How long does it take to make a bonsai?

Time and bonsai are two things that are inseparable. Besides, don't they say that bonsai is a school of patience? But how long does it take to make a beautiful bonsai tree that deserves its place at an exhibition? And does it depend solely on your ability to apply the right care at the right times?

How Long To Make A Bonsai From Seed

You've probably seen those ads for " bonsai seeds", which you just have to germinate to get the cute little tree in the photo that comes with the seed packet.

There is no such thing as a magic seed. They are simply seeds from completely normal trees or shrubs. They will need to be sown, germinated, and cultivated for years before you get something that looks like a tree.

The art of bonsai corresponds to a certain aesthetic, and in particular to have a trunk of a good diameter in relation to the height of the tree, with taper. That's what makes it feel like you're standing in front of an old tree. 

If you have a trunk that looks more like a straight stake, you'll feel like you're standing in front of a juvenile tree. Regardless of one's actual age, what is most important is the age that is perceived by the observer.

Building and forming a trunk with a nice taper, big main branches, that's what takes the most time. It is said that you have to " make wood ".

If you grow your seed in a pot, it will take you years. Some species, such as Japanese maples or Chinese elms, grow faster, while pines or juniper take much longer. 

It also depends on the height of the tree you want to form, or at least the width of the trunk you want to achieve. Because, despite some beliefs, bonsai are exactly the same genetically as normal-sized species. It is for this reason that the time it takes to grow a bonsai will be more or less the same as that of a full-sized tree. 

Creating a bonsai from seed requires at least 10 to 15 years of cultivation in order to form the basic structure. Then you can start branching, pinching, pruning and densifying. 

In the end, for the first 15 years, it was only a horticulturist's job. The real bonsaika work only begins once the tree structure is well established. And then it will take between 5 and 10 years to create a nice densification.

In the end, it often takes about twenty years to create a bonsai from a seed. 

Creating a bonsai from a cutting will take the same amount of time to turn the seedling into a tree.

How long to make a bonsai from a nursery tree?

In order to be able to start shaping a bonsai tree as soon as possible, one solution is to opt for a tree from a nursery or garden center. Even if they are not necessarily plants destined to become bonsai, they allow you to gain a few years.

Choosing a tree from a nursery is not easy. You'll often have to look at dozens of them before you find the right one. Above all, you have to learn to see the bonsai in the tree.

In the middle of a pile of branches, you should look for a trunk line, with movement and a nice taper. Then determine the scaffold branches, and remove the rest.

Training a bonsai from a garden center plant often means dropping three-quarters of the branches to find a simple structure that is more in line with the aesthetics of the bonsai. Sometimes it will be necessary to create new branches, and in any case, gradually form the secondary and tertiary branching. And it takes between 5 and 10 years.

Many beginners make the mistake of choosing a garden center tree that is often too juvenile. It will then be necessary to go back for a few years of cultivation in order to make the trunk grow. It's a shame: if you're going to start with a nursery tree, you might as well choose a plant that's already big enough.

The special case of bonsai nursery trees

We have seen that starting from a seed to create a bonsai is really very time-consuming. Garden centre trees can be interesting, sometimes saving 10 years of cultivation, but many are not suitable for creating a beautiful bonsai.

In our bonsai nursery, our approach is to offer you trees that have been cultivated to become bonsai from the beginning. When we put them up for sale, the structure is already well established, the trunk is developed, you have beautiful scamine branches.

Some of our bonsai trees have been grown for more than 30 years. Some have been placed in the ground to make the trunk grow significantly (which is more difficult and slower to achieve by growing only in pots).

Then, each tree is grown for years in pots, in order to compact it and begin to form the secondary branch. This is where he will gradually go from a simple tree to a bonsai.

However, this does not mean that the work is finished, there is still the whole " refinement phase". The one that will gradually erase all traces of human intervention, the one that will give this beautiful patina to the bark. The branches gradually branch out and become denser.

As the years go by, as you see your bonsai evolve, you will also realize that there is always room for improvement. And you will understand that a bonsai is never finished, it is constantly evolving, it never stops.

So, how long does it take to make a bonsai? Definitely a lifetime.

Laozi, the founder of Taoism, said that " the goal is not only the goal but the path that leads to it." Confucius said that " happiness is not at the top of the mountain but in the way you climb it."