The art of bonsai has an ancient history. And for him, as for everything eastern, today there is considerable demand in different countries of Europe. Russia is no exception. True, most people believe that special skills are required to grow a dwarf tree in a pot. This is not at all true. More precisely, all the necessary skills will come in the process. So to grow a bonsai apple tree from seeds at home is quite realistic.
Choose the right capacity
First of all, you need to choose the container in which you will grow bonsai. This is a very important and serious matter - Oriental art does not suffer shortcomings and requires perfection.
An ordinary flower pot will not work. Need a flat container of relatively large area. It is advisable to choose a clay one with a beautiful pattern. In doing so, color must be considered. For the cultivation of apple trees, Japanese experts recommend using a pot of pale green or blue. It will best shade the beauty and sophistication of the plant.
Of course, there should be a hole or several holes in the bottom so that excess moisture is quickly eliminated, otherwise the roots will begin to rot, and this threatens the death of the entire plant.
What to grow an apple tree from?
The next question that arises in people who decide to grow bonsai from an apple tree with their own hands, what to take as planting material.
Perhaps the easiest option is to escape. Yes, you can just gently cut several branches from the tree you like. The main thing is not to let them dry. Arriving home, you need to put the cuttings in the water. When one sprouts appear, you can safely plant it in a prepared pot. If sprouts appear in several, it is even better - there will be an opportunity to choose the strongest, healthy and most beautiful of seedlings. The advantages of this solution - you can save a lot of time when growing, and the variety will definitely coincide with which tree the stem was taken from.
You can also take seeds. It is enough to pick up a ripe apple and extract seeds from it, which they hold in the freezer for some time, and then plant them in the ground. In this case, the tree will be stronger and healthier. But you have to spend more time growing. Yes, you can take fruit from any breed of apple tree. It’s not at all necessary to use special seeds of a bonsai apple tree - there are simply no such seeds in nature. And it becomes a miniature tree thanks to the long work of the gardener and the special growing conditions.
Bonsai Care
Care is an essential part of the whole process. It takes a little time, but daily.
Of course, first of all it is watering. It is especially necessary to water the plant during the formation of flowers. After that, you can reduce the number of irrigations and the intensity. But at the time of the formation of fruits - to increase again. In winter, watering is reduced to a minimum. The main thing is to ensure that the earth does not dry out at all, but is slightly moist.
It is also very important to spray the bonsai. It is better to use a conventional spray gun for this, which can be bought at any store where pots and indoor plants are sold. You need to spray daily. Tiny leaves dry out quickly in hot climates. And the accumulated dust on their surface does not make the plant attractive. The only exception is the flowering season. At this time, you can refuse to spray.
Do not forget about fertilizer. In spring, slowly decomposing fertilizers must be used - organic fertilizers sold as powders. You need to fertilize a little, but often. In autumn, on the contrary, it is better to fertilize rarely, but in larger portions. This will allow the plant to grow stronger and survive the winter, when solar activity is significantly reduced.
Regular cropping
The most important step in growing a bonsai apple tree is pruning. Yes, it is thanks to her that an ordinary plant becomes a dwarf one, and yet this is the main goal.
When the tree reaches the desired length - usually 30-40 centimeters - the top is trimmed. Due to this, the apple tree will not grow up. But still, it will still throw away shoots every year. They need to be cut to the second eye. It is advisable to do this immediately after the formation of the fruits on the branches - approximately in the early to mid-July.
The optimal length of the branches is 5-10 centimeters. They are cut off at each transplant. When the branch reaches the desired length, it simply cuts off. And all the extra shoots need to be cut in the winter, when a transplant is made.
Transfer
If you work with a young bonsai, but you will have to deal with transplantation annually. The best time for this is the end of winter. Over the year, the plant will acquire a powerful root system and it needs to be trimmed. Otherwise, the tree will develop too quickly, and this is not encouraged in the art of bonsai.
Use a larger pot is not necessary. The tree is simply carefully removed from the pot along with the ground. The earth is shaken off into a pot, and the roots are trimmed by about a third. After that, the plant returns to its place and is watered abundantly.
More mature bonsai, already bearing fruit in the summer, do not need to transplant every year. It is enough to repeat the procedure once every couple of years.
With proper care, regular pruning and replanting, the dwarf tree will be able to live for several decades, delighting others with the exquisite smell and sophistication inherent in the mysterious east.
Conclusion
On this our article comes to an end. Now you know how to grow a bonsai apple tree. This means that nothing prevents you from experimenting and bringing a bit of amazing and exotic Japan to your home.