How To Grow Bonsai

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Bonsai is an amazingly beautiful miniature replica of a real tree. It comes from distant Japan, and the translation of such an outlandish word from Japanese means a tree grown in a special pot (otherwise called a bowl) or on a deep tray. Another translation option is "the tree that is cut" or "tree pruning". To create such a miracle will take a lot of patience, as well as courage and strength. These trees are extremely delicate and very whimsical, and even due to the slightest error in care, after a number of years, they can easily die in a day or two

Plant selection

First, of course, you need to pick up a plant whose height should be no more than 50 cm, but not less than 20 cm. You should select a tree with a strong, well-developed and relatively healthy root system, therefore, when choosing for the tree to take root safely, the roots should be especially carefully inspect. It is the root system that will become the basis for giving the grown trees the chosen bizarre shape. The type of tree can be absolutely anything and depends solely on your preferences. The most preferred leafy plants are hornbeam, beech and oak. Ash, willow, ficus, birch and Norway maple are also suitable. Of the conifers, they usually choose larch (European or Japanese), the familiar pine (black or ordinary), as well as folded thuja or Chinese juniper. No less suitable are Himalayan cedar, luxurious Japanese cryptomeria, pea cypress, and Korean fir. Among fruit trees, hawthorn, plum and apple trees are often preferred. Well, if there is a desire to take flowers as a basis, then the masters are advised to opt for a rose, magnolia and other flowering plants.

Rooting bonsai

Rooting begins first in a deep container - it is transplanted onto a tray or into a bonsai pot much later. The initial formation of a tree, as a rule, is about two to three years, so there will be plenty of time to choose a bowl in front. Pots are called special pots for bonsai, which have low sides and are made mainly from natural materials. Most often, the choice falls on clay bowls, but ceramic, earthenware or porcelain bowls are also allowed. Their size is selected based on the following criteria: the depth of the bowl should be approximately equal to the diameter of the trunk of the bonsai tree at its base, its width should be less than the longest branches by a couple of centimeters, and the length should not exceed two-thirds of the height or width of the tree.

After planting the trees in the container, the soil should be well tamped and watered. In order to further thicken it, the trunk is buried as deeply as possible, and upon subsequent transplantation into a bowl, the lower part of the tree trunk is left slightly above ground level along with the top of the root system. After planting a bonsai, it is first watered properly, and then a 10-day, so-called quarantine is organized for the tree.

It would be ideal to try to root a fancy tree at home or on the balcony, and most importantly, do it in the most shaded place, because bonsai does not welcome direct sunlight. After a short-term quarantine, a young tree is gradually being taught to the open air - first, it should be taken out into the garden for an hour or two, and then the time spent on the street should be slowly increased. In a permanent place, the tree is recommended to be installed no earlier than a month later.

Bonsai formation

They begin to form bonsai only in the second or third year. First, you need to slow down the rapid growth of the tree by transplanting it into a bowl and initially cutting off the straight roots. But they try to leave as many horizontal roots as possible, removing the sick and weakened. Also, the roots must be pruned with each next transplant. Transplanting into poor soil also helps to slow down the inevitable growth. The composition of ordinary soil is formed by approximately half - rotted foliage or peat, one third - by loam, as well as coarse sand and small stones. If you feed such soil to a minimum, it will not contribute to the growth of the tree.

Further, the trunk must be carefully pulled with a wire at a low height from the ground, not only in order to slow down its growth, but also to thicken it. This wire should be removed and moved to another location as soon as it interferes with the normal development of the tree. The lateral branches are formed in the same manner. To give the intended shape, the trunk and branches of the tree are gradually twisted, fixing this position with a tight rope or wire. This option will be especially suitable for plants (eg ficuses) that cannot tolerate tugging on the trunks for the purpose of thickening them.

To weaken the growth, the flow of juices should also be reduced, making from time to time small cuts in various places on the trunk. In order for the wounds to heal, the bonsai will begin to fill them with its juice, thereby forming bizarre nodules on the trunk. It should also be mentioned that pruning of branches also significantly weakens the growth of plants. The very first pruning is best done in the spring, as soon as the first buds appear on the tree. Young shoots should always be cut at the level of one or two rosettes from the trunk, and, if possible, cut off all branches that overlap each other. After such pruning, the tree is usually covered with young leaves a little smaller than usual. It is important to remember the following rule: in no case should there be on the bonsai during the pruning of flowers. If the bonsai has bloomed or even just released the buds, you need to wait until the flowering is complete. It is also important to know that bonsai cannot be watered from above.