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:
- Pine pollen pics
May is pine pollen time at Kew Gardens and today I spent a fun hour or so taking pictures of different pine… Read more: Pine pollen pics - Air layering – an excellent technique for creating new bonsai
Of all the propagation techniques available for bonsai, air layering is surely one of the best. There are so many advantages to… Read more: Air layering – an excellent technique for creating new bonsai - What are bracts and do they matter for bonsai?
What is a bract? A bract is a part of a plant with which many people are quite unfamiliar. Did you know… Read more: What are bracts and do they matter for bonsai? - How to get that conifer resin off your hands and tools
When working with conifers it can get extremely sticky as these trees exude resins from cut stems as well as other organs… Read more: How to get that conifer resin off your hands and tools - How trees mature – understanding development phases
It’s probably obvious that many plants, like humans, go through different developmental phases throughout their lifetimes. In plant biology, a developmental phase… Read more: How trees mature – understanding development phases - 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: SB Invigorator