Plant of peace: Bonsai offer relaxing pastime

Bonsai is nothing more than growing a tree in a pot. Bob Kovach finds it to be a very relaxing and rewarding hobby.

"I once had a very stressful job so I tried different hobbies but with no satisfaction," he says. "I tried bonsai and became hooked, so I joined the Las Vegas Bonsai Society and the outcome has been phenomenal."

Bonsai got its start in the Far East. Those people have tiny trees in their home nooks growing as a sign of peace. Our servicemen brought the hobby back with them from World War II.

It doesn't require much to get into bonsai. All you need are pruning shears, pliers, wire nippers and chopsticks. Your pruning shears do the major cutting and shaping; pliers help wrap the trees with wire; and the nippers cut the wire. Chopsticks gently clean soil away from the root system and help push it back around the roots when planting.

Kovach says everything in bonsai starts with a triangle just like trees in nature. Even branches take on a triangle shape. They are all reaching for light to form the triangle. As you gaze upon every bonsai masterpiece you'll find a triangular shape to it. Kovach sees this triangle development more on trees in the desert than he did back East. Forests were everywhere so the triangle isn't as prominent.

Before starting any display, Kovach draws it out so he knows what is needed. He wants the entire focus on the plant, never the pot.

"When I start creating a new display, it will take me several days to get it to the desired shape," he says. "Even after spending all this time, every time I pass my developing masterpiece, I'm still making changes."

He is creating a display called the Phoenix Graft (grafting a live plant into a dead plant). It's like the Phoenix rising out of the ground and coming alive again.

He selected an old stump, two juniper saplings and a large pot because of the size of the stump. He waterproofed the stump so it won't rot and carved grooves on each side of the stump for the saplings to fit in. He then planted his saplings and screwed their trunks into the grooves. This allows the sapling to grow and expand over the deadwood. Right now, they look like large veins exposed on the trunk. He shortened one sapling to start his triangle. It will take years for this beauty to become his prized masterpiece.

Wiring and pruning a bonsai tree is fun for Kovach.

"It is where I bend the branches to where I want them to grow," he says. "Once the branches stay in that position, I remove the wires."

The wires bring about the wrinkling and aging of the tree, something Kovach really wants.

It's interesting to note how we Americans are doing everything to erase our wrinkles, but bonsai society is aging their trees to exaggerate their wrinkles and battle scars just like nature but in pots.

This writer recalls asking the late Merle Vande Weerd why he pulled the branches down. He said, "I am trying to duplicate nature."

Kovach uses two types of wire: copper and aluminum. Copper wire is more powerful. For starters, use aluminum because it's easier to manipulate. Apply the wire by anchoring it to the trunk and then wrap it around the branch evenly spaced.

Pruning creates the bonsai tree's initial shape and thickens the trunk to age it. After you have the desired shape, your green thumb grooms the tree from then on.

During the summer, watering becomes critical because of the small pots.

"I water my plants three times a day to keep the pots cool so the heat won't fry the roots," Kovach says. "Because I water so much, I use very little fertilizer to prevent burning the plants."

He says it's important to feed regularly because the porous soil allows the fertilizer to wash away given the frequent waterings.

Kovach invites people who want to create their own bonsai to join his society. The society has monthly demonstrations and lectures. They meet every second Wednesday of each month at the Mirabelli Community Center, 6200 Hargrove Ave. For more information about the society, call 257-4768.

Linn Mills' garden column appears on Sundays. You can reached him at liinmillslv@gmail.com or call him at 526-1495.