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Shrubs, Vines, & Herbs
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Bonsai
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HISTORY
For centuries the Japanese have cultivated
the dwarf potted trees called BONSAI. A tiny dish, a handful
of soil, and a living plant have become an unique art. The
literial translation of BONSAI is "tray culture," but the
Japanese meaning of this term refers to bringing a desired part of
nature into the home. Therefore, one can keep a part of
miniaturized nature and relive the wonder of distant places.
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TYPES
Some of the popular plants being used for BONSAI are: Juniper, Elm, Sago Palm,
Austrailian Tea Tree, Red Maple, Green Maple, June Snow Cotoneaster, Pomogranate, Liquid Ambar, Boxwood,
Rose, Oak, Shinpaku, Redwood, Blue Cedar, Pyracantha, Black Pine, Hinoki, Azalea and Eugenia Compacta.
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WATERING
Water the bonsai once/twice a week by submerging it in a deep bucket or sink for
five minutes. Be sure the water level is 1/2 inch over the pot and landscape so it can drink from the top as
well as from the bottom drain holes. You may then put the bonsai outside to drain. If there is moss growing
on the landscape, try to keep it moist always. Spray the moss every other day or so.
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FEEDING
Feed the bonsai a small amount of either bonemeal, bloodmeal, cottonseed-meal, or
fish emulsion every three months except during the winter season when the plant is dormant. If it is a
flowering plant., feed it during the winter too. You may also feed the bonsai with indoor plant food, but please
use it at 1/4 strength.
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PLACING
The bonsai may be brought into the house to be admired four to five days in a week, or
it can be content in the house all the time next to a sunny window. Any window but a north exposure, is fine.
The bonsai may be kept outside all the time under a shaded area. Keep the bonsai out of drying winds.
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LIGHTING
Give your bonsai three to four hours of sun each day. It likes to receive either
direct morning sun, filtered afternoon sun, or all-day outside shade. If it receives more than five hours of sun
each day, you will need to water it more often. The bonsai may be placed under a fluorescent light as long
as it is on for twelve hours a day.
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SHAPING
Shape your bonsai at least once a year, before the spring, to keep the size and shape
you want. Your bonsai has been transplanted and root trimmed at least twice, and it has been sterlized, fed,
and shaped. It will probably never need a heavy pruning again, but it can be nipped and pinched almost
any time to maintain its' shape. The bonsai may be repotted every three to five years, and may be kept in
the same container or a larger one. A bonsai is usually kept from six to twenty inches high. Pinching off
the ends of the new growth with your fingers will keep the desired and original artistic shape intact. If
there is a wire on your bonsai, take it off when it starts digging into its' trunk. (It usually takes three to six months.)
With care, your bonsai could live to be one-hundred years or more.
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