Coleman, Justin - Budget Bonsai

7/31/2019 Coleman, Justin - Budget Bonsai

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Opening Statement There is no arguing that bonsai can become a very expensive hobby, and

some of us may not have an endless wallet to deal with this problem. So this

article has been written for the purpose of saving you, the bonsai artist, sometime and money. I personally have saved countless dollars by following thesesteps and I hope that you too will have the similar results.

An Inexpensive Way to Wire When it comes to wire it is very simple to save money. Instead of buying

costly bonsai wire , why not make your own? Well its not hard in the least bit.Bonsai wire is merely copper wire that has been annealed. This means that thewire has been heated up then left to cool. Once the wire has been annealed, itwill have taken on a dark red color and may have taken to some black spots aswell. The wire will have also become softer and will make it much easier to applyto branches, but once bent it will re-harden so it will hold the branch in its desiredposition.

You will need: 1. Copper wire of the gauge you wish to use. (Copper wire can be bought

cheap at most hardware stores or electrical supply stores. 10 gage copperruns around $19 U.S. per every 100FT. You may need to strip the wirethough.)

2. Newspaper (or any other type of paper).3. A safe place to leave a fire burning.4. Some free time.

Step #1. Strip the wire (if needed) and wrap into neat rolls.

Step #2 Wad up paper into balls and make a layer on the ground with it, then placeyour wire on top of this layer. Insert wads of paper into the centers of each

roll, and around the edges of the rolls. Then cover with more paper. Step #3

Set the pile on fire and sit back, make sure you keep a good eye on the fireso it wont get out of hand. Let it totally burn out and cool, then remove yourwire from the pile.


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An Inexpensive Look at Cut Paste The best way to save money on cut paste is to simply not use it. Cut

paste is not essential to bonsai since trees will heal great without it. Think aboutit, trees are made to heal on there own, if a tree has a wound in the wild who putsthe cut paste on it? No one does. I have personal experience with this and ineach case the tree has healed very well without any problems. Perhaps youcould use cut past on an abnormally large injury with positive results, but Im notsure. On smaller trees however, cut paste is not needed. If you insist on usingcut paste though, there are many cheap ways of doing so. Two of the mostcommon examples are petroleum jelly and modeling clay. I have also heard ofpeople mixing rooting hormone into their clay to speed the healing process.

An Inexpensive Look at Fertilizer First of all, Special "bonsai fertilizer" is not needed. You can buy 40lbs

bags of 10-10-10 for around $8 (U.S.). Most so-called bonsai fertilizers areunbalanced anyway. They come in 5:10:5, 3:6:5, 4 1/2:4 1/2:3, etc. By using abalanced of 10-10-10, 12-12-12, 20-20-20, etc. the tree gets an even amount ofwhat it needs in order to grow, and ultimately seems to work best for makinghappy trees. The average cost of chemical bonsai fertilizer is about $10 for 16ounces (1 pound). When you buy regular chemical fertilizer for about $8 per 40lb

($0.20 a pound) you are saving approximately $9.80 a pound!

An Inexpensive Look at Bonsai Soil Soil is an equally common subject of debate among bonsai artist as well

as fear for newcomers. What most novices do is buy pre-made bonsai soil. Themain problem with store bought soil is that it can become quite expensive onceyou begin to acquire more trees. The cheaper and easier way to soil is to merelymix your own. This is actually very simple and has the added benefit of beingcustomizable to your personal adjustments according to geographical locationand watering habits.

Lets start off with basic soil needs. A good bonsai soil should be welldraining yet able to hold some moisture so the roots don't dry out. Most peopleuse a mixture of inorganic to organic. I only like to use two ingredients in my soil(inorganic/organic), where as some people use three or more ingredients and stillothers use 100% inorganic materials. My preference stems from the concept that


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repotting free at Oriental restaurants. As for "bonsai shears" and regular foliagecropping goes, you may simply use scissors. "Bonsai wire cutters" are very easyto recreate as well. You can buy regular pointed tipped wire snippets cheap atmost stores that sell hardware and customize them yourself. I have a pair that Ihave customized; all you have to do is grind them down to a flat end so they don't

nick the bark while removing wire.

An Inexpensive Look at Grow BoxesIn this section we will be focusing on grow boxes and how they are made,

I will also explain some other methods of inexpensive grow boxes. Buying growboxes can become quite expensive, but making your own grow boxes can be acheap alternative and is not hard at all. All you need is some wood, screws, basictools (such as a saw, drill, hammer, tape measure, angle, a pencil and a sheet ofpaper), and a little spare time.

The first step is to find out how big your grow box needs to be. If you arecollecting a tree go by the rule of three times the width of the trunk for the rootball dept, to five through seven times the width of the trunk for your root balldiameter. Now that you know how big your grow box needs to be, start your workby drawing up some plans. After your grow box dimensions have been writtendown, you should figure out how youre going to make your grow box. There aremany ways to make a grow box, a lot of people like to make theirs to have slottededges and then they staple mesh in between the spaces between the wood. I callthese "open" grow boxes. Others prefer a solid box with holes drilled in thebottom like a regular pot would have. If you chose to use an open grow box youshould use narrower boards, this way it will be easier to make the spaces thatare needed. After you chose your plan you will have to figure out how muchwood you will need. You can get wood for free at a lot of lumber yardsthey willhave pallets lying around. If you ask them most of the time they won't mind givingyou some for free. They were going to pitch then anyway, right? You will have totake them apart, and a hammer works great for this job.

Now that you have everything you need it is time to start constructing yourgrow box. Start off by making the bottom of your grow box. Cut your boards andlay them on the ground in the way you want your box to be (open or not). Next,cut three or four narrow pieces of wood to go horizontal across the bottoms of

your other boards. These will help support the grow box and lift it up some sowater can easily run out. Now that your base has been made it is time to makeyour grow box's sides. Start off by measuring the outside perimeter of your box'sbase. Next cut four pieces of wood to make the bottom of your sides. Screw theboards into place, place screws into the corners of the box to hold the woodtogether and across the base. Next cut eight pieces of wood that are the heightthat you want your finished box to be. Space these evenly on the sides of yougrow box, there will be two for each side. Once evenly spaced make sure they


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are also flush with the bottom of the grow box and screw them in place. Thesewill act as supports for your other boards to be screwed to. After your supportshave been placed, cut you other boards and place them up the supports until youhave reached the depth you want. If you are making a open grow box cut thewood in narrow strips to your liking, and place about a one inch space in between

each board. Now that you have your grow box put together, you will need to drillsome holes in the bottom if it needs them. After this has been done you arefinished. You should now have a nice looking and fully functional grow box.

Other Ways to Get Inexpensive Grow Boxes

There are many things that you can use for bonsai grow boxes. If youdon't have the tools to make wood ones or don't/can't make them for some otherreason(s), you can find very cheap alternatives in many other places. Basicallyanything that can hold soil will work, and if it can't hold soil find a way to make it.

In this section I will explain some of the tings that can be used and where theycan be found.You can use plastic laundry baskets which are very cheap, but they often

have large holes in their sides. This is an easy fix. All you have to do is line thebasket with a mesh of some sort to hold soil in. You can buy large rolls of windowscreen without much of an investment. Oil drain pans work very well too, but youdo need to drill some holes in them. Water buckets with holes drilled in them,maybe even cut down some. Milk crates with mesh in them work especially well.Little things like this work great for grow boxes, and if you do a little lookingaround you will be able to find lots of other things. Just be creative!

An Inexpensive Look at Trees

Buying Out of Season

I have found that the best time to buy trees is in the fall. Most nurserieshave sells that can range from as little as 10% all the way up to 50% or more off.In one case I bought an $18 Boxwood on sale for 50% off. I had contemplated

buying this same tree earlier in the spring but didnt posses the extra currency atthe time, with the money I saved by buying it in the fall however, I was able tobuy another tree as well.

Seeds

Growing your bonsai from seeds is a very inexpensive way to get material.


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But there is one big draw backgrowing trees from seed can take a long time,especially in order to get them to a usable size. The impatient need not apply,however this method could be a godsend for those with more long term goals.Tree seeds can be found or bought in a variety of places, whether it is in yourown backyard, the local park, a garden center, or an online store.

The best way to get seeds is fresh; if you have access to fresh seedsalways chose them over store bought seeds. If you are collecting your seedsthey should be allowed to ripen on the tree and be sown in late summer/earlyautumn. If you are buying your seeds, there are a couple of things to remember.First off there is no such thing as "bonsai seeds". These seeds are generally fromtree species that are considered good for bonsai. Thus buying these so-calledbonsai seeds is pretty pointless, especially since they charge extra for themwhen you can buy the same seeds for a fraction of the cost. The second thing toremember is that buying bonsai seed variety packs" is also a bad idea as theycan be very misleading. The seeds are not separated in the package, so unlessyou know what the tree species looks like by seed, you will not know what is

what until they have sprouted.Germinating Seeds

Germinating seeds is a very easy process, and how you go about itdepends on what time of the year it is. If you collect your seeds in latesummer/early autumn it would be best to plant them right after they have beencollected. But if it is winter and you can't plant them outside, you can stratify themin your refrigerator and plant them outside in the spring. Regardless of yourchoice you should still soak your seeds in a tub of water for about six or so hours.If any seeds float to the top they are bad and need to be disposed of. But if youare dealing with really small seeds they may float even if they are good, so if youhave any floaters don't through them away just to be safe. Now that your seedshave been prepared for stratification you can plant them outside or refrigeratethem for the winter. If you refrigerate them it is wise to place the seeds in acontainer with damp soil or moss of some kind to keep the seeds from drying out.Keep the seeds like this for at least a month, and then in the spring plant themoutside. If you are planting your seeds in pots I would suggest the use of regularpotting soil until it is time to transplant the seedlings for the first time. The reasonfor this is regular potting soil tends to have a high organic ratio and stays moistmuch longer than your average bonsai mix. This will help to keep the tiny newroots from drying out. Besides, potting soil is also easy to get and cheap. Afterthe seeds have sprouted move aside from the soil. Until the trees first re-pot youshould treat them like regular bonsai.

Air Layering

Air layering is a great way to start new stock. How the process works isyou basically grow roots off of a trees trunk or branch and then remove the


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rooted section and plant it. This technique is very effective, so in this section Iwill explain how to take and air layer.

Usually branches up to 2 in diameter can be air layered. What you need to dois take a sharp knife and remove a ring of bark all the way around the tree whereyou want the new roots to form. You could even wrap a piece of wire around the

tree where you want new roots to form. Next you will want to dust the area with arooting agent, and wrap wet sphagnum moss around it. After that is done to holdthe moss in place wrap the section in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Make surethat the moss never gets dry. It will take anywhere from around four weeks to afew months. Just keep an eye on it, and after you see a fair amount of brownroots remove the layered section from the tree and pot it. Be sure that the newtree is cared for well as the new roots are very fragile and can be damagedeasily. Treat the new tree like you would any freshly potted tree, keep it in partialshade for a couple weeks and be sure it is secured in the pot well. On a sidenote, its worth mentioning that deciduous trees should be layered anywhere fromaround April to May while conifers should be air layered from about April to July.

Cuttings

Cuttings are a great way to start new bonsai material. It is a simple andinexpensive process, and most any plant can have a cutting taken off it. And if itcan't usually an air layer will work on them. Cuttings can generally be up to oneinch thick, but remember the smaller the cutting the easier it will take. What isalso great about this process is the stuff that we prune off of our bonsai all thetime can be planted and grown into another tree. There are three types ofcuttings that are most commonly used. They are: hardwood cuttings, softwoodcuttings and semi-ripe cuttings.

Softwood: Softwood cuttings are taken in spring; they are thetender new growth on a tree. These are best taken after the leafshave hardened off. Around 5"-6" is a good height for one of these tobe.

Hardwood: These are taken after leaf fall, they are fully hardenedgrowth. Usually one foot tall is the maximum high one of theseshould be.

Semi-Ripe: Such cuttings are taken around summer; they have awoody hardened base with tender growth on the top. About 3" is agood height for these to be.

How To and How Not

Taking cuttings is a simple process. You will need a pair of sheers, soil(preferably potting soil), a pot and rooting hormone. Place some soil in your potand water it well. Next remove a branch from a tree and make a diagonal c ut onthe bottom tip where the roots are to be. Then dip the cut end in hormone, afterthat push it into the newly watered soil so that it can stand by it's self. After that


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you should store the cutting(s) in a very humid area, it will help them root. After acouple weeks or so it should be rooting well.

Collecting:

For those who have access to a wooded area, bonsai stock is easy to find.You can collect trees for free that would normally cost you hundreds of dollars tobuy. The main thing I look for in a tree when Im collecting is the base. If it has agood nebari spread and flare then the rest can be worked with for the most part.If the tree has everything you want in a trunk and nebari but is too tall with no lowbranches, no problem. In the spring perform a trunk chop; the tree will bud underthe line of the trunk chop. But the only catch is this technique does not work wellwith pines. After you have chopped you could dig the tree up if it has a tight rootball, but I don't recommend this. It puts too much stress on the tree and could killit very easily. Instead you could let it back bud and leaf out, then next spring

collect. But if the tree has a very open root ball you will half to trench around it fora couple years before you can collect it. In the first spring you should do about1/2 the trench, and in the second spring do the other 1/2 of the trench and dig itup. A good way to tell how big your trench should be is to look at the base of thetrunk. Multiply it's thickness by three for your depth. And multiply it's thickness byfive, six or seven for the diameter. After your tree has been dug up you have toput it into a pot (see pot section) with good soil (see soil section). You will have toget rid of the old soil inside the root ball. The best way is with a hosejust lightlyspray the soil out. But do not ever do this with a pine, to bare root a pine removethe soil lightly by hand so that a little soil will stay stuck to the roots.

Now that your newly collected tree is in a pot with good soil you will haveto water it very well. After it has been watered well, place the tree in a semishady area for a couple weeks to a month. This will help the roots grow which isvery important at this stage. After the tree seems to be doing well and has set inthe shade for a proper amount of time, move it to the type of location it likes tothrive in. Rather that be keeping it in the shade or moving it to full sun. I wouldrecommend that you let your tree set for about 1-3 years after collecting beforeyou carry out any work. Then after this time you can either re-pot it or do yourfirst styling on the tree. After you do either wait another year before any furtherwork is done. After this time is up you should be able to start treating it like aregular Bonsai.

Small Money Saving Tips

Tip #1 You can make bonsai pots very easily. You can buy very cheap plastic


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pots most any place with a garden center, or you can take the old pots stockcomes in. After you have your pot, cut it down with a razor, saw, or what ever youmay have on hand. Making pots like this will not look as nice as buying ceramicones, but they will work just as well. I use them mainly for trees in training.

Tip #2 To get free trays to hold water under your plants, you could use oldbutter tubs cut down, ice cream buckets cut down, and basically anyimperforated plastic container that you have laying around. I know this does notsound like much, but over time it can add up.

Tip #3 Drainage screen is a important part of bonsai, it keeps soil frompouring out of the drainage holes in your pots and helps to keep bugs out. Youcould buy expensive bonsai drainage screen, but to save some money you coulduse many alternative things. The three main things I use are window screen,knitting grids cut into little square pieces and dry wall tape. You can use anythingreally, as long as it has holes big enough to let water out fast while keeping the

soil in.Tip #4 Buying out of the growing season (especially trees) will help you savemoney.

Tip #5 Try visiting local parks to collect seeds. They will often have trees thatare good for bonsai that are temperate to your location.

Tip #6 Try looking at your local feed stores for Lime sulfur, you can usuallyfind it there pretty cheap.

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Coleman, Justin - Budget Bonsai