Thickening the trunk line of a Bonsai plant

 Bonsai is such a beautiful art of growing huge trees in a shallow pot. Most of the time, Bonsai looks so natural with a good thick trunk line. The trunk should be thick from the base with a fine tapering stem.

The thickening of the trunk happens with age with the regular cell division of vascular tissue present between the Xylem and phloem. This Vascular tissue plays a main role in widening the tree trunk with the age of the tree. When resources like water, sunlight, and nutrients are available as per the need of the plant, then the growth will be rapid, and the width of the trunk enlarges.

 1) Growing in the ground: The first and most reliable procedure is Growing the plant in the ground. If you have a big garden ground dig a pit and place a plastic sheet with some drainage holes and fill it with fertile soil place the plant and leave it for a few years, When you are pleased and satisfied with its growth make it a Bonsai. This technique makes the trunk grow faster in less time.

        2) Growing in a big garden pot or bag: Another way for the Bonsai lovers who have less space is to Keep the plant in a big pot and fertilize it from time to time and provide the plant with fresh soil once in two years. Allow it to grow freely and when you are satisfied with its growth make it into bonsai. This procedure also makes the bonsai have a good trunk line in a much shorter period.

        3) Growing a scarifying branch: A scarifying branch is a branch that allows it to grow near the base of the trunk and can be removed once the trunk achieves the required thickness. Select a primary branch at the base of the trunk and allow it to grow.  To have a 2-inch-thick trunk the length of the primary branch should be grown more than two meters and the length of secondary branches growing on the primary branch also be grown more than two meters.  The length of the primary branches to grow depends on the required thickness of the trunk of Bonsai. This technique of growing and thickening Bonsai is to be done in a big garden pot because the development of the plant depends on the growth of the root growth how deep it is growing and the progress of the secondary and fibrous roots.  

        4) Collecting Yamadori: Yamadori is a collection of plants from the wild. A plant is collected in the wild with an attractive thick trunk it will be tall because it was growing in the ground for many years. The height of the plant is to be reduced by chopping it down to half the size of the plant. It gives a ready thick trunk Bonsai, but the plant won’t be having a fine tapering trunk. Then the plant has to be styled and to have wait for development for some years to get a good narrowing trunk line.

          5) Fusing trunks to give a thick trunk line: Select multiple plants of the same species, keep them near to one another, and tie them tightly with tape or wire. The primary branches and secondary branches should not be inside the bundle. If they are inside clear them and keep tall clear trunks without any branches inside when these trunks are tied together. Keep the entire bundle in a big garden pot or in the ground and allow them to grow. After several years of training these trunks will be fused and look like one thick trunk.

Several years of training gives Bonsai a thickened trunk and a good tapering and well-radiating Nebari. Bonsai when it is growing in a shallow pot takes many years to have a beautiful, matured trunkline.  At that time these techniques make to get a good thick trunk line in a little less time.

Video of Fusion of Trunks in Bonsai