A bonsai is a small tree with a trunk and crown of a bizarre shape. Its history extends back to antiquity to China, but it was in Japan that bonsai turned from just unusual plants into real art. Today, both the trees themselves and the methodology of their cultivation are indicated by the word "bonsai". How to grow such a miracle at home? How long does it take for an ordinary indoor plant or tree seedling to become a self-contained decor element? How to grow bonsai from pine or dwarf hardwood? We will talk about everything that may interest you in this Japanese art in the article below.
Why, among hundreds of plant varieties, many choose bonsai?
Indoor flowers can decorate any interior, add brightness and freshness to it. In addition, living plants purify the air and saturate it with oxygen. Anyone who loves flowers, but does not have enough spacious territory to accommodate large bushy specimens, usually choose a bonsai. How to grow it yourself, are most often interested in true lovers of indoor cultures, because it takes a lot of time and effort. Although this breed is dwarf, it is still a tree, which means that it forms within a few years, and not months, like ordinary flowers in a garden on a windowsill. The question of how to grow a bonsai from seeds is asked very few, because this lesson is even more painstaking and requires a lot of patience. At the same time, taking care of a dwarf tree, creating a bizarre crown, decorating the soil - all this gives an extraordinary scope for your imagination, therefore, by its originality and fascination, it far surpasses the cultivation of ordinary indoor plants. So, are you ready? Then we begin to get acquainted with the art of bonsai in full detail!
How to choose a plant to create a bonsai?
How to grow a bonsai tree , if you absolutely do not know anything about it? Of course, you should start by choosing planting stock. Most often, this process occurs in a nursery or greenhouse. Among the deciduous and coniferous trees growing in our region, maple and pine are the undisputed favorites. Making a bonsai of them will not work quickly, but in the end you will get a real “dwarf" in the best Japanese traditions. You can try to grow a miniature tree from other species, including:
- lilac of various grades;
- spirea;
- irga;
- cherry;
- spruce;
- Apple tree;
- juniper;
- larch;
- viburnum;
- cotoneaster;
- hawthorn;
- Birch;
- barberry.
In fact, to create a bonsai really from virtually any plant. The main thing is that it feels comfortable in the local climate and tolerates frequent pruning well.
It is much easier to grow bonsai from indoor flower crops. Experts recommend giving preference to well-branching varieties with small leaves. Surely you have already imagined Benjamin's ficus , coffee tree, lemon or fig as a bonsai . Hibiscus, evergreen boxwood or laurel will look no worse.
And to conclude this part of the conversation about bonsai, one more tip: choose a plant that you like. It will take a long time to work on it, and the result is unlikely to be brilliant if the tree annoys you with its appearance, smell or flowering.
How to choose a pot and soil for bonsai?
So, you have chosen and purchased a seedling from which you want to create a bonsai. How to grow it strong and healthy? It all starts with choosing a pot and planting.
The ideal pot for a dwarf Japanese tree is a ceramic bowl, not too deep, large in diameter, similar to a bowl. There should be enough space in it so that the roots of the bonsai are securely covered.
At the same time, it is undesirable to use the soil for ordinary indoor flowers, because it retains a lot of moisture, and the root system of the seedling can rot. In nature, bonsai grow in harsh conditions, on rocky slopes, clinging to almost bare rock. Of course, this does not mean that at home the tree should be grown on stones, but the quality of the soil should be as close to natural as possible. In the case of bonsai, the main function of the pot and the soil is to balance the aerial part of the seedling.
How to plant a bonsai?
There must be drainage holes in the tank. It is also recommended to lay the net to the bottom to prevent leaching of the soil. Before planting, the bonsai roots are cut so that the plant fits in a pot. Sprinkle a little soil on top of the net, then position the tree and tie the largest underground parts with wire, fixing it to the container through the drainage holes. Finish filling the pot with soil and water the bonsai.
Please note that trees of breeds growing in a temperate climate are planted only in spring. If you plan to turn the tropics into a bonsai, this can be done at any time of the year.
How to care for a bonsai?
How to grow bonsai at home? For this, it is necessary to maintain a certain light and temperature regime in the room, create a sufficient level of humidity and organize regular watering. It should be noted that bonsai is a culture that cannot be constantly indoors. If possible, it should be sent from time to time for a walk: to the balcony, porch or even to the garden.
The trees need a lot of light, especially in cloudy weather and in winter, when the day is short. Correct the situation will help the use of fluorescent lamps.
The humidity around the bonsai is maintained at the proper level by installing a small vessel of water next to the pot. You can arrange daily direct spraying of bonsai from a spray bottle. Do this in the morning so that the foliage dries out before evening.
The temperature regime is selected individually, based on the specific requirements of the tree species. So, people from subtropics (pomegranate, olive, myrtle, etc.) feel comfortable at a temperature of 7-15 ° C. Tropical bonsai needs more heat - from 16 to 25 ° C.
Water the trees often, but in small portions. The soil in the pot should be constantly moist, but not too wet. Water is pre-settled. The ideal option is melt water. Make sure that when watering the entire thickness of the soil in the pot is moistened. In the summer, "drink" a bonsai should be more frequent, as they grow at this time more intensively.
How to prepare seed material for a tree in miniature?
If you are interested in how to grow bonsai from seeds, immediately get ready for the fact that it will take a lot of time, sometimes even more than 5 years. Planting stock can be bought in a nursery, ordered online or even collected independently in a nearby park.
Tropical trees are grown from seeds of boxwood, myrtle, wisteria, ficus, broadleaf - beech, hornbeam, maple, elm, birch, conifers - cedar, pine, fir, cypress.
Planting material of such breeds as hawthorn, juniper, quince, requires standing alone for 6-12 months. Seeds are placed in a container of wet sand and left in a cool place. Future pines, spruce, oak and fir, on the contrary, it is better to sow immediately after harvest.
So, how to grow bonsai from oak or another breed by seed? Immediately before planting, they are germinated in water, moss or vermiculite. Break their hard shell to increase germination. It is also recommended that seed treatment with fungicide and soil sterilization be carried out to minimize the possibility of sprout disease.
Where and how to plant sprouted bonsai seeds?
While planting material swells, prepare the pots. Peat cups or the most common plastic ones filled with a peat-sand mixture (1: 1) are suitable. The soil is compacted, seeds are laid out on it, and coarse sand is poured on top. Cover the containers with foil or glass to create a greenhouse effect. Do not forget to monitor the humidity in the resulting mini-greenhouses.
When the first seedlings hatch from the sand, they organize regular airing, and after the appearance of the leaves, the seedlings can be fully opened. When the plant reaches a height of 10 cm, the plastic cup is replaced with a full pot. From this time, you can gradually begin to shape the future of bonsai.
How to grow bonsai from cuttings?
For those who want to learn how to grow bonsai correctly and at the same time save time, we will talk about the method of forming dwarf trees from cuttings. Comparing it with the seed method, we note that the process will accelerate by about a year. Cuttings are cut from healthy lignified shoots and rooted in fertile soil or in wet sand. If you chose conifers, it is better to do this in April or early September. June is recommended for the preparation of cuttings for hardwood bonsai.
Important: to grow a tree from a cut branch of a cedar or pine will not work. On the contrary, if you are interested in how to grow bonsai from maple by the method of cuttings, know: the shoots of this breed, like elm, barberry, hornbeam, as well as shrubs that are used in hedges, take root very well. Conifers take root for a long time, sometimes throughout the year. The first time after rooting, the cuttings must be carefully looked after: tempered, regularly watered. Fertilizing is not necessary, as a sufficient amount of nutrients is found in fresh soil.
How to form a bonsai crown?
There are several styles of bonsai. How to grow such a tree yourself, so that it becomes like a real "Japanese"? To begin with, the crown of a bonsai must have a conical shape. Trees look very original, the branches of which form pronounced horizontal tiers with the most thickened foliage in each of them. Note that this is not only beautiful, but also very healthy for bonsai.
The first pruning is carried out immediately after planting a young plant. Do not spare the branches: you need to leave only those that fit into the silhouette of the future bonsai that you invented. By tying the shoots to the roots, wrapping them with wire or pulling with weights, you can set the desired growth direction of the tree. At the same time, you will redistribute energy between the stronger and weaker branches.
The most thorough pruning is carried out after wintering. During the season, the bonsai crown is adjusted with more gentle haircuts. The technique depends not only on your personal wishes for the shape of the tree, but also on the breed of the plant.
Artificial Aging Bonsai
How to grow a bonsai tree at home so that after 1-2 years it looks like it is more than a dozen years old? There is a special aging technique. Sometimes, with the help of a knife or nippers, sections of the bark are removed from the bonsai trunk. With patience and certain theoretical knowledge, you can even split a tree or make a hollow in it. If you plan to leave the branch alive, you can not completely leave it without bark. Keep at least a thin strip that will deliver power from the trunk to the top of the shoot. Dead branches can be aged more aggressively using a special wood cutter. The bare trunk is sometimes even tinted or, conversely, bleached.
Juniper, pine and spruce are best suited to such treatment, as their wood contains special substances that prevent the development of fungus and decay.
A few terms for true fans of bonsai: plants with bark removed are called "sharmiki", and with a split trunk, they are called "sabamiki".
Air lay
Air layering is necessary to adjust the shape of a bonsai, for example, if its trunk is too long.
To get layering, on the trunk of a deciduous plant at the right level, make a circular incision and remove a strip of bark. How to grow bonsai from pine using this technique? With conifers, they work a little differently: they tied the shoot with wire so that a wound appeared on it, and then it is moistened with a root formation stimulator. In both cases, the resulting damage is wrapped with wet sphagnum and protected by a mosquito net casing filled with fertile soil. It is better to carry out this procedure in the spring.
They open the casing in the fall (in coniferous bonsai - in a year). Young roots should appear at the cut site. After that, you just have to wait until the roots get stronger. All this time they should still remain under the casing.
As soon as you see that the roots are ready to deliver the bonsai nutrients from the soil, remove the casing, cut the plant just below the layering and plant it in a new container.
Of course, this story about Japanese dwarf trees and the art of growing them is far from complete. If you decide to create your own original bonsai, you will need to learn a lot more. However, whatever type of wood and style you choose, remember: in this matter, the main thing is patience, attention, care and ... your imagination!