Distance Learning Bonsai Course
"Learn the ancient art of Bonsai"
" I have never found the staff at any other learning institution as supportive as the staff at ACS. This gives one a lot of peace of mind and confidence to go on - at every squeak from my side, you guys have always been there, immediately to sort me out. The feedback on my lessons has always been really good and meaningful and an important source of my learning. Thanks!..."
- Student with ACS
Eight lessons cover the selection of plants suited to bonsai, understanding the history and classic shapes which form the basis of the art, techniques of planting, training, pruning, watering & feeding and ways of using bonsai both indoors and outdoors. You will create several bonsai of your own during the course and receive constructive criticism from your tutor as they help you develop your own personal bonsai style and techniques.
COURSE STRUCTURE
There are eight lessons in this module as follows:
1. Introduction
2. Propagation
3. Plants for Bonsai
4. Bonsai Styles and Techniques
5. Creating Bonsai
6. Bonsai Culture and Maintenance
7. Landscaping Principles for Bonsai
8. Special Assignment
Duration 100 hours
What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
LESSON AIMS
Demonstrate knowledge of the plant kingdom, an understanding of the taxonomic hierarchy, and an appreciation of the types of plants suitable for bonsai.Understand methods of propagation used in bonsai.Learn the species of plants most suited to bonsai.Learn a range of bonsai styles and techniques used to achieve them.Understand the process of creating bonsai.Understand the basics of successful bonsai culture.Understand landscape design principles to better create bonsai landscapes.Carry out research into a particular aspect of bonsai of interest to the student.
What is Bonsai?
Bonsai is often used to describe dwarfed plants. However, in a historical context, bonsai was the name given to potted, styled trees created by Chinese and Japanese artists. Such trees are indeed dwarfed, but they are also trained to look like an aged miniature tree. The actual bonsai includes the pot and landscape created by the artist.
TYPES OF PLANTS SUITED FOR USE AS BONSAI
Bonsai involves growing plants in a confined situation. By confining root growth and regularly pruning the roots and top, the plant can be kept in a miniature form for hundreds of years (in some cases).
A bonsai should look like a miniature tree, with not only the trunk and branches scaled down, but also the leaves. As such it is preferable for bonsai to utilize smaller leafed plants. We try to achieve the following in the plants we use for bonsai:
- ROOTS spreading densely and many branching in all directions.
- TRUNK well tapered and very thick at the base.
- BRANCHES thick, lower down and multi‑branched with thinner branches at the ends
- LEAVES small, dense and vigorous.
- TOP of the plant must look vigorous, healthy and vital, even if it is not growing with any real vigor.
EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU MAY DO IN THIS COURSE
Develop plant review sheets for different plants suitable for bonsai.Make up a list of resources/contacts useful to a bonsai grower.Research what constitutes a good propagating mix.Visit a nursery and observe the nursery stock present to assess suitability for bonsai production.Propagate different species of plant that have the potential to be used as Bonsai.
- Select different plants and determine the style of bonsai each plant lends itself to.
- Make a list of the most commonly grown varieties of plants you consider as being used for bonsai today.
- Visit a bonsai house, bonsai farm, bonsai nursery or other facility where bonsai are available for viewing and classify the style of different bonsai plants.
- Evaluate, prune, wire, shape and pot different plants as bonsai
- Obtain soil from two different types of soils; test the soils for drainage, and name the soils.
- Obtain (or make up) a potting mix which you consider appropriate for growing bonsai in. Conduct tests to name the potting mix you have obtained. Test the drainage of the potting mix.
- Visit a nursery or garden growing bonsai plants to assess the plants for pests, diseases and environmental anomalies.
- Design a miniature garden pot incorporating a bonsai plant
- Using your knowledge of landscaping principles, decide on the best outdoor locations three different bonsai, and the optimum indoor locations for short term display. Take photographs or sketch the locations in which you would place the bonsai. Submit these photographs with your assignment.
- Obtain plants of different varieties and using what you have learned in the course, turn your chosen plants into bonsai and either photograph or draw what you have created; then report on this work.
More Information on ACS Distance Education and our courses
Who are our tutors?
Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.
Sample Course Notes
Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.
What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Enrolment” box above, then “Learning Methods.”
How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.
Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”
What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.
I don’t think this is the right course for me.
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.
You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.
If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk
Recognition and Accreditation
For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.
Who is ACS Distance Education?
If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”
Home Study Bonsai Course
"Learn the ancient art of Bonsai"
Join the many who have learnt the ancient oriental art of bonsai through this practical and comprehensive course.
