Bonsai Driftwood - How To Prepare, Care, Refine & Create Driftwood styles

How to prepare Driftwood for an aquarium?
How To Create Driftwood Styles bonsai?
How To Care Bonsai?
How to Refine it?

What is Bonsai Driftwood?

Miniature tree growing is an art, and it is very popular in Japan. This kind of art form is called Bonsai.

The art is intended to grow tiny trees indoors and you can feel that these trees are growing outdoors. To bring a natural element to the bonsai plant, Driftwood is used as the base.

You can notice the difference between living and non-living wood. A living tree will be grafted onto a piece of driftwood so that that the tree will live for many years with proper care.

How To Prepare Driftwood for Aquarium?

You can manage Bonsai Driftwood by following few simple steps shared by experts. The driftwood should be placed on the worktop so that it is always stable. If there are flat spots on the driftwood, they can be used for the growth of trees. By using a saw, it is possible to flatten the bottom of the wood.

There are various kinds of saplings available in the market. You should select the most appropriate sapling as per your taste and environmental conditions. Some of the best choices for bonsai are mountain hemlock, oak, limber pine and California juniper.

There are some saplings with small root balls, and others appear like a branch.
The sapling should be kept inside the driftwood piece. You should look at the driftwood piece in all angles and the sapling should be positioned at the best possible location.

You should cut the bark inside the tracing marks. There should be a groove wherever the sapling touches the wood. The sapling should be repositioned on the wood. It should be lined up in the newly positioned grooves.
Attach the sapling with brass screws.

To keep the sapling intact, wax can also be used. It is advisable to use as few screws as possible so that there will not be any issues. Floral or plant tape can be used to bind sapling and wood properly.

Choose a shallow plant dish and the driftwood and tree should be positioned properly. The sapling should be watered. A well-balanced fertilizer dissolved in water should be used to deliver the nutrition required for the sapling.

You can remove tape and screws when the sapling is thoroughly rooted in the wood. This step can be performed after one year. You should ensure that the driftwood is completely dry so that it will not harm the tree.

Thus, you can accomplish the Bonsai Driftwood project by using driftwood, hand saw, knife, tree sapling, grafting wax, brass screws, screwdriver, flower or plant tape, shallow plant container and balanced fertilizer.

How to Create a Driftwood Style Bonsai?

Before carving, you should choose trees which are in good health. The trees should be stable in growing containers. The carving process will take place when the tree goes through traumatic events in its life. The tree will try its level best to survive by using all the available resources.

If you are carving to prepare Bonsai Driftwood, it should be done to enhance the appearance of the tree. Before accomplishing the take, the necessary tools should be collected. All tools should be sharp and in good condition.

While using power tools, protective aids should be worn. By using suitable gloves, hands will be protected. To cover the soil, the aluminum foil should be used. There will be better control by using Variable power tools. You should not use bits at a speed higher than the recommended.

Felt tip marker or chalk can be used to mark the area which is to be carved. The natural lines of the tree should be followed.

How to Care Bonsai? How to Cultivate it?

Bonsai tree cultivation should be done in a very careful way. Watering is an important aspect in this direction. If you supply too little water, the dehydration of the tree will take place. If the supply of water is more, the drowning of the tree will take place. Hence, there is a requirement for a perfect balance.

If you wait until the soil dries, you can pour more water and it will be absorbed in an effortless manner. Over-watering and under-watering should be prevented so that you can preserve the plant without any issues.

To maintain the quality and appearance of the bonsai tree, you should go for root and branch pruning. At the onset of spring, you can go for pruning. You should ensure that the roots of the plant are established in the pot. The bad ones should be eliminated and healthy ones should be promoted.

Before the spring starts, the branch pruning can be accomplished. The tree will be sculpted in a very efficient way by implementing the right pruning techniques.

How To Refine Bonsai Driftwood?

By implementing Bonsai Driftwood Techniques, aesthetics, as well as practical issues, are addressed in a very efficient way. If you collect specimens of aged trees, you can notice the presence of deadwood. Jin is a technique used to treat branches or the top of the trunk. By implementing the technique, you will ensure that the tree has struggled to survive. The aging factor of the tree can be noticed prominently.

Complete removal of the bark is required to implement Jin. From the start point of the branch to the endpoint of the branch, there will be complete removal of the bark. Thus, you can produce a visible and sharp bonsai in a single step from the leader. If you make changes proportionately, the illusion of age can be created in a very efficient way.

If the deadwood is on the main trunk of the tree, it is called Shari. You can find small Shari which runs vertically on or near the front of the trunk. The aesthetic value at the rear of the trunk is very low. The shallow wound exposes a non-living portion of the trunk and a living bark surrounds it.

If the dead trunk is very large, it is called a Bonsai Driftwood Sharamiki style. The driftwood-style trees will not follow the conventional bonsai styles in general. If you go for Sabamiki technique, you will produce strike or deep trunk damage.