Pesona Gadis Berbau

Setahun lalu ratusan wahong Premna serratifolia teronggok di halaman belakang rumah Piko-pemburu bakalan bonsai di Pacitan, Jawa Timur. Daun besar dan alur rumit membuat wahong tak dilirik pebonsai. Sekarang bakalan itu diperebutkan lantaran tak kalah bagus dibanding santigi.

Kehadiran jin shari-kulit batang yang terkelupas sehingga berkesan tua-secara alami jadi keunggulan wahong. Jin shari terbentuk lantaran di habitatnya-pantai berkarang-wahong diterpa ombak dan pasir. Ini mirip santigi yang habitatnya serupa.

Sayang ukuran daun wahong besar. Daun berbentuk bulat telur itu lebarnya mencapai 5 cm dan panjang 8-10 cm. Bandingkan dengan lebar daun santigi yang hanya 5 mm dan panjangnya kurang dari 1 cm. Padahal daun bonsai idealnya kecil. Pantas pebonsai lebih memilih santigi, cemara udang, dan sancang.

Saudara sancang

Supaya daun mengecil, pada 2000-an banyak pebonsai menyambung wahong dengan sancang Premna mycrophila. Saudara sekeluarga wahong yang pertama kali didatangkan dari Taiwan dan Filipina itu memang serupa. Hanya saja daunnya jauh lebih kecil dan karakter jin shari-nya kurang tegas. Makanya sambungan wahong dan sancang mampu menampilkan karakter batang tegas, atraktif dengan ukuran daun kecil yang proporsional.

Namun, pebonsai kerap mengalami kegagalan. ‘Tingkat keberhasilan hanya 60% jika dilakukan di Jakarta. Di Bandung bisa sampai 90%,’ kata Husein Ahmad, pemain bonsai kawakan di Tangerang. Keberhasilan penyambungan sangat tergantung lingkungan. Lantaran banyak kasus kegagalan, pamor wahong pun meredup. Wahong identik sebagai bakalan yang gampang mati dan sulit digarap. Pantas, jika akhirnya tanaman yang dijuluki the stinky lady-gadis berbau-lantaran bau daunnya yang khas itu mulai dilupakan.

Toh kondisi itu tak membuat Robert Steven-pemain bonsai di Jakarta-urung jatuh cinta pada spesies endemik Indonesia itu. Robert terpikat pada pandangan pertama tatkala melihatnya di sebuah nurseri di Solo, Jawa Tengah, pada 2003. Melihat guratannya yang artistik, Robert tak mempedulikan ukuran daun yang besar dan tidak proporsional.

Pria kelahiran Medan itu yakin, dengan perlakuan tepat, tanaman yang habitat aslinya di pesisir laut dan tebing itu tampil sempurna. Belajar dari kegagalan pebonsai lain, Robert tak menyambung wahong dengan sancang. Si gadis berbau itu diperlakukan sebagai individu.

Tumbuh cepat

Segera saja Robert mengutak-atik wahong dengan teknik bonsai. Mula-mula ditentukan batang utama dan arah geraknya. Lalu merencanakan tunas-tunas yang akan dimunculkan. Semua cabang dan ranting yang tak masuk dalam perencanaan dipangkas. Tunas yang muncul di sembarang tempat disambung ke titik yang dikehendaki.

Hasilnya mengejutkan. Wahong tumbuh dua kali lebih cepat dibandingkan santigi. Daun mengecil sampai lebarnya hanya 2 mm. Jika bonsai santigi baru terbentuk sempurna setelah 8 tahun, wahong hanya 4 tahun. Musababnya dengan pembesaran cabang dan pertumbuhan ranting cepat, wahong lebih sering dipangkas dan dibentuk. Makanya dalam waktu singkat ia jadi bonsai sempurna.

Selain tumbuh cepat, wahong lebih tahan banting. Robert berani mencuci dan memutar-mutar posisi akar bahkan memotong akar sebelum menggarapnya. ‘Padahal pada santigi, akar harus dalam bola tanah dan tak boleh sembarangan diubah posisinya,’ ungkap juri bonsai internasional itu. Santigi sangat gampang stres, apalagi jika akarnya terkoyak. Risiko kegagalan pada wahong jauh lebih rendah daripada santigi. Mengeksplorasinya pun lebih leluasa. Jin sharinya yang dramatis paling sesuai untuk gaya bonsai ekspresionis.

Utak-utik Robert membuahkan prestasi. Wahong koleksinya merebut gelar the best original design pada lomba di Amerika pada 2007. Penghargaan the best broadleaf bonsai pun digondolnya. Waktu dipamerkan di Asia Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention and Exhibition (ASPAC) pada 2007 di Bali, wahong jadi pusat perhatian.

Pebonsai luar negeri pun terpikat. Sejak akhir tahun lalu, sekitar 200 bakalan diekspor ke Afrika, Italia, Amerika, dan Poertorico. Nama si gadis berbau pun mengharum hingga kancah internasional. (Nesia Artdiyasa/Peliput: Argohartono Arie Raharjo dan Destika Cahyana)

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This article was translated by Google Translator. Thank you Google.

Smelly girl charm

A year ago hundreds wahong Premna serratifolia sitting in the backyard bonsai Piko-hunters going in Pacitan, East Java. Leaves large and intricate plot makes no ogled wahong bonsai grower. Now the going was good for grabs because no less than santigi.

The presence of jin-shari peeling bark that will impress an old-so naturally wahong excellence. Jin shari-formed because of the habitat-wahong rocky coasts exposed to the surf and sand. This is similar santigi a similar habitat.

Unfortunately wahong large leaf size. Oval-shaped leaves that reach 5 cm wide and 8-10 cm long. Compare with wide leaves santigi that only 5 mm and a length of less than 1 cm. Though ideally bonsai leaves smaller. Proper bonsai grower prefers santigi, fir shrimp, and Sancang.

Civil Sancang

So that leaves smaller, in the 2000s many bonsai grower wahong connect with Sancang Premna mycrophila. Wahong family relatives who first imported from Taiwan and the Philippines was indeed similar. Only the leaves are much smaller and the character jin-shari his equivocal. Hence wahong connection and is capable of displaying characters Sancang rod firmly, attractive with a small leaf size proportionally.

However, failure often experienced bonsai grower. 'The success rate of only 60% if carried out in Jakarta. In Bandung can be up to 90%, 'said Ahmad Hussein, bonsai veteran players in Tangerang. The success of grafting depends on the environment. Because many cases of failures, even dimmer wahong prestige. Wahong identical as dead easy going and worked hard. No wonder, if the plant eventually dubbed the stinky smell-lady-girl leaves a distinctive odor because it began to be forgotten.

After all, the condition was not made Robert Steven-player-bonsai in Jakarta failed to fall in love with Indonesia's endemic species. Robert captivated at first sight when seen at a nursery in Solo, Central Java, in 2003. Guratannya see the artistic, Robert did not care about the size of the leaves are large and disproportionately.

Men born in Medan was convinced, with appropriate treatment, plants original habitat in the coastal sea and the cliffs that look perfect. Learning from failure of other bonsai grower, Robert did not connect with Sancang wahong. The girl was treated as an individual smells.

Growing fast

Soon Robert wahong tamper with bonsai techniques. Initially determined the main stem and the direction of motion. Then plan the shoots that will be raised. All branches and twigs are not included in the planning trimmed. Shoots that appear in any place connected to the desired point.

The results were surprising. Wahong grow two times faster than santigi. Leaves narrowed to only 2 mm wide. If the newly formed bonsai santigi after 8 years, wahong only 4 years old. Musababnya with enlargement of the branch and twig growth faster, more frequent wahong trimmed and shaped. So in a short time he was so perfect bonsai.

In addition to growing rapidly, wahong more resilient. Robert bold washes and rolling even cut the root of the root position before working on them. 'Whereas in santigi, the root ball should be in the ground and must not be arbitrarily changed its position,' said the jury's international bonsai. Santigi very easy to stress, especially if the roots torn. The risk of failure in wahong much lower than santigi. Explore it even more freely. Jin sharinya most appropriate for the dramatic, expressionist style of bonsai.

Robert utik tooling led to achievement. Wahong collection won the best original design on race in America in 2007. The award was the best broadleaf digondolnya bonsai. When displayed in the Asia Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention and Exhibition (ASPAC) in 2007 in Bali, wahong be the center of attention.

Bonsai grower abroad was hooked. Since late last year, about 200 going to be exported to Africa, Italy, America, and Poertorico. The name of the girl until fragrant smells of any international scene. (Nesia Artdiyasa / Covering: Argohartono Arie Raharjo and Destika Cahyana)

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