Aged look adds to the beauty and value of a bonsai. Many believe that bonsai preparation should start with a very young seedling. Not exactly! Even though you get the freedom to shape it to your idea from very young age, it would take several years to get a bonsai look. Instead, if you could start with a little grown up bush, much time and efforts can be saved before it gets an attractive look. The picture above demonstrates my point. It is Ficus bengalensis, a slow growing wild tree, and it was 4-5 years old when I collected it 2 years back. It was about 3 feet tall with many branches at irregular intervals along its height. I chopped the trunk at 2 feet, and clipped off all the branches, except a pair towards the tip. Those two branches were pulled down and were made horizontal by wiring. More branches sprouted from the trunk towards its tip, but only those developed at proper direction, ideal for developing a symmetric crown were retained, and other buds were nipped off. All the branches were made horizontal, and maintained at proper lengths.
Exposed roots give added attraction for a bonsai. At the bottom of the trunk, about 4 inches from pot level, layering was done to induce roots (1 cm broad ring of bark was removed, and the exposed area was covered with soil mixed with organic manure). A lot of roots developed from the layer in 2 months. A few thick roots were retained and the remaining roots were cut off. Those thick roots were pulled down to the soil. The plant was transferred to a shallow pot. Thus I got a 6-7 year old bonsai, with just 2 years’ efforts. Of course, all the above said manipulations may not be possible with many plant species.
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