Page 66 - Tài liệu Ebook cây cảnh Bonsai Basics

68 TRAINING BONSAI

AGEING

It is every bonsai enthusiast's dream to
own a very old tree, the fruit of several
generations' labours. For those who
cannot afford very old and costly speci-
mens, it is useful to know that the aged
appearance of a bonsai is not always the
result of extreme age. There is a variety
of simple techniques which you can use
to age your bonsai. The main ageing
technique is known as 'jin' .

The art of 'jin'
This is a technique which will give the
trunk, or part of it, or a branch the
appearance of dead wood, gnarled and
smoothed by the passage of time. Peel
back a strip of bark with a special scalpel
(a jin scalpel), or a very sharp grafting
knife. Then rub the wood with very fine
The 'jin' technique is peeling off the bark of a grade sandpaper to polish it well. Then
branch, polishing it and bleaching it with acid. treat it with dilute citric acid or scouring
solution, making sure that it does not
penetrate the wood too deeply as it could
poison the tree. This treatment will
quickly bleach the wood giving it an old,
seasoned appearance.
The jin technique is particularly suit-
able for conifers, which take on the
aspect of trees weatherbeaten by wind
and spray by the sea.
When trunk and branches are treated
in this way, it is described as 'shari' and
when the method is taken further still, to
the point where the trunk is literally
hollowed out, the method is known as
'sabamiki'.
The uninitiated may feel that the tree
is being maltreated, but all trees treated
in this way remain vigorous and healthy.
The bark is not a living part of the tree,
but a protective covering. However, a
strip must always be left on as the
cambium layer and the vessels carrying
water and nutrients must be allowed to
J in carried out on almost the whole of the trunk of a
juniper gives it the aspect of \'enerable old age. The perform their tasks if the tree is to
effect of the dead wood is stunning. continue to flourish.