Bogotá Bonsai

Bonsai? In Bogotá? Chalk up this discovery to those things that you just come across when you’re just out walking. A Saturday afternoon along the 9th, on the way to the Santa Ana mall for a stocking of the larders courtesy of our friends at Jumbo.

The 9th – at least our section of it – is a rather nondescript road – one of the many Carreras (avenues) that carry Bogotanos to and from the north and south of the city. On one side, the offices of what looks to be a gas company. On the other, a string of pleasant enough little houses.

Except for one that’s different.

This would be the Jardin Bonsai De Tabio. And it’s owned by one Ricardo Villegas.

Bogotá Bonsai expert Ricardo Villegas

With a warmth and friendliness I’ve felt from so many Colombians, Ricardo welcomed us into his garden, which takes up the bulk of his front yard.

There, along two long tables, were various bonsai trees of various types and ages. Their Spanish names escape me now, but I recognized at least some of them as pines. The oldest was about 30 years old – still a youth in bonsai years.

And as traveller’s luck would have it, Villegas also offers bonsai courses on Saturday afternoon. Now, I can’t remember when I got interested in them, but it’s been an itch that’s needed a scratch for a while.

I made a pledge to return the following Saturday. Yesterday, I came home with my first.

Villegas’ beginner’s class lasts three hours, the first of which covers the history, cultivation, aesthetics, and philosophy of bonsai. The discussion was entirely in Spanish; but Villegas took pity on me and spoke slowly.

Briefly, here’s what I gleaned:

• History: Bonsai actually originated in China as a means for marauding Emperors to add a touch of home to their tents while on military campaigns. Designated bonsai keepers would wheel the Emperor’s miniature forest on a cart; cultivation expertise was passed from one generation to the next.
• Cultivation: Creating a bonsai involves cutting the tree’s main roots – the ones that hold full-size trees in place in the ground – and relying on the secondary ones to hold it in place. The secondary roots also bring food and water to the tree. Continuous pruning “fools” the tree into “thinking” it’s growing taller when what you’re really doing is directing its growth outward. Hence:
• Aesthetics: Bonsais are essentially living sculptures. Opinions on the “right” way to shape a tree differ; however the owner should strive to respect and augment its natural form.
• Philosophy: Ardent enthusiasts view pruning and shaping as mediation. As I discovered, pruning and shaping does force you to slow down. There’s simply no other way to do it.

White board session over, it was time to choose my tree. I’m partial to pines anyway, so I picked one that looked a lot like this. Villegas told me it was about 15 years old.

The first task was to prune the tree by snipping away the dead and dry branches.

This was the easy part.

The second, more meditative phase, came soon afterwards. First, a step back from the tree to find (and eliminate) overlapping branches that compete for food and space, and that also detract from the tree’s overall shape.

Next is to inspect the remaining branches incredibly closely to remove smaller branches. The goal, as I came to understand, is to allow each branch to develop as freely as possible.

However.

It’s important also to remember that every snip you make now changes what the tree will look like years from now. Villegas advised leaving two smaller branches on my tree alone for now, to see what they may become.

I liked that.

Pruning complete, it was time to move the tree from its plastic pot (its home for the past 15 years) to its new clay home.This is when a tree truly becomes a bonsai. From here, there’s no going back.

It’s a tremendously delicate procedure.

Once liberated from its first pot, the tree must be separated from the soil using a specialized steel rake. Or, for beginners, a few chopsticks. Next come the scissors, to cut the roots to about half their size. Next, the tree is wired into place for stability until the roots take hold.

There’s also the matter of the soil itself. Trees – bonsai or no – need good drainage to prevent the roots from rotting. The soil also needs good aeration to give the roots room to grow. Last, bonsais are always thirsty; hence, a layer of moss on the top.

Three hours, many snips, and some amazing learnings later, I walked home with my new prize. It has since taken up residence in a well-lit corner of our apartment.

Villegas runs his classes every Saturday; I’ll be sure to return.