thenewbonsai

Course 01 · Beginner

How Trees Work

A usable model of a tree as a living system: the structures and processes that every bonsai decision depends on.

Lessons
14
Checkpoints
3
Guided study
About 4 hours
Level
Beginner

Preparation: None. Scientific vocabulary is explained when it first appears; no previous biology course is assumed.

Start with Lesson 1

What you will be able to do

Already caring for a tree?

Start with the lessons that matter this week.

Dedicated care courses are being prepared. Until then, these lessons explain the biology behind the most common first-week problems:

Course outline

  1. Section 1

    Tree structures

    Roots, trunk, branches, leaves, and buds: what each part is made of and what it does for the whole tree.

    1. A bonsai is a living tree

      How can a tree stay small and still be healthy?

      15 min
    2. Roots: anchorage, absorption, and storage

      What are the roots doing inside this small pot?

      15 min
    3. Trunks and branches: structure and transport

      Why can wire damage a branch even before it breaks?

      15 min
    4. Leaves and needles: working surfaces

      Why does keeping healthy foliage matter when shaping a tree?

      15 min
    5. Buds, nodes, and growing points

      Where could the next branch grow after a cut?

      15 min
    6. Checkpoint 1: Tree structures

      7 scored questions · 80% to pass · untimed, open book

      11 min

  2. Section 2

    Resources and transport

    How a tree builds carbohydrates, powers its cells, and moves water, sugars, and minerals to where they are needed.

    1. Photosynthesis: building carbohydrates

      Where does the material in new wood come from?

      15 min
    2. Respiration: powering living cells

      Why can roots struggle in persistently saturated media?

      15 min
    3. Water transport and transpiration

      Why might wind make a recently repotted tree wilt?

      15 min
    4. Sugar transport, storage, and demand

      How do leaves support roots and new shoots?

      15 min
    5. Mineral absorption and the root environment

      Why might fertilizer fail to improve growth?

      14 min
    6. Checkpoint 2: Resources and transport

      8 scored questions · 80% to pass · untimed, open book

      12 min

  3. Section 3

    Growth through time

    From seed to mature tree: how trees lengthen, thicken, rest through the seasons, and respond to stress.

    1. From seed to seedling

      Why does a seed need more than water to become a tree?

      15 min
    2. How trees grow and change shape

      Why let a branch grow long if the goal is a small tree?

      14 min
    3. Growth cycles, dormancy, and reproduction

      Why can't every bonsai live in a warm room all year?

      16 min
    4. Stress, vigor, and recovery

      What evidence suggests that a tree is ready for more work?

      16 min
    5. Checkpoint 3: Growth through time (synthesis)

      12 scored questions · 80% to pass · untimed, open book

      18 min

How completion works

Read the lessons in order or jump to what you need, and take each of the 3 checkpoints whenever you feel ready. Checkpoints are untimed and open book, pass at 80%, show every answer with an explanation, and can be retaken as often as you like.

Progress tracking and completion certificates are not available yet, so lesson progress and checkpoint results are not saved. When they arrive, the course will be complete once every lesson is marked complete and every checkpoint is passed. Completion will record your coursework; it will not certify hands-on technique or the readiness of any particular tree.

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