Bonsai Tools Introduction

Bonsai trees are similar to photography. You can find a lot of additional accessories to help you improve the basic equipment that you work with to achieve your artistry. Some are helpful and essential, while others are more for the convenience and benefit of the artist himself. How the artist uses these tools is what defines the artist and the artwork itself.

You can achieve a sculpted bonsai tree through a number of tools and techniques. Perform the task cleanly without risking the plant for the ultimate success. If you have a folding saw, you can get rid of thicker branches easier. If you use a cutter on the thicker branches, it will put excess stress on the tree since you will need to open the jaws more than you can easily control.

If you open the cutters more than 60 degrees, you will lose some control of your tool. Also, the cutters themselves have been designed to grasp and snip the whole branch in one swift cut. But if you have to make more than one cut, this is the wrong tool for the job. You will have cuts that aren’t clean and produce ragged wounds that will have trouble healing on your tree.

If you have a root rake, you can use it during your re-potting time. The bonsai artist can use this to clean the dirt and rocks from the rocks and comb out any tangles that might have occurred for easier trimming. A novice might be inclined to just shake out the dirt from the root ball and keep on going, but this can lead to a broken tree quite easily.

If you don’t have a root rake, you can find tweezers that will pinch off dead or new growth, in order to refine the shape of foliage. Many artists have a small trowel at the end for advanced bonsai work.

Small scissors are also helpful for a number of things, including highly-detailed work. You can snip off leaves and smaller branches that would influence future style appearance. Larger scissors would be cumbersome here, but smaller versions work quite well. It is the fine-tuning that the bonsai artist does that makes all the difference between a so-so and perfect tree appearance.

There are numerous specialized tools that the bonsai artist can choose. These tools have been especially created to make the work easier and help with the different range of bonsai styles. The tools can go from advanced to basic. Jin pliers, for example, can strip bark and create deadwood ideal for decoration in the bonsai tree. Branch benders are clamps that will enhance the wiring work. You can find a variety of gravers to do carving work on the bonsai tree itself.

Grafting tape and cut paste are also helpful tools to heal any accidents or wounds that might occur during poor trimming or wire work. You can find sharpeners in a range of shapes and sizes as well for maintaining the tree.

         

More Bonsai Gardening Basic Tips and Guide