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.

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