How to Make cascading Style Bonsai with Ficus plant

Cascading Style Bonsai 

Cascade style is a interesting style in Bonsai. Usually In nature plant grows to wards the sky , but here in this style Plant is growing towards gravity downwards. It makes the plant attractive and unique. When water from top of the mountain falls down it takes makes interesting path in cascading way. 

The trees Growing on peak of the mountain generally effected by Natural disasters like heavy winds, thunder storms, sun burns etc... During that top branches break down and there wont be proper growth there. then the branches at the down portion of the trunk where there is less effect of wind try to grow down . then slowly development of tree will be on earth bound branches.

courtesy google image

Here in this photo we can clearly see the effect of the wind and development of earth bound branches. Bonsai is an art that nature and Bonsai art is interlinked. Creation of Bonsai style is entirely depends on the nature of the growth and evolution of the plant as it gains age. Keeping this in mind we are creating our Bonsai trees. 

Our Bonsai Lovers last month workshop is demonstration and learning the principals of Tree development on Mountain cliffs and applying that philosophy in our demonstrating plant Ficus triangularis . It is also known as Ficus natalensis leprieurrii variegate.

Ficus natalensis leprieurrii variegate.

This plant is a tropical plant with variegated light green and with whitish yellow attractive leaves . The 

leaves  are in triangular shape. 

               

Trunk of the plant is vert stiff and cant bent. so a notch is made on the main trunk line where the main trunk going to have a hard bend. one of the branch removed raft tape is wrapped around the main trunk is wired and made a bend slowly

  

Among three branches one branch is removed and second main trunk is wrapped with raft tape and  wiring is done to that branch to bend it down in cascading manner just like how water flows down from mountains .

The entire link of making Cascade style Bonsai in below.

Once we done with wiring selection of pot is very important in cascade style.  Usually the pot for cascade style is heighted depth pot , so the free fall of the Bonsai plant can be seen clearly.

 we used Heighted pot for placement of the plant to show as if the plant is growing on Mountain top. and due to heavy rains ,winds and thonder storms plant developed down ward growth just like how water falls from mountains plants shape is  also happens to be like in that manner. Here I am sharing a plant in natural surroundings how it is growing in on hill top, Bonsai is nothing but we are creating natural styles in our plant

Below is traditional pot. Here heighted pot is traditional way of using for cascade style in Bonsai. Now Bonsai is a art, so Bonsai masters are using different pots. I will give you some example of of here.

Plant is in decorative pot

Cascade style in a half open shell like pot

Cascade style in a hand made pot

On a rock  and the plant fall is cascading

coming out of the rocks and the tree is growing down.

In Bonsai Art the Creation is infinite

     

                                                                                                    

ART OF MAKING A BONSAI PLANT

 

ART OF MAKING A BONSAI PLANT

I am explaining the art Bonsai art through the photos for the beginners . It is a live art . With imagination one can create beautiful Bonsai.

This is a hard plant , it can be grown from the branches also. The plant has compact small leaves which is good for making Bonsai. Depending on height , bonsai plants are divided in to three sizes , one is Big Bonsai, second is Medium Bonsai, third is small Bonsai , it is also called as Mame Bonsai. First keep the plant in front of you and think for a while how to shape the plant.

Start wiring the plant branches with aluminium wire. Bend the Branches gently with two hands with one and placing underneath the branch, please don't harm the branch, one should be soft towards these plants and handle them just like small kids.

In detail you can check it on this below link

/ART-OF-MAKING-A-BONSAI-PLANT

https://bonsaiart.quora.com/ART-OF-MAKING-A-BONSAI-PLANT

Challenging Bonsai China Box Buxus

China Box is a good plant for any style of Bonsai. Long Back I bought a stone from a nursey.  Select a plant which is having attractive trunk line.

Plant is already having a good trunk line, nice branching. Thought of enhancing the beauty of the plant with placing  a behind the plant. 

Started searching a suitable rock . The structure of sand stone is matching with trunk line maturity.

Merging the rock and plant is a job of lots of creativity because the trunk and roots should be completely merged with rock . 

The roots are well developed and radiating in all directions giving a matured look to the plant.

Now we have to see the placement and position of the plant with the Rock. Check all sides of the rock and select one side that will be the front side and suitable for placing the plant. Now if we place plant as it is the plant and stone match with each other because the roots are covered with lots of soil. Some of the soil to be removed.   

Half of the soil is removed from down . So height of the plant is reduced to suit with the rock 

Now soil from back of the plant is also reduced

  

Some of the Soil from back side of the Plant is also reduced and placed near rock .

Merge the plant with rock , by removing back soil plant bought near the rock , so the trunk line of the plant perfectly fits with the groves of the rock.

pot is fitted with new soil

some wiring is done to give a shape to the plant

Video of Making a Rock Grown Bonsai. 

 Buxus microphylla is plant of  small leaves bushy plant. Its slow growing . Usually used for hedges and can be given a beautiful shape and challenging plant to grow as a Bonsai tree. Common nursery name of this plant is china box.

Making challenging Plant to a Bonsai is definitely a demanding  work for Bonsai lovers. Plant grows up to 6.5 feet tall. Branches are strong and needs little heavy gauge wire to bend. It is having a strong wood cambium. Good for making shari and Jin on the trunk line and branches. 

The most important point is this plant needs moist little alkane soil and grows well in shady place. Well drained soil is good for proper root growth. It prefers high dose of Nitrogen as fertilizer.

This is a nursery grown plant and is growing from branches. Buxus can be grown from seeds and branches.

Here Buxus is having twin trunk . Main trunk long and thin. Most of the branches were removed ,only one branch is selected and given a shape by wiring.

Then the plant is kept in a shady place with good  nutritious soil which is required for the plant Buxus to have harmonious proper development.

After Six months Lower is kept and allowed to grow. Then top portion of the main trunk is removed.

                                                                                                     

This is proper development after one year. Buxus is having vigorous grow with many fresh new branches and green leaves. The fascinating curves of Buxus makes the plant more stylish with a unique pot. Bends of the second trunk are in harmony with the shape of the pot. 

How to develop radiating roots on a peepal Bonsai.

Developing Radiating roots on mame /shohin Bonsai 

Peepal as Ficus religiosa is a tropical plant . It is a best loved Bonsai of Bonsai lovers. This plant can be made in to a Big Bonsai or small Bonsai. This plant can be grown from seeds,  branches, air layering also. It is a  deciduous tree sheds its leaves once in a year before spring season. Peepal tree canopy usually grows in umbrella shape giving shade to many animals and people during hot summer months. The life span of a peepal tree is more than 150 years. this tree considered to be largest oxygen provider.

source is google image 

Here we can see clearly the development of Ficus religiosa tree roots. This is we can say radial development of  roots . it gives the tree a great  maturated and older look.

Bonsai is miniature form of a aged plant growing in Nature. Getting a matured look on Bonsai plants takes time, with patience we can develop our Bonsai plant as a Bonsai tree. 

Developing Radiating roots gives the plant a great look with good nebari. 

How to develop these roots is given in detail with photos and video. with patience we can develop these roots on our Bonsai peepal tree.

Peepal plant was already 5 years old. Height of the plant is three and half inches. It is already root bound and roots are coming out of the pot. Plant is taken out of the pot and long roots are reduced in length. leaving roots at the Base. 

            

              Bonsai Peepal is in Bonsai pot                            

 

                                  Most of the roots are reduced to fit the the plant in the pot.

One tile is selected and placed under the root base to make the roots to develop roots in all directions radially around the base of the trunk. By placing the tile the development of the roots will be in all directions. 

                                             Now the plant placed again in the Bonsai pot.

After six months again the repotting has taken is done.

Below photo is the roots are washed and the tile is again  placed back.

Again the plant is repotted in to the same Bonsai pot.

For more development of the roots Mame bonsai is placed in a big pot with soil. watering will be done regularly. The cool soil gives more moisture to Bonsai plant. makes more development of fibrous roots and root thickening takes place.
Video gives in detail step by step of  making

 

How to make Raft style Bonsai with Ficus plant

Sunday Bonsai workshop went on well. Ficus benjamina plant was shaped in to raft style. Raft style is a natural style usually we see it in nature. When huge aged plant growing may fall off to the ground due the effect of cyclone and huge winds. The plant then starts giving life to new branches making them stand tall above the soil, they look like as independent plants. Each branch has to be trained as individual Bonsai. All branches to be wired and to be bring them up separately. Good fast rooting varieties of plants like Ficus, Juniper are best. It takes 5 to 6 years to get a proper raft style to the plant, this style in in japan is called as Ikadabuki style. Regularly we are coming across
all these styles in nature, just we are copying the nature in our Bonsais. Each style has given a name by Bonsai Master John Naka. A Great Proverb by Great Grand master John Naka "The Object of Making Bonsai not to look like a Bonsai, but to make Bonsai look like a tree".
It’s very true.  

        

    

                                                               september 15 , 2024