The Su-style bonsai: crafting methods and landscape design techniques
Su-style bonsai consists of five major parts: first the roots, second the trunk, third the nodes, fourth the new branches, fifth the crown. Simply process and shape each of the five parts separately, and it becomes a living work of art.
1. Raising the roots
According to the distribution of the roots, lift the root system above the soil surface, placing it in all four directions. Roots that coil and rise boldly above the pot surface are considered superior; those with buttress roots exposed above the soil are also good. They may be upright, slanting, or lying flat. "The head must form layers, the feet must form lines," achieving "suspended roots and exposed claws" to show antiquity. Root raising must be done year by year and step by step; it is best not to raise too much at once, to prevent damaging the roots and affecting growth. If the roots are thin, they must not be raised above the soil surface, otherwise after long exposure to wind and rain, sun and freezing, they will all wither and die. You may continue cultivating them to develop the roots, and once they reach a certain thickness, it is not too late to raise them then. If a bonsai has no thick roots, they cannot be exposed above the soil surface.
2. Bending
Most trees are predominantly upright, and they need to be trained and tied into several bends and fixed in place; this is called "bending." There is a rule for bending, called "straightness within the bends, crown and roots in opposition." This means the plant's center of gravity should not extend beyond the pot surface, to maintain stability and benefit growth (except for special styles). The bends must not protrude too much or deviate too far from the theme. The first bend is called the "base bend," also called the "first bend out of the soil." The bend may go to the left, to the right, or backward, but it is best not to bend it forward; this too is basic knowledge.
3. Node pruning
Node pruning generally involves two situations. First, after potting and bending, branches useless for the design are sawed off. When sawing branches, leave short stubs according to the tree's styling needs; do not saw everything flat. Second, before potting and shaping, take a trunk that is thin, long, tall, and lacks branches, making it difficult to shape, and cut it short at a certain distance from the ground to let it sprout new branches again. Or, if there are several small trunks on the roots, keep only one trunk and cut away the rest, using a side branch to replace the main trunk; this better displays the tenacious vitality of a natural tree. This is also called "node pruning," though the specific methods may differ.
4. Making pads
Take each main branch, secondary branch, and the third-node and fourth-node branches of the trunk, and with their leaves shape them into "dumpling-head form" or "cloud-pad form" and other foliage pads. The trunk pads should be full, slightly higher and a little protruding in the middle, round yet thin and flat; this is called "making pads." Branches must not appear on the "front-facing side" of the trunk (the side of the branch pad facing the viewer), and pads must certainly not be made on front-facing branches. Pad making is mainly by pruning, with tying as a supplement. If palm rope is used to tie flat, thin pads, it is very labor- and time-consuming, and most people lack this skill; therefore pruning and pinching to gather pads is the main method. Generally, pads are made on the main branches, one pad per branch, or a pad may be divided. Branches coming off the main branch should emerge from the hump-backed side of the trunk, not from the inner curve. When pruning branches and making pads, first avoid the "carrying-pole branch," that is, making pads on the left and right to form a straight line with no difference in length. Second, avoid the "front-facing branch": among the branches emerging from the trunk, one branch points straight forward as if to poke the viewer's eye, which is truly unsightly; it should be sawed flat. Better to have one branch fewer than to keep an eyesore. Pay attention to the branch pads behind the trunk; these are called "back-wall branches." Back-wall branches can make the bonsai tree rich and three-dimensional.
5. Finishing the crown
The crown and roots should be in opposition, and the crown pad should not exceed the area of the pot bottom (except in special cases). Pay attention to appropriate dynamism, and even more attention to achieving an upward-looking effect: the tree crown should lean backward 1 to 2 cm. Never use a bowing style. The size of the crown should only be two or three tenths of the entire branch pads; it must not be larger than the branch pads. Specifically, it should be large at the top and small at the bottom, or left-right symmetrical; it must not be parallel top and bottom, or a single branch pad standing alone without echoing the others. Each branch pad should connect with the other branch pads; the branch pads should be clearly layered, each pad steady and neat, not shading one another, not overlapping one another. In particular, the number of branch pads must not be even; it should be odd. Viewed as a whole, it should have dynamism and not be rigid. If it is the branch pads of a cascade-style bonsai, they should be wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, so as to appear especially vigorous, majestic, and powerful.