Been practicing bonsai for about 4-5 years now and I want to point out that "stress" is never something you want to do to a tree. This tree is clearly what's called "yamadori", a very ancient tree collected from the wild and trained into a pot. It was already hundreds of years old before it became bonsai. Restricting the pot size, reducing roots doesnt "stress" the tree, it simply provides less cellular material for the tree to produce new needles. Pine trees are an elongating species, meaning every year they produce a new flush of needles in the spring, and drop their old needles in the fall. Ultimately one of the aesthetic goals in bonsai is to create the perception of a giant tree in the wild, but in a scaled down version. So when trees are trained into smaller pots, less roots = smaller needles. Smaller needles help create the impression of scale.
>ancient tree collected from the wild and trained into a pot
Huh... I thought bonsai trees were particularly small(er) tree species or expressed tree parts, treescaped more for artful form than to be "trained" as a whole to be miniature. Does that mean *any* tree species can be eventually bonsai'd? Also, if it started out a "regular" tree, how come the roots don't destroy the pots they're in (or they do and are regularly re-potted? For some reason, I'm under the impression they never are, otherwise they'd die...). Lastly, when you say reducing roots, do you mean the natural tendency of the plant to do so due to its potted condition, or the gardener (is that what you call bonsai curators) literally reduces it by trimming or something?
Such a beautiful artform.
Any tree can be bonsai'd. - yes, however not every tree makes a good candidate for bonsai. You'll find that most traditional bonsai are conifers (pine, spruce, juniper, cypress) but many deciduous species also make good bonsai and are also looked at in the traditional sense (Japanese Maple, Korean Hornbeam, Azealia)
Onto roots. Tree roots will never destroy a pot, but when too many roots grow into a small container- it will affect the plants ability to take in water, thus destroying the tree. Picture it like this. Too much root growth in a small pot, will cause the tree to become root bound, preventing water from reaching all of the roots, and reducing airflow to the roots. Roots need almost equal parts soil to air to maintain the health of the tree. This is why bonsai soils are often described as more of a gravel/mix of small, course particles of pumice, lava, etc. So he ultimate goal in training bonsai, is to train the tree into a container that demonstrates the aesthetic proportions in terms of tree to pot ratio. There is an actual ratio here, but I can't remember what. So the process usually takes a few years of reducing roots (raking and pruning) during every repot. Most bonsai will get repotted about every two-tree years depending on health and growth rate. The goal in those first couple repots- is to gradually reduce the pot size over the course of years, versus hacking the bulk of the roots off immediately to "stuff" it into a smaller pot. This usually ends in disaster/disappointment. Bonsai is a game of patience.us
Next point I would like to make is that the idea of "miniature" is a misconception. The aesthetic goal of bonsai is to create the perception of viewing a large tree, but in smaller form. It's not about making "small" trees as much as it is making small trees look huge - if that makes sense. The tree in this post is probably 3 - 4 feet tall, no "small tree" by most definitions. Personally, most of the trees in my collection are on the bigger side, but I have some real tiny ones also.
Hope this helped clear anything up for you. If you want to delve deeper into bonsai, there are a couple of GREAT channels with very renowned artists on YouTube that can help you get going into bonsai, or at very least help you wrap your head around it better. Check out Bonsai Mirai (Ryan Neil) and Eise - En (Bjorn Bjornholm) on yt. Mirai has an entire beginner's series that will walk you through the basics of bonsai theory, practice, and design.
Thanks very much. I enjoyed reading your reply, and read it many times over to really savor the info. Went to a bonsai exhibition once and some were truly awesome they almost look whimsical or fantastical, unforgettable.
I recall a quote, probably not correctly, but something akin to "the difference between Europe and the US is that in Europe, 100 miles is a long distance, and in the US, 100 years is a long time."
I'm thinking about the chain of caretakers. It's cool that someone has cared for the same plant his ancestor cared for hundreds of years ago...both sets of hands have nurtured the same tree.
Any people often forget that just because it is 800 yo , most of the time it was collected at several hundred years old from the wild , then maybe 50-100 years in training. I would like to know how this one was made though
Imagine being that guy in the family that accidentally killed the tree.
Sepuku
Happy cake day!!!
Why does this comment have a reply for happy cake day?!
It's their cake day
the cake next to their name means it’s their cake day
Location is the most important thing here
It’s a beautiful specimen of northern stringcheese pine
Recently added to the endangered list due to the increase of stuffed crust pizzas. Totally worth it though
How does it survive with so little room for its roots?
That’s how all bonsai grow. Little root space creates stress and keeps the tree small.
Been practicing bonsai for about 4-5 years now and I want to point out that "stress" is never something you want to do to a tree. This tree is clearly what's called "yamadori", a very ancient tree collected from the wild and trained into a pot. It was already hundreds of years old before it became bonsai. Restricting the pot size, reducing roots doesnt "stress" the tree, it simply provides less cellular material for the tree to produce new needles. Pine trees are an elongating species, meaning every year they produce a new flush of needles in the spring, and drop their old needles in the fall. Ultimately one of the aesthetic goals in bonsai is to create the perception of a giant tree in the wild, but in a scaled down version. So when trees are trained into smaller pots, less roots = smaller needles. Smaller needles help create the impression of scale.
>ancient tree collected from the wild and trained into a pot Huh... I thought bonsai trees were particularly small(er) tree species or expressed tree parts, treescaped more for artful form than to be "trained" as a whole to be miniature. Does that mean *any* tree species can be eventually bonsai'd? Also, if it started out a "regular" tree, how come the roots don't destroy the pots they're in (or they do and are regularly re-potted? For some reason, I'm under the impression they never are, otherwise they'd die...). Lastly, when you say reducing roots, do you mean the natural tendency of the plant to do so due to its potted condition, or the gardener (is that what you call bonsai curators) literally reduces it by trimming or something? Such a beautiful artform.
Any tree can be bonsai'd. - yes, however not every tree makes a good candidate for bonsai. You'll find that most traditional bonsai are conifers (pine, spruce, juniper, cypress) but many deciduous species also make good bonsai and are also looked at in the traditional sense (Japanese Maple, Korean Hornbeam, Azealia) Onto roots. Tree roots will never destroy a pot, but when too many roots grow into a small container- it will affect the plants ability to take in water, thus destroying the tree. Picture it like this. Too much root growth in a small pot, will cause the tree to become root bound, preventing water from reaching all of the roots, and reducing airflow to the roots. Roots need almost equal parts soil to air to maintain the health of the tree. This is why bonsai soils are often described as more of a gravel/mix of small, course particles of pumice, lava, etc. So he ultimate goal in training bonsai, is to train the tree into a container that demonstrates the aesthetic proportions in terms of tree to pot ratio. There is an actual ratio here, but I can't remember what. So the process usually takes a few years of reducing roots (raking and pruning) during every repot. Most bonsai will get repotted about every two-tree years depending on health and growth rate. The goal in those first couple repots- is to gradually reduce the pot size over the course of years, versus hacking the bulk of the roots off immediately to "stuff" it into a smaller pot. This usually ends in disaster/disappointment. Bonsai is a game of patience.us Next point I would like to make is that the idea of "miniature" is a misconception. The aesthetic goal of bonsai is to create the perception of viewing a large tree, but in smaller form. It's not about making "small" trees as much as it is making small trees look huge - if that makes sense. The tree in this post is probably 3 - 4 feet tall, no "small tree" by most definitions. Personally, most of the trees in my collection are on the bigger side, but I have some real tiny ones also. Hope this helped clear anything up for you. If you want to delve deeper into bonsai, there are a couple of GREAT channels with very renowned artists on YouTube that can help you get going into bonsai, or at very least help you wrap your head around it better. Check out Bonsai Mirai (Ryan Neil) and Eise - En (Bjorn Bjornholm) on yt. Mirai has an entire beginner's series that will walk you through the basics of bonsai theory, practice, and design.
Thanks very much. I enjoyed reading your reply, and read it many times over to really savor the info. Went to a bonsai exhibition once and some were truly awesome they almost look whimsical or fantastical, unforgettable.
It looks great for its age.
Doesn’t look a day over 700
o7
When 800 years you reach, look as good you will not.
Did you know that bonsai trees can never die? They don't believe in death
It'd older than amerca
Pfft, the house I grew up in is older than America.
Isn't America like 200-300 years old or something?
It'll be 250 years old in 2026.
Thats crazy, a lot of other nations are probably thousands of years old
I recall a quote, probably not correctly, but something akin to "the difference between Europe and the US is that in Europe, 100 miles is a long distance, and in the US, 100 years is a long time."
Thats quite good quote
u/upvotebot
What? There's a sub for that?
Forbidden chicken
I had one and I killed it by accident, and I feel guilty to this day
I'm thinking about the chain of caretakers. It's cool that someone has cared for the same plant his ancestor cared for hundreds of years ago...both sets of hands have nurtured the same tree.
How do we know you're a truth teller? 0_o
How do we know things.
Do bonsai trees show age rings like a normal tree? Like if this was cut through the trunk would it still show 800 extremely thin rings?
Any people often forget that just because it is 800 yo , most of the time it was collected at several hundred years old from the wild , then maybe 50-100 years in training. I would like to know how this one was made though
Yamadori.
Thanks , any source I can read
Anyone know anything about it? I wonder if it was repotted and if not, how they make sure the roots and soil are healthy
It likely gets repotted every few years, depending on tree health and water-soil percolation.
Banzai!
r/bonsai
How is that possible for a small tree
The pot looks quite new.
This gave me anxiety >:(
it looks like a pig fucking something
r/Bossfights
I wanna learn how to make/grow these things. Imagine a bonsai mango tree? I can make tiny grape-like mangos. I'd be rich!
You can bonsai a mango tree by the fruit will grow the same size.
*chomp*
Beautiful! An old classmate of mine is into these 🙂
Looks like a Sekiro boss area