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How Are Bonsai Measured?

Bonsai Height | How we Measure of Bonsai Trees?

The definition of a bonsai is a tree in a pot. The Japanese word ‘bonsai’ is broken down into ‘bon’, meaning pot or dish, and ‘sai’ meaning tree or plant. Therefore, a tree without a pot is just a tree, and a pot without a tree is just a pot. It is only when we put the tree and the pot together that we get a bonsai. Because you cannot have a bonsai without both the tree and the pot, we take the bonsai height from the bottom of the pot to the top of the tree, to give the total height of the bonsai. We measure all our bonsai in cm.

When measuring the overall size of a bonsai tree, it’s important to note that there might be a variation of up to 10%. This fluctuation is be attributed to several factors. One of which is the seasonal growth cycle. Bonsai trees often experience more vigorous leaf growth during spring and summer, influencing their overall height at different times of the year.

Bonsai Height - Showing how we measure the total height of a bonsai tree

Additionally, frequent pruning is a common practice in bonsai care. It can occur weekly during the main growing season. This trimming can introduce variations in height as well. Despite our efforts to maintain consistency, individual bonsai trees may exhibit slight differences even when aiming for the same advertised height. These natural fluctuations contribute to the uniqueness of each bonsai.

If you view the ‘specifications’ tab on every bonsai tree product this will give you an overview of the overall height of the bonsai, its age, trunk diameter and pot size. We hope that you find this information helpful to choosing a bonsai for your specific position.

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