The Rural Voice, 2019-04, Page 34As a child of nine in Sudbury,
Robert Traut, now of Perth
South near Kirkton, decided
to plant maple seedlings in acorn
shells as an experiment. It didn’t
work, but a seed was planted
nevertheless!
Fast forward to Grade 11 in
London, Ontario. An ad in the
London Free Press caught his eye.
There was a nursery called
Fitzsimmons in St. Catharines
offering rooted cuttings for bonsai
growth. Robert arranged to get a ride
to the nursery from London and a
lifetime of studying, growing,
pruning and perfecting the art of
Bonsai was begun.
Bonsai is an Asian art form using
cultivation techniques to produce
small trees in containers that mimic
the shape and scale of full-size trees
Robert said that watering bonsai is
very critical. Whether indoors or out,
attention must be paid. Each tree has
be watered until the soil is saturated.
The trees grow in very little soil and
must be pruned carefully as soon as
they bud out. For pruning, they are
taken out of the pots and all the soil
is removed from the fine little roots
before they are cut off. The crown
and leaves are also pruned and then
the bonsai is placed back in the soil
and new soil is placed around the
roots.
Bonsai has been described as an
art form and Robert is, indeed, an
artist. Through years of repeating the
pruning process, the miniature trees
are prized like a painting. Two prized
bonsai of his are Ficus Benjamine,
selected because they have small
leaves in good proportion to the tree
trunk. The larger of the two trees is
30 The Rural Voice
Patience can produce perfection in Bonsai
Bonsai will outlive their owners and can die if someone
doesn’t understand the techniques of this Asian art form
Robert Traut of Perth South is a fan of creating Bonsai, the Asian art of
pruning and care to produce small trees that mimic full-scale trees. Crown,
leaves and roots are pruned. Two prized bonsai are the Ficus Benjamines
he is holding. The larger one is 20 years old.
•By Bonnie Sitter •
Gardening