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San Antonio Bonsai Society
Celebrating over 50 years of Bonsai!
An Extensive Library of Information
All About Bonsai – All In One Convenient Place!
Information Curated by SABS
What is a Bonsai? The Japanese translation of the word Bonsai means 'tree in pot' and is pronounced as BONES-EYE. Bonsai is not a tree species, just a miniaturized shrub, tree, or bush, achieved by applying the techniques of maintaining such a species in smaller containers, trimming the foliage once a desired shape/height is obtained, and the trimming of roots periodically.
Below are various topics concerning Bonsai and many website links with bonsai information that SABS has found useful. All websites listed are recommendations and not sponsored or endorsed by SABS. As you review all the information presented below, first be sure the species of trees will grow within your hardiness zone(s). San Antonio’s hardiness zones are 8 and 8a. SABS recommends researching your species of bonsai before attempting any work. SABS shall not be held responsible if your tree/bonsai's health declines or perishes based on any information presented below.
Species of Trees that Make Good Bonsai
22 Best Trees for Bonsai
Foundations of Bonsai
Starting Out in Bonsai
Glossary of Japanese Bonsai Terms
Bonsai: An Introduction, Starting Out with your First Bonsai
How to Start with Bonsai - A Beginners Guide
How to Make Bonsai on the Cheap
Bonsai: Styling Your First Bonsai Tree
Species Guide
Intermediate Bonsai - A Course Syllabus
How to Make a Bonsai
Potting
How to Repot a Bonsai Tree
Repotting and Root Pruning Bonsai – Part I
Repotting and Root Pruning Bonsai – Part II
Repotting and Root Pruning Bonsai – Part III
Repotting
Light
Bonsai Tree Lighting
How Much Light Does a Bonsai Tree Need?
Soils
Bonsai Soil Basics
How to Bonsai - Making Soil
Requirements of Bonsai Soils
Bonsai Beginner Series - Soil
Fertilize
How to Fertilize Bonsai
A Practical Guide to Fertilizing your Bonsai
Bonsai How-to Fertilizers for Bonsai
Fertilizing Bonsai
The Effect of Fertilizer on Water pH
When to Begin Fertilizing in Spring?
Pruning
Pruning Deciduous Bonsai Trees
Ficus Bonsai Care and Pruning
Ramification. The Next Step
Decandling Black Pine - An In-depth Guide
Directional Pruning - A Tip from Andrew Robson
Pruning Bonsai - Decision Making Process
Clip and Grow Techniques for Bonsai
Maintenance Pruning Part I
Maintenance Pruning Part II
Maintenance Pruning Part III
Advanced Pruning Techniques for Fagus sylvatica/European Beech Bonsai
Creating Ramification on a Bonsai
Training/Styling (wiring)
Bonsai Beginner Series - Structural Wiring
Bending and Placing Branches for Maximum Aesthetic Effect, or, Branches
How to Wire a Bonsai Tree Branch
Wiring and Making a Big Bend on a Pine Bonsai
How to Create a Bonsai with Trunk Movement
Bonsai Detail Wiring
Bending Larger Bonsai Branches with Raffia
Bending “Thick” or Brittle Bonsai Branches
How to Bonsai - Guywire for Large Branches
Wiring Tip: How to Prevent Branches from Splitting away from the Trunk
Culture/Propagation
How to Propagate and Make Cuttings
Propagation: Creating New Plants for Bonsai
Chopping an Auction Ficus for Fun and Profit
How to Grow Bonsai from Seed or Cutting
Watering
Watering and Feeding Bonsai Trees
Hard Water, pH and its Effects on Bonsai
Bonsai Beginner Series - Watering
pH of Water and Soil for Bonsai
Watering Conifers
Water Deciduous Bonsai Part 1
Watering Deciduous Bonsai Part 2
How to Lower the pH of your Water to Keep Bonsai Healthy
Diseases/Pests
How to Bonsai Fertilizers - Systemic Pesticides, Herbicides, Fungicides
Pests and Diseases
A Basic Guide to Pests and Diseases that Affect Bonsai
Common Bonsai Tree Insects and Pests
How to Recognize, Prevent, and Treat Bonsai Tree Diseases, Infections, and Illnesses
Types of Bonsai Tree Pest and How to Protect your Trees from them
Weather, Winter/Summer
Bonsai Care - Summer
Winter Care for Bonsai
What to Expect from Indoor Bonsai in Winter
How to Care for Bonsai during Heat Waves
Heat
Vacation Care
Watering Bonsai While on Holiday or Vacation
Tools
Bonsai Tools - All you Need to Know
Bonsai Tools for Beginners - The Sharpening Guide
Bonsai Tools for Beginners - Care and Cleaning
How to Use Common Bonsai Tools
Cleaning Bonsai Tools
How to Bonsai - What's in my Tool Bag?
Bonsai from Nursery Stock
Bonsai and Nursery Stock. Everything you Need to Know
A Trip to the Nursery or Bonsai Material Pt 1
A Trip to the Nursery for Bonsai Material Trident Pt2
How to Bonsai - Focus on the Roots
Making Deciduous Bonsai from Nursery Stock
Containers
All you Need to Know about Bonsai Pots
Bonsai Pots - Selection Guide
Choosing a Bonsai Pot
Epic Pine Bonsai Rock Planting
Maple Forest Bonsai
Maple Flat Stone Repotting
Bonsai Natural Growth Patterns
Features and Characteristics of a Bonsai
Perceptions and Perspectives in Bonsai Design
Serious about Cultivation of Bonsai
Styles
Grow Your Bonsai - The Ultimate Bonsai Style Chart
Styling: The Basic Forms of Bonsai
Random Tips
Bonsai Tips and Tricks with Ben!
Compilation of Tips and Tricks for Bonsai
Scott's Branch Tips
Top 10 Bonsai Tips that Actually Work
Tips and Techniques
Advanced Bonsai Techniques
Styling Bonsais
Bending and Placing Branches for Maximum Aesthetic Effect
Styling a Juniper Bonsai Tree
Deciduous Design and Deadwood
Carving Deciduous Bonsai
A Guide to Bonsai Critique
Deciduous Bonsai Design
Transformation of a Japanese Larch Bonsai Tree
Deciduous vs. Coniferous Bonsai Styling
Bonsai Development Series #6: Sacrifice Branch Basics
Bonsai Developing the Trunk with Multiple Sacrifice Branches
Deciduous Early Development
How to Think When Making Bonsai
Beginners Guide to Bonsai Shaping
Ramification. The Next Step
Developing Field Grown Trident Maple - Taking the Next Step
Avoid Growing Trunks with Straight Sections
Initial Work on a Cork Oak Bonsai
Developing a Young Cork Oak Bonsai
Reducing the Trunk to Improve a Cork Oak Bonsai
Trunk Chops
Trunk Chopping my Ebihara Trident Maple Bonsai to Create Taper
Correcting Reverse Taper in a Trident Maple Pre Bonsai
Creating a Flowing Trunk Line
Bonsai Trunk Chop: How to Develop Trunk Movement
Chopping an Auction Ficus for Fun and Profit
The Return of the Ficus Chop Tree
How to Create Taper
Back Budding
How to Pinch/Prune Maple Bonsai in Spring
Maintenance Pruning Part 2
Advanced Pruning Techniques for Fagus sylvatica/European Beech Bonsai
Stimulating New Buds on Cork Oak
Back-Budding
Ramification
Creating Ramification on a Bonsai
Ramification. The Next Step
A Perfect Example of Great Bonsai Ramification
Developing Fine Branching on Deciduous Bonsai
Clip and Grow
How to Bonsai - Clip and Grow Pruning
Clip and Grow Technique for Bonsai
Chinese Elm Bonsai Tree Pruning - Basic Clip and Grow
Bonsai Pruning Maintenance - Pyracantha Bonsai Tree
Defoliating
Creating Ramification on a Bonsai
Defoliation and Branch Selection on Deciduous Bonsai
Defoliating Deciduous Trees
Let's Talk about Leaf Reduction, Defoliation, and Ramification!
Defoliating a Shohin Japanese Maple
Developing Trunk Structure
10 Ways to Increase the Size of your Bonsai Trunks
Thickening the Trunk of your Bonsai
Developing Informal Upright Trunks for Deciduous Bonsai
How to Create Taper
Developing/Choosing Branch Structure
Defoliation and Branch Selection on Deciduous Bonsai
Branch Selection
Developing Deciduous Bonsai Branch Structures Four Parts
Crazy Twisted Pomegranate Progress
Branch Selection Process on a Twisted Pomegranate Prebonsai
How to Create a Bonsai from Nursery Stock
Developing Branches and Ramification in Deciduous Trees
Enhancing Nebari
Wound Healing and Root Work Nursery Stock Bonsai Field Maple
Creating New Nebari for Bonsai by Ground Layering
Approach Grafting Roots for Better Bonsai Nebari
Intro to the Ebihara Method of Enhancing Nebari
Fagus Sylvatica Bonsai 7
Focus on the Roots
The Importance of Nebari in Bonsai
Trident Maple Prebonsai: Root Graft Tutorial and First Root Work
Thread Graft/Root Graft Tutorial Part 2
Trident Maple Nebari Improvement Technique
Grafting
Trident Maple Thread Graft
Thread Graft Branch
Approach Grafting for Bonsai
Thread Grafting New Roots onto Bonsai
Trident Maple Prebonsai: Root Graft Tutorial and First Root Work
Thread Graft / Root Graft Tutorial Part 2
Informal Upright Hornbeam
Fagus Sylvatica
Grafting Bonsai Introduced
Air Layering
What Species can be Air Layered Explained
Air Layering Bonsai Tutorial Easy!
Air Layering
Air Layering Part II
Successful Air Layering - What Next?
Air Layering a Japanese Maple
Repairing Snapped Branches and Other Tree Problems
Reviving an Almost Dead Tree
Rescuing a Half Dead Juniper
Repairing Snapped Branches
Is my Bonsai Dying or is it Alive?
Why your Bonsai has Yellow Leaves in Winter
Technique: Fixing Almost Broken Branches
Chinese Elm Disaster Recovery
Carving
Bonsai Quick Fix Demo
Carving Deciduous Bonsai
Bonsai - Getting Something from Nothing!
Travis Goldstein on Creating Jin and Shari with Power Tools
Bonsai Deadwood: Carving a Jin and Hollow
Bonsai Deadwood Carving
Another Way of Carving Bonsai
Larch Bonsai Carving and Styling
Olive Semi-Cascade Bonsai Carving and Styling Video
Carving a Hawthorn Bonsai with Harry Harrington Video
Creating and Using “Uro” with Bonsai
Fagus Sylvatica Bonsai 7 Carving
Lime Sulfur and Wood Hardener for Bonsai
Preserving Deadwood in your Bonsai Tree
Bonsai and Lime Sulfur
Lime Sulfur Application Safety on Driftwood
Preserving Deadwood on Bonsai
Preserving Bonsai Deadwood
Jin/Shari/Deadwood
What are Jin and Shari
Travis Goldstein on Creating Jin and Shari with Power Tools
Bonsai Deadwood Carving
Creating a Jin on a Bonsai Tree
Creating Deadwood for Bonsai by Hand Part 2
Creating Ori Deadwood
Creating Shari Deadwood
Deadwood on a Bonsai
Root over Rock
Acer Campestre Rock Planting 1
Acer Campestre Rock Planting 2
Acer Campestre Rock Planting 3
Acer Campestre Rock Planting 4a
Acer Campestre Rock Planting 4b
How to Create Root Over Rock Bonsai - Maple
How to Create Root-Over-Rock Bonsai, Step by Step Process, Trident Maple Root-Over-Rock
Acer Campestre/Field Maple Root-Over-Rock Bonsai Photo Series
Development of Root Over Rock Bonsai
Repotting a Large Root-Over-Rock Trident Maple Very Old Tree. Step by Step How to Repot
Group/Forest Plantings
Bonsai Forest Tutorial - Maple and Juniper
A Guide to Creating Group Planting for Bonsai
Bonsai Forests and Groups
Forest Bonsai Inspiration
DIY Bonsai Forests
The Ultimate Maple Group Planting Guide
Shohin Bonsai
Shohin Bonsai Introduced
Shohin Bonsai Collection Tour with Peter Macasieb
First Steps Towards Shohin Bonsai
Developing a Juniper Shohin/Juniper Bonsai Progression Series
European Hornbeam Carpinus betulus Shohin Bonsai Progression Series
Nursery Stock Bonsai: Shohin Taxus Selection and Preparation
Mame and Shohin Bonsai with Jessica Jonker
Indoor Bonsai
Indoor Bonsai "All you Need to Know"
Secrets to Success with Indoor Bonsai: Part 1
Indoor Bonsai
Building a Indoor Bonsai Growing System
Indoor Bonsai Care
What to Expect from Indoor Bonsai in Winter
Harvesting Wild Trees
Collecting Yamadori Hawthorn for Bonsai
The Hill: Collecting Hawthorn Yamadori for Bonsai Part Two. Potting up the New Bonsai
Bonsai: Collecting Trees from the Wild Part One
Collecting Trees from the Wild Part Two
Collecting Deciduous Trees in Autumn/Fall
Yamadori Collecting Bonsai Trees
Collecting for Bonsai #1
Collecting Bonsai: Dogwood #2
Collecting for Bonsai – Hawthorn! #3
Field Growing Bonsai
Field Grown Bonsai Trees
Bonsai from Field Grown Material
Bonsai Development Series #3: Evaluating Field Grown Material
Field Growing Bonsai Trees
Field Growing Trees for Bonsai
How to Field Grow a Good Bonsai
Bonsai from Field Grown Material
Tree Development Progressions
Fagus sylvatica/European Beech Bonsai Progression Series
Developing a Juniper Shohin/ Juniper Bonsai Progression Series
Hawthorn/Crataegus monogyna Bonsai Progression Series
European Hornbeam/Carpinus betulus Shohin Bonsai Progression Series
Collected Beech Bonsai Progression Series and Why You Should Not Chop a Trunk Too Early
Cotoneaster franchetti Bonsai Progression Series
Pinus parviflora/Japanese White Pine Bonsai Progression Series by T. Riley
Large Privet Bonsai Progression
Euonymous alatus Bonsai Progression Series
Cherry Mame Bonsai Progression Series
Privet/Ligustrum ovalfolium Progression Series
Hawthorn 'Informal Broom' Bonsai Progression Series
Hawthorn/ Crataegus monogyna Bonsai Progression Series
Hawthorn Bonsai Progression Series
Cotoneaster horizontalis/Cotoneaster Bonsai Progression Series
Elm Raft Bonsai Progression Series
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