Glossary of Commonly Used Bonsai Terms:
- Acidic soil - Bonsai soil having a ph rating less than 7.0.
- Aerial roots - Roots that form and remain above the soil.
- Air layering - A technique of propagation that is used to encourage roots to form on a branch or trunk of a tree.
- Alkaline soil - Bonsai soil having a ph rating over 7.0.
- Apex - The topmost part of the tree, also called the crown.
- Balanced - Fertilizers that provide equal parts of the three primary nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
- Bark - The outermost protective layer on the branch or trunk of a tree. It consists of the cambium and the dead cells on the outside of the tree. Many trees can be identified solely by their bark.
- Bole - The portion of the tree trunk between the soil and the lowest branch.
- Broadleaf - Trees that have generally broad and flat leaves as opposed to needles.
- Biomass - The total of all of the living biological material in a specific habitat - in this case, the Bonsai pot.
- Buttress - The point at the base of the trunk where the roots emerge.
- Callus - New growth that forms over a wound or pruning scar.
- Cambium - The thin layer beneath the outer bark and the heartwood that produces new bark. Nutrients and water flow through the cambium.
- Candles - New shoots on pine trees that emerge from the branch tips.
- Canopy - The foliage that makes up the outer and upper parts of a tree, or group of trees.
- Collected tree - A tree collected from the wild and transplanted into a bonsai pot.
- Conifer - Mostly evergreen trees that bear cones and have needles, i.e. junipers, pines, cedars, and spruces
- Cutting - A part of a tree, usually a branch or stem, used for the propagation of a new tree.
- Deciduous - Trees that go dormant and loose their leaves with the onset of cold weather.
- Defoliation - Removing all of a tree's leaves to promote smaller leaf growth.
- Dormancy - Periods of slowed or suspended growth activity.
- Dwarf - A genetic mutation that produces small trees.
- Drainage mesh - Plastic mesh that is used to cover the drainage holes in the bottom of Bonsai pots to prevent the loss of soil.
- Evergreen - Trees that keep their foliage throughout the year. These are mostly conifers.
- Fertilizer - An organic or inorganic substance that provides nutrients to the tree.
- First branch - The lowest main branch on a tree.
- Foliar feeding - Fertilizing by spraying a liquid fertilizer on the tree's foliage.
- Fungicide - A substance used to control or eradicate fungal diseases.
- Girth - The circumference of the tree trunk on a Bonsai measured just above the soil level.
- Habit - The characteristic growth pattern of a tree.
- Humidity - The amount of water in the atmosphere expressed as a percentage.
- Inorganic - A manufactured fertilizer usually in pellet or liquid form.
- Jin tool - A bonsai tool, much like a pair of pliers, used to create a jin by stripping the bark from a branch.
- Jin - A branch or trunk with its bark removed, bleached, and preserved to create an artistic effect.
- Knob cutter - A bonsai tool with double concave cutting edges.
- Layering - A method of propagation used to develop new plants from shoots attached to the parent plant.
- Lime sulphur - A compound used to bleach and preserve a jin.
- Misting - A watering technique using an atomized spray.
- Nitrogen - Essential element that promotes green growth. Identified in fertilizers by the letter N.
- Organic - A fertilizer that is not manufactured or synthetic.
- pH - A unit of measurement that describes the acid or alkaline level of soil.
- Phosphorous - Essential element that promotes root growth. Identified in fertilizers by the letter P
- Potassium - Essential element that promotes new growth. Identified in fertilizers by the letter K.
- Pruning - Removing leaves, shoots, candles, or branches to promote new growth.
- Repotting - Replanting a bonsai at regular intervals with fresh soil. Often accompanied by root pruning to reduce the size of the root ball.
- Sapwood - The living layers of tissue under the bark.
- Seedling - The early stages of tree growth that is grown from a seed.
- Sieve - A screening devise used to separate soil particles of different sizes.
- Slow release - A fertilizer that releases the nutrients over a period of time.
- Systemic - An insecticide or fungicide that enters the tree to prevent the infestation of insects or diseases.
- Tap root - The main root of a tree that anchors the tree in the ground.
- Training pot - Any pot that is used to house the tree during the early period of training and styling.
- Transpiration - The natural loss of water from a tree's leaves and stems.
- Turntable - An essential tool used while repotting and pruning a Bonsai. It allows the tree to be turned so that all sides can be worked on.
- Wire - Various sizes of aluminium or copper wire that are used to reshape the trunk and branches of a Bonsai.
- Wood sealer - A protective paste that is used to seal cuts after pruning.
Japanese Bonsai Terms:
Bonsai Styles
Bonsai Sizes
- Shito - A Bonsai up to 3 inches tall measured from soil to apex.
- Mame - A Bonsai from 3 to 6 inches tall measured from soil to apex.
- Shoin - A Bonsai up to 6 inches tall measured from soil to apex.
- Kotate Mochi - A Bonsai from 6 to 12 inches tall measured from soil to apex.
- Chiu Bonsai - A Bonsai from 12 to 24 inches tall measured from soil to apex.
- Dai Bonsai - A bonsai from 24 to 39 inches tall measured from soil to apex.
Other Useful Bonsai Terms
- Ara-kawacho - Tree with rough bark.
- Ara-ki - Freshly dug tree.
- Biseki - Stones carved or polished to enhance beauty.
- Bonarte - A new vision of Bonsai
- Bonkai - Landscape with colored clay and artifical or dry trees and plants.
- Bonkazan / Kazan - Artifical mountain in a container.
- Bonseki - Dry landscape in a container.
- Bonniwa - Japanese Tea Garden In a tray
- Daiki - Parent stock.
- Eda-jin - Artifically bleached branches.
- Eda-nuki - Removal of unwanted branches.
- Eda-uchi - Harmonizing branches.
- Eda-zashi - Branch pruning.
- Gobo-ne - Tap root.
- Goro-tsuchi - Coarse soil.
- Ha-gari - Pinching out of leaves.
- Hakinowa - Miniature gardens in a wooden container.
- Hamizu - Spraying leaves with water.
- Hariganeke - Wiring a tree.
- Ha-zashi - Leaf pruning.
- Honbachi - Bonsai dish.
- Imi-ede - Undiserable branches.
- Ju-sin - Top of the tree.
- Ju-sei - Growth of tree.
- Kabuwake - Separation of root.
- Kanju - Deciduous trees.
- Kannuki-eda - Ugly branch.
- Kesho-tsuchi - Decorative soil.
- Keto - Peat
- Ko-eda - Graceful branches.
- Kokejun - Trunk that tapers toward the top.
- Meiboko - Old, antique Bonsai
- Meiseki - Famous stones.
- Me-tsumi - Nipping out leaves.
- Mi-mono - Fruit bearing tree.
- Miso - Growing from seed.
- Mizu-gire - Too dry.
- Ne-zashi - Root pruning.
- Niwa-kazari - Suseki or Bonsai displayed in a garden.
- Oki-goe - Fertilizer in pellet or powder form.
- Oyaki - Parent tree.
- Sashiki - Growing from cuttings.
- Seishi - Bonsai training.
- Sentei - Tree pruning.
- Shohaku - Coniferous trees.
- Suiban - Shallow dish with no drain hole.
- Tachin-gari - Trunk region.
- Tekishin - Removal of shoots.
- Tocho-shi - Branch that is too long.
- Toriki - Layering and dividing.
- Tsugiki - Grafting
- Tsuri-o-toru - Securing a tree to the pot.
- Yaku-ede - Desirable branches.
- Yuraiseki - Historical stone.
|
 |
