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Josef Rauscher Studio

01 / Knowledge from practice

Bonsai knowledge.

Knowledge. Observation. Understanding.

Bonsai care, design, growing methods and fundamentals: explore articles on tree analysis, pruning, grafting and repotting. Photographs and practical guides explain what to consider when working on a tree.

Knowledge from practice

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Bonsai basics

Tree analysis: assessing material before styling

In order to be able to shape a blank that was collected as a yamadori or comes from a tree nursery into a bonsai, it is essential to carry out a thorough tree analysis. Of course, you have already checked the characteristics of the blank as a future bonsai before you collected or bought it. The first preliminary analysis is usually based on the trunk movement and branching; if you take a little more time, you will also look at the roots. The pre-selection of the raw plant is a very important factor and you should really take the time to check the selected plant for its suitability for bonsai.

Josef Rauscher

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Growing methods

Tanuki: combining a juniper with deadwood

Why is this done? Tanuki is not necessarily a style, but rather a technique to make a bonsai appear older. It involves combining a living plant with a piece of dead wood. The original style is called Sharimiki.

Josef Rauscher

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Bonsai care

Repotting bonsai step by step with Josef Burschl

If a bonsai has not been repotted for a long time or if you have just purchased a bonsai, it is usually sitting in compacted or incorrect soil. Compacted soil does not promote root growth and there is no oxygen exchange. Furthermore, the roots start to rot and the first pests appear (see picture below).

Josef Rauscher

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Bonsai basics

Choosing the right bonsai pot

It doesn't matter which pot a bonsai is planted in. In the art of bonsai, the pot and the tree form a unit, just as a frame surrounds a picture. In Japan, a rule of thumb has been established for the size of the bonsai pot.

Josef Rauscher

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Bonsai basics

Mycorrhizal fungi

The term mycorrhiza refers to the direct coexistence of fungi with the roots of higher plants. The essential factor here is the mutual exchange of substances, which takes place for mutual benefit (symbiosis).

Josef Rauscher

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Growing methods

Finding and assessing trees in nature for bonsai (yamadori)

Yamadori (Yama = mountain / Dori = gathering) Small, compact or extremely shaped trees grow in natural habitats with poor living conditions for plants, or on forest edges and small meadows where wild animals can bite the plant back again and again. These unusual shapes are ideally suited as bonsai starting material.

Josef Rauscher

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Articles 7–12 of 45

Bonsai Kreativ / Knowledge

Observe.
Understand the choices.

The articles cover tree analysis, deadwood, repotting and pine grafting, connecting observation and technique with the long-term development of a bonsai.

About Josef Rauscher