Bonsai configuration

When you buy a tree from a specialized center or from a nursery, pay attention to the state of some tree characteristics: the base or nebari, which must be radial; the conicity and the possible movement of the trunk; the bark aspect, which make Pines more valuable; the disposition of the branches and the vegetation, which must be short and thick. 

PREPARING THE TREE AND CHOOSING THE FRONT

The preparation starts with the cleaning of the nebari, in order to show up the roots. You will remove the roughest mould with a wooden stick, while you will use a Chinese brush or a soft toothbrush for a more precise cleaning. Now the tree must be observed from every side for the right front. There are some conditions to be respected to define the best part of the tree. Its base must be large with conical roots of similar dimensions, which extend like the spokes of a wheel. Some imperfections can be corrected during the repotting operation, by pruning the main root to let the most thin ones develop, or by removing the superimposed roots; you can even change their direction (from vertical to horizontal) with a wooden board.
The trunk of the trees destined to the Formal Upright style must be right and conic; for all the other styles you should choose sinuous and harmonic moving trunks. The presence of possible dry wood portions, such as sharis and jins, makes the tree more interesting, as well as the movement of the living sap vessels, which get to one or two branches from the roots.
Branches must be abundant and start from the base, in order to allow a good selection. The diameter of the branches must be larger at their base and become thinner and thinner. The branches must grow everywhere and be thin at the top of the tree.

It is very difficult to find a tree with all these characteristics, so you will have to look for a good compromise, choosing the most interesting tree side as its front. A detail can sometimes make it unique, in spite of some secondary imperfections. A particular movement of the trunk, a shari, a sinuous vessel rather than a large base, these are all elements that alone can determine the choice of the front.

Special attention must be paid to the tree inclination: sometimes it is sufficient to modify the observer's point of view, in order to emphasize some qualities and hide some defects. First of all you have to be sure the tree is well fixed to its container. Putting some wooden wedges under the pot, you can keep on studying it from different points of view. An abrupt bend of the trunk could seem sweeter if it is observed from a ¾ view and not from one side. A prostrate plant could transform into a very interesting specimen if it is set upright.

Once you have determined the front and the inclination, you can clean the trunk of the requiring species: Junipers and Azaleas. You will need a cutter to keep out the first layer of the bark, but you must pay attention not to injure the white vital part of the tree: you will show the typical reddish color of Juniper bark. With the blade you lift a strip of bark and pull it down like you were peeling a banana. You can pull out short or long strips of bark. Then, using a soft metallic brush, you will brush the entire trunk and the main branches, in order to show the typical reddish color. To finish up on the right note, you will rub with a soaked in olive oil cloth and make it shine.

SELECTING THE BRANCHES

The branch selection requires a precise idea of the tree final aspect, so it will be necessary to work carefully and methodically. When you start work, you'd better consider just one problem at a time and gradually. So you can concentrate on every passage and reduce the mistakes.
It is necessary to consider the style you want to follow. As a rule the first branch should be the longest and the widest. The others should become thinner and thinner towards their top. You sometimes have to work with a very thin or short branch: you can decide to cut it off and transform it into a jin (if it is a conifer) or let it grow for some years. In this case you do not have to prune it, but let it freely develop: it will need sap and cause a rapid enlargement of its base.
Sometimes you can let the twigs, which grow near big cuts, freely develop: they will help the formation of the callus and then be removed. You can also preserve some twigs at the trunk base, to transform them in new roots and create a radial nebari (for deciduous trees, such as Privets, Azaleas and Maples).
Finally the growth of a big sucker at the tree base or even the temporary persistence of a double trunk will help the enlargement of the base itself.

You do not have always to use the lowest branches of a tree: in some cases it is better to cut them off and start designing the bonsai-tree from the fourth or fifth branch. The basic principle lays in the respect of the proportions. Anyhow, some branches must be cut off: the ones that superimpose intercross, the ones that present abrupt L-shaped curve towards the top or the soil, the ones that cross the trunk. Also the thin branches presenting knots must be eliminated.

In deciduous trees the branches must be clearly cut off, applying a layer of healing paste (available on the market) that will stimulate the cells to repair the wound.
In conifers and in some evergreens (Prunus, Yews, Olives and Rosemaries) you will preserve a part of the branch to create a jin. This element has just an aesthetic function, because it gives an old and experienced aspect to the tree; moreover it helps the healing, which is slower in these species than in deciduous trees, and weakens the attack of parasites and bacteria to the vital parts. After the cutting you strip the stump, which later you will work with Japanese cutting tools (easily found in every bonsai-centers).

Going on the branch selection, you get to the top.
If you buy a bonsai or a pre-bonsai tree in a specialized center, it will be adequately tall and have a sufficient number of top thin branches. But if you buy a tree from a nursery, it will be probably too tall. In this case you should poll the tree and create a new top from a side branch. If the top branches are few, you will have to wait a couple of years for a strong growth.
It would be perfect to create a definitive top from the very beginning. This is not always possible, especially in very old trees that have big branches near their top. So you will create a temporary top, to be modified as years pass.

Before you start wiring, you must clean the Pines and Fir-trees needles.
This operation can be long and boring, but it is necessary to stimulate the growth of the new buds, to avoid the wire crushing the needles and to make the branches design more visible.
You will remove all the needles along the twigs, leaving just small tufts of four or five couples at the top; you will leave small tufts also near the premature buds. The needles can be carefully pulled out or cut with a pair of scissors. The whole operation should be carried out in September.
Both in conifers and in deciduous trees you will clean twig junctions, removing some needles or leaves, in order to show up the starting point.

BENDS

This technique applies to every style, apart from the Formal Upright style. You can use it when you think it is necessary to change the direction of a branch or a trunk. It is often used to low the top without polling it or to create a new trunk from a big, long side branch.

The technical possibility of designing a bend depends on the grower's skill and on the available material. The botanic species is a limiting factor, as the deciduous trees are not so suitable for. Apart from young specimens and weeping trees, they generally have a very hard wooden tissue.

On the other hand, conifers are the most suitable for. They are more flexible and even very old specimens can be belt. Some experts have subjected even the Mugo Pines, characterized by a high specific weight and great resistance, to this technique.
When you decide to bend, you must necessarily anticipate the inevitable breaking points. They must be far from essential vessels for the bonsai-tree beauty.

If you start bending a branch or a small trunk without any kind of experience, you should take some precautions. The part you want to bend should be protected with some wet raffia, in order to make it more elastic. It is not able to avoid breaks, but will keep the wounded parts adherent to the lower layers and helps the tissue healing.
After soaking some raffia threads, you will apply them side by side along the branch in a spiral movement.

Later you will apply one or more big threads, which are useful to keep the final position and also to anchor possible supports.

Tradition says that the best period for this operation is spring, as the increasing sap flow makes the wooden parts more elastic.