Kathy Shaner, our demonstrator for the January meeting, discussed how to buy potential bonsai trees. Kathy was given the title of “Bonsai Master” by the Nippon Bonsai Association in Japan, and also the curator of GSBF Bonsai Gardens at Lake Merritt,

Kathy commented that the first step is purchasing a tree is to have the optimistic attitude that every bonsai nursery has at least one really good tree and your job is to find it. Do not yield to the temptation to buy a lot of small liner trees. They are many years from becoming quality bonsai. Save your money for one good tree rather than buying a group of little ones. By spending the same amount of money for one good tree you will get a much more satisfying bonsai tree. Take your time when buying a tree to be sure you know what you are getting. Take an experienced person along with you if you are not sure what to look for in a potentially great bonsai and listen to their advice. Do not look for trees that have a predetermined shape. While the tree you are looking at may have a perfect shape, it may continue to grow in a different direction than you anticipated.Picture1

Take a chop stick and gently poke around the trunk of the tree to see what the rootage is like. The nebari (the arrangement of the roots around the trunk) will determine where the front of the tree will be located. If the roots are only on one side of the trunk, the ultimate style possibilities of the tree will be seriously affected. If the nebari is poor with sparse rootage all around the tree the overall quality of the tree as a bonsai will be very limited.

Think about the species of tree that you are looking at with regard to disposal of unwanted branches. These branches cannot be jinned (exposed as dead wood) if the tree is a deciduous tree for reasons of style. Since jinning is not an option for unwanted branching, complete removal of the branch can be done, but be aware that cuts on some trees such as hornbeams and elms heal very slowly if at all, which can leave big scars on the trunk. If you are interested in a deciduous tree, best to shop in winter when the tree is not in leaf so that you can clearly see what problems the structure of the branching might present.

Kathy used a field grown hornbeam as an example of her thoughts on buying a tree. She took the tree out of the pot and removed enough of the soil so the rootage could be exposed. The tree had strong roots on only one side which limited the possible choice of front for the tree. It had numerous crossing branches, some of which grew so tightly against other branches that mutual growth was prevented. Removal of some of these branches became a necessity. The hornbeam would not readily heal large cuts so removal has to be very carefully managed. Each cut must have a clean edge, and it is crucial that the cut be prevented from drying out. The cut must be quickly well covered with cut paste which should extend at least a quarter of an inch beyond the cut to be sure that the cut was well sealed. After care involves placing a piece of cloth over the cut which is moistened every time the tree is watered. This further ensures that the cut does not dry out.

Cuts can rapidly dry out and you can tell this is happening by the tissues quickly turning in color from green or yellow to brown. Once this color change has taken place the game is lost. The cut will heal very slowly, if at all. As a conclusion Kathy had the members in attendance file by the tree to emphasize the challenges that she saw in the tree.