Shohin Bonsai and its sizes and making a Shohin/ keishi Bonsai.

Bonsai is an Art of Making Plants small and giving them a form of natural look to the plant. It's a skilled art and how Nature Plays a main role in shaping plants. Bonsai Art Plants acquire a Tree shape in the master's hands just like in Nature. We are trying to keep our Bonsai Plants as natural as a miniature form of Nature 

Bonsais are divided into three groups depending on height are as 

Big Bonsai

Medium Bonsai

Shohin Bonsai.

Sunday We had a Shohin Bonsai workshop. This time our topic is How to make Small Bonsais, taking care of them was demonstrated and practically explained in detail. Here Are all details of Small Bonsais. How many sizes are there and how to make them.

Actually, Bonsai is a small miniature tree, then shohin Bonsai is still a miniature form of Bonsai. Some of the world-renowned Bonsai artists have only Shohin Bonsai nurseries. Just like for Big Bonsais Many awards were there for small Bonsais. 

Now we will see how to make a Beautiful Shohin Bonsai. Shohin Bonsai is generally divided into three categories depending on the height of the plant

1) Shohin Bonsai 

The general height of this plant is 12 inches. Shohin Bonsai can be carried with a hand . This general rule is that Bonsai which is carried with a hand is called shohin bonsai.

2) Mame Bonsai ..

 It is also called Bean Bonsai. The height Of this Bonsai is 6 inches. Mame Bonsai is a smaller Bonsai than Shohin Bonsai. It can also be carried by hand.

3) Shito Bonsai. 

The height of this Bonsai is considered 3 inches. This Shito Bonsai is smaller than Mame Bonsai, it can be carried in a palm.

4) Keishi Bonsai

The height of that Bonsai is 1 inches. Kenshi is the smallest of shito and this Bonsai can be held on a finger.

Selection of  Shohin Bonsai .

Seeds

Growing small Bonsai from seeds is the best way to grow them. The plants growing from seeds can be trained the way we want. We can give a shape in the initial stages when the trunk line is thin and bendable. The trunk can be given a beautiful curve. As the plant grows, select the branches from the base of the trunk, being its small size we need more styling and more branches on the trunk. the seed starts developing leaves and tip buds. Let the plant develop three to four leaves and remove the top bud, then more branches will start growing, shaping them. keep the size of the plant smaller as you want to make it into a smaller Bonsai.

Mame Bonsai Plants growing from seeds

     

                                                   

Branch cuttings : Growing Plants from branch cuttings is a common method. Most plants can be grown from Branches. Take a Branch cutting of 2 to 10 inches. For Shito and Kishi below 5 inches in height is preferable. Apply root to all hormones,  keep it in soil and coco peat mix, and keep the soil moist. If the soil is moist there will be good development of roots. When the branch has started growing, give it a shape and after it attains the style you want you can shift it into a Bonsai pot.  

Ficus Ramphi is growing from a cutting. All most all Ficus varieties can be grown from branch cuttings.

Wild collection: Wild collected plants are the best Bonsais. They naturally become dwarfed by environmental forces like storms, winds, and animals. These Plants when collected are already many years old and we will have a good-aged Mame Bonsai. These can be collected and can be trained into mame Bonsais.   This is a wild collected Ficus pili khan.

Grafted Plants : Grafted Plants like china focus and ginseng ficus are grafted plants , they can be made into shohin or mame Bonsai. 

Nursery Plant :

Nursery Plants are always readily made into Bonsais. We can buy a plant from a nursery and reduce the height by cutting down the length of the plant and doing some pruning and wiring to give it a shape. Then some pruning and shaping make the plant a beautiful Mame Bonsai.

Names of Plants for Shohin Bonsai and Mame Bonsai. 

The best plants are small-sized leaves plants because their small size plant looks small and attractive miniature Mame Bonsai. The leaves of Big leaves plants take time to reduce in size. Plants like peepal which have big leaves can also be made into Shohin Bonsais.

Buxus, Serissa foetida, Carmona, Jade, Ficus microcarpa, Adenium, Pomegranate, Bougain villea, Chinese Elm, Pine, Ginseng ficus, Premna.

Mame Bonsai soil: Mame Bonsai pots are very small, so they should have soil that can hold water and good fertile and good drainage for proper growth of roots and the plant. Peat moss holds moisture, cocopeat helps for good drainage and the garden soil provides organic matter for the plants to grow. The best composition is one part of the garden soil, one part of the cocopeat, and one part of peat moss. 

Wiring and pruning a small Bonsai is challenging work because of its size. The clip and grow method is best suitable for most of the mame bonsais. There are very pretty creations of their small size and need lots of maintenance. All most all these Bonsais are growing in a small pot so once you water them within ten minutes water drains out and the soil becomes dry.  If the soil is dry growth of the plant won't be proper. To maintain them properly keep all these plants in a shallow plate with pumice stones or brick pieces, and maintain a level of water halfway into the stones. another method is in a big pot put the Bonsai soil and keep the pants in the soil. In both Methods moisture from the down of the pot keeps mame bonsai cool. it helps the plant to grow healthily. Regular interval feralization is very important for these plants.  

 

Here link is given to shape a Plant into Shohin Bonsai. 

https://youtu.be/5YdmDB9VVJs

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

     

                                                                                                    

How to grow Premna Bonsai Plant from cuttings

 Premna Is a good plant bonsai. Regular cutting and pruning makes the plant a Bonsai.

Rock grown Bonsai Peepal tree Bodhi vrush with Rock.

Bodhi Vrush Peepal plant Ficus is growing on Rock

Rock grown Bonsai gives Bonsai plant a natural look 

For Rock growing Bonsai , the selection of the plant is important , with long roots, so the roots can be spread on the services of the rock. Bodhi vrush it is also called as peepal tree. It a  tree with good roots system and was brought from a nursery.

This is one type of sand stone. It is selected because of its  shape and structure

For roots over rock style plant needs long well developed roots to spread on rock

Trying Many Faces of the stone for perfect placement of plant on the rock 

 

Fixing the plant with rock is important to develop a stable root system. If roots are loose  or hanging there wont be proper growth.

 Bonsai pot is selected and place the plant in the pot.

Place the rock with plant roots should touch the soil in the pot , then roots gets proper nutrition.

Development of the plant after three months.

Making Ashoka tree as Bonsai

Making Ashoka tree as Bonsai

Ashokais a beautiful plant to make it in to Bonsai. I am training the plant for the last eight years, there is a lots of development in the plant . It is taking a Beautiful Bonsai style.

Photo is of eight years Back

Allowed to grow wildly for two years and given a shape by cutting and pruning.

Plant is having a good trunk like and having a good look.

 

Creating a Naturalistic Penjing with a Hand made Brick wall and Bonsai plant

Creating a Naturalistic Penjing with a Hand made Brick wall and Bonsai plant

Brick walls prepared for the use of Bonsai Land scape

Our Villages are having Beautiful Nature. Bonsai artists Natural Lovers. They are creating their Bonsais as natural as in Nature. This penjing is one of its creation. 

Material required

First Preparation wall is important. It is very simple. we need 

1) Cement and white cement 

2) Earthen cement color powder

3) Fine Sand

4) Plastic or Iron Mesh 

5) Brush, Trowel 

4) Wooden frame 

These are three different sizes of frames. It is better to make a wooden frame of your choice. then your wall will be of correct size and shape without any crooked edges.

Preparation of the Wall

One cup of cement

1/4 cup of sand

Color as required 

Mix them well and start adding water little by little and mix it properly

Take a plastic sheet and on it place a news paper and kept the frame on news paper .  Now a thin layer of cement to be filled by Trowel inside the frame. Spread it evenly as shown in video.

After Making a thin layer place the mesh of the wet cement, It helps to hold the Wall strong.

Now Again fill the Frame wit cement layer by layer with Trowel by spreading evenly, in between spray little dry cement powder on wet cement and spread it nicely.   

Make sure the thickness of the wall you want have , if it is more thick then wall becomes heavy,  so make medium thickness  and let it dry for 20 minutes. when the cement becoming a little dry draw straight lines with a knife or any wooden or metal stick so the lines will be of thin as shown in the photo.

After finished drawing the lines let the cement dry completely for a day water it next day.  Then check the cement. once it becomes dry take out the wooden frame, dry the wall completely. once it is ready our rectangular wall is ready.

Second method 

In this Method we removing the edges of the wall when it is still wet. 

This photo reminds us the aged wall structure. To get this when we finished cementing wait for 20 minutes and draw the lines. at that time select the edges of the wall which bricks you want to remove, Other wise remove randomly with a knife. Insert the knife in to wet cement and remove that piece carefully without damaging the wall. ow let the wall dry fully and and we can use for our landscape Bonsai styles.

How to make a white color Wall

If  we want to make a white wall dont mix any color in to cement use as it is and and after finishing making a wall when it is wet put white cement little by little on wet cement and spread well. After 20 minutes draw lines on white cement ad make it as a white wall, Now our white color Wall is ready . 

Four Different sizes of Bonsai walls are ready for our Penjing.

These are plain straight walls without any hole in middle. 

I will share the another post of white walls with a hole to place the plant with roots coming out of the wall.