Unusual DIY bonsai from scrap materials. Do-it-yourself plausible artificial bonsai from thuja branches Features of making bonsai in an aquarium

Growing a bonsai with your own hands is a complex and lengthy procedure that requires experience and attention. The key to project success is right choice plants. This is carried out taking into account climatic conditions and maintenance requirements. Experienced gardeners choose coniferous and deciduous varieties as a basis - pine and maple, which require minimal care. The main thing is to ensure the minimum required temperature regime.

Those who want to create their own beautiful composition, can use the following green spaces as a basis:

Sprouts of common lilac.
Siberian larch.
Pine.
Siberian spruce.
Juniper sprout.
Kalina.
A cob of azaleas.
Bobovnik.
Low almonds.
Ussuri pear.
Purple barberry.
Varietal mock orange and others.

Garden ficus, low almond, and Jerusalem artichoke have also proven themselves well. You need to start by choosing a suitable container with humus. Ordinary will do flower pot. When choosing a soil, it is worth studying its formation. It is recommended that it provide minimal drainage and retention required quantity moisture.

According to these criteria, sand, clay and humus are taken in equal parts. To plant a tree, you will need pruning shears to form the crown line, a spatula, sticks, a sieve, and a watering can. Spraying is carried out with a spray bottle. If in locality There is a specialized store, then the seedling is bought there.

After this, the bonsai is grown to the required size. Further, depending on the plant variety, crowns are formed at a certain time. If time and experience allow, you can create a bonsai from purchased seeds, each type of which requires certain conditions. Another opportunity to do flower arrangement– use offsets, cuttings and indoor plants.

First you need to decide on the size of the composition, which ranges from 5 cm to 2 m. big trees easier to work with, but small ones are more effective. In an average apartment, it would be reasonable to grow a bonsai tree within 35-45 cm. If you don’t have any ideas in your head yet, you can attend a design master class, where they will tell you and show you possible options. Photos of completed projects will be useful.

The gardener allows the tree to grow on its own, but only to a predetermined limit. The growth process is completed by pinching the top.

Work traumatic to green spaces is carried out strictly during the period of bud swelling.
The branches - the frame of the crown - remain almost completely.
If a plant in the garden develops its appearance under the influence environment, then in room conditions The gardener needs to shape the appearance of a miniature ficus or thuja himself.
Artificially deform gradually individual elements plants will be helped by copper wire, which is wrapped around ¼ of the diameter of the branch.
If we're talking about about soft wood, for example, a maple trunk, then instead of the mentioned wire, thread can be used.
The branches fit tightly to each other and to the bark, but this does not mean that the trunk should be pinched.

The formation of curved forms of birch branches takes about 3 months. Oak will take longer - 5 months. Regardless of the timing, this must be done step by step. At the same time, if the birch easily takes on a new form, then you will have to tinker with the oak. A tree can be formed step by step in 2.5-3 years, after which it is transplanted from a temporary pot made of plastic bottles, to permanent. The use of a pallet is allowed. In the future, you must strictly follow the watering rules.

Further production of a green composition from pine proceeds step by step according to the following scheme:

It is recommended to buy a slightly twisted seedling.
Before planting, you need to check the taproot.
For planting, it is advisable to use the same soil in which the seedling grew
Supplement it with a substrate that allows moisture to pass through.
A thematic video will help you choose a style.
Pruning and crown formation begins in the spring.
The formation of curved shapes is best done using strong threads that do not damage the structure of the wood.
The density of the frame is weakened as the trunk thickens.
All branches are cut at a pre-selected angle.
Lightly trim the roots every 3-4 months.

The shape of the crown is adjusted with sharp scissors, allowing you to quickly get rid of excess. The placement of the craft is carried out with orientation towards the sun. As the coniferous tree develops, it requires a large amount of natural light.

How to make a money tree bonsai

There are many ways in which you can make a bonsai from the Crassula, also called the “money tree”. The key to success lies in controlling the growth and shaping the crown of the money tree. Further growth can be stopped by pinching, carried out as the plant reaches the required size.

If you plan to go the whole way on your own, you can buy seeds at the store. In this case, strictly 1 seed is planted in 1 pot. Step by step it then needs to be watered, but not too much.

The seed takes root well, so no additional care is needed, however, you need to follow some recommendations:

The depth of the pot exceeds 1/3 maximum length root system.
You can grow it in an aquarium, but then the shape will be curved.
The splendor of the composition is formed by creating at least 2 sprouts from 1 bud.
Excess buds are removed with tweezers.
Pruning is carried out according to a pre-planned plan.
You can decorate the composition decorative elements made from foamiran.
If the main holiday of the year is approaching, then white foamiran will create the New Year’s mood.

Doing it yourself is a complex and lengthy procedure that requires experience and attention. The key to a successful project is the correct choice of plant. This is carried out taking into account climatic conditions and maintenance requirements. Experienced gardeners choose coniferous and deciduous varieties as a basis - pine and maple, which require minimal care. The main thing is to ensure the minimum required temperature regime.

Those who want to create a beautiful composition with their own hands can use the following green spaces as a basis:

Sprouts of common lilac.
Siberian larch.
Pine.
Siberian spruce.
Juniper sprout.
Kalina.
A cob of azaleas.
Bobovnik.
Low almonds.
Ussuri pear.
Purple barberry.
Varietal mock orange and others.

Garden ficus, low almond, and Jerusalem artichoke have also proven themselves well. You need to start by choosing a suitable container with humus. An ordinary flower pot will do. When choosing a soil, it is worth studying its formation. It is recommended that it provides drainage and retains the minimum required amount of moisture.

According to these criteria, sand, clay and humus are taken in equal parts. To plant a tree, you will need pruning shears to form the crown line, a spatula, sticks, a sieve, and a watering can. Spraying is carried out with a spray bottle. If there is a specialized store in the locality, then the seedling is bought there.

DIY pine bonsai

It is recommended to place the pine composition in an irregularly shaped container, the bottom of which is decorated with driftwood. If lightness of form is of paramount importance, then in this case a pot or tray of light shades and grass are used as a decorative element. After this, you need to carefully separate the smallest scales from the pine trunk. In order for the needles to look aesthetically pleasing, they need to be grouped into small bunches.

Further production of a green composition from pine proceeds step by step according to the following scheme:

It is recommended to buy a slightly twisted seedling.
Before planting, you need to check the taproot.
For planting, it is advisable to use the same soil in which the seedling grew
Supplement it with a substrate that allows moisture to pass through.
A thematic video will help you choose a style.
Pruning and crown formation begins in the spring.
The formation of curved shapes is best done using strong threads that do not damage the structure of the wood.
The density of the frame is weakened as the trunk thickens.
All branches are cut at a pre-selected angle.
Lightly trim the roots every 3-4 months.

How to make a money tree bonsai

If you plan to go the whole way on your own, you can buy seeds at the store. In this case, strictly 1 seed is planted in 1 pot. Step by step it then needs to be watered, but not too much.

The seed takes root well, so no additional care is needed, however, you need to follow some recommendations:

The depth of the pot exceeds by 1/3 the maximum length of the root system.
You can grow it in an aquarium, but then the shape will be curved.
The splendor of the composition is formed by creating at least 2 sprouts from 1 bud.
Excess buds are removed with tweezers.
Pruning is carried out according to a pre-planned plan.
You can decorate the composition with decorative elements made from foamiran.
If the main holiday of the year is approaching, then white foamiran will create the New Year’s mood.

How to make a bonsai with your own hands (video)

I decorate offices and living spaces with miniature bonsai compositions. At proper care and timely pruning, bonsai is formed in 2-3 years. After this, the gardener must carefully monitor the composition, maintaining the splendor of the crown and the shape of the branches. For these purposes, wire or thread is used. Pruning is carried out no more than once every 4-5 months. The specific period depends on the type of tree.

Original options for beautiful bonsai (photo)

The art of bonsai came to us from ancient Japan. Many Europeans are very interested in this eastern tradition, no less than Chinese Feng Shui. And this is not at all surprising - a bonsai tree can decorate absolutely any room. Its only drawback is its rather high price, since its production will require very painstaking work by the masters of this growing technique. But there is a way out - you can grow a bonsai at home yourself or make an artificial tree.

Bonsai is a copy of a real tree, but only small. Despite the labor-intensive process, some grow similar plants at home. You can grow your own indoor bonsai from plants such as hibiscus, gardenia, indoor lemon, Crassula, Ficus Benjamin, bougainvillea and others. And someone, in order to save time, creates artificial bonsai, which do not require the same care as living trees, and they retain their appearance for many years.

To make a miracle Japanese art yourself, the first thing you need to do is find a suitable branch that will serve as a trunk for the future composition. Sometimes the material chosen for work comes from nature. low growing plant, or one that has stopped in its development or acquired certain defects - thickening, curvature of the trunk, irregularities. For example, the fat plant, which is often found on many window sills, or, as it is also popularly called, Money Tree – great option to turn it into a bonsai.

How to create artificial bonsais: step by step

To make your own artificial bonsai, you will need:

This is far from full list materials that can be used for work, it can be expanded depending on the complexity of the composition.

The process of making an artificial mini-tree step by step:

If a three-core wire is used instead of a suitable branch, its ends are stripped on one side for subsequent formation of branches.
We attach the improvised trunk of the future tree to a flowerpot or pot using a glue gun.
Lubricate the resulting workpiece with PVA glue.
Prepare a solution of plaster and PVA glue, bringing it to the consistency of thick sour cream.
Treat our workpiece with the resulting solution, securing the structure of the branches and trunk. Dry for 24 hours. After this, coat the entire structure with PVA glue again.
Mix brown acrylic paint with PVA glue in a 3:1 ratio and paint the trunk of the future tree with a sponge. To enhance the effect, you can additionally apply ocher to the paint. Some craftsmen imitate tree bark using polymer clay. Two hours later, after everything has dried, you can begin to form the crown.
The final touch is decorating the stand to which the tree is attached. For beginners, the best method would be: prepare a mixture of two parts PVA glue and one part semolina, add green paint, mix, place on the bottom of the stand with a cocktail spoon.

Artificial foliage or needles can be used in a variety of ways, adding interspersed buds, blossoming flowers or vines as desired to make your bonsai unique and inimitable. You can see examples of the resulting products in the photo.

Artificial bonsai using beading technique

Another tree that will not need to be looked after as carefully as a living one can be made from beads. To create your own beaded bonsai you will need:

Beads of several shades – approximately 80 g.
Beaded wire 0.35, 1 and 3 mm.
Threads Brown for wrapping trunk and branches.
Glue.
Plaster or alabaster.
Brown paint.
Decorations for supplying wood - moss, pebbles and more.

Master class on beaded bonsai step by step:

First of all, make the branches. You need to start with the smallest elements of the crown. To do this, cut 45 cm of wire with a diameter of 0.35 mm, collect eight beads on it and form a loop from them. Repeat the same procedure on this piece of wire eight times.
Twist the two resulting ends of the wire together, thus forming a small bud of loops. Trim the resulting stem to a length of 10 cm. In total, you need to make 150 of these buds.
Select three small blanks and assemble them into one larger one, as in the photo. The result will be 50 buds.
From the obtained parts you can already begin to form the branches of the future tree. Twist the three pieces together and wrap them with thread for a few centimeters. This results in the top of the branch and its base. In the same way, connect several more pieces of two or three stems. Attach the resulting bundles to the sides of the base a few millimeters below the top. The first, top branch of the bonsai is ready.
Make a few more branches in the same way. Take 12 cm of single wire and tie them to the base. In this way, the second level of branches is formed, which has four branches.
Below, attach two more formed branches with an additional bunch of leaves. This results in five branches. In fact, you can shape the trunk in any way you like and give the branches your own desired shape.
Once all the branches are ready, you can begin assembling the tree itself. If you have any difficulties with how to make branches correctly, you can watch a video that describes the process of creating a bonsai in a very step-by-step manner. Take the thickest, three-millimeter wire and screw the branches of the first level to it. In the same way, attach the second and third level of branches to the improvised trunk. Wrap the trunk and joints with brown threads. Bend the remaining end of the thick wire downwards.
An ordinary ceramic bowl or plastic mold. Wrap the future stand in a plastic bag, prepare a plaster or alabaster solution and pour it into a plate or mold. Fix the woven tree in the solution and wait for it to harden.
Mix some alabaster or plaster with glue and coat the trunk and branches of a beaded bonsai with the resulting mixture. When it dries a little, use a toothpick or needle to apply grooves to the main part of the tree, imitating bark. Dry the product completely.
Holding the bag, remove the frozen plaster base from the mold.
You can move on to painting the barrel. First, paint it with brown paint, then apply additional bronzer using a stiff brush or sponge.
All that remains to be done is to decorate the finished bonsai. At this stage of work, the creator is given enormous scope for imagination, which will allow him to turn a tree made with his own hands into a real masterpiece.

It is not at all necessary to use only green beads when weaving your small artificial tree. You can, for example, replace it with yellow, and then you will get an autumn bonsai. You can turn a coniferous artificial tree into a cherry blossom tree or simply add a few blooming flowers.

Ficus benjamina bonsai: we grow it ourselves

For those who still want to have something beautiful in their home living tree in miniature, you can make a bonsai with your own hands from ficus benjamina. Although it is quite tall, this plant is simply ideal for creating mini-trees. You just need to properly germinate and trim the branches of the seedling.

How to grow bonsai from ficus benjamina? This is done step by step like this:

Before planting in a pot, it is necessary to germinate the ficus seedling in water. A cutting is cut from a large tree, the cut is treated with a means that accelerates root growth, and lowered into water room temperature. Roots of the required length will appear within a week. Before planting in a pot, they need to be trimmed a little to slow down the growth of the tree.
Wash the pot or flowerpot in which we will plant the cuttings thoroughly.
Although ficus - unpretentious plant, for planting it is better to buy special ready-made soil or a universal substrate with a slightly acidic environment. We must not forget about drainage, since the roots of the ficus need very good ventilation. Drainage holes in the pot they are covered with a fine-mesh plastic mesh, a layer of sand is poured on top, and 2-3 cm of soil is placed on top of it.
To give your bonsai the desired shape, you need to work with the roots, the trunk, and the branches. The required shape the roots and crown are reached by pruning, the trunk by fixing with wire. You just need to remember that the bark of ficus trees is quite delicate, and in order not to damage it, place it under the mount soft fabric. After a while, when the tree “remembers” its shape, the wire is carefully cut off.

How to care for Ficus benjamina bonsai:

In the first three years of life, the tree requires annual replanting with complete renewal of the soil. For transplantation, select a container that is 2-3 cm wider and 1 cm deeper.
The main pruning is carried out in the spring; in the summer, excess branches are cut off to maintain the original appearance, in autumn and winter period the plant is not pruned.
Ficus bonsai will grow best on the western or eastern side of the apartment; it also tolerates light shade, but it must be protected from drafts and sudden changes in microclimate.
The plant requires daily moderate watering. The foliage is additionally sprayed once a day (twice in the hot season).
Fertilizer for ficus of half concentration enriches the soil all year round. In the warm season, fertilizers are applied every two weeks, cold period– monthly.

You will have to make a lot of efforts to ensure that a unique designer bonsai appears in your home, which will become worthy decoration. But the effort is worth it if you enter your home every day with an exceptionally good mood.

Bonsai (We make small trees with our own hands). Master Class

Growing a real Bonsai is very difficult. Here, as you understand, desire alone is not enough! This requires time, opportunity, skill and...years of painstaking work. It turns out, alas, not for everyone. But many people can decorate their interior with such a tree. The problem is solvable.

For fruitful work, you need to stock up on various natural materials. In this way, we will solve two problems at once: financial and environmental. It is advisable to select clumsy, knotty snags for trunks, but if this is a problem, then you can also use simple twigs. It’s important to decorate it all beautifully afterwards.

Depending on the color range interior, wood can also be both summer and autumn...

This tree is made from several branches of the bug grass. It grows under every garage. The grass looks like a tree - a thin stem strewn with many branches with small leaves. We take 5-6 of these stems and glue them together into a bundle. Branches with leaves form a luxurious crown. This grass dries quickly, but loses color. We paint the root with spray acrylic paint. There is a lot of it in auto stores, in any color. We glue the trunk with a mixture of sawdust and PVA glue. If there is no sawdust, tea is very convenient for this. We drink tea, any kind, then dry it on newspaper. Great material to work with! If necessary, after drying, the trunk can be tinted. Gouache.

If there is little material, you can make a very tiny tree. True, it looks more like a toy.

What are we “planting” in... If you follow the Bonsai traditions, then the container for the tree should be small, almost flat. Here we select from what is at hand. IN in this case herring tin. We decorate it with a mass of papier-mâché and paint it. It is convenient to do this directly with colored varnish; hardware stores have it. You can replace it with stain or gouache, but after drying, you will need to treat the surface with a colorless varnish.

For this work, a bowl was taken from disposable tableware. It is dense and holds its shape well. It can be painted, covered with pebbles or shells, pieces of glass, etc.

A curved gramophone record looks good in such cases. It bends easily over gas or electric stove. We put the plate on a nail with a large head and hold it at a distance of 20-30 cm above a well-heated stove. When heated, the edges of the plate sag and at this moment they can be given almost any shape. Be careful, the record gets very hot, use gloves!

Now let’s talk about how we secure the tree and with what... If the snag has shoots like roots, great! If there are none, it’s not a tragedy either. We just decorate it differently. To secure the barrel, you can use polyurethane foam. Plaster or alabaster are also very convenient in this case. The material is relatively cheap and economical. Cement is not suitable. It's very hard work. This is of no use.

Since I use gypsum for my work, I’ll tell you about it. For trees like those in my photos (height up to 30cm, no more: from the bottom of the bowl to the top of the crown), 1.5-2 cups of dry gypsum is enough. Divide the dry plaster into two parts. Make one larger, the other, respectively, smaller. The bowls and wood should already be ready. The wood is collected and painted. The bowl is decorated. Place a few pebbles at the bottom of the bowl for counterweight. This is just in case, for better stability of the tree. Place the tree trunk in the bowl as you plan. Dilute most of the gypsum in salted water. Salted water allows the plaster to quickly thicken and harden, so you need to work at a pace. Fill the bowl with wood to 2/3 of the depth of the bowl. Hold the barrel for several minutes. The plaster will set quickly. The bowl will become warm, don’t be alarmed. When gypsum hardens, it heats up. As soon as the trunk is fixed, we proceed to the main decor.

By basic decor I mean the final design of the “land” for bonsai. Nature is endlessly generous, so leaving the “earth” bare is ridiculous. We create the illusion of abundance and lush vegetation. It's easy. All sorts of small snags, stones, dry grass inflorescences... We take the remaining dry gypsum. Let's break it down, but it's already simple cold water, without salt. Now we won't benefit from its rapid thickening. Pour it over the already hardened plaster. As soon as this mass begins to thicken, fill it with everything you have stored as vegetation. Scatter pebbles, stick in driftwood, grass, moss. The plaster will harden and everything will be fixed. After the plaster has completely hardened, the remaining spray paints spray the surface. Light and dark green, yellow, black. These are colors that are suitable for painting the surface of the “ground” and forbs.

Stones and grass.

This same snag is larger.

We fill the surface of the “earth” more abundantly, then the work really resembles a small corner of nature.

If you make an artificial bonsai with your own hands from branches of living plants that retain their decorative properties even when dried, it will be difficult to distinguish a tree from a real one.

In this master class with photos, a small miracle is created from floral wire and thuja twigs. Instead of thuja, you can use boxwood branches, then you will get a deciduous bonsai. He looks amazing too. Place the craft anywhere - this tree does not require sunlight and painstaking care.

Materials for making a tree

Bonsai is a small compact tree that takes many years to form. Growing and shaping something like this is a painstaking and lengthy process, so the cost of an adult plant discourages many from buying it.

In order not to waste effort on growing or money on purchase, make a realistic artificial bonsai from scrap materials.

For a floristry lesson, prepare:

pruner;
floral wire;
dark brown tape;
thuja twigs;
toilet paper;
tube of PVA glue;
round plastic container;
gypsum;
some water;
black, brown and orange gouache;
black acrylic;
brush;
pine bark;
living lichen;

If you don’t want to use live plants as a basis, buy artificial ones, but in this case the resemblance to a real mini-tree will be less.

How to make a bonsai from artificial and natural materials

Take long floral wire, thuja sprigs, pruning shears and tape.

Twist two wires together. Use pruning shears to cut short branches from long ones.

Use duct tape to tape short branches to the ends of the wires.

Start forming the branches of the bonsai tree. Connect the two blanks together and wrap them with toilet paper.

Thanks to the paper, the artificial branch will become thicker.

Attach another wire and decorate everything with brown tape.

You should end up with such a beautiful branch.

The second branch of the artificial bonsai will be without thuja. Take the floral wire and make a blank out of it, as shown in the photo.

Wrap it with the same paper.

Decorate the top with adhesive fabric tape.

Connect the first and second branches together.

Form another third wire branch with the thuja and attach it to the bonsai blank you previously made with your own hands from two branches.

To make the trunk thicker, wrap many layers of wire around the edge toilet paper.

Cover it with tape. The result is a tree with branches and a thick trunk.

The artificial tree needs a stand. It is not necessary to buy a ceramic or glass pot; you can take a not too tall plastic container of any shape (round looks best).

Pour plaster of paris diluted with water into it, insert a tree in the center and wait a few minutes. During this time, the plaster should dry.

Form a bend in the branches as if they were tilted by the wind. The trunk can also be bent to give the tree a bizarre shape.

Now the bonsai has become stable!

The entire trunk and branches need to be covered with pieces of toilet paper, it will add a little texture.

This is what an artificial bonsai looks like at this stage of the master class.

Mix gouache of three colors (brown, black and orange), add a little glue to the mixture.

Paint the branches and trunk with the resulting paint.

Apply a coat of paint to the plaster as well.

After drying, the gouache will become matte.

External surface plastic container cover with 2-3 layers acrylic paint dark shade. In our case it is black acrylic.

Coat the branches with PVA glue and sprinkle with small grains of pine bark.

Glue pieces of lichen on the bend of the trunk.

Glue the bark of a larger fraction, pieces of lichen and moss onto the surface of the gypsum. Leave everything to dry.

Bonsai is ready! He asks for at least a year or longer.

Looks great, practically no different from a living plant! This tree will decorate any room.

A combination of artificial and natural materials often used in . Check out ours, made in mixed media. For combined crafts, it is recommended to choose plants that remain decorative for a long time when cut.

Master class on making artificial wood DIY bonsai was prepared especially for the site “Women’s Hobbies” by Tatyana Ivanova, photo by the author.