Growing bonsai trees can be both enjoyable and feasible for college students.

“Bonsai trees can be grown by practically anyone, as long as they have the drive to do so,” said Dolores Rauh, president of the American Bonsai Association of Sacramento.

A bonsai, Rauh said, is simply the art of growing a plant in a pot that traditionally originated with the Chinese culture and moved to Japan.

“Chinese tradition focused on “clip and grow’ while the Japanese introduced wires and the manipulation of the shape of the tree, mainly for decorative purposes,” Rauh said.

Bonsai trees are ideal plants for dorm rooms considering there are many indoor variations, the costs are low and the effort to maintain bonsai trees are relatively low, she said.

“Bonsai costs what you put into it, the main cost is in the tools, the wire, the pots and the special soils,” Rauh said. “You don’t have to get fancy; it’s free for a plant to simply grow.”

To learn how to start a bonsai tree, Maruyama Bonsai Nursery in Sacramento is hosting a bonsai repotting class on Sunday. For more information regarding this class, call the nursery at (916) 421-6888.

Rauh said this class is a great place for beginners to see if growing a bonsai is something for them.

“By being in Sacramento, you can grow almost any type of bonsai because of the great climate here, the possibilities are endless,” Rauh said.

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