Guide to Bonsai Tools

To practice the art of Bonsai you should have the proper tools. I am going to list and give details the more general bonsai tools. When you first begin out you is not going to need each and every one of the tools listed and depending on your level of involvment in Bonsai you may never require them all.

Pruning & Cutting Tools
Pruning and cutting tools are used for any cutting that is too heavy to be performed with scisssors.

Concave Branch Cutter: These are heavy task cutters designed just like bolt cutters. They are used to cleanly and smoothly erase fair sized branches.
Spherical Knob CUtters: Are just like the branch cutter except for the cutting piece is spherical. These are created to cut by means of heavy knobs or knots.
Folding Pruning saw: This is a little rough cut saw that with a blade that folds back into the handle just like a pocket knife. They are used for cutting notably heavy branches or when you require to cut down the trunk of your bonsai tree.
Shears: You use shears for lots different medium to light cutting employments.
Woodworking Gouges: Gouges are used for lots artistic purposes in bonsai. They are generally used to erase bark or to score the trunk to simulate natural hurt to a tree.

Scissors:
Scissors are a staple tool for all bonsai fanatic, they come in loads of shapes and sizes to handle loads of jobs.
Leaf Cutting Scissors: Just as the name implies these are used basically for light work like pruning back or removing leaves.
Shoot Trimming Scissors: These are a heavier set of scissors created for cut little to mid-sized shoots or branches.
Heavy task Shoot Scissors: These are an even heavier pair of scissors created for all the shoots that are too large for the regular shoot scissors but too little for a pruner.

Potting Tools
The pot that you keep your bonsai in is notably important for both it’s health and proper development. Bonsai need usual re-potting and root alteration. These are the tools most helpful for those activities.

Root Hooks: These are used to seperate the root ball into a more managable form for trimming and pruning. They are a heavy wire bent at one end and mostly sharpened to a fair point.
Potting Trowel: this can be considered just a little garden trowl that will be used to dig and manipulate the soil in your bonsai pot.
Soil Scoops: Are little metal or plastic cups with a handle and the open end is cut into a scoop shape. They are used to erase or add soil to the pot.

Brush: Soft brushes are used to lightly clean and maintain the trunk, branches and leaves of the bonsai.

Wire Tools:
Wires are generally used to train the bonsai plant into the correct artistic form. There are a multitude of tools used to work with wire most of these are accesible at any hardware or automotive store.

Common Wire Snips: These are usual wire snips that are frequently utilized by electricians, they should be heavy sufficient to handle any of the aluminumum wire used for bonsai.
Heavy task Wire Snips : These are just a heavier version of the snips listed above that might be necessary if you are working with a few heavier than average wire.
Pliers: usual house hold pliers are used for bending and twisting the wire into the correct shape and position.
Needle Nose Pliers: These are pliers that commit a fine point and are helpful for working in tight confines around the trunk and branches.

Miscelenous Tools
Some common tools that don’t fit in any of the other classifications.

Chop Sticks: These are perfect for tamping and working the soil down around the roots of the tree.
Gardeners Knife: This is handy for lots of the heavy non-delicate cutting you have to do.
Rake: A little rake just such as a garden or yard rake except for in miniature is used to clean and maintain the surface of the soil.
Tweezers: Tweezers are often needed to work around the limited space on lots bonsai.