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Chinese Elm: 
So, you're a beginning bonsai enthusiast looking for the perfect tree to start with. Or,... you're a somewhat experienced enthusiast looking for a quality tree on which to build your styling and composition chops. Or,... you're a skilled bonsai technician who is looking to create the most "tree-like" bonsai imaginable. Look no further than Ulmus parvifolia - the Chinese elm. |
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 There is a saying in Japan that it takes three years to learn to water correctly, and while some might scoff at such a statement, ask any longtime bonsai enthusiast how long it took for them to begin to have real success at keeping their bonsai alive. Odds are it was about 3 years and the early failures were probably due to improper watering practices.
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The natural tree 
When collecting from nature there are three essential rules: First find a suitable tree; second, always secure the owner's permission before removing it; and, third, be sure that it can be looked after: Wild trees, unless little more than seedlings, need almost constant care for the first few months, as the shock of transplanting is considerable.
The best season to lift a wild tree is the early spring. The necessary tools are a small spade or strong trowel, secateurs, a saw, a strong knife, plastic bags or polythene sheeting, sphagnum moss, scissors and string.
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 Acquiring and caring for bonsai
Most bonsai trees sold at garden centers and shops, and at specialist nurseries, are of excellent quality, but there are a few points to bear in mind when buying. Besides the age and shape of the tree, its general health is of the utmost importance. The soil should be damp but not sodden unless it has just been watered; it should certainly not be rock-hard and dry. The leaves should look bright and healthy, not burnt around the edges or spotted. If buying a deciduous tree in winter, the last year's growth should be smooth and plump, with no sign of the bark wrinkling.
The tree should be steady in its container - which ought to have at least one drainage hole. Moss growing on the surface could mean that the tree has been in its pot for months or years - or that the dealer has taken trouble in potting it. A white fungus in and around the drainage hole is natural and harmless. |
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Soil Components
All soils are composed of four components: organics, inorganics, air and water. The percentage of each component in the soil may vary from location to location but these four components are always present in true soils. Organic matter includes plant material, roots, bacteria, fungi, molds, algae, protozoa, insects and worms. In a cubic inch of soil there are more individual living things than there are people in the world. Air and water fill the spaces in the soil particles. Among the gaseous components is carbon dioxide at one hundred times the concentration found in the open atmosphere, which originates from the decomposition of plants and animals in the soil. Green plant tissues contribute the oxygen |
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