Bonsai Chinese originated culture but popularized in Japan. Its an art of growing trees in miniature supplemented with form nutrients and media and favorable conditions to grow.

1. University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot
Kittur Rani Channamma College of Horticulture, Arabhavi
Dept of Floriculture & Landscape Architecture
Id.No: UHS12PGM214
Senior M.Sc (Hort)
By
Rachappa Kore
Bonsai- An art and Science of growing trees in miniature form

3. Containers & Different styles of BONSAI

4. Containers
 Bonsai is a Japanese art using miniature trees
grown in containers.
 The term bonsai in the Japanese itself indicates the
form of the containers.
 Containers should be plate like, i.e. very shallow.
 The shape of the pot should be harmonious with the
form of miniature tree.
 The width and depth should correspond to the
volume of soil necessary for particular specimen.

5.  The quantity of soil required for the mini, medium
and large bonsai must differ.
 Size and shape of the pots should necessarily be
different.
 Fundamentally, there are two kinds of bonsai pots:
 Training pots
 Display pots
 Containers or bonsai pots come in various shapes
and sizes. They could either be square, rectangular,
oval, cylindrical in shape.

6. Bonsai containers come in five shapes:
 Round
 Oval
 Square
 Rectangular and
 Hexagonal.

7. In general a tall bonsai requires a long pot.
A thick trunk usually requires a deeper pot.
 The bonsai experts of Japan and USA have
recommended the specification of pot shape to suit
the particular trunk style.
 Upright style – Square or rectangular pots.
 Informal upright or curved trunks – oval pots.
 Cascade bonsai – deep pot
 Semi Cascade bonsai – less depth pot then
Cascade type
 Trunk for serpentine curves – long & shallow pots
 Double trunk, muiltitrunk, raft style – long pots
 Multi-tree bonsai -flat slab of rock.

8.  The long pots may be rectangular or oval, the width of
which will be half of the length.
 The blocks of the stone, bricks are used for growing
bonsai.
 The pots of burnt clay are mostly used for bonsai.
 The length of the pot of a single tree should not
exceed two thirds the height of the tree.
 In group of planting the pot length should nearly be
the same as two thirds the height of the tallest tree of
the group.

9.  The depth of the pot should normally be upto 2.5
times the base of the trunk . Old tree with very thick
stem the pot depth should be the same as the base of
the trunk.
 There are no aesthetic guidelines for these
development containers, and they may be of any
material, size, and shape that suit the grower.

10.  These containers are usually ceramic pots, which
come in a variety of shapes and colors.
 Unlike many common plant containers, bonsai pots
have drainage holes in the bottom surface for fast-
draining bonsai soil, allowing excess water to escape
the pot.
 Pots usually have vertical sides, so that the tree's root
mass can easily be removed for inspection, pruning,
and replanting, although this is a practical
consideration and other container shapes are
acceptable.

11. Choosing Pots
 Choose a pot in which to display bonsai when the
training of bonsai is sufficiently advanced.
 The size and shape of the pot will depend on the
size and shape of the tree.
 Trees trained in the cascade and semi-cascade
styles look best in round or rectangular pots.
 Plant the trunk in the center of the pot with the
branches bending down over the side.

12.  Place upright trees slightly off-center in oval or
rectangular pots. Place trees with thick trunks and
dense foliage in deep, heavy pots.
 Branches of a bonsai should harmonize with the shape
of a pot.
 The color of the pot should contrast with the tree’s
foliage.
 Use white, tan, or green pots for trees with brightly
colored flowers or fruits.

19. Different styles of Bonsai
The bonsai of many shapes are there.
Those shapes are the imitations of nature.
On the basis of the height they are classified
as
 Miniature bonsai
 Small bonsai
 Medium bonsai
 Large bonsai

20.  Miniature bonsai
A very little pot, a little bigger than a tea
plate, is used for this type of bonsai. The height of
a Miniature tree should not exceed 15 cm
 Small bonsai
The bonsai of height 20-25cm.
 Medium bonsai
The bonsai of height 25-30cm.
 Large bonsai
The bonsai of height 30-90cm. Old trees are
known as large bonsai

21. Informal Upright
In nature Imitation by human

22.  Each style is an artificial representation based on a
natural shape that a full-sized tree may form in the
wild according to it's environment.
Different styles of bonsai are
 Formal Upright
 Informal Upright
 Twisted trunk
 Long bare- root
 Broom
 Umbrella
 Conical
 Spherical
 Slanting

23.  Literati
 Windswept
 Cascade
 Semi-Cascade
 Twin-Trunk
 Clump
 Raft
 Multi-tree
 Growing-on-rock
 Root-over-rock

24. Formal Upright
 This is characterized by a straight, upright,
tapering trunk.
 The trunk is erect with branches growing
symmetrically in all directions, but the front of the
tree is kept free from branches upto two thirds the
length.
 This style is suitable for ficus sps pines, maples
and junipers.

26. Informal Upright
 The trunk is erect but with few curves. The
curvature is gradually smaller towards the top.
 This style is suitable for ficus sps, maple, conifers
and even some fruit trees, such as pomegranate
can be used.
 The informal upright style looks best in an oval or
rectangular container

28. Twisted trunk
 The trunk twists
round & round on
itself. The
branches might
grow in any
direction.
 Suitable plants are
ficus sps, maple.

30. Long bare- root
 Roots like the stem, remain exposed. Only their
growing tips remain in the ground.

31. Broom
 The shape is similar to a broom, from which it
gets it's name.
 The upright stem with broom-like shoots which
are allowed to grow at a certain height. They are
more or less crowded.
 Suitable for deciduous trees.

33. Umbrella
 The trunk having
an umbrella-like
spreading head
that provide
shade over a
wide area

34. Conical
 Remarkably upright & slender tree that looks like
a cypress
 Pinus sps are suitable.

36. Spherical
 A spherical crown on the upright trunks.

37. Slanting
 The trunk is included more or less to an angle of
45 ̊.
 The branches grow in all directions. The thick
roots are exposed in the direction of inclination.
 This style looks best planted in the center of a
round or square container.

40. Literati
 Trunk in an informal upright style or slightly inclined .
 The branches are only in the top.
 So the branches grow away form the earth.
 Pines, junipers and cedars are suitable for this style.

42. Windswept
 The appearance resembles a tree as if lashed by
wind.
 The branches and twigs as if forced to take one
direction.
 Pine and junipers are good species to use for this
style.

45. Cascade
 The form resembles the tree
hang down low over a rock .
 The trunk and branches of the
bonsai hang down well across
the base of a usually tall pot.

47. Semi-Cascade
 The top of the lies below the
line of the rim of the pot.
 The main difference is that the
trunk does not grow below the
base of the pot but some of the
branching does.
 Plants that are well adapted to
the cascade and semi-cascade
styles are junipers, and
flowering plants such as
chrysanthemums, willows, and
star jasmine.

49. Twin-Trunk
 Two trunks of different girth, growing form one root
but style being the same.

50. Clump
 Several trunk more or less of the same size
forming a group .
 They grow form a root.
 Suitable plants are pinus sps, carpinus.

52. Raft
 The trunk buried
horizontally in a pot which
grows root downwards and
a number of shoot upwards
each resembling a person
standing on a raft.

54. Multi-tree
 Several miniature trees of the same species but
of different ages grown in a shallow and circular
pot.

57. Growing-on-rock
 Tree or trees
growing in small
hollows or crevices
of a rock.

60. Root-over-rock
Tree sitting on the top the rock sends out the roots to soil
in pot.