All You Need To Know About Bonsai 'How bonsai works'
Creating the correct soil conditions and managing the roots and foliage effectively are the key to success with bonsai. It helps to know the natural habitat of your current tree since that gives you an idea of the conditions in which the foliage and roots will thrive.
Soil matters
It is essential to achieve the correct balance between water and oxygen in the soil. Constantly wet soil will cause a buildup of stale air and waste gases that will affect both the level of mycorrhizae and the soil pH, and ultimately your tree will suffer. Too much or too little water also soon affect the tree, so take care. Bonsai pots are equipped with generous drainage holes in the base and these, coupled with a fast-draining soil mixture, or a layer of large particle soil at the bottom of the pot, not only improve drainage but also ensure that the soil is correctly aerated. It is not so much about pushing water out of the soil as letting oxygen in.
Roots and branches
In a bonsai pot, the function of the root system is the same as it is for a tree in the open ground. However, the structure of the roots is also very important from both an efficiency and an aesthetic perspective. The root system can be considered to be a mirror image of the branching system above the soil: a well-ramified branch system will be supported by a similarly well-ramified root system, and a tree that has two very strong roots growing around and around in the pot will also have two very strong branches.
It follows that the root system should be set up to support the branching system and growth that you desire in the top of the tree. Removing the taproot at an early age is necessary to promote the growth of lateral roots, but these must then be regulated to ensure that they grow evenly across the tree without any single root becoming dominant. The wellbalanced nebari seen on many mature deciduous specimens has been achieved through regular work on the root system with the objective of creating balanced growth. It is therefore no surprise that the branching is very fine, well ramified, and balanced as well. Pruning the tree’s roots is just as important as pruning its branches—however, prune too much and the tree will suffer; prune too little and the tree will not develop in the way in which you hope. One of the best reasons for working with material from a bonsai nursery is the fact that the root systems will have had some work done on them in order for them to grow successfully as bonsai.
