Is Bonsai Cruel?

People often say that bonsai is cruel. They argue that the tree is tortured into being kept small and is often neglected.

This could not be any further from the truth. There is nothing cruel about bonsai, in fact they might be the most cared for plants on the planet.

Why Do People Think Bonsai Is Cruel?

The common misconception is that in order to keep a bonsai tree small, it must be stunted in some way. There is a belief that water and fertiliser is withheld to stop the tree growing to its full potential.

Some people also argue that the tree feels pain when it pruned or has its roots trimmed.

Bonsai trees are also often wired and the branches can be twisted into some fairly contorted shapes, which again people believe is harming the tree.

Do Bonsai Feel Pain?

At the moment, nobody knows exactly if a plant can feel anything, let alone pain. It is still being researched by scientists. We know they can react to stimulus, such as light, but we don’t really know much more.

However, it is unlikely that bonsai feel pain. If you look at pain in humans, it’s basically a warning and harm prevention system. Your body is telling you that whatever you are doing is bad for it, so you need to stop it. Immediately.

This is why your hand instantly flinches away in pain when you touch something hot. It’s warning you that this bad for you.

When you do anything to a tree, it doesn’t react like this. They certainly do not react at the same speed as human.

I do not believe that plants have a central nervous system in the way we do, so trying to say we make them suffer makes no sense to me.  

Bonsai Techniques Are Just Copying Nature

When you think about bonsai techniques, most of them can be directly correlated to something that happens in nature.

When we remove all the leaves, this can happen naturally in strong storms, or animals may eat all the leaves. We prune branches, which again, branches fall off naturally in storms.

Although most bonsai owners try and water at a constant amount, there is sometimes overwatering or underwatering, which are the exact same as periods of droughts or flooding in nature.

Trees can also be found growing in small confided spaces, such as crevices in rocks which are not to dissimilar to small bonsai pots.  

Obviously how humans perform these techniques are slightly different than nature, but I think they are close enough that they are not totally alien to a tree.  

I will now go through some techniques in detail to explain how they are actually beneficial to the tree rather than harmful.

(You can read more about – What Is Overwatering A Bonsai Trees?)

Pruning A Bonsai Is Healthy For It

Pruning branches, or cutting off branches looks savage at times, but it’s not.

Each time a cut is made, it actually promotes more growth at that point. It causes the tree to send out even more growth. Very simply, the more leaves a tree has, the more food it can make for itself, which means it’s actually going to be healthier.  So by cutting a tree back, it makes it healthier in the long run.

There is also the fact that a tree has to send water to its leaves from the roots. If a branch is very, very long, it takes a lot of energy to do this. By pruning a tree it keeps the shape more compact, so the tree has to send the water a shorter distance to get it where its needed.

Pruning a bonsai is not cruel, it helps keep it healthy.

Root Work On A Bonsai

The trimming of bonsai roots is another technique that looks very serve. However, similar to the pruning of the branches it is actually very beneficial for the tree.

When a tree grows in the ground it sends out roots to take up water. The larger a tree gets the more roots it needs. At some point it will basically use up all the resources directly around it and will need to keep sending roots further and further away to get the water it needs.

There comes a point when the roots are so far away from the tree that they just can’t get enough water back to the main trunk. This is effectively how old trees die. They just stretch and stretch until it’s too much. Obviously this takes many years, but in a nutshell, that’s what happens.

When bonsai roots are trimmed it firstly causes more division in the roots, so you will get more roots. These roots are kept short and closer to the trunk, so the tree can get the water it needs quicker and easier.

We also replace the soil and add nutrition in the form of fertiliser. This means means it doesn’t need to stretch out, everything it needs to be healthy is at its finger tips …or i guess root tips.  

Pruning a bonsais roots is not cruel, it helps it stay healthy.

Defoliation Of A Bonsai

Sometimes the leaves are removed from a bonsai tree. This can look very drastic, but it is actually very beneficial.

It firstly allows light to get into the inner structure, which makes sure any small branches or buds are kept healthy and do not die.

Then when the leaves regrow, the tree actually spreads its energy equally through the whole tree. This prevents stronger branches dominating and gives the weaker branches a chance to catch up and get stronger.

Defoliating a bonsai is not cruel, it helps keep it healthy.

Wiring A Bonsai

You will often see bonsai with wires on them. This is said to be restricting the branches growth. This is wrong. This is simply to move a branch into a more desirable position.

Often this is purely aesthetical, but it also usually moves a branch into a more beneficial position for light. The extra light means the branch will grow stronger and healthier.

The wire is also temporary and removed before it is allowed to cut in. The branch is not damaged during wiring. If it was, it might die. Bonsai growers do not want branches to die, they want them to be healthier.    

Wiring a Bonsai is not cruel, it helps keep the tree healthy.

(You can read more about – Why Do We Wire Bonsai?)

Are Bonsai Kept Small And Stunted?

People often say that bonsai trees are “stunted”. This implies they are given less nutrients or water, which isn’t true. Bonsai trees are given plenty of water and nutrients.

The goal of the grower is to have their trees as healthy as possible.  It is the management of this healthy growth through some of the techniques that I have discusses above that keep a tree miniature.   

What Level Of Care Is Given To A Bonsai?

If the people who said bonsai was cruel spent a day with any bonsai grower, they would quickly see that the level of care given to each tree is phenomenal.

Every day a tree will be inspected to see if it needs water and to check for pests or problems. The time spent caring and looking after a bonsai will far surpass the care given to a simple house plant or another ornamental plant.

The attention to detail in regards to getting a tree as healthy as possible says to me that this art is the complete opposite of cruel.  

(You can read more information about – Can You Care For All Bonsai The Same Way?)

What Is The Longevity Of A Bonsai

The aim of bonsai growers is to keep a tree alive for as long as possible. Some of the oldest bonsai are hundreds of years old. They have been passed through multiple generations of the same family.

To look after a bonsai tree everyday for your entire lifetime and then pass it on to a family member is a true dedication to the tree.

The techniques used in bonsai can actually keep a tree young and can rejuvenate it, meaning that bonsai is far more sustainable than other forms of horticulture, such as flowers which are grown and cut to only last a short time, bonsai growing is a very long procedure and appreciated art form.

(You can read more about – How Old Can Bonsai Trees Be)

What About How Other Plants Are Treated?

For some reason bonsai is labelled cruel, but other forms of horticulture are not questioned.

What about the way that grass or hedges are cut back continually throughout the year?

What about vegetables we eat? No one claims the way they are farmed is cruel, even when they are pumped full of artificial fertilisers and genetically modified.

What about tree farming or just arborists in general? No one ever calls any of these cruel or torture towards trees, so why does bonsai get such a bad name?

It just doesn’t make much sense.

Conclusion

Hopefully now I have explained why we do our techniques and what we are trying to achieve, the myth about bonsai being cruel will be washed away.   

Bonsai are extremely healthy and very well looked after. There is nothing cruel in this hobby.