One
of the most satisfying ways of creating bonsai is by using plants
propagated by yourself. There are many different ways of reproducing
a parent plant. Deciding which technique to use is largely dependant
on an individual species' suitability and also the material you
have available to use. You may have a large garden tree or shrub
that offers a number of possibilities for propagation or you may
only have a bonsai from which you wish to create new plants without
having its appearance being spoilt by the removal of too many
branches. You also need to consider the length of time you wish
to wait before your new plant will be ready for training as bonsai.
For a good quality bonsai, it is important to acquire a plant
with a reasonably thick trunk before starting on the process of
planting the tree in a bonsai pot and commencing bonsai training.
The thicker the trunk of a newly propagated plant is, the less
time that will need to be spent growing on before bonsai training
can begin.
There are techniques for propagating that leave you with plants
that will require years of growing in the ground before they become
suitable as good bonsai material and there are other techniques
that produce new plants that once established can be immediately
trained as bonsai.
For an individual species suitability to different propagation
techniques, it is important to refer to the Species
Guides at www.Bonsai4me.com. Most propagation techniques rely
on tapping into a plants natural growth and reproductive characteristics
and these characteristics can vary from species to species. It
is also important to take note of the seasonal timing of many
of these propagation techniques as most will only work at certain
times of the year.
The Species Guides
at www.Bonsai4me.com list the propagation techniques that carry
the best success rates for each individual species; it is possible
to use techniques other than those listed for a species, but there
is a higher risk of failure. Similarly, success may be had by
using propagating methods out of season but again, there is a
higher chance of failure and new plants that take may take longer
to establish and regain their vigour.
The propagation techniques that can be used for creating new plants
suitable for bonsai are;
GROWING
FROM SEED
CUTTINGS
AIR-LAYERING (Advanced
Technique)
