How to start a Bonchi from a Mature Pepper Plant - The Bonchi Zone (2025)

Select a plant with features you like and you think would make a good bonsai.

Use a shovel to carefully dig around the plant and the root ball so you can remove it from the soil.

You want to keep as much of the existing root structure in tact as possible.

Examine the main stem of the plant you have chosen.

Look for viable nodes near the base of the trunk. usually a viable node with be near a leaf scar or at the base of an existing leaf. This is where new growth will emerge after the chop.

Chop the trunk to remove any boring, un-tapered, or un-interesting portions making sure to leave some viable nodes below the cut.

Learn more about why and how to trunk chop for bonchi development

Use a root rake, chop stick, or even an old fork to carefully rake out the roots of the plant and remove as much of the soil mass as possible.

Go slow to avoid damaging the roots and keep raking and washing with water until you have cleaned the roots as much as possible.

Dunking the roots in water is a great way to gently dislodge any remaining soil.

Choose a horizontal plane for the root base and remove anything that does not fit well in that plane.

This usually involves removing any roots that to too high on the trunk, as well as cutting the tap root of the plant and any other roots that extend below the chosen root plane.

Be sure to leave enough roots for the plant to recover.

If you are worried about removing too much, remove some now and then work on it again during the next repot.

Use a root rake to gently rake the roots away from the trunk in a radial direction.

Remove any non-radial roots in the way, and trim the length of the roots to fit the pot and to balance to root base.

The goal it untangle as many roots as possible while raking them out in a radial direction from the trunk. Its okay if you break some of the roots especially crossing roots that aren’t radial.

This is crucial to forming a radial root base which will help with taper and trunk flare as well as making a visually appealing roots base.

Add a pile of bonsai soil to the chosen pot, press the plant down into the pile, rocking gently back and forth to work the soil around the roots.

Add more soil on top of the roots and use a chopstick to work the soil in around all the roots.

Plunge the chopstick in and out of the soil around the roots reputedly to work and push the soil in and around the root base.

This helps reduce air gaps, ensuring good root contact with the soil, and keeps the plant firmly planted in the pot.

Now that you have completed the first steps in developing a bonchi, you need to give the plant optimal conditions for recovery.

It will need adequate light, warmth and water.

Placing the plant near a bright window, or under a grow light will help.

Water regularly as needed, avoid over and underwatering as both will hinder the plants progress. and can kill it.

The plant should not need fertilizer at this stage.

After a couple of weeks, the plant should start pushing out new growth from 1 or more of viable nodes left on the trunk.

Some of that new growth will become the bonchi’s new leader or main trunk line while additional growth can be used as primary branches or removed down the road as your bonchi develops.

You can now start feeding the plant with some light fertilizer.