"Nurturing" bonsai, nourishing the soul

Having been in the business of making homemade bonsai pots for decades, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien, in Group 17, Pom Han Ward ( Lao Cai City) grows bonsai to support his family's bonsai pot sales. Mr. Tien said: I look for small bonsai trees or trees with pre-made bonsai frames, then take care of them and shape them. Depending on the shape of the tree, I will plant them in suitable pots, making samples for customers to choose from. I like bonsai with flowers, so I choose the frangipani tree for easy planting and care. The frangipani tree has a lot of flowers, has many flower colors and rarely loses its shape.

Although the number of trees is not much, the ornamental garden with more than a dozen small bonsai pots displayed by Mr. Tien right on the roadside attracts the attention of many passersby. According to Mr. Tien, although planting more ornamental plants, especially bonsai, is mainly to support the sale of ornamental pots for the family, but every day, seeing the bonsai that he has cared for and nurtured show off their shape and bloom brilliantly, he finds life more interesting and beautiful.

Plant lovers will explore, research and understand the living characteristics of plants. For example, the bonsai plumeria tree that I have been "raising" for many years is a very easy-to-care-for plant. It does not need too much water but needs a lot of light and regular fertilization before each flowering period. Plumeria flowers bloom from January to July every year, so people who grow this type of plant will be able to see the flowers continuously from one period to another.
Mr. Tien added

In the professional bonsai community, especially in Lao Cai, few people do not know Mr. Tran Van Kiem, Chairman of the Lao Cai City Ornamental Plants Association. With nearly 15 years of experience in growing and caring for bonsai, Mr. Kiem owns a valuable bonsai garden on the rooftop, with more than 10 species and nearly 100 trees.

Originally a construction engineer but born in a land with a tradition of growing bonsai ( Nam Dinh ), Mr. Kiem has had a passion for bonsai since he was young. Previously, Mr. Kiem played bonsai simply as a hobby, every time he came home from work stressed and tired, he could look at, prune, and shape the trees, forgetting all his worries, but he became more and more passionate, spending more time researching, studying, and learning to take better care of his garden.

At first, I only planted a few pots of plants to admire in my free time, but later on, my passion became so great that whenever I heard of a strange, beautiful plant or happened to see one, I would try to buy it. Gradually, I quit my construction job and switched to professional bonsai growing. Caring for bonsai is not really too hard, but it requires careful observation and appropriate adjustments to ensure the plant has enough light, water and nutrients.
Mr. Tran Van Kiem shared

Mr. Kiem’s bonsai garden has trees that are nearly a hundred years old, some that have been with him for more than ten years, some that have been beautifully shaped when bought, but some that are still just the skeleton when he comes to him. He had to spend time and effort to create the shape: stimulating buds, stimulating branches, cutting, trimming, bending… for many years to achieve the desired results.

According to Mr. Kiem's experience in "raising" bonsai, when the tree is in shape and stable in the pot, do not change the pot but only follow the regular fertilization, prevent and control pests and diseases, especially prevent "sunburn" for the tree trunk. Bonsai roots are all old trees, less resistant to harsh weather than normal trees, so if the tree trunk is exposed to strong sunlight for a long time, it can easily get "sunburn". When the tree is "sunburned", it takes a long time to recover, maybe 2-3 years, maybe 5-7 years, so players need to pay special attention.

“My bonsai garden always has a black net to shade it when needed. This job cannot be rushed or rushed, but requires perseverance, carefulness, meticulousness and creativity,” Mr. Kiem added.

To create a satisfactory tree shape, you need to wait for the tree to grow each branch until it is suitable for your desired tree shape. You cannot bend the tree at any time of the year or day, but usually only twice a year, around April - May and July - September. You must bend it when the weather is sunny, usually at noon so that the branches have a lot of sap, are soft, flexible and easy to bend.

Bonsai has many shapes: straight, inclined, pierced, suspended, falling... each shape has its own beauty, depending on the feelings and eyes of each person, and at the same time shows the personality of the player. Loving trees and devoting a lot of heart to them, it seems that trees also know how to repay people. In Mr. Kiem's bonsai garden, there are trees that when first bought were only worth a few million to a few tens of million VND, but after a few years, their value has increased 5-7 times. Therefore, now, the garden of trees is not only the "brainchild" that helps Mr. Kiem dispel fatigue and worries about life, but also becomes a precious asset that he cherishes and preserves every day.

The Lao Cai City Bonsai Association has more than 80 members, including more than a dozen members who are passionate about growing bonsai professionally. There is nothing more wonderful than a passion that both nourishes the soul and contributes to stabilizing life.

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