Tag Archives: Hobby

Bonsai

Getting Started With your Bonsai Hobby

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Getting Started with Bonsai

Bonsai is an enjoyable hobby and form of art. However, unlike most other art forms bonsai is unique in that one’s canvas is alive and changing. Aside from the art side of things one needs to develop some knowledge of arboriculture. Along with knowing how to make the tree look appealing one also needs to keep it alive. This article will serve as an overview of bonsai basics to help beginners get started with the hobby of bonsai.

Selecting a bonsai tree

From a high level one can classify bonsai trees into two groups; indoor and outdoor. Outdoor bonsai should never be kept indoors for more than a few days as the lack of light and temperature difference will cause it to weaken and it may die. Therefore, if one wants an outdoor bonsai they should make sure they have a suitable outdoor location for it. Outdoor bonsai typically tend to be evergreens and conifers. One of the most popular bonsai trees is the Juniper which is an outdoor tree.

Indoor bonsai can survive indoors, but even they will grow best when kept outside. They tend to have lower light requirements than outdoor bonsai, but still do best outdoors like an tree. If one has a very sunny spot in their home or office that receives a good amount of indirect sunlight from the East or West they should be able to grow an indoor bonsai without any problems. Indoor bonsai are typically tropical trees like ficus, hawaiian umbrella, and succulents like jade.

Can I grow outdoor bonsai inside with grow lights?

One can try to supplement light requirements using grow lights if one wants to grow outdoor bonsai inside. However, most trees that grow in colder climates naturally still need a wintering period. Unless one can simulate that every season the tree will eventually die.

Getting started

The main items one will need are a tree, a pot to put it in, bonsai soil, sharp shears, and a root rake. Anything beyond those items are optional, but will make certain tasks easier to accomplish.

Selecting a pot

If one plans on growing their bonsai outdoors in areas with cold winters they should invest in a stoneware pot. They are fired to a very high temperature when they are made which allows them to better resist cracking in extreme temperatures. Most people will use mica or plastic pots when they are training their bonsai and switch them to ceramic stoneware when they plan on displaying them. Shallower yet wider pots tend to promote growth of thicker trunks. If one wants to train their bonsai into a cascading effect they would want to use a deeper pot.

One always needs a pair of sharp shears for doing any kind of pruning on their bonsai. It is also recommended that one pair for pruning branches and another pair for pruning roots as the soil and grit on roots may dull the shears. One will always want branch pruning shears at their sharpest.

The root rake is used for combing out the roots of the bonsai prior to placing it in the pot. It allows one to gently break apart the root ball so that they can work fresh soil between the roots when they place the bonsai in the pot.

Lastly, the soil selection is very important. Bonsai are unnaturally forced to grow in a relatively confined space so the soil has special requirements. The soil must be free draining yet retain moisture. It must also hold nutrients and resist compaction. Once one has their basic supplies they are ready to begin.

Placing the bonsai in the pot

Start off by covering the drainage holes in the bonsai pot with drain hole covers. This will stop the soil from washing out. Most people will also hook wire through the drain holes at this point so that they can twist them down on the roots later to keep the newly planted tree stable. The proper technique for this is not covered here. Next, start to rake out the roots using the root rake or a chopstick. This should untangle the roots and free them from the compacted soil. After, form a small mound of bonsai soil in the center and place the tree on top of it. Gently twist the tree back and forth and try to work the soil between the roots. After, clamp down the root ball with wire and fill the remainder of the pot with soil. At this point one should avoid moving the bonsai in order to allow the roots to heal.

Once the bonsai is in the pot

Once one has successfully potted their bonsai they should familiarize themselves with the requirements of that tree and do their best to keep it alive and healthy before styling it. A healthy tree always looks best. One should primarily concern them self with keeping the tree alive. Once they have fulfilled that requirement they can start learning about styling it. Most beginners have difficulty when it comes to watering so reading in this area is recommended. I wish you the best of luck in continuing your bonsai hobby.

Written by David Mello for http://www.mellobonsai.com where you can learn more about bonsai care

Gardening Advice

Vegetable Gardening – A Rewarding Hobby

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More and more people are taking up vegetable gardening as it is gaining popularity. Vegetable gardening will provide you with cheaper vegetables compared with those from the stores. Moreover, your home vegetable garden will produce far better tasting vegetables. Vegetable gardening is very similar to growing herbs or flowers in your garden and if the proper procedures are taken and proper care has been given to the plants, they will flourish and provide you with great tasting vegetables.

When you want to start vegetable gardening, the first thing to do is to decide on the size of the garden you want to have and choose a suitable place for it. The place you want to plant your vegetables should have good drainage, good and deep soil, and good air flow. It also needs to have as much sunlight as possible. Because vegetable are so tasty, many animals, such as rabbits, deer, dogs, and others will try to get to your veggies. A good way to prevent this from happening is to build a fence around your garden. You may also want to put out some traps to catch moles, mice, and other small animals.

Before planting your vegetable garden, you need to prepare the soil properly. You achieve good soil for vegetable gardening by cultivation and the addition of organic materials. In order to control weeds, you need to till or plow the soil while mixing mulch into it. For those with a small garden, instead of plowing you’ll be better of with spading.

A vital part of soil preparation is mulching. Minerals, nitrogen, and other nutrients that plants will need to thrive are released when organic matter is added to the soil. Compost is the most popular and ideal type of mulch you can use. Usually, the soil and the types of plants will determine the type and amount of fertilizer to be used. Some plants have specific needs. For example, leafy plants, like lettuce, spinach, and cabbage usually need more nitrogen to grow better, while root crops like carrots, turnips, potatoes, and beets require more potash. Less fertilizer is needed by tomatoes and beans, while plants like potatoes, celery, and onions need a larger amount.

The garden arrangement is a factor that is very important in vegetable gardening. Due to varying conditions, there is no one plan of garden arrangement that will work for each and every garden. One popular way is to group vegetables together according to the amount of space they require. Plant vegetables needing only limited space together, such as spinach, beets, radishes, and lettuce and plant together those that require more room, such as potatoes, corn, and pumpkins. You should also consider planting tall growing plants towards the back of the garden while planting shorter ones towards the front. This will prevent sunlight from getting blocked and ensure that every plant will have sufficient sunlight.

You should begin planting your vegetable garden at the right time of the year. However, if you really want to get started early even when it is not the right time, you may want to start your vegetable gardening in a hotbed indoor and then transplant them later when weather permits. After completing your planting, make sure that your vegetables get the right amount of water. How much to water depends on the type of plant. Usually, most plants will require about an inch of water per week.

Weeds take up nutrients, light, and water that are meant for your vegetables. Hence, they must be controlled in vegetable gardening because they often bring insects and disease into your garden. Cultivation or mulching can get rid of weeds. You may also want to consider using controlled chemicals or buying seeds that are disease resistant in order to protect against disease and insects.

Because you get to eat the vegetables at the end, many people have made vegetable gardening their favorite form of gardening. Home grown vegetables taste much better than those from the supermarket and it is rather inexpensive to start vegetable gardening. If you provide proper care and maintenance to your garden and put in the effort, your vegetable gardening will be fruitful and you’ll be rewarded.

Get more vegetable gardening tips from Richard’s website. Request for a free copy of “Indoor Gardening Secrets” report from his gardening website.