Ficus Benjamina

Beautiful Bonsai Secrets

As any enthusiast will be more than happy to tell you, growing bonsai trees is one of the most satisfying and fulfilling hobbies imaginable. After all, what could be more rewarding than spending years crafting a miniaturized living work of art from even the most unpromising materials?

However, there is no shortcut that I know of to becoming a bonsai growing expert. Whilst I would not suggest that acquiring the necessary abilities to become a skilled bonsai expert is hard work - because it is far more of a labor of love than real work - it is nevertheless true that you do need to acquire a degree of basic ability and knowledge if you want to be bonsai growing success rather than someone who is frustrated by your lack of achievement.

For instance, as most people are probably aware, bonsai is thought of as a Japanese art form, and although this is not strictly true (it had its antecedents in ancient Egypt and China), most of the terminology used in bonsai is Japanese.

As one example, there are many different styles of bonsai tree including the 'yose ue’, the 'sekijoju’ and the 'ikadabuki’ styles.

You need to learn what the different styles mean and what they look like as well, both as a finished bonsai and as raw donor materials. One of the most important skills that you can learn as a bonsai grower is how to recognize these raw materials which you can turn into a bonsai plant through your own efforts.

Obviously, the basic shape of the 'raw material’ plant will to a large extent dictate what kind of bonsai you can grow. Hence, you must master many different aspects of bonsai growing if you want to be a success story.

Worry no more!

I have just been reading an excellent new e-book called 'Beautiful bonsai secrets’ that will teach you literally everything you could ever need to know about growing bonsai trees even if the extent of your bonsai experience so far is seeing ready grown trees for sale in your local hypermarket or gas station. Incidentally, don’t buy them when you do see trees at the gas station because they are almost always unhealthy.

If you have any interest whatsoever in becoming a bonsai grower, 'Beautiful bonsai secrets’ is the only 'how to’ manual you really need in order to achieve your ambitions.

It is a lavishly illustrated book that shows you everything you could ever need to know about starting your bonsai growing 'career’, ranging from how to recognize good raw materials even when they are not necessarily that promising to the different styles of trees that you can grow and the tools and equipment that you need to do so.

One of things that I really like about the book is that it does not assume that you want to spend a fortune on your hobby. In fact, it shows a specific example of a very cheap plant being turned into a beautiful bonsai, as well as places where you can obtain the tools and equipment you need without spending a fortune.

One of the most common disadvantages of taking up a new hobby is that it costs a lot of money to do so. Armed with 'Beautiful bonsai secrets’, you will learn exactly how to launch your bonsai growing 'experience’ without spending a fortune whilst nevertheless retaining the ability to grow beautiful trees, even as a beginner.

In short, if you are interested in taking up bonsai, 'Beautiful bonsai secrets’ is the only 'how to’ guide you will ever need. For anyone interested in bonsai, this book is a must have and I would recommend that you grab your copy now,

Learn All About Bonsai Trees!

Ficus benjamina is evolved particularly for its very decorative shiny, green oval leaves, probably the most popular houseplant; it can be prune to almost any size and shape. It is also grown as an evergreen tree of large shrub in offices and used for interior landscaping. Cultivars are available with variegated foliage, wavy leaves and pendulous branches. Trained in ornamental shapes the weeping fig stems are often done that way. As the stems are young and flexible they may be spiraled or braided or twisted into different shapes.

This indoor tree is usually easy to grow if given with enough light and proper care. It can grow as tall as the indoor space will allow, but can easily be pruned to a suitable height and shape. Weeping figs grow best in a bright indirect or curtain-filtered sunlight position, but they will handle some direct sun if the humidity is high. Variegated cultivars grow best in somewhat lower light.

Make sure you keep the soil evenly moist during periods of active growth. In periods of active growth, make sure you keep the soil evenly moist, but the soil should be allowed to dry slightly between watering during the winter and other times of low growth. Weeping figs should never be waterlogged or allowed to sit with water in their saucers because the roots will easily rot. They prefer high humidity levels, so wash your ficus leaves occasionally with plain warm water - this will help the leaves breathe and improves their appearance. Mist leaves frequently, especially in hot weather. Use tepid water for this operation.

Healthy plants should be fed every month or two during the growing season, using a liquid fertilizer. Weeping figs can tolerate being slightly rooted bound, but if the plants will become too crowded, the new leaves that appear will be small and the growth will slow. Re-pot your tree in late winter or early spring, using a general-purpose potting soil. They will grow in most soils, but prefer the well-drained ones, and are drought-resistant once established.

Plants can be pruned to shape as needed. They will even tolerate hard pruning to lessen their size if necessary, but if you have to prune them so hard just remember to reduce watering levels to severely pruned plants.

The most common problem of weeping figs is leaf drop. They seem to react to almost any stress by shedding their leaves. Over-watering, under-watering, drafts, lack of nitrogen and low light can all be causes of leaf drop. They frequently shed leaves when moved to a new location or re-potted, but if growth conditions are adequate, it will adapt to its new location and stop dropping leaves, and then healthy new growth will appear.

Beautiful Bonsai Secrets

Ficus Benjamina

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