BONSAI - JAPANESE PEPPER TREE (ZANTHOXYLUM PIPERITUM)

Bonsai growing is a new experience for me.  After a friend mentioned the other day that she had bought a bonsai tree, it peaked my interest.  I'd been looking at them for years and felt sure that any bonsai that I bought, or tried to grown, would soon meet its doom.  I don't know why I am so nervous about it but I do hate killing things, albeit unintentionally.  When I visited Gordon Rigg's garden centre yesterday, they had a lovely display of bonsai trees and while some of the larger ones were too expensive for me to practise on, I did find one unfortunate tree that I could afford - a Japanese Pepper Tree - Zanthoxylum pipertum.  I think it's two years old.  Let's hope it survives to see three.







According to the label, Japanese Pepper Tree - Zanthoxylum pipertum, is semi-evergreen with red fruits and spicy aroma.  Cool indoors/outdoors in summer.  Water frequently and feed regularly in growing season.  40-70F



It sounds lovely.  The leaves are very shiny and pretty and I read that the flowers are quite fragrant.  We'll see.  On the right of the image below you can just see what looks like embryo buds or fruit.  I'm not sure yet.  Don't forget, I'm a total novice.















Now, I've been looking online for a beginners book so that I can learn (and so that my bonsai has at least half a chance of survival) but not a book that is for such novices that they don't want to know how to grow a bonsai from the very beginning, from a cutting or a seed.  I found one hardback book, quite an old book (1990), that seems to be popular among bonsai growers: Complete Book of Bonsai by Harry Tomlinson (Amazon link).  I bought it second-hand for the grand price of one penny plus postage. 



One website said that Zanthoxylum piperitum is frost hardy and can be grown in sun or semi-shade, indoors and outdoors.  From what I understand it is best to treat it as an outdoor bonsai.  In summer, keep it outdoors but in winter it has to be protected against sub-zero temperatures by bringing it indoors.

I picked up a leaflet at Gordon Rigg Garden Centre and it more or less said this:



A bonsai is a mature tree in miniature growing in a small shallow pot.  There are two types:



Indoor bonsai are tender, often grown as houseplants and need normal houseplant treatment in terms of light and temperature but more careful watering due to the small pot size.



Outdoor bonsai are hardy conifers (e.g. pine or maple) which will grow in a sunny outdoor spot.  They are not to be treated as houseplants.  They need a cold spell in winter but don't let the compost freeze solid in the pot.  In very cold conditions protect them in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse, or wrap them in fleece.  Make sure they don't bake dry in the summer.



Caring for Bonsai



Keep the growing medium moist but not wet.  It can be watered by plunging the pot into a container of rainwater (not too cold).  Keep the atmosphere moist [particularly for indoor bonsai] by surrounding the pot with moist pebbles [presumably the bonsai container is placed on top of pebbles in a dish containing a little water for humidity].  Do not let the bonsai pot dry out completely.



Feed little and often, if possible with a specialists feed throughout the growing season.



To obtain the shape of bonsai you desire, you can carefully bend young growth and wire the branches into position with soft copper or aluminium wire. 



Pinch out growing tips when required to maintain the desired shape.  Some species respond better to pruning than wiring.



Repot every 2 to 4 years to keep the bonsai growing well.  Prune off up to a third of its roots, especially any thick tap root, but retain most of the fine feeding roots.  Repot using free-draining compost, preferably specialist bonsai compost) in the same pot, unless a larger container is needed for visual balance.