Small to Big or Big to Small

[JimJam35]

so after being on this website and listening and reading to alot of forums i hear alot of people say that they do bonsai from bigger trees to (smaller) Bonsai. i am just curious about this, i always thought it was growing a tree and training it to be so, yet reading alot of books and online forums im still curious about going from big to small....does one just take a tree that has a nice trunk size and chop it off and then root prune it to fit in a pot??(even tho i know its not that easy) or is there grafting involved?? just looking for a little more insit on this being new to all this and i think i understand the small to big process.....sorry if this post is sounding a little dumb, just looking for a straight forward answer and maybe pictures of before and after trees if possible so i can wrap my mind around this process a little better

 

[jk_lewis]

so after being on this website and listening and reading to alot of forums i hear alot of people say that they do bonsai from bigger trees to (smaller) Bonsai. i am just curious about this, i always thought it was growing a tree and training it to be so, yet reading alot of books and online forums im still curious about going from big to small....does one just take a tree that has a nice trunk size and chop it off and then root prune it to fit in a pot??(even tho i know its not that easy) or is there grafting involved?? just looking for a little more insit on this being new to all this and i think i understand the small to big process.....sorry if this post is sounding a little dumb, just looking for a straight forward answer and maybe pictures of before and after trees if possible so i can wrap my mind around this process a little better

There is no one way to make a bonsai. Some people with a lot of time on their hands and a very particular idea of what they want to make from a specific kind of plant may well grow them from seed. but that takes more years than most westerners are willing to spend.

MOST bonsai are cut down from larger plants. For many nursery plants -- taking the typical nursery juniper as an example -- I would bet that the final, half-way decent bonsai ends up being no more than 1/3 the size of the original nursery juniper.

The advantages of cutting down a larger plant include a thicker, more interesting trunk, mature bark, mature branches, and a decent, developed root system.

 

[Poink88]

Jim covered it well. Regarding your other question, the answer is "it depends". There are various techniques you can employ and you can choose to use one or more technique that will help your tree become a better bonsai (or just plainly to survive). As you grow more as a bonsai artist, your "bag of tricks" will grow as well.

Check these sites:
http://www.animabonsai.com/
http://sandevbonsai.blogspot.com/
http://www.kaizenbonsai.com/shop/index.php
http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/

 

[Poink88]

By the way...I am a big to small...rather XL to M kinda guy.

 

[flor1]

Take a couple of classes most will give you a tree to work on and a load of information and in the end save you money.
Check in your area for local clubs and Bonsai growers a lot of information can be had by just standing around and asking questions.

 

[mat]

In addition to the above, I'll add that there are many bonsai professionals around that have done a lot of the work for you. At just about any bonsai nursery, you can buy material at every step along the way - just starting out, already trained a little (pre-bonsai), up to fully finished trees. Obviously, the further along the process (among several other variables) the plant is, the more it's going to cost you. The ones I've been to (and probably most others) are also more than willing to help with advice and answers to questions.

 

[JimJam35]

another question about this going from big to small is that, i am assuming when one cuts the trunk down to a lower part, you are blending the cut back into the tree and letting new branches and material grow around that and shaping the tree??

 

[daygan]

does one just take a tree that has a nice trunk size and chop it off and then root prune it to fit in a pot??(even tho i know its not that easy)

straightforward answer: yes, this is essentially the process that many use (of course, with more growing afterwards to develop branches and trunk taper)..

One great site that I've found for seeing before-after photos and the whole process in between is Harry Harrington's bonsai4me. An example of one of his progressions is his Hawthorn Twin Trunk progression series.

And yes, essentially "blending" with the use of slanted cuts and a new leader branch at the top of the chop, and the eventually formation of callus tissue.

 

[JimJam35]

Thank u so much for that website showed me exactly what I wanted to know I can start to look for

 

[Vance Wood]

In addition to the above, I'll add that there are many bonsai professionals around that have done a lot of the work for you. At just about any bonsai nursery, you can buy material at every step along the way - just starting out, already trained a little (pre-bonsai), up to fully finished trees. Obviously, the further along the process (among several other variables) the plant is, the more it's going to cost you. The ones I've been to (and probably most others) are also more than willing to help with advice and answers to questions.

Not wishing to be argumentative but there is a reality that must be pointed out: You guys living on the West Coast, Florida and the North East Coast, have bonsai nurseries that actually cultivate "pre-bonsai", the rest of the country finds they are few and far between. Those that are encountered, some of them, claim they know what they are doing when in fact they only know how to put a higher price on what they sell, calling them pre-bonsai. The problem here is that they don't know and don't know they don't know.

 

[Paradox]

Not wishing to be argumentative but there is a reality that must be pointed out: You guys living on the West Coast, Florida and the North East Coast, have bonsai nurseries that actually cultivate "pre-bonsai", the rest of the country finds they are few and far between. Those that are encountered, some of them, claim they know what they are doing when in fact they only know how to put a higher price on what they sell, calling them pre-bonsai. The problem here is that they don't know and don't know they don't know.

Ive encountered this. One "Bonsai nursery" near me pretty much only has pre-bonsai. Almost all their stock is seedlings in the 2-5 year range with some in the 5-8 year range.
A "more advanced" bonsai nursery will have some pre bonsai but will also have trees that are in mid training so to speak and "finished (if there is such a thing)" bonsai.

I also think that in Japan and China where families have practiced bonsai and passed down trees for generations, youll see more trees that have been grown by seed.
For us westerners that dont have that kind of time invested we try to find faster ways to get there by cutting down larger trees.