WE GROW THE BEST GIFT BONSAI IN THE WORLD!

HIGHEST QUALITY! • HIGHEST SUCCESS!
WE GROW THE BEST GIFT
BONSAI IN THE WORLD!

Fuku-Bonsai's True Indoor Bonsai™ are the easiest and best for anyone anywhere who can grow houseplants! That's been our goal and it's true. Here's what we did!


This is the Haruo "Papa" Kaneshiro memorial Japanese Black Pine that is over 100 years old in the Hawaii State Bonsai Repository. It is amongst the most difficult trees to grow properly in tropical Hawaii as it came from Japan in the late 1980's. Any evergreen temperate climate tree will do best outdoors when grown by a person with skills and discipline. This type of outdoor tree is the worst kind of gift bonsai to give to a person without experience who wants to and is only willing and able to grow them indoors.

FIRST, we recognized that "gift bonsai" are usually given to those without bonsai skills or knowledge and that most bonsai quickly die because it's the wrong plant to give to someone only willing and able to grow them indoors!

The most difficult bonsai are traditional Japanese temperate climate bonsai that must be grown outdoors with a lot of skill and discipline. Each plant variety in each outdoor climate requires different care. Even tropical bonsai (including members of the ficus family) require much more light than available in ordinary homes. These should really be grown outdoors during warm weather and in high light greenhouses.

Gift bonsai should be proven durable houseplants trained in the bonsai manner! Pines and junipers simply do not become houseplants just because they are grown as bonsai. In the 1970's when we began Fuku-Bonsai, most who visited us said that they "had a bonsai but they killed it!" Back then, it was usually junipers. More recently, the answer is the same that they "had a bonsai but they killed it!" The plants had changed and are now imported for China or other tropical countries and sold as "Indoor Bonsai!" "Indoor Bonsai" is a term use for almost any tropical plant or even for those requiring growing outdoors most of the year and brought indoors to protect them in colder seasons.


Dwarf Schefflera was introduced to Hawaii in the late 1960's and the Hawaii export nurseries so widely distributed the plant that it is known as the "Hawaiian Umbrella Tree." We have been growing it as bonsai longer than anyone and the entry tree is on of the older Dwarf Schefflera bonsai. It is is over 40" tall and mounted on a 72" diameter concrete turntable with an abundance of aerial roots in the most difficult "rainforest banyan" styling.

SECOND, we differentiate our houseplant bonsai by trade marking "TRUE INDOOR BONSAI™." We specialize in Dwarf Schefflera (Schefflera arboricola) because it is the most durable of all houseplants and the only houseplant with ideal bonsai traits and characteristics!

Very few of the plants that are sold as "Indoor Bonsai" are considered houseplants or shown in houseplant magazines with the exception of ficus (figs). Ficus requires very high light and becomes spindly when grown in ordinary low light interiors. Even when grown near windows or properly acclimated, they are touchy and will often drop many leaves when moved to a different location.

In contrast Dwarf Schefflera is the ideal houseplant bonsai. But it has very different characteristics and are known to like to grow on rocks or as epiphytes on trees. To some extent they are drought resistant and have some characteristics of air plants whose roots need to breath. Although they will tolerate and survive for long periods when improperly and over-watered, they are healthier and grow best when properly watered. It's easy to identify a healthy plant as they have firm white root tips! Those that are overwatered or in poor soil do not.

THIRD, not all Dwarf Schefflera are the same and we selected propagative parent plants of those that had the most desirable bonsai characteristics and learned professional culling techniques!

We learned to cull out weak plants and those that do not branch well while the plants were still very young. The idea is to get rid of inferior plants early as the last thing needed at a bonsai nursery is a lot of old low-quality plants! We spent many years learning how to produce the highest quality small plants.

In the beginning, we grew medium and large Dwarf Schefflera bonsai. When we were forced to discontinue our original Brassaia specialty, we learned the techniques to grow small Dwarf Scheff bonsai and kept on improving. We adapted Chinese penjing "reduction-building" techniques and over the years, were able to increase both the success rate and improve the quality of the prepared bonsai stock.

FOURTH (AND MOST IMPORTANT), we greatly raised the standards for "Fuku-Bonsai 2" prepared bonsai stock"! We learned that to consistently produce high-quality small bonsai, that you need high-quality small prepared bonsai stock! Once you have high-quality small bonsai, it's very likely you can create high-quality medium size bonsai. With high-quality medium bonsai, it's very likely you can create high-quality larger bonsai. SO IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE 2" PREPARED BONSAI STOCK AND THIS RAISED THE STANDARDS FOR ALL FUKU-BONSAI PRODUCT LINES!

Consistently producing highest quality 2" prepared bonsai stock is difficult and many do not survive the dramatic training process. We consider this as "culling out the weak plants!" We cull out those plants that do not branch well, and we learned it was far more cost-effective to cull dramatically to only produce consistent high-quality plants.


GREAT GIFTS FOR HOMES & OFFICES! These are the easiest care! Simply soak saturate in 2"-3" of water once per week for 30 minutes, drain, and place it on DRY gravel. Do not over-water and if you see firm white root tips, all is well. The complimentary Nutrient Granules have directions for amounts to be given for each size. Medium and Large sizes need every 6 months and with the one year release, there will be a steady overlap with very happy plants!

HAWAIIAN LAVA PLANTINGS are recommended for gifts for those with very little bonsai skills who are willing and able to grow houseplants. These come very easy-care, slow-growing, and high-success! The plants are pre-trained before being rock-planted, and as they become established in the rock, they become root-bound and grow very slowly. They have the ability to live in a root-bound condition for many years and by now providing the ideal low nitrogen, high-phosphorus ultra slow release Nutrient Granules, these are almost "customer-proof!"

The desk, medium, and large sizes are now far above the photo standards and reflect the very large quality improvements made possible by the new techniques and higher standards.


PRE-TRAINED POTTED BONSAI all have character and potential! Creating lower trunk interest is the most difficult part of bonsai and if there's already a lot of shape and interest, the plants will be a joy to train!

POTTED BONSAI are ideal for those who want to train bonsai indoors. With larger root systems, potted bonsai are faster growing and easier to train. Because all of Fuku-Bonsai's have a lot of character, training improves what is already a great start!

Start with the smaller younger plants and as they develop, use a #8 Conversion Kit to help them develop into medium size. Then use a #17 Conversion Kit to develop larger older bonsai. Our small 4LL8 are already 3-5 years in training; 8LS8 are 6-9 years in training, and larger older trees including Custom Collection are available. All are the best values and highest quality available!


This is the premium complete workshop package available and ideal for creating your first bonsai! Step-by-step information can be followed by adults without previous bonsai experience. Children as young as 10 years old have been successful with some adult coaching. We've even had some 5, 6, and 7 years old in our group workshops!

THE INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP PACKAGE is the most successful way to learn, grow, and teach bonsai! This was the long sought educational bonsai holy grail and a major innovation and breakthrough! It contains all needed its to create your first bonsai and features a pre-trained Dwarf Schefflera prepared bonsai stock already 2-4 years in training, pot, tie-down, three grades of potting media, Nutrient Granules and other items that make this the premium kit available at any price!

The Introductory Workshop Package is our pride and joy and bonsai is now within the reach of anyone interested. Additional older and more challenging workshop packages are available and more are being developed. Please contact us if you need more information or assistance!

David Fukumoto was asked to substitute teach an evening adult education bonsai class while still a beginner in the 1960's when there was very little information and very difficult to obtain suitable plants. He wrote handbooks and supplied plants and success soared. Fuku-Bonsai began in 1973 as a certified export nursery to ship to all parts of the United States. We are committed to customer success and we include extensive information, have additional photos and information on our website, and we're just an email away!