Page 62 - BSAM 2017 Q3

Artistic Licence
Creating a Better Black Olive Bonsai
By Budi Sulistyo, Indonesia
Top left and right; Here is the picture of the front and back of the tree on August 2015
Bottom; A picture on January 2016 after B the tree was placed in a large pot.
lack olive or Bucida spinosa, also called Dwarf Geometry Tree, is a native of the Caribbean and Florida. Some years ago, it was brought to Indonesia where it grows very well. I like this kind of tree very much
due to its tiny shiny leaves that are suitable for bonsai. More over it is quite easy to get good rami cation on the branches and twigs because of its natural growth habit.
In 2015, when I visited the nursery in Pluit, North Jakarta, I saw this black olive pre-bonsai material. I was quite surprised to see the plant, as Bucida spinosa is relatively a new plant to Indonesia and generally not easily found in a nursery. A er negotiating I happily took the plant home. e seller told me the shape of the bonsai he intended to make. He planned to make it a twin trunk design with a bit of adjustment on the branches and with more rami cation.
At home I moved the plant in to a larger pot to make it grow quicker. My house is in West Jakarta where the ground water is a bit saline, and because black olive tolerates saline water, it grows rapidly in my garden. You can see the progress of the growth within six months from the time I got it from the Pluit nursery.
60 | BCI |
July/August/September 2017