Bonsai, Wellbeing and Psychology

June 16, 2025Bonsaiplace Leave a comment

Bonsai enthusiasts have known for a long time that Bonsai is good for them, maybe not financially, but it certainly impacts positively on wellbeing. With that in mind, I did some wider reading and found that most of what is written about the wellbeing impacts on humans and the positive psychological impacts come from personal observations. There are however a few studies that was published over the last couple of years. One of these is in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2021 that addressed this matter from an academic perspective.

Research Evidence

This study (Practitioner’s Experiences of the Influence of Bonsai Art on Health) asked 255 skilled bonsai practitioners about their experiences and observations. The study’s hypothesis was supported by the outcome that “bonsai art was associated with meaningful healing experiences”. Specifically, the evidence showed that bonsai practitioners experienced improved ecological, spiritual, and emotional awareness. It also stated various healing dimensions, inclusive of aesthetic creativity, resilience, adaptability, as well as social, physical, and personal health. It goes as far as saying that bonsai art can be used as an ethically sound health promotion technique in various settings, inclusive of psychiatric hospitals, retirement homes, rehabilitation centres and prisons (Hermann, Caroll and Edwards, Stephen. 2021).

Here are a few quotes from participants:

“Having to concentrate when shaping or styling a tree or keep your mind active when handling a problem tree helps one to stay mentally alert and sharp”.

“Bonsai gives me a creative outlet, helps me relax, helps me focus, and sometimes gives a temporary refuge from conflict”.

“It helped me to overcome major physical trauma in a positive way”.

“Growing Bonsai makes me aware of the need to care about my personal health and wellbeing”. The further reading came up with a number of points to illustrate that Bonsai does indeed support wellbeing and positive psychological outcomes.

Hormones again

Further to the study above, it is generally accepted that Bonsai can boost mental wellbeing by enhancing a relaxed state and a sense of accomplishment. This goes hand in hand with the impact of serotonin, the happiness hormone. We do know that Serotonin levels rise in anticipation of rewards and increase with their value. Working on Bonsai trees with a specific design or plan in mind anticipates that the tree will develop over time and become a tree that one can be proud of. This is further enhanced when Bonsai trees are displayed, and positive feedback is received from other Bonsai artists. From this it is advised that Bonsai trees are shown at club meetings and regional and national shows. There is a proliferation of online social media posts of people showing their trees to the world. This concept is also backed up by scientific research (Neurosciencenews.com).

Mindfulness

Caring for Bonsai trees encourages mindfulness, and this in turn, reduces stress. Mindfulness is the act of focussing on something without external distractions and especially seen in Bonsai cultivation when detailed work is done. This relates to actions like wiring, pruning, carving and doing delicate bending work. Being mindful allows the individual to ignore all other influences, inclusive of things that might be troubling the person mentally, financially and physically. Sometimes this is related to a spiritual experience but from a purely focusing exercise, will help to shut noise out and allows for a time of relaxation and escape from the realities of life.

The Creative Process

Shaping and nurturing Bonsai trees enhances mental clarity and personal satisfaction. The clarity comes from studying the tree’s structure, planning further development and then taking the ultimate step to the refinement of a well-developed Bonsai. This is one of the few art forms that is never finished. There is no finished product, just striving for perfection within a cycle of seasonal care, repetitive actions, and slowly working towards an ultimate goal. Realising that this never comes to full achievement. Once that is understood it provides clarity of the purpose, the fact that we are merely guardians of the trees, and reaching the intermediate goals towards perfection serves as steps towards personal satisfaction. Advancing a tree step-by-step on the journey, observing the development and finding the flow of all these actions, satisfies the creative soul and leads to a state of satisfaction that few other activities lead to.

Close to nature

Nature heals. Some would argue that Bonsai is artificial in the sense that the tree is in a pot, removed from nature. Bonsai art could also be seen as trying to imitate nature. Shaping a tree to represent its big cousins in a forest or standing alone in a field. Both of these thoughts do bring the Bonsai practitioner closer to nature. Caring for a living organism, providing the essentials that is found in nature for the tree towards peak development, or taking you into nature to collect trees for your collection, both needs a deeper understanding of living organisms and its place in nature. Many Bonsai artists that I have met over many years are keen conservationists with a caring nature towards not just trees, but the whole ecology that makes it possible for a tree to live. This closeness to nature serves as a channel for health and wellbeing.

Recovery and healing

Many stories and cases exist of people who talk about how their Bonsai activities have supported them to get through difficult times, recover from relationship break-ups, depression and even life-threatening health issues. I can personally vouch for this as part of recovery from a stint with cancer a few years ago and how the mindfulness, meditative actions of working on my trees helped the recovery process, especially from a mental health perspective. While things like radiation and other chemicals cause destruction in your body, you can become still, focus on a Bonsai task at hand, and I am certain that this in turn not only helped the physical recovery along, but also strengthened the mental aspects needed for recovery. It is this mental strength and patience that helps to put things in perspective and keep on working on your self as you would on a tree. The other analogy that comes to mind is that you allow many medical professionals to work on you the same way you work on a tree. The trust aspect is immense.

This is also backed up by research and discussed in a paper published in December 2023, Bonsai: “a life in balance”. The therapeutic benefits of growing bonsai trees.

Physical exercise

Another well-known aspect enhancing mental wealth and wellbeing is that of exercise. This is of even more importance as we get older. Bonsai certainly helps with that aspect as we do not always sit on a chair to work on our trees. I prefer standing up, more importantly, carrying trees in pots from benches to a workstation, shifting at times quite heavy pots for seasonal enhancement and in my case, climbing a staircase multiple times per day with trees and pots in hand, certainly works on the legs, back and aerobic exercise. My bonsai display and workstation is split across two levels of land. Of the utmost importance is also fine-motor activities. These refer to aspects of wiring and using scissors and other small tools while cultivating Bonsai trees. All of these, when regularly engaged in, not only supports physical health, but also mental health and wellbeing. This is certainly supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2024).

Social Interaction

Lack of social interaction has recently been shown to be a contributor towards the onset of Dementia. Bonsai as an activity provides many opportunities to interact with others. Join a club, visit displays and participate in national conventions. a Bonsai tree always serves as a conversation starter, no matter where you are. It extends across language barriers as it is a visual art form, leading to close friendships and gaining acquaintances that supports this need for social interaction (Somerlad et.al 2023. https://rdcu.be/dVqOs).

References

Hermann, Caroll and Edwards, Stephen D. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021 March; 18(6): 2894. Published online 2021 March 12. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph18062894

Neuroscience News.com. Serotonin levels rise with reward anticipation. Online, 28 September 2024.

Pack. S. (2023). Bonsai: “a life in balance”. The therapeutic benefits of growing bonsai trees. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture, 33(1), 1-18. https://ahta.memberclicks.net/journal-of-therapeutic-horticulture-33-1 – 2023.

Sommerlad, A., Kivimäki, M., Larson, E.B. et al. Social participation and risk of developing dementia. Nat Aging 3, 532–545 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-023-00387-0

World Health Organisation (WHO). Physical activity (who.int). Accessed on 29 September 2024.

Feel free to comment on how Bonsai is supporting your wellbeing.

Bonsai – Management of Pests and Diseases

June 11, 2025June 12, 2025Bonsaiplace Leave a comment

Introduction

Prevention is always better than cure. Preventative measures like general hygiene around your trees, cleaning tools often and preventative sprays are all things that can be done to prevent diseases and pests from causing damage to your trees.

Hygiene includes removing dead leaves, checking the underside of pots for insects, slugs and snails and allowing enough space between trees for good air flow. Trees on shelves backing on to a wall can at times not get the air flow that is needed or even burn from the sun’s reflection (heat) off the wall. Tools should be cleaned regularly and preferably with an alcohol-based product. This needs to be done in between working on trees who are susceptible to disease and where disease is present.

General maintenance is also important. Repotting when needed, ensuring that watering is done appropriately and that the soil does not become water-logged are ways to prevent disease. Fungal problems can originate from things like root-rot and poor drainage.

As this article focusses more on treatments available in New Zealand (some of the brands are also available in Australia), I will focus on preventing disease and pests from a chemical approach and then also from an elimination perspective. From an elimination perspective it is always best to use mechanical means (squashing) insects by hand when noticed. Aphids can at times (light infections) be blasted by using water directed at the insects. If that is not an option, chemical means will have to be used.

It is also important to note that trees that are generally in good health and well fertilized tend to be less susceptible to all sorts of diseases and pests. The biggest threat is when a new plant arrives in your collection and a couple of days or weeks later you become aware of a disease that came with the plant. Depending on the severity, the plant can be isolated or in bad cases if infestation, probably best to burn.

The best practice comes down to preventative sprays. These fall into basically two categories. The one is the prevention of fungal and bacterial diseases and the other is the prevention if insect infestations. I will largely include mites with insects although they technically are little spiders.

Use of chemicals

If you have less than ten trees it is probably best to use the ready-to-use spray bottles that are available off the shelf from most garden centers, and places like Bunnings and in New Zealand, Mitre10. I find that anything more than that, it is more economical to buy the concentrated forms of the products. At the minimum I would suggest a fungal control product and an insect control product. If you have more trees, beware of the fact that most fungal infections become resistant to the use of the same chemical (see active ingredients) and it is best to have two products for fungal diseases and alternate the use of these. Fungal sprays are also mostly systemic (the preferred option) which means that they are taken up throughout the plant systems and in that way can protect the plant and fight disease from within. Most insect sprays kill on contact, but there are systemic options available as well. Just when you think you get the hang of all of this, another warning. Not all these chemically based products are compatible. There are many permutations here and it is best to read the labels and the instructions before you buy and use the products on your trees. Some of these products cannot be stored after the solution has been made up and used.

Common Problems

The compatibility of chemicals with each other is mentioned above as well as the fact that some diseases become resistant to the chemicals after repeated and prolonged use. Safety around these products cannot be over-emphasized. Basic hygiene protocols are important and the one to mention here if you use concentrated forms and then have to make up your own diluted solutions, is to either mark your spray bottles with the name of the product clearly indicated (make sure it is permanent and does not wash off) or thoroughly clean your bottles in-between applications. Never use the same bottle or sprayer for disease and insect control AND weed control. That is a guaranteed disaster.

General caution

As with all chemical products, read the instructions and the warnings. All of these products have Safety Data Sheets (SDS) available on the supplier’s websites where more product information is also available. Generally, store away from children and pets and use the products away from children and pests. Wash your hands thoroughly after use and use a mask. Best not to spray on windy days. For best application ensure that you spray the whole tree, inclusive of the undersides of leaves. It is also known that there are beneficial fungus and bacterial organisms in the soil of our trees, and these need to be protected when chemicals that are formulated to kill these are used. It is especially the very useful relationship between the roots of conifers, especially Pine trees, and the white mycelium of Mycorrhiza to be noted here. Fungal fighting chemicals will harm these and therefore it is important that a good barrier is placed on top of the soil when especially Pine trees are treated to prevent the chemical from having contact with the soil.

In summary

I use two fungal fighting products and two pest fighting products alternatively. An explanatory note to say that these products are available in New Zealand. My main go to products for fungal diseases are Kiwicare Spectrum (Myclobutanil) and Yates Liquid Copper. That covers two different active ingredients, and these are used as both preventative and when disease is noticed. In winter I do a diluted spray of lime sulfur a couple of times. For insects it is a matter of mechanical means as first defense and if that fails, I use Yates Mavrik. The tables below provide a bit more of an overview of available products. Also note that there are other products available and if larges quantities or something specific is needed, agricultural or horticultural suppliers can be contacted for those applications. The tables also include a few organic or safer products, especially in the Nature’s Way range of products.

Fungal Diseases
Product	Active Ingredient	Dosage	Notes
Yates Fungus Fighter	12g/litre Myclobutanil	10ml per litre of water	Protect conifer roots before application
Yates Liquid Copper	92.8/L Copper, present as Copper Ammonium Acetate	5ml per litre of water	Do not store solution after application.
Yates Copper Oxychloride	500g/kg Copper as a Copper Oxychloride	25g with 5 litres of water	Powder. Stains walls, fences and other surfaces.
Yates Lime Sulfur	200g/L sulfur as calcium polysulphide		Multi-purpose that controls a range of pests and diseases, moss and lichens. Largely for preventative use.
Yates Fungus Gun	Myclobutanil (0.05g/litre)	Ready to use.	Systemic fungicide.
Yates Nature’s Way Fungus Spray	350g/kg as copper oxychloride and 240g/kg sulfur.	5g per litre of water.	Powder.
Kiwicare Spectrum	4.4g per litre Myclobutanil and 9.6g per litre Tau-fluvalinate.	10ml per litre of water.	Comes in a ready-to-use spray bottle as well.

Insects and Mites
Product	Active Ingredient	Dosage	Notes
Yates Mavrik Insect and Mite spray	7.5g per litre tau-fluvalinate	10-15ml per litre. Also available in a ready-to-use spray bottle.	Controls a wide range of insect and mites pests by contact.
Yates Success Ultra	5g per litre Spinetoram	5-10ml per litre of water.	Spinetoram is the latest generation insect control – derived from beneficial soil bacteria.
Yates Nature’s Way Natural Insect Spray Pyrethrum	14g per litre Pyrethrins and 56.5g/litre piperonyl butoxide.	5ml per litre of water.	Works by contact action. Also available in a ready-to-use spray bottle.
Kiwicare No Borer	1g per litre Permethrin.	Spray / Inject directly to borer hole.	Spray injector.

Spraying Oils – especially good on scale insects
Product	Active Ingredient	Dosage	Notes
Kiwicare Super Spraying Oil	843g per litre mineral oil.	10ml per litre (summer) of water or 20ml per litre of water (winter).	Also available in ready-to-use spray bottle.
Yates Conqueror Oil	823g per litre mineral oil	15 – 20 ml per litre of water all year.	An intermediate spraying oil for control of scale, mites and mealy bug. Also available in ready-to-use spray bottle.