Bonsai science is a website that helps you understand bonsai through the lens of plant biology. Most bonsai sites and books focus on the art and not the science of bonsai – this isn’t surprising when you consider that bonsai has been around for centuries, and DNA wasn’t even discovered until 1953ref.
Hopefully it won’t be too disappointing to bonsai newbies to learn that bonsai trees aren’t special biologically, they are just normal trees constrained to a small pot. It’s the bonsai artist who styles them to look like miniature versions and helps them thrive even in a small amount of soil. They do this by careful pruning, shaping and repotting, with an artistic vision in mind.
To get started using this site you can check out the three main sections: How Trees Grow, Keeping Bonsai Healthy or Shaping Bonsai, search using one of the site tags or check out some of the following posts which I think are most useful:
- Bonsai Tree Growth Stages
- Buds
- Leaves
- Nutrients for Trees
- Old Trees
- Plant Growth Regulators (or Phytohormones)
- Pruning
- Ramification of Branches and Foliage
- Repotting Tips
- Roots
- Shoots
- The Microbiome and Symbiotic Microbes
For updates you can follow me on Twitter, or on Facebook. If you find anything wrong on this site or want to provide feedback, you can email me at info@bonsai-science.com or on the FAQ page discussion box. For information about my sources and how I reference articles and images, please look here.
My latest posts are:
- SB Invigorator
Another product which pops up as a recommended one in the bonsai world is this one – SB Invigorator. This product is … Read more - Water hardness, pH and bonsai
I live in London, a city sitting on a giant chalk deposit which formed in the Cretaceous period and stretches all the … Read more - Mulch – relevant for bonsai?
If you’re a fan of Gardening Australia as I *massively* am, you will have noticed they are always going on about mulch. … Read more - Nitrogen-fixing and bonsai
You’ve probably heard the term ‘nitrogen-fixing’ – it means extracting nitrogen from the air. Which doesn’t seem like it should be too … Read more - Mysterious mixaploids – Satsuki azaleas and their mixed up flowers
At a recent club meeting (shout out to Twickenham bonsai club) the subject was azaleas. During a critique session it was noted … Read more - Transpiration
I’ve talked about transpiration in quite a few different posts on this site, but a recent thread on http://bonsainut.com caused me to … Read more