I could never imagine a world without trees. Ever since I was a child I was impressed by their shape, this symmetry between the roots which vanish into the ground, and the branches which spread out into the sky. I suppose symbolically they are two directly opposite ways to look at life, and yet a trunk is enough to unite them. I often think that maybe this is the reason why trees live so long.
Three years ago I gave my parents a bonsai tree as a gift. When they went on a holiday, I took care of it along with their other plants, and ever since I continue to do so when I visit them. It is one of the few types of trees that can live in an apartment, and this particular one has taken over most of the balcony. This is because we refused to cut off its roots.
I didn’t know that this is what they do to bonsai trees to keep them small, they cut off one third of the roots and repot them with the same soil, in the same pot. I find it appalling and idiotic, that is to say rather typical of the way humans generally treat the environment. And of course I repotted the tree in a bigger pot with more soil, and its roots, branches, and trunk, grew exponentially. It was very beautiful, and I suppose Treebeard would have been very happy for it.
21.02.2011
The most important thing for this tree is humidity, and its watering may be seen as a kind of ritual. One must never let the soil dry out, but too much water is also harmful: in the first case the tree quickly dries up, in the second case it gets sick, its leaves turn yellow and drop off. The ideal is to achieve a steady humidity level, which is why I always water it slowly and in small doses, each dose provided after the previous one has been absorbed, until water begins to come out through the holes in the pot. Apparently the tree likes all that very much, and responds by developing dense layers of leaves. And most of all, it enjoys being sprayed with water, albeit not directly; spraying in the air just above it allows drops of water to fall on its leaves and branches without pressure, just like rain.
Unfortunately, this tree died in August. It dried up inexplicably. I immediately tried to help it as much as I could, and continued to do so for many days. I watered it, sprayed it, fed it, I even placed the whole pot into a bucket of water. But the tree did not respond. One may suppose that its life cycle was completed, or that it got ill, or whatever. But I kept on trying, regardless of how sad it feels to water a tree which is already dead. As the weeks passed, I gradually stopped going to the balcony. Until the beginning of November; my parents had continued to water it, and noticed that its branches maintained their flexibility. Still, when I went out in the balcony I could hardly believe my eyes.
05.11.2011
Friends who have seen the tree say that this is exactly why one should never lose hope. And they are right. A bonsai tree may dry up and die in a few days, and this one was dried up for three whole months. One may wonder how on earth did it manage to survive, but trees of course don’t answer questions. On the other hand, these new green leaves multiply every day, and this is actually the best answer anyone could ever have, isn’t it?
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