Key Points and Step-by-Step Illustrated Guide to Creating Bonsai with a Short, Powerful Trunk

"A hegemon is one who leads. It means being the leader of the feudal lords." -- Mencius. Short and powerful bonsai, as the name implies, are the "shorties" among bonsai. Though "short" and "small," they do not lose the domineering presence of a king. The trunk of a short and powerful bonsai gradually tapers from bottom to top with even transitions, and the branches also thin out in graded, tiered levels. Without a reference object for comparison, it looks just like a standard large tree in nature. The so-called "seeing the big in the small" expressive technique in bonsai is displayed to the fullest in short and powerful bonsai!

The most direct, most influential, and one might even say the most magical and greatest method for making bonsai trees short is "trunk chopping and branch growing." The history of Chinesebonsai goes back at least over a thousand years, while the history of trunk chopping and branch growing is less than a hundred years. Records show that this unprecedented, epoch-making technique was first created by the grand master of bonsai, Mr. Kong Taichu. Through "trunk chopping," trees ten years old or even a hundred years old are made shorter, and then after years of "branch growing" and transition, a tall tree transforms completely and takes on an entirely different appearance. Its trunk becomes gnarled and weathered, and its base stands as steady as Mount Tai.

If the physical method of trunk chopping and branch growing is a major move in making potted trees short, then the chemical method of spraying to shorten internodes and promote compact, sturdy growth should be an auxiliary minor move! In addition, when selecting potted trees beforehand, those collected from harsh natural environments and those that have been trampled and damaged by humans, livestock, and insects are all top choices. Because they have the potential to become naturally short, though such "natural beauties" are extremely rare and can only be encountered by chance, not sought

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