What is pre-bonsai?
As with many things in life, there are many definitions of the same term, and pre-bonsai is no exception. Let’s explore the plausible meanings and what we at Bonsaibai are trying to do.
Trees grown in the ground are called ‘trees’. They are not bonsai or pre-bonsai—is that correct? What if you want to change the style of a 300-year-old bonsai and decide to place it back in the ground?
The most general version of the term bonsai is a “tree in a pot”.
The seedlings on the left are in a pot. Seedlings are germinated worldwide in pots, which does not mean its a bonsai. People have patio trees in pots; are they bonsai?
So, we have to include more things in the definition.
One aspect is the cultivation objective. If you aim to make a tree a bonsai, it must be pre-bonsai and become a bonsai? In a way, yes. But someone else may look at it subjectively and conclude it’s neither.
What of bonsai techniques and actions?
Bonsai is the refinement of roots, branches and leaves. The tree is pruned and grown differently from the typical tree. A nursery may prune the bottom branches, allowing the apex to dominate and the tree to grow tall. They concentrate on root mass and height. Bonsai, wants thickness and reduced height, and lower branches.
Bonsai is a refined tree in a pot to meet specific aesthetic rules, one of which may be to see a natural miniature tree, but it could be an unnatural aesthetic.
Pre-bonsai is before it is refined to be a bonsai.
But this does not mean “no refinement”. A pre-bonsai must also include refinement to entitle it to “bonsai”. Therefore, certain stages of refinement are necessary. However, this can be extremely subjective.
How much refinement?
To summarise our logic thus far.
A tree in a pot that is refined according to bonsai aesthetics or some form of artistic or natural image. So, bonsai is the upper end of the refinement, and pre-bonsai is the lower end.
The lower end of refinement
trunk chopping
taproot pruning
primary branches
fibrous root growth
the idea of shape, taper and leaf size reduction
deadwood, healing wounds
start of scale
The Upper end of refinement
nebari
trunk flare
taper
ramification
pads and foilage refinement
deadwood treatment
refinement of scale
When we sell, the stages of development are shown in the SKU number of the tree.
