Bonsai Myths and Legends

Raising a bonsai tree is a powerful and rewarding lesson in perseverance, patience, and peace. Through careful cultivation and attention to detail people can grow, train, and create living works of art and love. However, there are a lot of myths out there that make people shy away from this craft. That’s too bad because bonsai can be for anyone! Let’s dispel a few myths.

Bonsai Originated in Japan

This is actually false! It can be traced back to China to around 200 AD through various artwork and cultural descriptions. It likely made its move to Japan due to culture exchanges in wars and religious migrations.

It’s also commonly believed that all bonsai have to come from Japan, and thus are a more expensive hobby than many people want to invest in. This is also false as many types of trees can be used for bonsai art and trees grow everywhere. Bonsai is an equal opportunity hobby; anyone can do it. You can even just go on your phone and buy your bonsai pot online and get started upon delivery.

Bonsai Requires Ancient Secrets and Techniques to Create

This is just silly. While bonsai art and the skill to create it are generally not taught in most botany or art classes, the techniques aren’t a secret, you just need to read up on it and talk to other practitioners, just like any other art. When you go to buy your bonsai pot online, take some additional online time and join other social media groups where people share their knowledge, or do some reading on your own. Bonsai is an accessible art form for anyone and the information on how to care for your bonsai is accessible.

Trimming Your Bonsai Hurts It

Once you’ve gone out to buy your bonsai pot online and you’ve got a growing tree, some practitioners worry that trimming and pruning your bonsai tree actually causes it to suffer. This is false. The tree does not feel pain.

This belief likely stems from some practitioners experiencing their bonsai wilting or dying after pruning, as if the tree is upset at the treatment. Of course, these people were likely just seeing a plant they’d carefully raised reacting to over-stimulation of some kind. Perhaps their tree had been over-watered or trimmed less carefully than usual. Maybe it was having a poor reaction to transplanting. However your plant reacts to your stimuli, it is not in pain.

Bonsai is Too Difficult

Keeping a bonsai tree alive is much the same as caring for any other plant. Open your browser; buy your bonsai pot online; start your bonsai growing; and provide air, water, and sunlight. The incredible art that some bonsai owners are able to create over time? Yes, that might be difficult, but the actual care of the tree is no more difficult or elaborate than any other plant. In some ways it’s easier as most bonsai are used to trimming and care stimuli, often making it hardier than other houseplants.

Hopefully this cleared some things up and eased some worries you may have had about taking up bonsai, and if not hopefully it gave you a bit of a chuckle at some of the myths out there about raising and practicing bonsai art. Enjoy bonsai freely and the peace, love and growth that it can help you experience and express!

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