personal bonsai is 'If you like the way it
looks, it's a good bonsai'.

*(From The Masters Book of Bonsai)

Section 3 -- Administrivia

*- FTP sites -* The Bonsai FAQ is available via anonymous FTP from
bonsai.pass.wayne.edu.

A mail server also exists for accessing the FAQ archives. Send a
message to listserv@cms.cc.wayne.edu with the command:
GET BONSAI FAQ1
in the body of your message.  Parts 2 through 5 of the FAQ
can be obtained by changing the number in the message above.

An anonymous FTP server for Bonsai GIFS (and other types of
pictures) and other bonsai related files is available at
bonsai.pass.wayne.edu (IP address 141.217.25.22). Login as
anonymous and use guest as a password. You can put images in the
/uploads directory, and get images from the /pub/GIFS directory.
This allows the person responsible for the site a chance to check
the files before anyone can get them, thus avoiding having the
site terminated due to inappropriate material.

*- The Bonsai Mailing List -* For those of you who for one reason
or another can not currently get a feed for rec.arts.bonsai, there
may be another way to get in on the discussion there. Subscribe to
the bonsai mailing list! Subscription is easy. Send e-mail to:
LISTSERV@cms.cc.wayne.edu. In the body of the letter, have the
line:

SUB BONSAI 

The mailing list software will extract your mailing address from
the message header, so you don't need to put that in your command.
The messages in the mailing list are automatically posted
to rec.arts.bonsai, and all of rec.arts.bonsai is automatically
mailed to the subscribers of the mailing list! For a list of
commands, send the command: help to the LISTSERV address.If you
have trouble, you can contact Dan Cwiertniewicz (dan@pass.wayne.edu)
for help.

*- Gopher Server -*

A gopher server is maintained at bonsai.pass.wayne.edu
(141.217.25.22). Contained there are links to the FTP site, as
well all discussions from the Bonsai discussion list from 1992
onward.

*- WWW Server -*

A World Wide Web server is available at the URL: http://www.pass.wayne.edu/~dan/bonsai.html
This site is setup to show the work of the members of the Internet
Bonsai Club. If you would like an area of your own, please contact
Dan Cwiertniewicz.

*-European FTP site now available!-*

The FAQ and some other bonsai related files are now available East
of the Atlantic! If you prefer to get your copy of the FAQ without
the use of one of the transatlantic channels, the address is:
ftp.lysator.liu.se (130.236.254.1) The bonsai files are in
/usr/local/ftp/pub/gardening/bonsai.