Which way is up?

Shohin & mame sized bonsai present an interesting option, not usually open to large bonsai.  For large bonsai, it’s nearly impossible to start from the very small – either seed or seedling – and create a large, mature bonsai in the span of 30 years or less.  Sure, there are some folks who have done it and a handful of trees lend themselves to it – assuming you live in the perfect climate.  But with small bonsai, we have the flexibility of starting from the very small and growing larger or starting from the large and making them small.

This flexibility is one of the endearing qualities I truly find wonderful about shohin & mame size bonsai.  I can start with a seed or seedling and if I do things right, end up with a gorgeous shohin in under 10 years.  Conversely, I can start with a larger, healthy tree, cut it down, grow it correctly, and have a nice little sumo-esque shohin bonsai in that same 10 years.

Don’t take that as a statement of impatience.  Granted, I am a bit on the impatient side, but my offset is having many bonsai to tend to.  This keeps me from fiddling too much with any one tree.  The very fiddling that slows down growth.  I’ve also gotten the “push ‘em hard!” tendency out of my system.  I’d rather have healthy, vigorous trees that respond well to work rather than weak trees in half the time that end up with a ton of dieback and other problems.

This health and vigor benefits the smaller bonsai regardless of which path you take.  Seedlings fatten and throw out more buds when they’re healthy and happy.  On larger, chopped trees, they heal and build new branches faster.

I certainly don’t think it’s a matter of right or wrong, nor do I think there’s any merit in a holy war of which way is correct.  I’m firmly in the camp that says both are equally valid for shohin & mame size bonsai, provided you grow them out correctly, allowing large wounds to heal, pruning appropriately and so forth.

James Taylor has a wonderful song, “Secret O’Life”.  One of the lines is; “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.”  Somethings tells me he’d like bonsai.  A lot.

Under-used Tools

I’ve been busy going through the trees; pruning, seeing what needs repotting, checking for winter damage, and all the other wonderful tasks that tell me we’re on the heels of spring.  As I was checking each tree, the winter’s rest and browsing of other sites started flooding back.  It got me thinking about what makes a truly great mini-bonsai that bit better than a similar, just not “great”, tree.  I think I put my finger on it.  It’s not just wire, nor is it just pruning.  The determining factor between good and great lies in the courage of the artist.

Courage to take a tree you’ve spent several years caring for, and lop off a heavy branch or an apex.  Courage to take the time required to detail wire every little branch when necessary, risking the possibilities of knocking off a bud or breaking a fairly fragile branch or twig.  Courage is quite possibly the most underutilized tool we have.  Like other tools, if you don’t pull it out and treat it with care, courage can become dull.

Courage allows us to risk the well-being of a healthy, if mediocre, tree with the promise of something far better over time.  That risk should always be mitigated by performing tasks at the right time and only with healthy, vigorous plants.  Courage + carelessness = recklessness.  That’s not what we’re after.  Courage + knowledge = success.  Successful survival and successful execution of turning of the vision in our mind to a well-executed, delightful design!

Normally, I prefer to think about radical changes for a while (day, week, year or more) before committing myself …and my courage, to any major change.  I find that talking it over with others really helps cement my decision, or gives me something else to think about that I might decide is incorrect for now.  One thing I can guarantee is that courage and careful risk now might set the tree back a couple years, the patience will be handsomely rewarded down the road.

Mini-Bonsai Surfing

The plethora of information on the Web doesn’t surprise me;  working on the internet is what I do for a living.  I twiddle bits, twist knobs, and work with a team of amazing people who keep the pipes running smoothly for everyone.  What does thrill me is the high quality of some blogs & sites coming from shohin and mame aficionados (and professionals) in Japan.

Here’s a great example of an amateur’s blog:  http://itsunohika.at.webry.info/ ..and another from a professional: http://www.geocities.co.jp/PowderRoom/6922/index.html Here’s another:  http://www.geocities.jp/itosuguri/mini/bonsai.htm and no list would be complete without Kyosuke Gun’s site: http://www.mini-bonsai.com/ (use the Japanese side, not the English as the English side hasn’t been updated in a very long time).

If you can’t read Japanese, no worries.  Google has a free translator.  It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough to get some of the concepts across.  Start here: http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en and near the bottom there’s a section labeled “Translate a Web Page”.  Paste the URL in, select Japanese  >> (language of choice), and then click on ‘Translate’.  Good stuff.

If you’ve got time to burn and an equally burning curiosity, go through some of the links on these sites to find other gems out there.  If you’ve got others you’d like to share, drop me a note at dsp@miniature-bonsai.com.

Exchange Rate Blues

2010 is going to prove to be a miserable year for imports.  The Dollar is in the dump against the Yen.  Shipping rates are through the roof (both international and domestic).  Restocking and repricing are going to be interesting.  Don’t be surprised if tool and container prices jump 30-40% – just to keep the same, slim dollar margin (there’s no way to keep this stuff affordable to people and keep margin percentages).  What we need now is a good, reasonably-priced, domestic tool manufacturer.

Take advantage of current inventories – from us or your favorite domestic vendor – before prices go straight through the roof.

On the whole, I don’t necessarily see this as a bad thing.  I do think coming out the far side of this we will see an upswelling of interest in small (shohin) and mini (shito/mame) bonsai – if only because the costs are less.

On the Cusp of Spring

The winter was good to the seeds.  Red pine and tridents are starting to sprout!  Now to wait on Black & White pine and Zelkova.  Winter is a time of rest for nature – and, if we treat ourselves well, a time for us to rest as well.  Once the trees ar snuggled into their winter home, I tend to turn off.  Except for answering email questions and shipping out container, tool, and book orders, I don’t touch anything bonsai from late December until mid-February.

This isn’t a new revelation, nor is it a sign of slacking.  I find bonsai to be emotionally draining.  I treasure these silent creatures and care for them deeply.  Before working on a tree, I study it intensely.  All of this leads to emotional and mental stress.  Bonsai isn’t about stress – it’s about the opposite of stress.  By giving myself a break when the trees get one, I’m in a much better shape when mid-March comes around.  I can focus better.  I can design better.  I can see more clearly.  Once the next crop of seedlings starts to appear in the seed trays, I find myself emotionally and mentally waking at the pace of their growth.  As more seedlings appear in the trays, my intensity rises more quickly.

I hope you enjoyed your rest time over winter as much as I did and I hope you’re looking forward to the coming growing season as much as I am!

Wire Work

In the great debate of aluminum vs. copper wire, put aside the religion and go with physics.  Aluminum wire is not “sissy wire”, nor does it belittle the art, nor make you less of an artist. Both types have their place and knowing when to use which is the mark of a truly skilled artist.  Let’s look at the traits:

Copper:  work hardens well; greater strength per a given diameter; very small sizes (20ga & 22ga) are small enough to leave on trees for display.

Aluminum:  larger diameter spreads the contact point over a larger area, reducing potential for deep, nasty scars; easier to apply.

For shohin bonsai, I use both regularly.  There’s little doubt that copper is invaluable when producing heavy bends on shimpaku stock, particularly when supported by raffia.  For training deciduous material, I tend to go with aluminum.  I can put two or more wires up a trunk and then off to the branches making the wiring more efficient and reducing the potential for scarring.

For true mini bonsai (shito & mame) or very small shohin bonsai, I’ll almost exclusively use aluminum.  If I’m working with a pine or juniper, using multiple strands of 1.5mm or 2mm wire gives me the strength to hold the bend, but more importantly, it gives a wider area of support on the outside of a bend, reducing the risk of breakage.

Next time you’re wiring, think about whether more support could be used for a tight bend (progressively bent over the course of a day or two with a couple hours between bends).  You might find that both aluminum and copper wire have a place in your bag of tricks!

It’s about time!

Welcome to the new blog for miniature-bonsai.com.  This is our general information site that may be perused without any commercial pitches – or at least minimal.  Our goal is to use this forum to help others increase their enjoyment of miniature bonsai with information and examples.

-d