Bonsai Materials Chennai – Rajendran RR Nursery

August 12, 2010 · Filed under Bonsai Materials Chennai, Bonsai Training

When we were seriously thinking to gather Chennai based Bonsai information, we came to know that a happening common consumer exhibition has a bonsai stall and the bonsais range starts from 200 bugs. This surprised us and obviously we were at the exhibition on the same day. This created an opportunity for us to meet this humble person, Rajendran of RR nursery. In a 30 min conversation he shared his best on bonsai.

No wonder, the very next weekend we reached RR Nursery at Seiyur, an acre of experimental land highly dedicated for bonsai. Our 2 hrs schedule was extended to the late evening and we were loaded with tons of information.

In our view, he is the one taking bonsai to common man’s door steps. This self learnt artist is one of the best choices for bonsai starter material.


History?
I was a part of a “set design” firm which works closely with film art directors to create natural sets for movies. Once my boss introduced me to the miniature tree art and slowly we had a dedicated area for bonsai research. My quest made me to dedicate my full time to these tiny trees. It is almost 12 years and Iam growing with it.

Starter material?
My first tree was a Banyan and I would suggest ficus for starters, a tree which will not disappoint you

Future bonsai?
I came across few present generations who doesn’t even know how a mango tree looks. It worried me a lot. I love to have a museum of rare tree to be a bridge between past and future.

What led you to specialize in a bonsai stock nursery?
I love trees but I can not have thousands of them with me. But it is possible through bonsai.

To keep healthy?
Good sun light and watering would be a base for a bonsai to keep it healthy.

Since you are running a bonsai business, Do you still have time to create and maintain your own bonsai trees?
My life moves with bonsai but I am not able to dedicate my time to grow a master piece of my own. I am really waiting to dedicate my full time for it.

Do you have any hunt stories that are particular funny or exciting?
My hunt for rare tree is always exciting, once I spotted a rare tree and I was waiting for it to flower and generate seeds. One fine day it started to fruit and “yes am going to get seeds”. But when I reached there the ground is clean and there were no trace of seeds. Then I realized that the sweepers cleaned the place and dumped the seeds. Then I started visiting the same place before the sweepers entered.

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What is Bodhi?

July 8, 2010 · Filed under Trees of India · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

 

 As we went on associating different Bonsai passionate in this blog, one tree attracted us from the very first site was Bodhi. Almost all the Bonsai passionate had this tree or wanting to have this tree. This tree attracts every one from the very sound, for its history and religious value. However, when we tried to match this tree with its botanical name, it triggered some conflicting information. 

The Botanical Name for Bodhi is ‘Ficus religiosa’ and the common name is pipal. “Pipal”! commonly seen pipal? but all experts we met pointed to a tree with different leaf shape, unlike the regular pipal leaf which is heart shaped.” 

With that, we tried to take support of Wiki to demystify this further, and below are some interesting information. 

Leaf Structure of Mahabodhi tree from wikiAccording to Wiki: The Bodhi Tree (Ficus religiosa) is also known as Sacred Fig tree. Even the Sacred Fig (also known as Mahabodhi tree) growing at the Mahabodhi Temple, which is a direct descendant of the original specimen under which Lord Buddha was enlighted, has heart shaped leaf (Pipal leaf). 

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree  


 All google links and images are leading us to normal pipal tree. So, does the botanical name “Ficus religiosa” is shared by 2 different species? is pipal tree also a Bodhi? and the question bank keeps building. We started with one question and leaving you with many unanswered questions. 

 Though we didn’t get through with solid information to conclude this blog with proper judgement, we wanted to share our important learning of this tree. Do you know why Ficus Religiosa is considered as a sacred tree?  Ficus Religiosa do a modified form of photosynthesis called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM).Though they may not release large amount of oxygen by this process but they are capable of doing photosynthesis during night. Besides this research work conducted on several plants along with Ficus Religiosa revealed that Ficus Religiosa releases large quantities of Isoprene a volatile organic compound necessary for preventing depletion of ozone layer concluding that these trees play an important role in preserving ozone layer.  

Source: http://www.desiwonders.com/health/why-ficus-religiosa-is-sacred-tree/9/  

We are still curious to learn and share the mystery about Bodhi, anyone who has the decoded answer please feel free to share your thoughts through comments. 

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Suseela Vergis – Bonsai Artist Chennai

July 1, 2010 · Filed under Bonsai Artist · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

  We were introduced to this bonsai passionate through Rajandharan of PLR nursery. We were invited to meet her, at her farm house on ECR road. Her farm house had a professional architectural touch right from the entrance. It was a graceful and peaceful place with her Bonsais adding more value and beauty the farm house. She has a deep love for Bonsai and though she has created few Bonsai master piece of her own she is still very egger explore and master this art.

Interview with susheela.

What got you into Bonsai art?
I’m a Botany student and did my masters in Horticulture. With that, I always have a deep love for plants and that got me into this tree art.

What bonsai means to you Bonsai?
It’s such a interactive hobby and it’s my own world of bonsai.

What is your first Bonsai material?
I started with ficus Benjamina and that material is now a beautiful bonsai and 35 years old.

Your master?
Jyothi and Nikunj Parekh are my inspirational masters.

What is your person goal/dream?
To make an ultimate and perfect Bonsai. I want to have 500 Bonsai trees in my farm and I don’t want to commercialize it.

About bonsai club?
Bodhi is Chennai Bonsai association functioning for couple of years. All interested Bonsai passionate can join the club. Clubs are very good medium for promoting this special art, it creates a good opportunity for Bonsai artists to get together share ideas and promote the art.

According what are do and don’ts for Bonsai?
Study the nature and replicate it as bonsai – study its style and implement it. Don’t force the plant to your style just groom it according to its nature. More importantly, don’t be cruel to the tree, please let it grow on its own.

What is the difference between Indian and Japanese Bonsais?
Training is different as the trees are different. What we do is a Indian version of Bonsai that supports our environment and climate.

According to you what is a good Bonsai and master piece?
A Bonsai that calibrates all the international spec and standards will be a master piece and all healthy Bonsai are good Bonsais. In other words, if you are happy with your Bonsai it is a good Bonsai. Bonsai reflects the personality of its master.

Who is your ideal person in the art of Bonsai?
peter chan – he is a great Bonsai master. His interaction with plants is tremendous. In less than 30 minutes he can make a excellent Bonsai from any raw Bonsai material.

If you have to give one important tip to beginners what will that be?
Please accept the tree to best of its nature as it has to be your lifelong friend. Learn the correct way to choose the Bonsai material – get the correct eye.

What are the common mistakes that beginners tend to make?
Without having the final shape in mind they tend cut the branches the wrong branches. My advice to the beginners would be “Think twice before you cut the branch, remember there is no remedy for this mistake.

Future of Bonsai?
I see more people attracted to this art. This art will definitely grow and expand.

How would you want to contribute to this art?
I will encourage the beginners. Interested people can contact me, I can guide them through their fears and doubts. I can also support them by taking care of their trees and shaping it for them.

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Udhay – Bonsai Artist chennai

June 17, 2010 · Filed under Bonsai Artist · Tagged , , , , , ,

Through Rajendran of PLR nursery we got introduced to another interesting Bonsai passionate, Udhay. We had a chance to meet him at his residence at Pallikaranai. His residence is away from the busy and polluted Chennai. Though it was a hot and humid day, it was a pleasant and peaceful experience at his residence.

He runs a reality business and is a flat promoter by profession- a very busy personality who makes sure to spend a substantial time everyday for Bonsais. He is a nature loving and good hearted person. He insists and encourages every one he meets to grow at least one tree in their house or at least on their street. He is so passionate towards Bonsai and has a keen desire to spread the form of Bonsai-art. He was willing to share his knowledge that he acquired till date to anyone who should only have true interest and passion to learn. We came to know from a different source that a carpenter got inspired from Udhay’s Bonsais, and with Udhay’s guidance he has couple of Bonsais of his own.

What made you a Bonsai passionate?
I had a deep love for plants and trees from my school days. My school was in Chennai IIT campus which got me closer to the nature. I spend most of my time admiring the trees and its shapes. One day I got introduced to Bonsai at PLR nursery and I immediately fell in love with it. I decided to learn the art of Bonsai and got aligned to this wonderful passion.

Who is your Bonsai guru?
My first trainer was Ravindharan – Nagarkovil. One of my greatest inspirations was Ponnuswami – Shakti sugars, and I continued to improve my Bonsai skills from this wonderful person.

What will be your first message to beginners?
Select the right plants – It is more about the shape and not the age.

According to you what are the common mistakes that beginner would tend to make?
They tend to think all small and old trees are Bonsai. They have to learn the proper definition of Bonsai before they get in to the Bonsai world. Also, understand that all old looking trees are not really old. People can tweak even a young plant to look that way for commercial values. Secondly, most of the beginners miss to feed the trees properly and they tend to kill or weaken them. Finally, most of them miss the important point of leaf and tree proportion. They will be successful in maintaining the size of the tree, but will miss to retain the size of the leaf to trees’ proportion.

What is your favorite Bonsai material?
I like the Banyan at ideal height 1.5 – 2 feet, with fruits – you can die for it.

What is your favorite style?
Informal upright and slating. Style like cascade will look good but where is the tree?

If you have to give one most important tip to the beginner what will that be?
Work with natural style of the tree that it can easily adapt. Work on the branches and you will automatically get the canapé.

Do you think clubs can promote this art?
Sure, Bonsai clubs are mostly non profitable organizations that can give practice to an individual and also sets a stage to showcase the individual’s art.

What is the difference between good Bonsai and Masterpiece?
Masterpiece means – Good shape, age, canapé, branches, look… but good Bonsai is just a healthy fully grown small tree.

If you have a option to spend rest of your life with a bonsai master, whom do you want to be with?
Without doubts I would select John Naka – father of modern Bonsai

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Bonsai Training Chennai – Trainer: Surya Narmada

June 3, 2010 · Filed under Bonsai Training · Tagged , , , ,

Surya Narmada is one of the well known Bonsai trainers in the city. She is a Post Graduate in Horticulture science, a gold medalist in Academics, now practicing as an International Agriculture Consultant. Her area of expertise includes all consultancies related to International agriculture, Tropical Horticulture, Horticulture Therapy, Agriculture Arbitration, Online horticulture consultancy and conducting Training and workshops in the field of Horticulture. More than ten of her interviews and publications have been published in various Newspapers and Journals. She is very informative and willing to address any question you may have on Bonsai.

What attracted you to this art?
Being a horticulturist I had a quest for greenery always. The Professor who handled the Landscape Gardening Class developed interest in Japanese art of gardening. One among them is Bonsai. When I did my Post Graduate programme I met one of our retired Horticulture Professor Dr.Nambisson, from whom I learned the art of Bonsai.

Tell us about your master?
Dr.Nambisson was my master. He was one of the living encyclopedias for Bonsai art. He lived with Bonsai rather than practicing it. He was a man who practiced this art by surrendering his heart and mind to it.

What important lessons did you learn from your master?
The art of Indianising Bonsai and also many practical hints which won’t be available in books. He nurtured us with thorough knowledge on various types of Ficus Bonsai.

What is your favorite bonsai material?
Depiction of our Adyar Banyan tree which was available in my master’s house.

What is your favorite shape or style?
Formal Style

What is your concept to keep the bonsai healthy?
A bonsai has to be nurtured properly with balanced amount of nutrients and water.

Should a new person invest a lot for training?
One has to invest a reasonable amount to buy some materials used in the scientific art of growing Bonsai.

Tell us about your teaching?
As for as Bonsai is concerned I encourage one to one teaching method as views on Bonsai varies from one person to another. My teaching mainly focuses on the local area adaptability and suitability. My specilisation is in teaching Indianised Bonsai Art. This mainly depends upon the agro climate of the particular area.

What piece of indispensable advice would you offer to beginners?
Have patience

What is your favorite Indian species?
Ficus retusa

Do new people need a lot of tools for bonsai?
They need some basic tools to do Bonsai in a graceful way.

How good is the response in India towards the art of bonsai? Is it considered an art?
Many like Bonsai. But when it comes to learning they lose patience. This has to be taken as a hobby initially and then slowly they can transform into commercial. But many people think vice versa. It is a living art. But a person has to show real interest in this to make this art flourish in future generation.

According to you what is good Bonsai and a master piece?
If the Bonsai creator does his work scientifically and aesthetically good then it may be his master piece.

Tell us about your training model? Why is it unique?
I use to conduct three hours class to teach the basics on Bonsai. I follow this model because a trainer can only teach the concepts and initiate the interest in a person. But the rest lies in the individual interest, imagination and creativity and giving room for one’s own thoughts. My way of teaching will hold good for the existing agro climate of a particular place and moreover I am giving importance to Indian way of Bonsai.

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Starter Material for Bonsai – PLR Nursery Chennai

May 27, 2010 · Filed under Bonsai Materials Chennai · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Provide all the necessary information on Bonsai cultivation in Chennai was our motto, and so our hunt begins… As a part of our hunt, we tried tracking for sources that would be able to supply a ready mixed soil, blended with all the ingredients in right proportion and ready to use for Bonsai cultivation in. Through couple of sources and with the power of Google we landed on a potential source – another Bonsai passionate in Chennai.

With minimum information in hand, we started to Padappai to know more about the quality of the ready made soil mixture. It wasn’t difficult for us to track the directions but to drive on naturally left terrains. After being ragged by the roads and hot sun, it was totally a different experience when we entered PLR nursery owned by Mr. Rajendra kumar potluri. We had absolutely no clue about this person. In fact we just had planned for 30 mins visit to the nursery, but ended up spending our entire day.

PLR nursery stormed us from the entrance. It was totally a different world highly dominated by Greeneries with Traditional farmhouse style building amidst a very refreshing view for us. PLR nursery is spread across 15 Acers with over 2000 varieties of plants. We also had the chance to meet Mr. Rajendra kumar potluri, a very informative and interesting person whose valuable informations made us to spend the entire day with him.

His Quote: “We are all civilized animals from wild, so don’t forget Mother Nature. “

Interview with Rajendra kumar potluri:
 Rajendran - PLR Nursery

In this digital era, what made you to enter into this business?
Though I’m mathematical graduate I always had an inclination towards my family’s nursery business. Gradually, the interest got stronger within me and when I realized it was my passion I had all the reasons to continue with my family business. I also did my diploma in interiors and exteriors which also complements the value of this business.

How old is your nursery? And what are the factors that make you proud about your business?
My nursery is 39 years old, it is our family business and it is one of the oldest nurseries in Chennai, spread across 15 acres with more than 2000 varieties of plants. We are also into exporting plants and landscaping. We are one of the proud exporters of fully grown palm tree to decorate the marathon race tracks of 2009 Olympics held at China.

What is you favorite style in Bonsai? What style would you suggest for beginners?
I like ‘cascade style’ but I would recommend ‘broom style’ for beginners, because Broom is the easiest and toughest style of Bonsai.

What wires do you suggest for Bonsai? Copper or Aluminum?
I would suggest aluminum because aluminum is cheaper and at the same time durable!

What will be the future of Bonsai in India?
Future will just be Bonsai! With the present phase of deforestation and proportional increase in pollution we will just be left with Bonsais at home. I really feel sad to say that we will not have place for trees.

What is you view on Bonsai as business?
Older the Bonsai more the value, in other words, unlike other Business if you don’t make a sale today in Bonsai business the value of your product will increase for tomorrow.

What Bonsai material will you suggest for beginners?
Of course, the globally available Ficus.

Who is your idol person for Bonsai?
John Naka – father of modern Bonsai.

Can you give us some tips on Bonsai Soil?
Summer – Use more red soil and less manure with moisture retaining materials.
Winter – Use more manure and less soil.

Ficus Bonsai

adensonia digitata

adensonia digitata

tamarandum indicum

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Welcome Chennai Bonsai Lovers

February 15, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized

Bonsai was our long-term passion. When we wanted to do more for our passion it took us 4 weekends to even get some very basic information on Bonsai with respect to Chennai. Now after a long run and research we have gathered valuable data and contacts about bonsai, bonsai masters, and bonsai trainers, bonsai dealers, Bonsai trees and all purely based in south India.

We believe that every single information we gather will definitely be of a great help in fulfilling the smallest need in your quest for Bonsai. This blog is intended to help bonsai passionate’s in Chennai with all the information they need in local directory – for them to spend more time on their passion than on research.

Support this initiative, by sharing any Bonsai information you may have with respect to south India. If you are a Bonsai passionate or a Bonsai professional, you can leave your contact details and the information in the comments column. We will get in touch with you to update your profile on this blog.  Expect Chennai based Bonsai information shortly.

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