In this post we show you how to create a bonsai from cheap nursery stock material. The tree we work on is a 5-year-old Spruce (Picea abies), purchased at a local garden center for about 15 USD.
Very often, it is best to spread out work over time. The tree shown in the video below was worked on for about two years, first we repotted it and then in two sessions (each with 6-12 months in between) we styled it as a Bonsai. By doing less in each go, we kept momentum and developed the tree much faster. Bonsai Empire is dedicated to share the living art of Bonsai - we created this video as a DIY tutorial for beginners. The video is part of the online Bonsai courses that we offer.
From nursery stock to Bonsai
Photos of the techniques
The nursery stock tree, a Picea abies (Spruce) of about 5 years old and it cost me 15 USD.
Since it was planted in poor soil (mostly organic), we decided to first repot the tree into proper Bonsai substrate (Akadama, Lava rock and Pumice).
We chose a round pot, also because we didn't want to style the tree yet - and with a round pot we can decide on the front of the tree easily when we style the tree six months later!
The tree after repotting. If you want to learn more about repotting techniques, read on.
Six months later, in fall, the tree was doing very well and it grew lots of new branches and buds. So we decided to give it its first, initial styling. We used some Bonsai tools but you can also use normal scissors to save money. We applied pruning techniques and wired the tree - but left a lot of branches on. This kept our options open for the future, but it also helps the tree recover (often, you speed up things by doing less - by keeping momentum going for the tree's growth and development).
The second styling happened 12 months after the first styling, so at this point we have worked on the tree for nearly two years. In the second styling we pruned branches and detail wired the tree.
The end result for now - subscribe to our YouTube channel to see future updates! Or read more about Bonsai tree care here.
