Grape Bonsai
How to Grow and Care for your Own Grape Bonsai
The grape bonsai can make for a beautiful ornamental piece in your home or garden but, like a fine wine, it does not come without a lot of labor and care. If you really want to achieve that great look that these little trees get, you will have to put in a good deal of time and energy into getting your grape bonsai to look as you would like it.
Origin of the Grape Bonsai
It is unclear exactly when or where the first grape bonsais made their appearance. The California wine country can take credit for making these unique plants popular, however. Like so much in California agriculture (or in this case viticulture), the idea for this kind of plant came from the mixing of far-flung traditions and practices. The Eastern practice of bonsai trees, in this case, mixed with the Mediterranean wine raising traditions of Europe.
Choosing the Right Plant
To grow a grape bonsai, you will want to find one that has already started to grow. The ideal grape plant for a bonsai will have a thick bulbous root that can more easily help shape the faux tree-like appearance that makes the bonsai an intriguing optical wonder.
The model for these California style bonsai “trees” are the Monterey cypresses, that one sees curling out of rock formations along the Northern California shoreline. In their most majestic and intriguing varieties these cypresses crown rocky mounts that rise up of the crashing waves of the Pacific—all gnarled bark and fraying branches with canopies of green furry leaves.
The grape bonsais that draw the most astonishment from spectators achieve a sort of tromp l’oeil by imitating the cypress’ distinctive look. This is why a thick gnarling root works best for the grape bonsai.
Make sure that you call around to your local nurseries. Many may not carry this unusual plant or may need to special order it. The closer to California wine country you are, the higher the chance your nursery will have one. If they don’t normally carry it, they are also less likely to know how to help you take care of it.
Caring for Your Grape Bonsai
You will find that caring for grape bonsais is like pleasing a finicky wine critic, it takes a lot of time and energy and attention to subtle details. First, this plant needs just the right amount of light. You want to give plenty of filtered sunlight so that it grows. Too much and it wilts, too little and it stunts. Indoors, you should put it by a window where it gets morning light; outdoors, it should be in a partially shaded area where it gets dappled light.
When outside, these types of grape bonsais can handle the relatively cold temperatures that near freezing. You need to give them adequate time to adjust, however. Bonsais of this kind can survive the cold temperatures once they are in their “dormancy” phase. (There leaves will yellow during this period.) If however, a sudden frost surprises them after they have reawakened in spring, this is likely to be fatal to this fragile bonsai. (For this reason, it experts recommend growing them indoors in bonsai pots so that you can have adequate climate control.)
You also want to make sure to water these little wonders well. They are always thirsty for water, so make sure to keep the soil moist but not to let the water pool.
Finally, you should add fertilizer during the growing period and cull the branches to the two or three most promising shoots during the winter so that you maximize your bonsai’s growing power.
Although the bonsai takes a great deal of energy, its beauties make it well worth your efforts.