Bonsai is an art, a wonderful piece of work. It has been published by Western countries that by rearing Bonsai trees, we get rid off certain diseases that has been proved scientifically. Here we describe the most simplest way of bringing up Bonsai plants. There are according to the climatic conditions trees grown in India. These are Banyan tree, Arasu tree, Fig tree, Pupil tree, Piccas varieties, Gulmohar tree (flame of the forest), Tamarind tree, Neem tree, Malphigia, Bongainvillea, Exora, Adenium, Guava, Pomegranate, Sapota, Mango, Lemon, Wild Lemon, Jasmine.

They can be grown with minimum care and attention. Now we shall see the type of Bonsai trees suited to each places in the house. Vilva tree, Vanni Aaran, Neem can occupy Pooja room as they are considered sacred. Fruit Bonsai trees like Sapota, Mango, Pomegranate, Guava can adorn dining room. Flowering Bonsai trees like Gulmohar, Bougainvillea, Exora, Adenium can be kept in reception room to attract and bring about a calm and serene atmosphere.

Depending upon the type and age of Bonsai trees, one should water the plants 100 ml to 500 ml daily. Every alternate two days with the help of a plastic can sprinkler, one should sprinkle water the branches and leaves fully. By doing this, the plants are rejuvenated and look bright and fresh. As far as possible, manure the plants look like weak and started to loose their vitality, apply N.P.K fertilizers at the rate of 5 to 15 gm followed by liberal watering. Cytozym liquid should be applied through leaves and branches at the rate of 2 ml per litre by means of a plastic sprinkler. It will revive the weak plant back to vitality. For further clarification and people who are interested to learn can approach us.

Maintainane: If you keep these plants two days indoor and then keep the plant next one day in direct sun(to maintain the plants natural growth). Watering: If plants are kept indoor water spraying should be done once for every two days. If they are kept outdoor (under direct sunlight) water spraying should be done daily.

Manure: No manure is required.

Pruning: Monthly once light pruning is necessary to keep the plants in optimum shape.

Succulents are plants that have organs such as leaves, stems or roots that are capable of storing water during the rainy or wet season in order to survive extended periods of drought. All the plants in the cactus family (Opuntiacea = Cactacea) are considered stem succulents. During periods of moisture, the stem swells and then during droughts slowly contracts.

Cactus that have ribs are particularly well adapted to this as the ribs fill in and contract like an accordion.

One of the first things that one notices about a cactus is that it does not have any leaves but rather is covered with lots of sharp spines. The spines are what family is named after as the name cactus comes from the Greek word kaktos meaning thistle. These spines are highly modified leaf or leaf parts. Leaves are normally very poor at conserving a plant's water supply and are generally intolerant of high temperatures two characteristics, which would make survival in very hot and dry areas impossible. What leaves are good at is photosynthesizing and cooling the plant off. To replace the leaf's involvement in photosynthesis, the epidermis of the cactus remains green and acts as the photosynthetic organ. By being tolerant to high temperatures, cacti do not depend on a cooling system.

Although other succulents have spines, it is the grouping of spines on areoles that distinguishes cacti from other cactus-like plants. An areole is the radial arrangement of spines on padlike buds where shoots and flowers may arise. The areoles themselves are arranged in a regular pattern either along the ribs of columnar or barrel cacti or at equally spaced intervals over the face of pad-like cacti. In some cactus species, the areoles are difficult to see as they are grouped at the tips and along the sides of the stem segments and are very small.

Although spines do not perform any of jobs that leaves do, they do have three very important functions. The first one is to protect the plant against herbivory. Cacti grow very slowly in usually harsh environments and cannot afford to lose any of their plant mass to the occasional browser. There are some rodents and birds however that rely on cacti as an important source of food and water or as a home and have figured out how to get around the prickly problem of spines. Another function that spines perform is to slow down blowing winds thus reducing evaporative water losses. Thirdly, spines allow any moisture in the cool night air to condense on them (much like dew on grass) and then that water drips to the ground where the roots can absorb it. Although the typical desert is very hot and dry during the day, during the night, the temperature drops and the relative humidity rises dramatically. The moisture content of the air does not increase at night, but as the air cools, its ability to hold water decreases. (Relative humidity is the measure of the air's moisture content of the air over its ability to hold water at a given temperature.)

One common misconception about cacti is that they are only found in true deserts. While a few species can survive in the pure sand of deserts like those found in Arizona where rainfall is sporadic, cacti are found in habitats where moisture is not quite as limiting and the soil is, although nutrient poor, not pure sand. Habitats where cacti can be found range from semi desserts to dry grasslands where rainfall is periodic and soils are generally poor and from sub-alpine mountainous regions to tropical humid jungles where moisture is either from snow melt in the first case or from high humidity in the second case and the soil is poor to non-existent.

The key to understanding where cacti survive is noting that they are adapted to regions where the environment is limiting and that there is a lack of competition from other vegetation in terms of light, moisture and nutrients. Depending on their habitat, cacti have a variety of survival mechanisms to overcome their harsh environment. In the drier regions, cacti go dormant during the hot dry season and only grow and flower when there is moisture. Sometimes, the desert cacti flower, set seed and then go dormant again over the space of only a few days. In their mountainous and northern range, cacti go dormant during the cold season surviving temperatures of -30°C and below and only grow during the warm summer months. In humid jungles, cacti are epiphytic and grow in trees and have adapted to growing in shaded, nutrient poor environments by having flat stem segments to capture the filtered light efficiently and by having roots that absorb moisture and nutrients from water dripping off the trees that they're living on. In the home, the key to growing cacti successfully is to mimic some of these environments. For example, when your cactus is going dormant usually as response to daylength, restrict watering to only once per month and only increase to weekly to biweekly watering when it is showing signs of growth.

There is a commonly held belief that cactus plants are tougher and more resistant to neglect than other types of plants. The reputation of cactus plants for toughness is most likely due to two factors: their spiny, well- protected exterior tends to give them the appearance of being able to look after themselves, and they are also slower than most plants to show symptoms of distress. While most plants will yellow, drop leaves and wither soon after experiencing stress, a cactus will often simply suffer in silence until it suddenly drops over beyond hope of recovery.

The first step in ensuring success in growing a healthy cactus plant is to purchase one that is already in good health. Avoid any plant that has damaged spines, obvious signs of bruising, or that has lopsided or uneven growth. A plant that has put on new spindly growth during its time in the store should be avoided. Even under ideal growing conditions, the spindly growth produced in a dimly-lit store will never broaden out to normal size, leaving the plant with a permanent disfigurement. Ideally a cactus should be purchased in the greenhouse where it was grown, or as soon as possible after it has been shipped to a retail outlet.

The care required by a particular type of cactus is largely dictated by the climatic conditions where that cactus would be found growing in nature. A good rule of thumb for looking after any plant is to provide conditions as close as possible to those under which the plant would be found growing naturally. In general, the two most common classes of cactus are those of sun-loving and shade-loving.

Sun-loving cactus plants are those that appear the way we normally expect a cactus to look. They are native to arid desert regions where they receive direct sunlight for a large portion of the day. In the home, these plants should be placed in a window with a south or west exposure where they will receive direct sunlight for at least a few hours each day.

The quantity and frequency of watering provides one of the biggest dilemmas to cactus owners; and since a cactus does not wilt at the first sign of drought stress, the plant itself offers few cues to a need for water. A good rule of thumb is to water when the top 2 to 3 centimetres of soil is dry. This should be adjusted with season, however, as plants will require more water during the period of summertime growth than they will during the slowed, or halted growth of winter. In winter the plants may require water only once a month. During winter you should supply just enough moisture to prevent the roots from drying and dying. One of the most important considerations in watering a cactus is that the pots must never be permitted to stand in water. Waterlogged soil can quickly lead to rotting of the roots with disastrous consequences for the plant.

The growing medium also plays a role in watering and plant health. Contrary to popular belief, most cacti do not prefer to live in pure sand. In nature, they may be found growing in sand, but this is only because they are able to survive in conditions where the plants which compete with them for space cannot. Cacti are not found naturally on rich soils, simply because the other plants that can survive on these soils have crowded the cacti out. In the home, where competition from neighbouring plants has been eliminated, cactus plants will respond favourably to a rich soil that is free-draining. While cactus soil mixes are available, you can make your own by combining two parts peat-based potting soil with one part very coarse sand or grit. Fertilizer can be added to every second watering during the summer, with the frequency and concentration of fertilizer being reduced in winter. Either a specially formulated cactus fertilizer can be used, or fertilizer such as 15-15- 30 which includes minor or trace elements.

While most cacti tolerate a wide range of growing temperatures, most will do best at temperatures similar to that of most other house plants. When temperatures are either too hot or too cold, a cactus will often simply go dormant. An ideal placement for a cactus in winter would be a sunny cool room. During the summer, cacti will appreciate being moved outdoors where they can receive brighter light in combination with cooling breezes during the day and cool humid conditions during the night. If moving your cactus outside for the summer, be sure to place it in a position of partial shade for the first few weeks, and slowly move it to a sunnier location. A plant going directly outside into full sun will likely be scorched by the more intense light found outside the home.

Shade-loving cacti are those members of the cactus family that would normally be found growing in moist tropical jungles. They frequently have a trailing growth habit and flattened stem segments like those seen on the familiar Christmas cactus. Since they are native to the same areas where many of our more familiar tropical plants originate, they tend to thrive under conditions similar to those for other house plants. They do not tolerate intense sun, but will thrive in an east window. They also grow quite well under artificial lights. Since flowering on many tropical cacti is begun in direct response to the length of day, plants grown under artificial light should have the daylength reduced in winter so that they are in darkness for more than 12 hours each day. Without these shortened days, such plants will not flower.

Like many jungle plants, these types of cacti do not have an annual period of dormancy and will require even moisture throughout the year. Since shade- loving cacti continue to grow throughout the year, they require a more regular supply of nutrients and will benefit from mild fertilizer at the time of watering. They can be fertilized at the same strength as sun-loving cacti, but on a more regular schedule. Like other cacti, they require a free-draining growing medium, and should never be permitted to stand in water.

Jungle cacti tend to be less tolerant of temperature extremes. If a tropical cactus is placed outdoors for the summer it should be placed in the shade of a tree where they will receive bright but filtered light.