Test out your green thumb with a bonsai

If you like gardening, you're probably open to new challenges that will put your green thumb to the test. Maintaining a backyard garden and a house plant or two is all well and good, but there's nothing like caring for a bonsai tree. If you're not familiar with these plants, here's some information and tips to help you get started. Once you've read up, use a Bonsai Boy of New York promotion code to save on your trees.

History Bonsai is an ancient Asian art form that has been captivating garden enthusiasts for centuries. According to BonsaiEmpire.com, the art originated in China despite the term itself being Japanese. At first, only society's elite were allowed to practice growing dwarf trees in containers, and they were spread throughout the country as beautiful gifts. Japan was eventually introduced to the concept and ran with it, creating the techniques that people still use today.

Form Part of the magic of bonsai is training the trees to take on a certain shape or style. Here are a few different forms that are popular in the art of bonsai. 1. Broom style. These tiny trees have straight trunks that branch out in all directions, forming a ball-shaped crown, reports BonsaiEmpire.com. 2. Formal upright style. This common form has a tapered trunk that grows thinner with height. Branches grow evenly on either side. 3. Informal upright style. The tapered trunk of this form grows in an "S" shape and has branching at every curve. 4. Slanting style. This form grows at a 60-80 degree angle relative to the ground. The first branch grows opposite of the direction of the tree to create a visual balance. 5. Cascade style. This form is difficult to achieve because it grows downward and is typically planted in tall pots. 6. Literati style. These trees have tall, crooked trunks with no branching except at the top. The idea is to showcase the bonsai's struggle to survive. 7. Windswept style. The trunk and the branches of this style all lean in one direction. 8. Double trunk style. This form has two trunks growing out of one root system, or a small trunk growing out of a larger one. Both trunks contribute to a single crown of branches. 9. Multitrunk style. This is like the double trunk style, only three or more trunks may be part of the form. 10. Shari style. These trees develop barkless areas that become bleached with sunlight. Gardeners achieve this effect with a knife and calcium sulfate. You can pick up these materials for less with aDirectGardening promotion code.

Pruning Pruning is necessary in order to achieve the styles listed above, reports BonsaiSite.com. This will maintain the shape of the tree and encourage new growth. To correctly prune your bonsai, it's best to research the specific plant you're using to find out when pruning is ideal. New growth is generally pruned during the growing season in the spring, while old growth is pruned during the fall.

Watering How often you water your bonsai depends on a variety of factors, such as the type of tree you're growing and the environment you put it in. It's easy to monitor the moisture levels of your bonsai just by touching the soil - if two inches of the soil is dry, it's time to water it. During hot weather, you may need to water once a day. During winter, you won't have to do it as much. Look into buying containers that will protect your bonsai with a SimplyPlanters promotion code.