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A Bonsai tree is not a specific kind of tree, instead, it is a combination of techniques to create and maintain a miniature tree that reflects nature. This means any kind of tree can be selected to grow into a Bonsai tree; some species however are particularly suitable (as they naturally have small leaves for example). Having said this, there are several methods of cultivating trees intended to be trained into a Bonsai, which will be discussed accordingly.
1. Buying a Bonsai tree. The easiest way to acquire a Bonsai tree is simply to buy one. Most garden centers and a wide selection of online Bonsai shops offer trees at affordable prices. Be careful to select a tree that fits your wishes well, i.e. in selecting an indoor or outdoor variety. For more information check the buying a Bonsai tree page.
2. Bonsai cultivation using seeds or cuttings. Although cultivating Bonsai trees from seed or from cuttings will take a considerable amount of patience, it can be very rewarding. Seeds are widely available in forests and parks during autumn, but can also be bought online. Cuttings can be collected year-round, but preferably in summer. For more information, check the Bonsai cultivation from seeds and growing trees from cuttings pages.
3. Collecting trees from nature. Another way of acquiring trees suitable for Bonsai purposes is collecting trees growing in forests or parks. Please note that permission in most cases is required. Collecting trees has several advantages over the cultivation techniques as described above, most noteworthy the reduced time it takes before you can get started to shape the tree. Read the collecting Bonsai trees from nature page for more information. Similar to collecting trees is buying nursery stock.
4. Advanced Bonsai propagation techniques. Two advanced techniques remain; layering and grafting. The principal of layering is to force a tree or branch to form new roots at a certain point by interrupting the stream of nutrients from the existing root system. Read more about this at the growing Bonsai by layering page. The grafting technique can be described as “melding” a stump (the root system and a small portion of the trunk) and a graft (the upper portion of the trunk, including branches) together. Check the Bonsai propagation by grafting page for more information.
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