LEARNING CENTER

Knowing what species your bonsai is can be fundamental to its survival. We'll show you how to take care of your tree as well as how to identify it.

Welcome to our Bonsai Learning Center! We have so much to show and teach you, we hardly know where to begin. We’ve spent so many decades studying these miniature landscapes, it’s a privilege to share our knowledge and experience with you.

Of course, you can spend a lifetime growing bonsais and still not learn all there is to know about these beautiful, small trees. Yet, we want to weave a wonderful educational system for you, whether you’re a beginner or an expert. We also encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments of our posts to share your viewpoint. In this way, we all learn together like a tight-knit community.

Table of Contents

What is our Bonsai Learning Center About?

Our Bonsai Learning Center takes extra care to guide you on everything to do with this immaculate art form. Whether you’re just starting on this journey or you’ve had bonsais for several years, we want to teach you new techniques or styles that you can try. There’s a wealth of information available, and we have it all cataloged for you in this section of Bonsai Alchemists.

The beauty of our training is that we don’t merely look at the true, Japanese form of bonsai. We’ll also explore other cultures and styles, whether it’s the Chinese penjing or the Vietnamese Hòn non bộ. We’ll make sure to cover every version of these miniature landscapes as much as possible to expand your knowledge.

The Importance of our Bonsai Learning Center

Knowledge is power, as is always said in the classics. Learning how to care for your bonsai is essential if you want it to survive for decades. Water and sunlight aren’t sufficient for their health, so we’ll show you what to do if your tree looks unhealthy.

It’s also significant to realize that you can’t care and propagate all bonsais the same way. You might have mastered growing bonsais in the peach family, but can you cultivate a pine? We ensure to cover as many plant species as we can from all corners of the globe.

PAGES IN OUR BONSAI LEARNING CENTER

Now that you understand what our Bonsai Learning Center is about, we’re going to give you a quick overview of the sub-sections we have available. You can see them as bonsai modules in our small university (see what we did there?), which you can take free of charge when you like. You can also head to our Bonsai Lore section if you want to learn more about the rich history behind this global culture.

Learning Center

LEARNING CENTER SUB-SECTIONS

Caring for your bonsai is essential for its long-term health. It may look good to you know, but you’ll need to take some steps to keep it that way. Many people think this merely means making sure you water it enough, but there’s much more to it than that.

Have you heard of root rot? Did you know that they struggler against mold and pests, even if you can’t see it immediately. It’s the fine details you may be missing that might cause your gorgeous tree to die in a few month’s time.

Bonsai cultivation and care are two different aspects in our eyes. While the one looks at the immediate health, the other assesses actions to take now to see specific results in two years’ time. Whether you’re growing them from cuttings or seeds, there’s an art form that requires a long-term strategy starting today.

Of course, one of the most significant parts of cultivation is pruning. While this relates to care and styling in certain ways, it also connects to how you’re cultivating it towards your envisioned future design. We’ll teach you aspects such as branching, rooting, rich foliage, and so much more.

CULTIVATION

STYLING

You might think that cultivation and styling are the same, but they’re not. Bonsai styling refers to the overall form of the tree, stretching from the root to the upper tip. When new bonsai owners obtain their first bonsai, it’s usually the case that they don’t observe the style created by the seller or previous owner.

The style is what forms part of the art design of the bonsai tree. Whether you use rooting, pruning, or wiring as your technique, you can accomplish so many different styling variations. We’ll look at the traditional forms while also looking at other cultural distinctions.

It may be challenging to decide how to choose which bonsai to buy or grow. Even if you’re been cultivating bonsai for years, there are still many questions to answer in terms of which one to select during different seasons or if you’re going for a specific theme. If you’re ever at a plant store looking at what’s available, there are plenty of factors to consider.

Of course, being a beginner makes it even harder to make a choice. Bonsai aren’t merely miniature trees; each one is part of a fauna family that requires specific care and selection. Read our guides to see how to pick one for the right situation.

SELECTION

PROPAGATION

As Bonsai Alchemists, propagation is our favorite topic. We love bringing new life into this world, and we much prefer spending years cultivating our bonsais than buying them in the stores. There’s a unique quality that it brings to your soul, forming part of you as you watch it reach maturity and bear flowers.

We’ll look at the traditional methods of propagating new bonsais, such as seeds, stratification, cuttings, and grafting. You may also see some other fascinating methods used by innovators in the industry. We’ll make sure to cover as many techniques as possible to cover all bonsai species

Having the right tools for the job ensures the proper care and maintenance of your bonsai during its lifespan. While you think you can simply use scissors to prune branches, you may be causing severe damage to connected branches or stems.

You also need to ensure you have the proper handwear to protect your tree and body. We’ll also cover other essential elements, such as substrate and pots.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

GENERAL GUIDES

Just in case we’ve missed anything above, we’ll cover it here. There’s so much available that we can teach you, we’d have to have volumes of pages for you to click through. So we have them all collected for you, in one single space.

Bonsai learn

LEARN ALL YOU CAN AT BONSAI ALCHEMIST!

As you can see, we won’t rest until we’ve taught you as much as we can about caring about your bonsai. We have a sincere passion for these beautiful, tiny trees, and we want to help you make a success of it. If you ever have a query about anything, please feel free to send us a message.

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