Bonsai

26 December, 12:57, by admin

How to Make Bonsai

Hello, thank you for visiting this bonsai tutorial. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make your first bonsai easily and some basic knowledge of bonsai.

Making and Growing your bonsai

1 Preparation:

Bonsai Soil: there are many kinds of it and learning how to mix the bonsai soil can be a little complicated for the beginners. So we should stick to a simple way (read more about the bonsai soil). If you are converting your plant into bonsai style, you can use the soil the plant grew up in. In this tutorial we use Akadama soil and Kanuma soil.
Coarse soil: used to prevent the main soil inside the pot from coming out of the bottom and helps the water to drain. (only needed depending on size and shape of the pot)
Wires: there are two basic wires for bonsai. Aluminum and Copper. Aluminum wire is softer and easier to use.
Scissors: really don’t need expensive one. You can use the one you have at home and if you want the better one you can buy one then.
Pliers/Nippers: the one you have at home is just fine. (need it only to cut and bend the wires.)
Stick: something like chopstick.
Net: to cover the hole in the pot.
Pot: any pots are fine. it won’t even need to be a pot. You can use a plate, flat plastic lid of something, and… anything you like as a pot! (pots that don’t drain water from the bottom are hard for beginners to use.)
Gloves and newspaper to keep the mess out of your hands and house.
Green moss: to make your bonsai have umm.. a feeling that I can’t explain. I don’t know why bonsai looks really good with it!
The plant: the one you like to have as bonsai style. Without this you can’t make anything.

2 Mixing the soils

Ratio of Akadama soil to Kanuma soil is 7:3

(Akadama soil 7, Kanuma soil 3)

3 Preparing and working on the wires and the net

If you are using your favorite plate or pot that doesn’t have a hole on the bottom you can skip this part.

Cut the wire and net and put them in the pot.

To keep the net in place:

Insert the wire so the legs go through the net and out the bottom of the pot
Bend the looped part of the wire in opposite directions to lay flat against the net. (You can bend the looped part before inserting as well.)
Bend the wire sticking out against the pot

Extra wiring if needed:

In case your plant is too big or might not be stable in your pot, put an extra wire from the bottom so you can tie the plant. the length of the wire is up to the size of your plant. Don’t worry so much about this. Just prepare the wire with the length you feel comfortable working with(not too short though). If it’s too long you can cut it later anyways.

Put the extra wire from the bottom and curve it along the inside of the pot.

Wiring is a little hard but better to practice whenever you have the chance!

4 Putting the Coarse soil

Coarse soil is ,as mentioned in preparation above, used to prevent the main soil inside the pot from coming out of the bottom and helps the water to drain. (only needed depending on size and shape of the pot). if you are using a pot with no hole or flat pot with hole that doesn’t have much room for the main soil to fit in you don’t need this coarse soil. Keep the room for man soil.

5 Cut extra branch and leaves

Before you take out the plant you should cut the extra branch and leaves a little bit before you take it out (the main trimming is after you put it in the new pot). It’s easier to handle the plant later this way.

6 Getting the plant ready for the new pot

Take out the plant and take off the old soil using a stick. If the soil is too hard you can put it in water and leave it a while so the soil comes off easily. ( don’t need to take all the soil off.) and cut the extra roots if its too big for your pot. (more about root cutting, read here)

7 Wiring the root and put a little bit of the main soil( the one you prepared). in this tutorial, a mix of akadama and kanuma soil

Put the plant in the pot and tie it with the wire.

Put the soil little by little and make sure the soil goes everywhere between all the small roots in the pot using the stick, when you do this you can stick it from the top to the bottom of the pot with the stick so you know the soil is getting everywhere. (careful not to damage the root.)

8 Fill the pot with the soil up to 80% of the pot

Make sure the soil is filled equally in the pot

9 Watering your new bonsai style plant!

Don’t know how much of water?

First, you see brown water coming out and later it’ll look more clear (no more dirty brown water). That’s the cue and you’ll see water coming out of the bottom like this.

10 Inserting green moss.

Let’s play with a softy,mossy feeling green moss!

Put it tight in the pot so they wont come out. (bonsai somehow looks good with green moss but its okay not to use it, you can use some other colored small soil to cover the surface to make it look good too.)

When you prepare green moss, cut the green moss a little bit bigger than your pot and smush it in your pot so it fits.

And your Bonsai is ready!

Gardening Tips

17 September, 19:26, by admin Tags: Gardening, Gardening Tips, Tips

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The enjoyment increases exponentially when you have a beautiful landscaped garden. Whether you have done it by your own hand or by hired professional to create your oasis, you will no doubt feel happy and satisfied. That’s where landscaping come into choice

Lawn is a must for every garden, though however small it is. Try to choose a grass type, which is easier to grow and maintain in your climate.
If you have a path of three feet or more wide, in your garden, build a hedge.
Water garden is also an exotic feature. A small pond with some lilies and goldfish makes a garden much more beautiful. Choose a place where you get at least four to five hours sunlight
For the far corner try some plants with bright color foliage or flowers. Croton(Codiaeum Variegatum) is a natural choice in this matter. Poinsettia(Euphorbia Pulcherrima) or fireball also can be very attractive in season.

There may be some place where you get occasional sunlight or not at all. You can choose some type of palm for there. Chinese Fan Palm(Livistona Chinensis), Latania, Butterfly Palm(Dypsis Lutescens) thrive in those places. Fern also will be very useful there.
You can highlight some place by making a rockery, try some plant that required less watering. Cactus and Succulents are exellent choice for a rockery or rock garden.
The furthest border of your garden can be look attractive by weeping deodar(Polyalthia Longifolia Pendula). If you don’t want them to be very tall, you can prune them and make beautiful umbrella shape.
Kitchen garden is also a must, however small it is. Growing your own vegetables is the most rewarding type of gardening and also good for your health

Plant Kingdom

17 September, 19:24, by admin

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Virtually all other living creatures depend on plants to survive. Through photosynthesis, plants convert energy from sunlight into food stored as carbohydrates. Because animals cannot get energy directly from the sun, they must eat plants (or other animals that have had a vegetarian meal) to survive. Plants also provide the oxygen humans and animals breathe, because plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and release oxygen into the atmosphere.

Plants are found on land, in oceans, and in fresh water. They have been on Earth for millions of years. Plants were on Earth before animals and currently number about 260,000 species. Three features distinguish plants from animals:

Plants have chlorophyll, a green pigment necessary for photosynthesis;
Their cell walls are made sturdy by a material called cellulose; and
They are fixed in one place (they don’t move).

Plant Classification

In order to study the billions of different organisms living on earth, biologists have sorted and classified them based on their similarities and differences. This system of classification is also called a taxonomy and usually features both English and Latin names for the different divisions.

All plants are included in one so-called kingdom (Kingdom Plantae), which is then broken down into smaller and smaller divisions based on several characteristics, including:

Whether they can circulate fluids (like rainwater) through their bodies or need to absorb them from the moisture that surrounds them;
How they reproduce (e.g., by spores or different kinds of seeds); and
Their size or stature.

The majority of the 260,000 plant species are flowering herbs. To describe all plant species, the following divisions (or phyla) are most commonly used to sort them. The first grouping is made up of plants that are non-vascular; they cannot circulate rainwater through their stems and leaves but must absorb it from the environment that surrounds them. The remaining plant species are all vascular (they have a system for circulating fluids). This larger group is then split into two groups: one that reproduces from spores rather than seeds, and the other that reproduces from seeds.

Non-Vascular Plants

Mosses and “allies,” or related species (Bryophyta and allies)

Mosses or bryophyta are non-vascular. They are an important foundation plant for the forest ecosystem and they help prevent erosion by carpeting the forest floor. All bryophyte species reproduce by spores not seeds, never have flowers, and are found growing on the ground, on rocks, and on other plants.

Originally grouped as a single division or phylum, the 24,000 bryophyte species are now grouped in three divisions: Mosses (Bryophyta), Liverworts (Hepatophyta), and Hornworts (Anthocerotophyta). Also included among the non-vascular plants is Chlorophyta , a kind of fresh-water algae.

Vascular Plants with Spores

Ferns and allies (Pteridophyta and allies)

Unlike mosses, ferns and related species have a vascular system, but like mosses, they reproduce from spores rather than seeds. The ferns are the most plentiful plant division in this group, with 12,000 species. Other divisions (the fern allies) include Club mosses or Lycopods (Lycopodiophyta) with 1,000 species, Horsetails (Equisetophyta) with 40 species, and Whisk ferns (Psilophyta) with 3 species.

Vascular Plants with Seeds

Conifers and allies (Coniferophyta and allies)

Conifers and allies (Coniferophyta and allies) Conifers reproduce from seeds, but unlike plants like blueberry bushes or flowers where the fruit or flower surrounds the seed, conifer seeds (usually cones) are “naked.” In addition to having cones, conifers are trees or shrubs that never have flowers and that have needle-like leaves. Included among conifers are about 600 species including pines, firs, spruces, cedars, junipers, and yew. The conifer allies include three small divisions with fewer than 200 species all together: Ginko (Ginkophyta) made up of a single species, the maidenhair tree; the palm-like Cycads (Cycadophyta), and herb-like plants that bear cones(Gnetophyta) such as Mormon tea.

Flowering Plants (Magnoliophyta)

The vast majority of plants (around 230,000) belong to this category, including most trees, shrubs, vines, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Plants in this category are also called angiosperms. They differ from conifers because they grow their seeds inside an ovary, which is embedded in a flower or fruit.