Let us adorn our Bonsai

by   Vijaya Chamundeswari

  We spend hours adoring Bonsai now let us see how we can adorn them. This being the topic for this month – Kusamono or Shitakusa - what better place can we think of other than our favourite ‘candy shop’ SORREL. Distance, weather, traffic, nothing stopped us from stepping into this green haven. There is something special and wonderful happening when plants are doctored and nursed by none other than doctors themselves. Our very own president is Dr Yogesh and SORREL is run by Dr Gokul.

Let us see what we had gathered from our meeting this time with our senior experienced masters - Dr Yogesh, George and Molly. 

Dr Yogesh, George, Molly Cherian and Mr Rajgopal sharing notes

    Dr Yogesh spoke about accent plants and figurines that can add to the charm of a bonsai. Kusamono is usually a cute little arrangement with grass and flowers that can be a stand-alone arrangement too. Shitakusa is usually an accompaniment to a Bonsai, Scroll or a Suiseki. It usually compliments the main display of Bonsai without distracting focus on the main display. Figurines are placed to either tell a story or to balance negative spaces in a tray or landscape arrangement. Some figurines can also symbolize patience, longevity, wisdom and the likes.

  

 

George gave us very practical guidelines to thicken the trunkline. He came about with 6 points to be borne in mind for accomplishing this in his usual passionate animated style.

1.Plant the tree in the ground and forget about it for 2 years.

2.Use an old tyre with a slab as the base and plant in it if ground is not available.

3.Maintain the sacrificial branch to thicken the trunk.

4.Split the trunk at the base and place a wedge. Fill soil to cover it until it develops roots and a wider nebari.

5.Place a thermocol sheet, an old CD or a tile at the base of a plant in a growth pot.

6.It is very important to feed the plant well with NPK every 25 days to ensure good foliage and rapid growth. Do not be in a hurry to transfer the plant into a bonsai pot unless it has satisfactorily developed.

   Molly had brought a very elegant looking kusamono that we couldn’t take our eyes away from. The presentation reminded us of the MASTER CHEF programme where a lot of importance is given to plating the dish. The combination of colours and texture variation of plants was amazing and spoke for itself. The container that held them too was placed on a slice of a trunk which enhanced the value of design. Water can be sprayed and not poured to maintain the form that a few pebbles held together.

    Special mention has to be made of Mr Rajagopalan, who has become a part of this Bodhi family just a year or so ago. He amazed us with his presentation on the techniques of Refining Bonsai. The talk on leaf reduction and defoliation had so much clarity in perception. He has even shared his PPT file for us to browse through. 

   How can I not mention the youngest of our member Tushar celebrating his birthday amidst us with Iranian goodies brought from the famous Shiraz Café. He was blessed by all of us for a healthy joyful life while we happily munched into the tasty mouth-watering snacks.