[kingkong]

The Japanese have skills for developing art forms to the max. The tricks of the trade need to be closely watched and studied so that the propotions of your particular concern, bonsai or koi , arrive at some point of time, into a finished form of art fitting a tub or table top at the town show. Having a black pine with a 8 inch caliper planted in a 16 inch pot or a 38 inch koi swimming in a 10 thousand gallon pond have something in common. They were both cared for with skill and put into an environment during development that allowed for excellent growth. One requires a well-managed mud pond with abundant food supply to grow to full potential, the other requires earth, rich in minerals and water in order to grow to proportions in trunk size that would never be achieved in container growth development. Only after maximizing the size, taking full advantage of unlimited restricted growth, do you go the next step of refining the branches or setting the color. Then, and only then, will full potential of the art form come to fruition and dazzle the observer.