Bonsai
Growing and training bonsai has always been an interest of mine. I am quite fond of Japan, and I have also always creating dollhouses and miniature landscapes for trains. Bonsai combines these two interests, allowing me to try to create miniature trees out of the living original.
Bonsai can be traced back to the Tang dynasty of China, which flourished from 618 to 906. Pictures from this era show potted pines and other miniature plants as backgrounds. The word 'bonsai' comes from bon, or pot, and sai, for tree.
When the Japanese adopted the bonsai style from the Chinese, they soon modified it to fit in with their culture, as they did with all other systems borrowed from other countries. Instead of the intricate, symmetrical style bonsai originally involved, the Japanese were more simple, favoring asymetrical designs.
When starting bonsai for yourself, choose a tree that doesn't go dormant. These are easier to regulate temperature and light for. Find one whose climate matches what you are able to provide it, and try to match the temperature that it will live in with what it's normal temperature would be. A bright window is best - the closer you can put it to the glass, the better. Even a few feet from a window, the amount of light reaching a plant is reduced incredibly.
Humidity is something that many people forget is important to a plant. Especially in the winter, most US houses are quite dry, and this can be harmful to a bonsai. Run a humidifier in the room, or simply put water-filled dishes beneath your pots. If you put pebbles on the bottom of the plate, the pot will not touch the water and therefore not soak up the water in the soil.
Once a month you should give your tiny tree a luke-warm shower, to wash off its leaves and bark. The soil should be kept moist, but not soggy. Don't forget to feed your tree minerals - the soil it is growing in cannot replace them on its own, as it is more able to do in the wild. When you do water and feed your tree, do so with room temperature liquids. This will cause less trauma to the plant.
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