Mame

Mame (pronounced "Ma-May") and Shito are the smallest of bonsai, ideally being no more than 10cm in height, however Shito Bonsai can be so small that they are grown in pots the size of thimbles.

Mame bonsai trees and shohin bonsai trees need to be grown for between three and five years to shape the tree sufficiently to be called as bonsai. We can start with seedlings of 3-5 cm tall.

MAME bonsai less than 7cm in height
SHOHIN bonsai up to 20cm in height
KIFU bonsai between 20 and 40cm in height
CHU bonsai between 40 and 60 cm in height
DAI bonsai over 60cm in height ...

MAME Name given to bonsai less than 15cm/6 inches in height.
NEBARI Commonly-used Japanese term to describe the surface roots of a bonsai (those that can been seen on or above the surface of the soil).

Mame
A term used in size classification of bonsai trees; this being a small bonsai.
Moyogi
A traditional Japanese bonsai style; also called informal upright. Where the
trunk curves through its taper up to the apex.

Mame: Mame (pronounced "Ma-May") refers to the size of a bonsai. Mame bonsai should ideally be no more than 10cm in height and can be held in the palm of a hand.

Mame (1974)
Only Yesterday (Music Video) - Carpenters (1975)
Midway (1976)
The "Ordinary World" music video by Duran Duran (1993)
Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
Mystery Men (1999)
Charlie's Angels (2000)
The Wedding Planner (2001) ...

Mame
The smallest sized bonsai, generally up to 4 or 5 inches in height.
Mei boku (Rou boku) ...

Mame or Shohin Bonsai - No more than 150mm high
Ko Bonsai - Not more than 300mm high
Chui Bonsai - Not more than 600mm high ...

Cotoneaster for Mame
Cotoneaster for small bonsai, 4 to 6 inches, can be grown from cuttings in a year or two. The leaves, flowers and fruit are all in proportion to this size.

Bonsai Glossary: mame - A miniature bonsai, which can be held in the palm of a hand.
Bonsai Glossary: mycorrhiza - A beneficial fungus found mainly on conifer roots (most often pines), helping them absorb nutrients.

I had always been intrigued by fancy, high-quality mame pots so I decided to start by making tiny, one-of-a-kind, hand-made mame pots. I still had the interest in making slab-built pots so this is where I started.

My smaller trees (including mame) and sun tender trees do well in the shade house. The trees are on tiered shelves on concrete blocks. The ground under these benches is always wet and maintains a high humidity around the trees.

I have been working with boxwoods since the beginning of my bonsai interests and have found no other plant as ready, able, and naturally beautiful for mame as a Kingsville Boxwood.

With outstanding mame potential because of the small leaves and flowers, you want to pinch back as needed to control the growth.

This 3½ inch tall mame Juniperus parsonnii is accented with a mud figure that is crafted to look and function like a scholars stone, the overall 2¾ ...

To obtain results, it is necessary to grow larch material in the ground, unless you are very young or growing mame-sized bonsai.

(Small bonsai can be known as shohin-bonsai or mame-bonsai but we call them mini-bonsai.)
Ordinary bonsai is as big as a man can hold with his two hands, and the size of mini-bonsai is just a twig of an ordinary bonsai.

This is especially true of mame (very small bonsai). Nearly all mame should be repotted every year. Shohin (fewer than ten inch bonsai) should be repotted every year to two years depending on the species and the growing conditions.

This type of bonsai is very common in Japan and China where it is also known as mame bonsai or shonin bonsai. The great thing about these mini bonsai trees is that almost all of them flower and fruit every year offering an amazing spectacle.

Notes: Cotoneaster likes to sucker, so if it is not being grown as a clump, suckers must be vigilantly removed to promote trunk growth. Cotoneasters lend themselves to mame and shohin, but are harder to grow as large bonsai.
3104 / 6458 ...

Since Portulacaria is fast growing, it must be pinched frequently during the growing season. Usually once a week is sufficient for a large bonsai. When working with mame it may be necessary to pinch as often as twice a week.

There is a miniature bonsai category called "mame" (pronounced "may-may") that are palm sized plants. They range from 4 inches for a stout plant up to 10 inches for the Literati or Bunjinji style (See below).

At the other end of the size spectrum, there are a number of specific techniques and styles associated solely with the smallest sizes, mame and shito.

A small folding saw is used for large branches - it depends on the size of bonsai you will likely be working on. Very small bonsai, called 'mame', need fine tools.

See also: Bonsai, Plant, Tree, Root, Growing