Fruiting Bonsai

By Molly Cherian

The most popular edible fruiting trees suitable for our  climate are miniature mandrian orange, Chinese musambi, lemon, tamarind,gooseberry,pomegranates,star fruit,sapota,custard apple,guava, grapes,mulberry,garunda,Barbados cherry etc

Sapota in a bonsai pot

Fruiting bonsai in growth pot- belonged to Malini

While bonsai trees produce smaller branches and leaves ,they always have only regular size flowers and fruits.

Seedlings from seeds may take a long time for flowering and fruiting. Air layered plants, grafted or hybrid ones, even dwarf varieties can produce flowers and fruits
within a  short period of time.

Soil
Garden soil, river sand and compost in the ratio 1:1:1 is good as potting  mixture. Grow in a grow bag initially ,then repot in a bonsai pot.

Maintenance
Fruiting trees need lots of sunlight. So keep them in a well lit area. Watering should be done when the soil is almost dried out.

Fertilising
Should be done periodically. During winter use low nitrogen fertiliser, in spring nitrogen rich and in summer a balanced fertiliser. This is the general rule for fruiting trees. For optimum fruit production application of a balanced fertiliser, during spring till  middle of autumn ie. August, September, October is needed. Feed your tree high dosage of Potash and and Phosphorus- a pinch per pot  every month.
Banana peel fertiliser and powdered egg shells: Soak in water and keep aside for a day.
Dilute the mixture with water in the ratio 1:2 and apply early morning or evening once in
3 days. Use the residue for composting.
Another application is a pinch of  NPK 18:18:18 in soil once a month and water the plant after the application. Apply sulphate of potash once in every 3months.
Wood ash mixed with water:  Apply alternate weeks. Wood ash contains Potassium.
During summer, mulch the trees using grass clippings of grass to maintain humidity.

Shape
Maintain shape of the tree by pruning. Prune the growing tips. Winter is the right time to prune custard apple. Mango in spring time, Pomegranate early autumn ie middle of October.

Diseases
 Mealybug and Spider mite are the common pests. Grow marigold, sunflower, onion or garlic near the plant to reduce the incidence of these pests.
Use neem oil, soap solution and tobacco juice, diluted with water and spray affected plants every week till the plant over comes the pest attack.

Comfrey tea fertiliser
It is a liquid fertiliser , good for overall growth. It encourages better flowering and fruiting. Soak the comfrey  leaves in water for 2 or 3 weeks , stain and spray after mixing with water in the ratio 1:3.
Instead of comfrey use leaves of subabul  or drumstick leaves. The solution is stinky but quite effective.

FICUS GREEN ISLAND BONSAI

 By Vandana

Ficus  green island is a variety of Ficus  Micrpcarpa. It is a tropical evergreen shrub. It grows to a height of 2.4 to 3 metres with a canopy of .9 to 1.2 metres wide.

Its origin is India ,Sri Lanks, Southern China, Malasia, Borneo.

It’s a Family of Moraceae

LEAVES : they are glossy dark green leathery small and round. Young leaves are yellow green and turn dark as they mature. The shape would be described botanically as orbicular with only an obscure lip.

TRUNK : New shoots and very young stems are green and turn brown as they mature. The stems are naturally thick and strong and they can grow upto  a diameter of 5 cms. The trunk is the most mature part and is brown to light grey . It can grow upto 7 cms in diameter.

FLOWERS AND FRUITS : The flowers are inside what we think young fruit and the colour is white or cream yellow . Fruit is green with an accent of purple when young and turn purple when ripe.

ROOTS : Young aerial roots are white and turn red to brown .It is said the root system is twice as large and deep as its canopy.

WATERING: Green Island can tolerate under watering to over watering   but no water logging . The top soil is dry to 1 cm then it needs to be watered.

LIGHTING : It can adapt to low medium or high light . Long exposure to direct sunlight can cause yellowing of leaf

FERTILIZING : It can be fertilized every two weeks in summer and four to six weeks in winter.

PRUNING : Pruning encourages the growth of young stems and branches .We can prune stems , twigs, and leaves for new shoots .Leaf pruning can be used to reduce leaf size . Pruning can be done 2 ways , either constant or seasonal.

PESTS : Common pests are scale insects and mealy bugs . They can cause leaf yellowing and leaf drop .They can be removed by hand or cotton swabs with alcohol.

PROPOGATION :  Propogation  is possible with root cutting or by stem cutting . Dip the cutting in root hormone and plant it in a container . Do not cover with plastic. Keep it near the window and watered.  Within a few weeks cuttings will take root .Early summer is the best time.

WIRING : Plant must be shaped and wired early. Check the wired branches frequently . The plant is prone to growth spurts during the growing season so scars and cuts can happen in the bark very quickly.

REPOTTING : It must be potted once every two years . It all depends, if there is a growth spurt it may require early potting. The best time to repot is early summer.

GREEN ISLAND is one of the most loved bonsai for many reasons .It is excellent for beginers .They are tolerant to any soil and light conditions .They make fine indoor bonsai. Most importantly they are remarkably  forgiving for those learning bonsai water techniques.

 

 

Raft Style in Bonsai

By Susan Abraham

 

In Bonsai there are 2 groups of styles  -  the Single Tree Style created with individual plants which take up styles like formal, upright, informal cascade, etc, and the Group Planting Style, which creates a composition resembling a natural forest. Bonsai Artists have to employ their imagination and skill to create an aesthetic composition.  Saikei, Suihan, Penjing, Raft style and Netsuranari, all are part of Group Planting.

 The Raft style imitates the tree which has been uprooted and fallen on the ground with its trunk horizontal with the original root mass sustaining its growth partially. This can happen during natural calamities. The tree still struggles to survive by growing roots under the fallen trunk and sends up new growth on the upper side.

 Two types of raft styles can be created by a Bonsai artist – the ‘straight raft style’ and the ‘sinuous raft style’.

For the straight raft style an erect plant with more branches on one side is usually chosen. Those branches growing towards the opposite side are gradually wired and trained to grow towards the desired side, vertical to the ground. The tree should be potted horizontally and secured by wires at both ends in a long training pot with the original root mass still sustaining the plant.

 

  The bark and cambium under the horizontal trunk should be peeled off at convenient points and root hormones applied to induce root growth. The trunk should be totally covered with soil. The branches will now grow as individual trees from the horizontal trunk looking as if they have been planted in a straight row.

                  
          

For the ‘sinuous raft style’ the original trunk that is chosen would be curved or twisted. Those branches growing towards the unwanted side are wired and trained to grow in the required direction. Here also the cambium is exposed at convenient points and root hormones applied before potting.

New shoots can be trained to achieve the desired design. In the long run roots will be connected and exposed.

Because of the sinuous shape of the trunk, the new branches growing as individual trees will reflect depth, giving the whole design a forest like appearance.

 

 This style is a unique way of making a Forest Bonsai with a single plant. After a few years of training, transplant the group to a suitable ceramic tray.

Raft is always planted in long shallow rectangular or oval pots with the biggest branch in the centre. These shallow pots facilitate in showing off the arrangement.

 

                                            

  As the soil level is above the rim of the tray it is important to hold it with moss. Judicious watering, feeding, pruning and repotting is very important to keep the trees healthy.

Plants suitable for creating raft style are ficus varieties, junipers, etc.

 

 

 

Baobab

 Baobab is world’s largest succulent tree, belongs to silk cotton family. Scientific term is Adansonia digitata.

Baobab is generally found in Central Africa, Madagascar and Australia. Also seen in some parts of India, Sri Lanka, Barbados and Hawai.

Baobab prefers drier, less tropical climate. These trees are sensitive to frost and water logging.
It has massive trunk which holds large amount of water during the dry period.

They drop the leaves periodically and produce new foliage shortly before the rainy season . Without the leaves, the crown looks like a root system. Hence Baobab is also called as upside down tree.

At first they have simple elliptic leaves. Much later, hand shaped leaves with 5-9 leafllets are also developed.

Large white flowers are found hanging from long stalks. It has an unpleasant smell . The flowers opens at night and are pollinated by fruit bats.
Flowering starts only after 15 years. Thus It takes 15 to 20 years to fruit. Fruits are grey coloured,  gourd like and edible. Fruits are a foot long and found hanging from the branches. So it is also known as ‘monkey bread’. White fruit pulp is highly nutritious. Cream of tartar is produced from the acidic seed pulp.

Leaves,flowers and fruits are used for medicinal purposes. Hence Baobab trees are also   called as ‘Tree of life’ or ‘Kalpavriksh’. The bark is used for making paper, cloth and rope.

Baobab is a long living tree, lives up to 1000 years.

LIME BERRY

Written by Tara Rao

Lime Berry or Limoncillo is a specie of the family:Rutaceae and in scientific classification as Triphasia Trifolia.Lime berry is also called Elachi Lemon, Chinese Lemon, but the preferred name is Lime Berry.

Origin:its probably native to Java ,Indonesia, Surinam and Puerto Rico.It grows well in Malaysia ,Christmas Island, Florida and Texas Actually it grows well in tropical to subtropical regions

Description:It is a member of the Rutacae (citrus)family.It is a spiny evergreen shrub.Maximum height is upto 9feet.It has trifoliate dark green leaves of 2cm to 4cm long and 1.5cm to 2cm broad.It bears small white fragrant flowers and the petals are 10 mm to 13mm long and 4mm breadfruit when ripe are dullish red or crimson and globes in shape. Each fruit has 1to 3 seeds.

Plant type:It is a perennial plant produces fruits throughout the year. It is seed propagated, but the seed should be planted before it dries up.It is a good ornamental plant ,ideal as a hedge since its thick and dense.

Soil:This plant grows in full sun to part shade.As a young plant it does not tolerate frost.The soil should be moderately loamy,with a generous amount of compost and sand.It prefers dry rocky soil in a sunny spot. It is intolerant to water logging and dislikes winter wetness.

Bonsai :Due to its slow growth it is excellent for Bonsai.The wood is very dense ,it can be easily defoilated which makes wiring easier Once wiring is done the new shoot will come out easily Repotting should be done in the summer months. This plant is resistant to most pests.

On the bonsai video I saw seeds planted in the ground in a single file ,allowed to grow till 2feet and maintained for the stem to thicken.Then its ideal for forest style..and looks impressive!!However formal upright seems to be the most suitable style.

Medicinal:Fresh leaves are crushed and applied on the scalp for dandruff, the fruit cooked in water and sugar is a remedy for bad cough and to loosen the phlegm. Leaves are aromatic and made into bath salts

The lime berry is an ideal tropical plant for hot humid Chennai conditions .Its a beautiful ornamental plant ,slow growing, but easy to maintain.

Penjing and Saikei

 Article by Suchitra.

Pen is a pot or container and  jing means scenery. So, penjing means a potted scenery. Penjing applies to detailed miniature landscapes, which include trees,other plants, rocks, soil, water and miniature figurines of people and animals. 

A brief note  about its  influence on bonsais says about the role travel has played in its growth.

The idea of planting small plants in ornamental pots began in the early 700’s.

After 200 years Buddhist monks brought these  to Japan.The Japanese incorporporated  their cultural imprints formalised, reinterpreted to suit their own highly developed sense of refinement.

 Saikei means a planted landscapes,with miniature living trees,rocks soil,rocks and ground covers.

 Saikei uses a species of  Bonsai plants, where the shape of the ground is important ,whereas in bonsai the shape of the ground is of reduced importance.The representations can evoke a seaside, mountainous, forest or a desert landscape. A Saikei mandates the use of stones and the placement of  trees and roots above the rim of the tray. Wheras in bonsai, stones are used as a base for a tree as in a root over rock style. So Saikei  concentrates on the evocation of a natural landscape rather than on the character of individual trees as emphasised in bonsai.

Saikeis were also used as plant stocks which could be later used as bonsai material. As Saikeis aged, their stock would produce thickened trunks, which could then be used as bonsais.

So Saikeis would be formal, neater, depicting a sense of control with nothing left to chance. An order is imposed on creations and nothing is left to chance.

Penjing,on the other hand,reveals an inner beauty,an essence inherent in nature. Paintings, poetry, calligraphy have all influenced penjings. Sometimes,the main features are rocks and plants are accents only. Penjings use solitary figurines, bridges, pagodas and boats in their designs

Penjing artists exuded a spirit of free expression and bold artistic expression, a liberation from rules and freedom to artistically experiment. Penjing is less concerned with rules,and try to imitate life which is imperfect. Man belongs to and is a part of the natural world but his role is minute.

Thus, both penjings and Saikeis have their own beauty and have greatly influenced the art of Bonsai.

 

 

Yucca as bonsai.

 A short write up about Yucca.

Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae. 

It's basically a desert plant and are native to the hot and dry areas of the American continent and also the Caribbean.. 

They are drought tolerant and they store up water in their stems and leaves. 

They have a rosette of sword shaped leaves, with pointed edges. 

They can be easily used as bonsai trees.. It can be trained into a single upright tree or in a group.. In a penjing, they look very nice, adapt themselves very well.. 

The soil should be well draining.. Their water requirement is minimal. 

They should get sunlight for 5 to 6 hours daily. 

Manuring can be done once in a month. Farmyard manure is ideal.. 

Yucca plants are attacked by aphids, which can be removed by spraying any insecticide.. 

To keep the plant in good condition, remove all dried up leaves periodically.. 

Lateral branches can be developed by trimming the growing tips.. 

Repotting can be done once in two years. 

 

 

Adeniums. as bonsai.

 Adenium is a genous of flowering plants, belonging to the family of Apocynaceae. It is a native of Arabian peninsula and Africa.

The special feature of this family of succulents is that they develop a caudex or swollen stem, at the base. The function of the caudex is to store moisture for times of droght. 

As bonsai, they grow very well. One interesting aspect of this desert rose plant is that even in their natural habitat, they resemble, a bonsai.

To train them as bonsai, choose a soil mix, that is gritty and porous.. Clayey soil is an absolute no for them.

When you plant your Adenium, see that the caudex is above the soil.. They prefer direct sunlight as they are desert plants.. Five to six hours every day is a must. 

Watering can be done every day, in moderate quantity. Over watering can kill the plant... They can withstand rainy season for a couple of months. 

Fertilizer can be 19.19.19..That is NPK.. You can dissolve it in water and apply a very dilute solution every month. . Diluted panchakavya is good too. As solid Fertilizer, Farmyard manure is good.. Apply it once in six months.. 

Pruning the tips is essential to make it look dwarf.. It induces flowers too...

Fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorus is good for flowering. 

It is basically free of pests.. Some times caterpillars can be spotted.. Aphids are also seen. Spraying with neem oil is a good remedy.. 

If you spot decay on the roots or stems, that portion should be cut off and apply any fungicide... 

To grow adeniums as bonsai is comparatively easy and you can expect good results in a short period of time... 

Literati or Bunjin

Vijaya Chamundeswari

   Style is something very individual. Some men drool over seeing well endowed women while there may be others who can’t take their eyes off a slender size zero.  What seems to be nice and bold and clear might please some while a little off beat and abstract appease others. It is the ‘literate’ who are artistically inclined, that usually have an eye for this kind of an art, which is why the name ‘Literati’. A simpleton might not want to twist his brains to understand the abstract beauty that is not very obvious to the mind. Going off the usual track too has to have a balance or else it would be a confused mess. Nature takes care of this beautifully in giving a touch of class to the survival journey of a few trees/plants. We can find a few of these by the sea side which take the battering of the wind and manage to bend twice over to just stay alive. Some trees that are caught up between other trees or buildings too, take a Bunjin form by going or rather growing in search of light. Imitating this aspect of Nature is what we do in Bunjin as the Japanese call it.

   While picking a plant for Bunjin, as far as possible try to see if it already has a long slender trunk which gives in to bends and twists. Some might already have it in them naturally and all we have to do then is remove the lower branches and keep the apex alone. Using our imagination we can wire it with a design we would have already construed in our minds. If we are not able to get an idea on our own there are enough and more available in the net. While creating the bends we have to keep in mind the centre of gravity. This gives better stability for the plant and a balance in appearance too. 

   As a rule (up to you to follow or not) we have branches only in the top 1/3 of the plant or may be further beyond. Let’s keep it tall in stature which adds up to its elegance. Some of the words akin to this style are - ‘elegant, simple, clean, tall, slender and flowing’. We try to achieve all of this keeping in mind ‘symmetry in asymmetry’. Confused! Good. Only when we are confused we get innovative and our mind wriggles out creatively. Rules block our creative flow. So just let the main trunk grow and grow and grow until you feel enough is enough and start chopping off the lower branches to about 2/3. Style it the way your mind reads it. It can have curves or angles. All the basic bonsai styles like formal upright, informal upright, cascade, semi cascade etc; work well. Taking it a notch further would be a forest or a twin trunk too. Thick trunk or dense foliage doesn’t matter here. Less foliage highlights the trunk line which is the main focus.

   Maintenance is the same as any Bonsai. The tall beauty needs to sit pretty in a cozy little pot which preferably is round or oval. Even a shallow plate with an accent of rock or a figurine would add up to its looks. The plant might need to be wired firmly to the pot base usually off centre. Since the small pot holds little soil we might have to fertilize and water with more frequency, again this goes with the plant species. Casuarina, bougainvillea, caecalpinia, tamarind are a few of the indigenous varieties that suit this style. No rules means more responsibility. So let’s get responsibly unruly in creating this style like a true literate of Bonsai.

   

 

 C commiphora as a forest group and informal upright style. 

Commiphora Caudata or Kiluvai

 Kiluvai or Commiphora Caudata or Hill mango (Pachai  kiluvai in Tamil) is mainly used for cheap live fencing for agricultural land.

Kiluvai , informal upright style.

It is abundant in Asia. It is a flowering plant belong to 

Frankincense and myrrh family .

Found in  South India and Sri Lanka. It is a small medium 

size deciduous tree.

The tree has smooth succulent bark,which partly flakes 

off with age,giving rise to green and brown patch work.

It’s sap has a strong resinous scent.The tree has many 

medicinal properties . 

Remnants of branches can form a kind of thorns on the trunk.
Flowers have cream yellow pedestal with pink petals. 

Mature fruits are black in colour.

Stem cutting are used for propagation.Growth is during rainy season.

Bonsai style.

Suitable for Informal upright and Forest style.

Mame Literati style.

Plant of the week:

Written by Mala

Name in Tamizh : Kodukapulli

Botanical name: Pithocellobium Dulce 

Other commmon names:  

Manila tamarind, Madras thorn, 

Camachile and Guamúchil. It also has various other local names  as it is found in most parts of the world. 

The plant, is native to Mexico, CentralAmerica and north southern America. 

It belongs to the pea family and is classified as Fabaceae.

Left to nature it easily reaches a height of 10- 15 m. On younger trees the bark is smooth and pale whitish grey. On older trees, the bark turns rougher and fissured with ribs, which looks interesting on bonsai. 

The flowers are greenish white and fragrant. The trees start to fruit only after 4 to 8 yrs of age,during the dry season, with pods appearing 2 to 3 weeks after flowering. 

The fruits are edible and sweet

and the pods are shaped into spirals which is the origin of the name pithocellobium. Pitho meaning monkey and cellobium meaning earrings. Dulce means sweet. The tree is named after the shape of the fruit. 

The leaves are bipinate, it has very sharp thorns. There are some varieties that are thornless and they also release a sap which is irritating to the skin. 

All parts of the tree is useful as the fruit is consumed all over the world and the leaves and branches are used as foliage and fodder for the animals. It also has medicinal value. 

There is another variety with a variegated form of leaf with colours of pink, white and green but in my experience, this doesn’t fruit.

Also there is a small leaved variety. 

Pithocellobium lends itself to most bonsai shapes and can be converted very easily into formals , informals, cascades or literati. 

Most pods have around 10 shiny black seeds which germinate very easily, the plant can also can be propagated very easily by cutting and air layering. 

A very easy plant to grow, it grows in even drought filled conditions or in the swamps. It is also easy to make this plant into a bonsai in a short period of time.

STYLE – TWIN TRUNK/SOKAN

Written by Vijaya Chamundeswari

    Twin Trunk or Sokan is a very interesting and wholesome looking style. As the name suggests it has two trunks that grow from the same root system or mother root. This makes us look at them as siblings. The elder sibling is taller and fatter while the younger one which is relatively shorter and thinner. These two sibling trunks normally arise from the base or Nebari but there are slight exceptions where in the trunk grows up a few inches before giving rise to these two siblings. On a lighter note you could view it as late pregnancy.

   As they grow together they try not to disturb or nudge each other. So while pruning too we help them by removing branches that emerge between the two trunks. Lateral growth of branches happens naturally and is encouraged too, adding to the beauty of forming the base of a scalene triangle. As the shape moves upwards the branches reduce in size to form the apex. The two siblings might join together to form a single apex or padding on top or stay beside each other forming two parallel apex. Branches growing towards the front are avoided for they hinder the view of the two trunks. Gap between the two are kept minimal enough to allow independent growth. Plants like ficus that have a sticky sap, on the long run tend to fuse as they begin to thicken their trunks so not very ideal for twin trunk, but as an exception for any rule, can be monitored and avoided. Casuarina, Premna, Bria, Australian Raintree and the likes would fit into this style. Back branches can be encouraged as their foliage might act as a natural backdrop for the two good looking trunk siblings.

   Bonsai as an art is loved for its curves that add a lively flowing movement to the static form. In Sokan it is appreciated that the siblings follow the same movement making it easier for the branches to create a balanced ramification with enough space for the birds to flit around as we say in Bonsai. It is nice to imagine an emotional bond between these two trunks when we see the taller sibling bending over the younger one very caringly. No two siblings always follow the same path. One might want to be an informal upright while the other a formal one. One might choose to be a windswept style while the other a literati. With a roll of wire in hand we can guide them into whatever style they are suited for while they stay together in Sokan. In the world of creativity and exposure anything is acceptable. We give them all an artistic license to be different. Rules need to be strictly followed when we sit for exams or competition.

   As in any style constant monitoring is needed lest the two stray from their focus or fall prey to external dangers of pests and weather. Reverse tapering is to be avoided as possibilities are more when we have two trunks emerging from a single base or trunk. That’s why we always keep one smaller than the other. Keeping the roots exposed at the surface close to the trunk creates a good tapering of the trunk base. 

   Choosing a pot when the bonsai is ready – a rectangle or oval is best suited depending on the specimen in hand. A sturdy thick masculine looking one goes into the rectangular while the dainty looking curvaceous ones go into the oval. Again, break the rules and blame creativity for it is imperfections that make an artist bloom. 

Bougainvillea as bonsai. 

Weekly google meeting on Saturday 25th July

A short write up about Brazilian rain tree.. 

 Some bonsai of BRT owned by BODHI BONSAI ASSOCIATION members...

 Written by Ms. Suchitra Satish.