The Bonsai trees are categorized into large, medium, and small trees. If you are growing regular bonsai or have seen photos of mini and super mini Bonsai and want to grow one yourself, you have come to the right place. In this post, you will learn all about mini and super-mini Bonsai trees, what their sizes are, how they are made, how to grow mini and super mini Bonsai, how long it takes for them to grow, how and how often to water them, fertilize them, how much light they need, and how to take care of them in general.
The regular small Bonsai includes plants that are less than 8 inches (20cm) in height. They fall in the category named “Shouhin” and take almost 20 years to become fully mature. The small Bonsai are further divided into two types, the “mini Bonsai” and “super mini Bonsai”.
The mini Bonsai trees grow to be less than 4 inches (10cm) in height. Generally, the term “miniature Bonsai” is used for these plants. This means that they are so small that you can lift and move them with one hand. These are also named “mame”, which means “bean-sized” Bonsai.
As their name suggests, super mini Bonsai are the tiny Bonsai that grow to about 1 inch (3cm) in height. These are the smallest plants of the miniature Bonsai category. They are small enough to be fitted on the top of your fingertip and can be easily grown in bottle cap-sized containers.
In this article, you’ll learn the method to grow mini and super mini Bonsai. Plus, you will discover how to care for these tiny Bonsai plants. Keep reading to explore more about miniature Bonsai.
Suitable plants to Grow as super mini Bonsai
Before creating a super mini Bonsai, you must have to grow a seedling, a tiny plant that will be later used to create a super mini Bonsai. These seedlings are not sold in stores. That’s why you have to grow them from seeds or cuttings.
Plants suited to be grown from cuttings: The plants that do not produce seeds are grown from cuttings. These are easy to grow and ideal for beginners. They include deciduous trees such as:
- Japanese maple
- Japanese box
- Spindle trees
- Weeping forsythia
- Deutzia
- Zelkova
- Beech
- Hornbeam
- Tall Stewartia
- Ivy
The ideal time to collect cuttings is from March, before the buds are grown. However, June is also a good time, as the branches by this time become hard enough to be transformed into a new seedling.
Plants suited to be grown from seeds: The seedlings for the fruiting plants are grown from seeds. While the plants which have easily available seeds are also grown from seeds. For example, acorns and pine cones are seeds that can be easily gathered from parks and woodlands during November and December.
The common plants that can be grown from pine seeds for Bonsai include:
- Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora)
- Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii)
- Cedar
- Japanese cypress
- Chinese juniper
Suitable plants to grow as (Mame), or mini Bonsai
Mame Bonsai are 2 to 8 inches in height. “Mame” means bean, and is referred to the size of these small Bonsai plants.
Some suitable plants to grow as mame (mini) Bonsai are;
- Acer
- Pinus
- Picea
- Juniperus
- Zelkova
- Tamariz
- Salix
- Cryptomeria
How to grow (Mame)/mini Bonsai?
For making a mini Bonsai, you will need cuttings or seeds for propagation first. Lets’ explain the growth procedure of Cryptomeria japonica, for example, in more detail.
- Take 5 inches of cuttings from already potted plants and plant them in the soil during spring.
- You can also propagate it from seeds, take a few seeds of Cryptomeria and plant them in the soil in spring.
- After the seedlings appear, select the strongest and best-looking eedlings for repotting.
- Carefully plant the seedling in a new pot and the fresh soil.
- While repotting, trim out the leading tip to encourage branching.
- For shaping the trunk to your desired shape, wiring is required. Before wiring, cover the branch with raffia paper like this to avoid damaging the bark.
- Continuous pruning and pinching are required to achieve a miniature form of these trees.
- Your mini Bonsai will be ready within 3 to 5 years.
Care and maintenance of the mini and super mini Bonsai are almost the same.
Step-by-step guide to making super mini Bonsai
Generally, it is thought that Bonsai trees take years to grow, and it is not a hobby for people who can’t give them enough time. To care for a mini Bonsai, you won’t need too much time. But growth and maintenance of a mini and super mini Bonsai are relatively easy. Even the artists with the least free time can manage to enjoy the most satisfying pleasure of growing a tiny tree that takes almost no space at all. You can enjoy the charm of these tiny plants right after potting them.
Let’s have a look at the step-by-step guide for making super mini Bonsai.
Step 1. Grow seedlings for making super mini Bonsai
A complete guide of growing seedlings from cuttings and seeds is mentioned below. Just focus here to learn more.
Method to grow seedlings from cuttings: First of all, you have to prepare plant stock for creating super mini Bonsai. For this purpose, use branches cut from the garden or potted plants. If you’re a beginner, use creepers such as ivy. These are easily available and are the perfect beginner choice.
Tools and material required:
- Scissors
- Tweezers like these
- 6-inch wide pot
- Cuttings
- Potting mix
- Plant activator
- Container with water to soak the pot
Method:
- Select an old branch and cut a length of 2 to 3 nodes. Avoid choosing branches with new buds as they will rot due to softness.
- Trim the lower leaves from the cuttings.
- Dip the cuttings in the plant activator diluted with some water for a few hours.
- Prepare potting mix by adding 60% extra fine Akadama soil, 20% fuji soil, and 20% Yahagi river sand.
- Prepare a pot and add potting mix.
- Take a container or bucket filled with water and place the pot so that the water is a bit lower than the top of the pot.
- Allow the pot to absorb water from the drainage hole at the base of the pot.
- Make small holes in the damp soil, using tweezers.
- Plant the cuttings neither too far nor too close to each other.
- Again soak the base of the pot in water and allow the soil to absorb water.
- Finally, place the newly planted cutting in a shady place for 1 week.
- Carefully check your plant for any new bud growth.
Some cuttings such as the Japanese Box take 1 year to develop roots. At the same time, others may grow within a month. It all depends on the type of cutting that you have grown. To check if a cutting has put out roots, remove it from the ground and look. Some species develop roots at the same time as they develop buds. So, it is a rough estimation – if your cutting produces buds, it highly likely means it is ready to pot.
Method to grow seedlings from seeds: For seeds, collect acorns and pine cones from gardens or woodlands. Make sure to request permission before picking the seeds from other people’s garden.
Materials required:
- A few acorns
- Potting mix
- 6-inch wide pot
- Container filled with water to soak the plant pot
Steps:
- Add potting mix to the pot.
- Soak the 9/10 of the pot in a container filled with water.
- Take acorns and slightly push them in the soil at a small distance from each other.
- Cover the seeds with the soil. Make sure that the thickness of the layer of soil is the same as the thickness of the sown seed.
- For smaller seeds such as Japanese maples, add topsoil that’s about 2 to 3 times the depth of the seeds. Otherwise, the seed can wash away while watering.
- Finally, water the newly sown seeds and place the pot outdoors.
- Make sure to water enough until the seeds start to germinate.
Method to grow seedlings in sphagnum moss: You can also make a super mini Bonsai by germinating the seeds in moist sphagnum moss.
- Use dry sphagnum moss and shred it into fine pieces using scissors.
- Soak it in water and squeeze it to remove extra water.
- Take a plastic bag and place the damp moss in it.
- Add acorns in the bag and firmly close the opening of the bag.
- Place the plastic bag outdoors.
- The seeds will develop roots in the course of the next three weeks.
- After the appearance of roots, the seedling is ready to be made into a super mini bonsai, but it needs further repotting.
If you place the bag indoors, there are chances that the seeds may sprout in winter. You should keep them as seeds and wait until March, as it is the best time to germinate these seeds.
Step 2. Pot a super mini Bonsai
Once the seedlings are ready, the next step is to pot them. Follow the below-mentioned steps to make a super mini Bonsai from seedlings.
Materials required:
- Plant stock (seedling or cutting)
- Potting mix
- Mini pots like these
- Tweezers
- Mesh net to cover a drainage hole (some pots come with a net).
- Scissors
- Spoon for adding the soil
- A water-filled container to soak the pot
Procedure:
Neat the cuttings or seedlings by removing any dead or damaged leaves. Also, trim the leaves from the lower end of the stalk. Examine the pot to check if it looks balanced with the plant . Add the soil to the base of the pot. Then, place the seedling in the center and hold it with your hand. Make sure not to damage the root tips of the plants.
Add more soil with tweezers to fill the gaps between roots. Keep adding the soil until it overflows, then pack it firmly. Always make sure to fill the gaps, or otherwise the plant will fall over. Take some finely shredded sphagnum moss and soak it in water. Squeeze it to remove extra water and place a layer of it over the top of the soil.
Use tweezers to plant the moss over the sphagnum moss. Add the small amount of moss on two sides of the plant. Soak the pot in a container filled with water for 10 seconds. Finally, place the potted super mini Bonsai in a semi-shaded area for 10 days. Monitor the condition of the plant and water it regularly. You can further create the desired shapes of trunks with wiring.
Wiring mini and super mini Bonsai: You can read more about choosing the best wire and wiring Bonsai here (new tab). Wiring is done if you want to form a twisted trunk of your mini Bonsai plant. While the wiring procedure is similar, it will be much easier to wire mini Bonsai.
For wiring mini and super mini Bonsai, you will need very thin wire – aluminum wire that’s up to 1mm thick like this. You will then need a thin bamboo skewer, that you will use to wrap your young seedling around. Align it with your seedling’s trunk and then fix it with wire on the bottom of the trunk.
Only fix the bottom of the trunk and remove the excess wire with pliers. Then, start winding your seedling’s trunk around the skewer, from bottom to top. Once done, fix it on the top, in the same way as before. Make sure to take care your mini Bonsai, and don’t move it around at all, as it can be a bit weak after repotting and wiring.
How to care for super mini and mini Bonsai?
Just like regular-sized plants have basic care requirements, miniature Bonsai also need special care to stay healthy for longer periods. You will need to care for a mini and super Bonsai too, as they can wither easily without regular care.
Select the right place: Keep your mini and super mini Bonsai outdoors in a sunny spot with optimal airflow. These plants need 2 to 3 hours of direct sunlight daily for healthy growth. You can also place them in the balcony, but avoid placing them directly on the ground. Otherwise, insects and the radiant heat of concrete can damage your plants. Use a wooden table, some bricks, or an actual shelf to place these tiny plants.
Seasonal Care: Various types of mini and super mini Bonsai have different care requirements. Some like sunny spots, while others may like some dry and shady spots. You should always consider the plant type while caring for these tiny plants. Similarly, seasonal care differs for these plants.
- During the hot summer, they need shelter from extreme sunlight. Covering plants with a net is a good idea. Also cover them when seasons change, and there’s a big change in the amount of sunlight.
- During frost and freezing winters, these tiny plants are susceptible to frostbite, it is recommended to move them to a covered area, for example, in a Styrofoam box or indoors.
- During spring and fall, make sure that your plants are receiving adequate sunlight. Also, place the plants near the wall for wind protection.
Watering mini and super mini Bonsai: The watering needs of super mini Bonsai change with the season. Due to small pots, the soil in the pot dries out quickly. In the case of overwatering, water retention can cause root rotting. Use a watering can or soak the plants in water until the soil absorbs moisture. As a general rule, during the summer season, water the plants twice a day. During spring and fall, water once a day. However, during winters, water once in around every 3 days.
Fertilizing mini and super mini Bonsai: Both solid and liquid fertilizers are used for miniature Bonsai. Liquid fertilizers last for short periods, while solid fertilizer is effective in plants for the long run. During the growing season, the diluted liquid fertilizer should be applied twice a month. For application, use an oil can and apply near the base of the plant.
While the solid fertilizer should be added to the potting soil twice a year. For adding fertilizer granules, use tweezers and make small holes at 2 spots in the moss. Gently fix the granules in the spots with the help of tweezers.
Pest protection: To ensure the healthy growth of your miniature tree, make sure to place it at a sunny and ventilated spot. Water properly and fertilize your plants. The miniature trees are also susceptible to the damage caused by insects, pests, and fungus. Therefore, apply disinfectants and pesticides once a month during the growing season as a preventative measure.
Repotting: Repotting is crucial for maintaining a healthy min and super mini Bonsai. As the plant grows, the roots cover the whole space in the pot. As a result, the plant can’t get enough oxygen to develop and thrive. The spring season is ideal for repotting most plants.
During repotting, remove the plant from the pot, trim out any extra and damaged roots with clean scissors, replace the soil and repot the plant as mentioned earlier. Cover the layer of soil with sphagnum moss and moss. Soak the plant in a container filled with water. Place the repotted plant at a semi-shaded location until the roots recover from repotting shock.
How long does it take to grow mini and super mini Bonsai?
A great thing about mini and super mini Bonsai is that you don’t need to wait for years to start enjoying your Bonsai. Depending on whether you use seeds or small cuttings, you can grow a small Bonsai in as little as a month. If growing from seeds, it can take 6-12 months to have a small seedling that you can use to make mini and super mini Bonsai.
Smaller the Bonsai size, the less you will have to wait to use a seedling for your creation. Of course, in the years to come, seedlings will grow and grow if you take good care of them. But you can start enjoying your mini and super Bonsai almost immediately.
Conclusion – how to grow and care for mini and super mini Bonsai
Creating a tiny little Bonsai is a fun and great hobby. With proper care and maintenance, you can enjoy the charm of Bonsai trees at home. Just follow the steps mentioned in the post and make your own mini and super mini Bonsai quite easily. In just a little time, you will be able to enjoy your creations and have fun making them and caring for them. Make sure to care for your mini Bonsai, to let it thrive for many years to come.