Sewerage

Thuja is suitable for growing bonsai. How to grow bonsai from spruce? No age limit

Luxurious beauty reaches 30 m in height. different color needles depends on the type of tree. Like the length of the needles. The most common color of needles is green, but there are species with a bright blue tint. The cones change from reddish to dark brown when ripe. Lives for a long time, about 600 years. For the two states of America, this is their own symbol. From the side, the spruce looks like a very massive tree, but it has flexible branches and a trunk. Experienced gardeners do not recommend growing it for beginners. A lot of small work, on which the result depends. Translated from Latin, it means resinous tree, which fully characterizes it, due to the release of a large amount of resin. The tree has a sharp crown and sloping branches. The slender trunk is especially remarkable. Cones appear at the ends of the shoots and do not open even after full maturation.

habitation

The tree can be found in mountain valleys North America. The cultivars are grown in Germany. Individual specimens are located in the mountainous regions of Europe. Most parts of the Northern Hemisphere can boast one type of spruce or another.

Watering

A good drainage layer is required broken brick and sand. A young plant needs regular watering. In summer, watering can be plentiful, given that the soil has time to dry slightly. By autumn, watering is reduced, reducing to a rare winter months. Gardeners often use a warm shower from a watering can. Or spraying in warm weather.

top dressing

A constant addition of fertilizers is not required, but periodically it is good to add universal components for coniferous plants. As an additional additive, powder fertilizers are used during active growth. You can add organic fertilizers slowly decomposing.

pruning

The tree does not grow quickly, rather slowly, especially some varieties. To form a special style, a wire is applied that can last more than 2 years. In order for the wire not to grow under it, a soft layer is placed. Pruning of branches begins in the spring, or at the end of February. During this period, the release of resin is minimal. Young shoots can be pinched during the summer. In the same period, the crown is thinned out. It is necessary to remove dried branches and needles inside the crown and from the surface of the soil. The bark can be brushed, if moss appears, it can be scraped off with a knife.

Lighting

The container with the plant must be placed in a lighted place. But the tree also feels good in the shade and in partial shade. AT summer time it will be useful to take the spruce to the garden or to the terrace. When placed outdoors, wind protection can be omitted. If in summer a temperature of about 24 ° C is sufficient, then in winter it is necessary to move the plant to a room with a temperature not higher than 5 ° C. Due to the nature of the content, the tree is often grown in open field which is more useful for him. The room must be constantly ventilated.

soil for the plant

For good growth and lush crowns take a soil substrate from soddy land, mix it with leafy soil, add peat and sand. The experts advise ready mix add nitroammophoski. It is believed that spruce tolerates clay soils that are deprived of nutrients. One of the recommended formulations contains leaf earth, clay granulate and Japanese clay. A possible substrate of compost, leafy soil and river sand can be recommended.

reproduction

During transplantation, it is necessary to approve the root neck at ground level, not lower. An adult plant does not need to be replanted, but the top layer must be changed, peat should be added and loosened well. The roots do not go deep into the soil, so the pots may not be very deep. Transplantation is carried out every 5 years, each subsequent pot is slightly larger than the previous one. At the same time, a third of the root system is cut off, old and damaged roots are selected.

The plant is often tried to grow from cuttings, but the result is not guaranteed. Cuttings are cut in the summer from last year's branches, the needles are removed from the bottom, planted in a dark place, and the temperature is maintained at about 20 ° C. The whole process can take about 2 years. It's easier to buy a seedling in a store. For propagation by seeds, cones are collected in the fall, dried, and kept at a warm temperature. After they germinate for about 10 days in the sand. The soil must be kept moist. In spring, seeds are planted in loose soil. Usually, sprouts appear after 3 weeks. For some time, the sprouts must be held under glassware. Somewhere in the middle of summer, banks are removed. The next year, the sprouts can be planted in separate pots.

Propagation by layering is also used. To do this, select the lower branches, press them to the ground. Make several cuts, cover with soil and water regularly. Professionals use summer or spring vaccinations, but this method is not suitable for beginners, as it is considered a very difficult method.

Plant pests and diseases

Of the insects that annoy the tree, bark beetles, root nematodes, red spider mite, the horntail wasp and the great pine weevil. All of them leave, after themselves, a whole network of communicating holes under the bark. The appearance of insects can be traced by damage to the needles and cones. It is necessary to cut and destroy the affected areas. Young plants are treated with an oil emulsion, sprayed with insecticides. From the appearance of moths, leafworms, silkworms, aphids and sawflies, shoots and needles are deformed, urgent spraying with chemicals is required. From Hermes, spraying with organophosphorus substances is used. Browning of needles, septoria, rust and spruce cancer are quite serious diseases. Which are disposed of by spraying with fungicidal preparations, which are basically blue vitriol or cyben.

plant species

Spruce is prickly. Its needles often have a bluish tint. Spruce prickly gray, All of its varieties have a bluish tint of needles due to wax coating. The crown spreads out to 8 m in diameter. The growth of the tree is about 40 cm per year. The gray globular spruce otherwise, the Glauka Globoza spruce has a dwarf appearance, can reach a height of 1 m and spread over 1.5 m in diameter. Argentea silver spruce has whitish needles that turn silvery white with age. The Oldenburg blue spruce, originally from Germany, is not so tall, its height is about 15 m, but the prickly needles have a pleasant blue color.

Coniferous bonsai - as an art originated almost a thousand years ago in China. Widespread in Japan. In Japanese culture, there has always been a connection between traditions and nature. The constant change of seasons in gardens and parks has always fascinated and attracted, and so much so that with the advent of bonsai, it became possible to transfer the beauty of the surrounding world into a home environment. Bonsai is translated not only as bonsai, but also the process of growing these plants in a pallet or shallow pot.

modern bonsai

Today, bonsai has become very popular all over the world. At its core, it is. Most of the plant species that are used to form bonsai in Japan do not grow in our latitudes. Many gardeners grow those species that grow in our territory. The most suitable species for cultivation are coniferous trees. To create a composition, thuja, spruce, are well suited. Not all gardeners know how to properly care for dwarf trees. Next, we will reveal behind the composition.

The process of growing dwarf trees is very long and laborious. Such a hobby is suitable only for purposeful and patient people. Having formed the appearance of your tree, you should not think that it will be permanently preserved. Bonsai from needles grows, actively develops and may lose its neat appearance. In this regard, when caring for the composition, regular pruning, replanting and branching are required. On the this moment established strict canons of cultivation, which have been formed over the centuries. Sometimes professionals deviate from them and the result can be real works of art. True, it is worth conducting such experiments only if you have some experience in this lesson.

Bonsai crown formation process

Today there are a large number various styles growing bonsai. But in caring for trees, there are still several basic rules for crown formation:

Spruce and thuja should have a conical crown shape, or the crown should be divided into horizontal tiers;
Spruce or thuja should have fairly dense needles.

All this is due to the basic rules for the development of plants in natural conditions. Compliance with the principles allows you to well ventilate each tier of a coniferous plant, and at the same time each branch receives a sufficient amount of lighting. Each individual tier creates its own microclimate, which contributes to the active growth of the plant. Thus, spruce or thuja provide themselves with conditions for life.

To form the crown of dwarf trees will have to spend a lot of effort. After the spruce or thuja has been placed in a container from its natural habitat, the top must be cut. First you need to think about the shape and style of your future plant, since the first haircut lays its foundation.

When pruning, excess branches are removed and only those that are suitable in texture are left.

Using aluminum wire form the frame of the future trunk. Also, with the help of such frames, you can give desired view branches and direct their growth in a certain direction.

Formed spruce or thuja needs regular shearing. Carrying out such a procedure helps to maintain a beautiful appearance. Also, with the help of cutting, the flow of forces is redistributed between the upper stronger branches to the weaker lower ones.

For the first time in a year, spruce is trimmed with the beginning of active growth in the spring. Further, the need for trimming is determined by the intensity of plant development and the need to remove branches that violate the overall silhouette of the plant.

The cutting rules for each individual breed are different. The process also removes damaged and dried branches. In order to quickly tighten the places of cuts, they must be covered with plasticine.

It is necessary to form the direction of growth of the branches when they are the softest and most pliable for processing. Also, at the beginning of summer, needles are removed in order to rejuvenate the crown of the plant.

Root care

Dwarf spruce and thuja should be repotted regularly. This procedure is carried out with the onset of the warm season, before the plant begins to actively develop.

The procedure is carried out as follows:

It is necessary to prepare a container deeper than the previous one by a couple of centimeters. This can be done using ceramic flower pot with drainage holes. A quarter of the container is filled with clay, then a layer of a special substrate is poured.
Very carefully remove damaged, old or overgrown parts of the root system. Do it with garden shears.
The root system is cleaned of the old substrate and covered with a new one. For an adult plant, noma is the removal of almost forty percent of the old soil. For young plants, this figure is almost twice as high. If the spruce is not healthy, then this procedure should be carried out in several stages. Do this with the help of special sticks.

Before transplanting, an earthen coma is given some time to dry out. This will preserve the integrity of the root system. After transplanting, spruce should be abundantly moistened.

winter dormancy period

dwarf trees in winter period slow down their development. For each species, the duration of the dormant period is different. Spruce at low temperatures is in a state of winter sleep for about one hundred and fifty days.

Bonsai need to be fed regularly with organic and inorganic fertilizers. For each type of miniature tree, the type of fertilizer is selected individually. Also, the age of the tree and its condition should be taken into account.

To competently approach the cultivation of bonsai at home, you need to study in detail the rules for caring for the acquired species. It is necessary to strictly observe the mode of watering and lighting, maintain the desired temperature and humidity. You can learn all the subtleties of growing bonsai only in the process of caring for the plant.

How to grow pine bonsai at home? Growing and propagating tabernemontana at home

Spruce

The modern art of growing bonsai has many directions and styles. But they all stick general rule, which concerns the formation of the crown:

a coniferous tree should have branches with small and lush needles;
the choice should be in favor of a tree with a cone-shaped crown or the crown should be divided into tiers.

Consider the question of how to grow a spruce bonsai or an elite blue spruce bonsai. This is not easy to do, not every beginner will be able to cope, especially if you start by planting seeds. They are placed for a day in a bright solution of potassium permanganate, and then for another day in water. The soaked seed is placed in a container with prepared sand to a depth of 1-2 cm and left for two months in a cold place (for example, on a balcony or in a garage).

With the beginning of spring, the container is transferred to the home, placed closer to the light source (windowsill) and watered. Three weeks later, small seedlings appear, and when they reach 10 more centimeters, you can begin to form bonsai from Norway spruce. For 2-3 years, the Christmas tree grows when watered in the summer (once a week). Mineral fertilizers are applied in early spring. After this period, the seedling can finally be transplanted into a special pot - bonsai.

Pinching the top is needed in order to stop growth. Pruning and shearing will help give the plant the desired shape. Pruning can be done as needed, and fantasy will tell the shape of the crown. Treat the cut points with garden pitch. The best place for a young plant - a balcony, veranda, loggia. There is a lot of natural light here, and the sun's rays often peek in.

Cedar

Growing a cedar with your own hands is not so difficult, you just need to have the desire and certain knowledge. Now we will take a step-by-step look at how to grow a bonsai cedar from seeds:

The main thing is to find a healthy cone (without visible damage and signs of mold) and get a few nuts out of it.
Pick up a small box, making holes in the bottom for ventilation, put dried grass inside, and nuts on top. The box should be left on the open balcony until spring. Thus, stratification will take place - imitation winter conditions in nature.
In the spring, we transfer the nuts to the house, drop them 1–2 cm into the sandy soil in a small container and leave them on the windowsill.
In a month, small seedlings will appear - water them and protect them from direct sunlight. You can plant them only after 3 years in a special container - bonsai.

The formation of cedar bonsai occurs according to the following scheme:

1-2 months the plant rests and gets used to a new place;
using soft wire wrap around the trunk and create desired frame, giving the branches the right directions, while remembering to fertilize the cedar once a month. So 2 months pass;
at the next transplant, without disturbing the coma of earth in the root system of the tree, you need to slightly cut the roots, renew the earth in the bonsain and return the cedar to its place, mulching the soil near the roots with peat;
after 3-4 years, it is required to pinch the upper kidney, preventing growth. This procedure will stimulate the growth of side shoots;
after a few years, a crown is formed - this is where the scope of your imagination will be needed.

Japanese cedar bonsai can take on a whimsical shape in a cascading style or choose a strict classic version for it.

thuja

The shrub belongs to the genus of conifers. But instead of the needles characteristic of coniferous trees, it has scales. The thuja has seeds in the form of cones, with which the plant propagates. For planting use seeds, cuttings and seedlings. The conditions for planting and care do not differ from those previously described for growing conifers. Thuja is suitable for staying at home and is an excellent material for growing thuja bonsai.

Other conifers

Another representative of conifers is juniper. He is unpretentious, quickly adapts to the room climate and is in no way inferior in beauty to his fellows. The only difference is that the juniper tolerates wintering better at room temperature and does not require expulsion to the balcony.

Roxburgh pine is unlikely to be suitable for use in the home, as in nature it reaches a height of more than 2 m and has long needles. At the same time, Scots pine is a suitable basis for bonsai. Gardeners create unique and bizarre forms from it.

Features of growing and caring for conifers

We offer some tips for self-planting and caring for conifers.

To grow bonsai from conifers, you must first ask yourself the following questions:

what kind of soil the tree prefers;
does the room have enough light to grow this species;
what watering needs this species tree or shrub.

Once you answer them, get down to business.

The condition of the needles "speaks" about the health of your ward. If you notice spots, shedding of needles, or if their color has changed, this indicates a disease or the appearance of harmful insects.

It should be noted that conifers have two stages of growth during the year: the first is manifested in the growth of branches ( late spring), the second is characterized by their thickening at the end of summer.

midori tsumi- pinching the point of growth. By shortening the shoot, you provoke the laying of new buds below the pinching point, thus obtaining dense paws with many branches. Depending on what kind of trees you are working with, the time of work changes:

for hardwoods - pinching begins during the period of active growth of shoots and lasts until mid-summer. On the remaining branch there are 2-3 leaves (buds). They finish work at the end of July, so that the regrown branches prepare for the winter;
for conifers - pinching begins when the branch is in the “candle” mode, but the needles have already moved away from it at an angle of 45 °.

Kiri modoshi- pruning all the shoots of the last year to form dense brushes. It is produced at the beginning of sap flow, before the buds open.

Hamu-siri– thinning needles – is used only for pines. All the needles of the previous year are plucked, and the remains are thinned out by half or less (depending on how many shoots you want to get).

Fuse-zukuri- special techniques for changing the shape and direction of growth of shoots.

For these purposes, the branches are bent in the right direction to the required angle and fixed.

When bending, the main task is not to damage the tree, therefore, at the slightest crackle, the slope is reduced, and the branch is fixed. Bamboo spacers, soft copper wire, twine, burlap are used to protect branches from damage. They carefully monitor that the strapping does not grow into the bark - as soon as the branches thicken, they are tied up. Full fixation of the branch occurs after 2-3 seasons.

Shitate- barrel bending technique. Such niwaki styles, like mogi, kengai, syakai require that the barrel is not located in a vertical plane. To give shape, use spacers, stretching, bending to the ground, followed by fixation with pegs.

The trunk can be formed in two ways:

setting the right direction for a young seedling from year to year (for example, planting a plant at an angle);
changing the shape of the rootstock in a mature tree (usually used to reinforce existing bends).

There is a risk that the unnatural position of the trunk may cause the root system to not hold it, so the extensions are installed as follows:

Where to start?

We advise a novice bonsaiist to first practice on trees and shrubs growing on the site. Nivaki can be formed from both a young and a long-growing tree. Start work in early spring before the buds open. At this time, the shape of the tree, natural bends, strong and weak shoots are clearly visible. For bonsai, choose a healthy plant that can survive the stress caused by drastic interference in its life.

Operating procedure:

at a tree or shrub, cut off all diseased, broken and dry branches;
choose the style in which the nivaki will be formed, paying special attention to the age of the tree and the natural shape of the trunk;
decide where the front side of the composition will be, mark the branches of the first order (bases) and the topmost branch crowning the nivkai.

Skeletal branches should emphasize the levels as much as possible - for this they are placed in a plane parallel to the ground, using the techniques described above.

After that, all excess shoots are removed, leaving on the skeletal branches those that will later form the crown. If necessary, stretch marks are installed, directing the growth of shoots in the right direction.

The next stage starts only next year:

Examples of elementary niwaki

Jasmine. The shrub gives abundant shoots, and without corrective pruning after a few years has an unsightly neglected appearance. What can be done? Remove all excess growth, leaving a few of the strongest vertical shoots. Pull them together with a soft wire - at the top you will get a compact “hat”, which in the spring will turn into a wonderful white cloud with a delicate aroma.

Spirea. The lush blooming "Rich Bride" is an excellent material for bonsai. Leaving a few skeletal branches, weave them together, and cut off all excess at the root. Give the stems the desired height, form the side shoots in the form of a ball.

Lilac. An ordinary bush can become a garden barefoot masterpiece if you work a little:

cut out all the shoots and remove the stem branches under the root, leaving one, the strongest or crooked shoot;
cut it to a height of no more than 1.5 m;
using the fuse-zukuri technique, form a crown from young shoots in the form of a bowl, shell or cap at the top of the main branch;
try to direct the growth of young upper shoots parallel to the ground, tying a load to them;
be sure to remove all excess growth at the root and adjust the top growth point.

After flowering, be sure to remove all dry candles - this stimulates an increase in peduncles for the next year.

Holly maple. The bright red leaves of this plant are good on their own. But if you give the tree the desired shape, you will get a unique composition that will decorate the shore. artificial reservoir or alpine slide. Plant two young seedlings side by side, which can later be intertwined with each other, or you can grow a tree in the sokan style - with a forked trunk.

Don't be afraid to experiment! For an enthusiastic person, there is no such plant that could not be turned into a masterpiece to the envy of all neighbors.

Growing bonsai is a constant discovery, discovery and creative work that makes a person truly happy. And to achieve this effect, you need to know the methods and some features of growing bonsai. In order to grow bonsai according to all the rules, you need special utensils, tools, special care, etc. etc. In this article I will talk directly about the cultivation process.

Juniper Sargent Bonsai. Age 15 years. Han-Kengai style. © Cliff

Choosing plants for bonsai in the nursery

From the young plants purchased in the nursery, beautiful bonsai can be formed relatively quickly. Most nursery-sold plants have been grown in containers for many years. Because of this, they tend to develop a well-formed and dense root system, which is ideal for bonsai formation.

The plant is taken out of the container, the old soil is removed and the first root pruning is carried out to obtain root system flat shape. After that, the plant is planted again in a regular container, now filled with soil mixture for bonsai. Very soon, such plants can already be transplanted into low special containers (bowls).

The only thing to remember when carrying out a strong pruning of the roots is to observe the correct planting dates, in other words, all these activities are carried out at the end of winter, while the period of active growth has not yet begun.

The range of plants sold in nurseries is very large, and it is easy to get confused in it. That is why in the nursery it is best to thoroughly look through all the available plants and try to find the most suitable specimens for the formation of bonsai. In addition, it is worth regularly visiting gardening centers and nurseries and looking into the farthest corners there, where, perhaps, prematurely aged dwarf trees may be.

True, beginners are advised to select younger plants from which it is easier to form bonsai. The choice of plants must be approached very critically. Trees intended for bonsai formation should be densely branched to the ground, so that after pruning, branches suitable for various styles can be left.

When examining plants, the soil around the trunk must be slightly excavated in order to be able to clearly examine the base of the trunk. The grafted plants must be grafted in such a way that the grafting site is not visible in the formed bonsai.

Particular care is needed when buying plants with a very dense crown, the inside of which is usually completely bare. These plants take a very long time to grow. inside branches have new shoots. This applies mainly to large species of Norway spruce (Picea abies) "Pumila Glauca" and gray spruce (Picea glauca) "Conica".

Rhododendrons with a spherical crown shape are more suitable, since they give young shoots relatively quickly from old wood. For the formation of bonsai, we can safely recommend all undersized forms and varieties of pine, not grafted fan maples, field maple, all types of barberry, local types of elms, not grafted common hornbeam, cedar elfin (dwarf pine), juniper, hawthorn and many others.

Bonsai. Composition of several trees. © Sage Ross

Collectors who have necessary experience and giving preference to difficult-to-form and expensive plants, it can only be recommended to look for suitable source material in nurseries. Since bonsai became known in Germany, the first nurseries also appeared, which, in addition to the usual assortment, began to grow trees intended for the formation of bonsai.

Now they have a good choice suitable and very inexpensive plants, from which, after a couple of years of work, very beautiful and very valuable bonsai can be obtained. Therefore, plants from nurseries are the best way to learn how to form bonsai.

Bonsai taken in nature - Yamadori

In nature, there are beautiful trees that, despite their age, are great for bonsai formation. Mostly, high in the mountains, on the border of forests, you can find centuries-old trees that do not exceed 50 cm in height. A very short growing season allows plants to grow only a few millimeters per year. Due to constant strong winds, ice and snowstorms, they remain dwarfed and acquire a bizarre, often very twisted shape.

In order to dig up plants in nature, you must obtain permission from the landowner. When digging up a plant, a seedling is planted in its place, if possible. In order to form a harmonious bonsai from such source material, it is necessary to have the appropriate experience. First of all, it is very difficult for beginner bonsai lovers to make something decent out of this intertwined, intricate and abstractly shaped material. That is why they are advised to look for younger specimens with a compact root system.

80-year-old trees 50-60 cm high often have roots 5 m or more long. Such plants are found on rocky soils, as their roots, in search of moisture and nutrition, grow deep into cracks and crevices of rocks. In order to dig up such plants, it is necessary to cut their long roots with skill. In some particularly unfavorable cases, this procedure is extended for years, so that during this time new roots form at the base of the trunk, thanks to which the excavated plant can survive.

The best time to dig up plants is early spring when the soil has already thawed, and plant growth has not yet begun. From the tool you need to have a folding shovel, a climbing pick, a pruner, a folding saw, a hammer and a chisel.

The roots of the dug up plants are placed in plastic bags filled with wet moss to withstand shipping. At home, such plants are first planted in large plastic containers.

Japanese clay granulate (Akadama) is used as soil, as large as possible, 6-12 mm. After planting, the plants are placed in a place shaded and protected from strong winds. After about 3 years, they can be transplanted into a smaller container. As a rule, it takes from 5 to 10 years until powerful and imposing bonsai are obtained from dug up plants. Older yamadori take even longer to become well rooted in a container.

Plants from the nursery, on the contrary, take root excellently, most often in the same year. If strong leaves or needles begin to form at the tops of the shoots, this is a sure sign that the plant is well rooted. Only after that it is necessary to start fertilizing with fertilizer. When transplanted, deciduous trees take root much faster than conifers. Juniper dug out in nature takes root especially slowly in a container.

That is why it is advisable to dig up the plants not in one go, but gradually cut off the long roots year after year. After a few years, such a plant can be painlessly dug up.

A beginner who has yet to learn to recognize shapes in the original plant material and who is still unsure of the techniques of bonsai formation is not recommended to use yamadori.

For beginners, younger densely branched deciduous trees with a trunk as thick as a finger are quite suitable, although they are not typical yamadori. For experienced bonsai collectors, there is also the option to take plants from their garden.

Over time, it is not uncommon for a garden to need to remove some trees because they have been planted too often, or to redevelop the garden is on the agenda. These plants are ideal source material for the bonsai collector. Very often it (material) is distinguished by arm-thick trunks, powerful root bases and strong long branches.

These plants also take a certain amount of time to take root well, so they are first planted in large plastic containers. After about three years, depending on the size of the plant, they can be transplanted into smaller dishes. Already in a plastic container, you can begin to draft the plant, until after three years it will be transplanted into a suitable bonsai container. For such plants, the rough formation phase lasts approximately 46 years. But later you get a bonsai at the age of about 50, looking very impressive and powerful.

Rhododendron in the form of a bonsai. The plant is 22 years old. © Andreas D

Bonsai from native tree species and their benefits

There are a number of tree species native to Europe that are well suited to form bonsai. Often, local breeds are even much more hardy than exotic species. Added to this is that we know better their needs in terms of location, quality composition and soil structure, as well as possible pests and diseases. The trees growing in our forests are frost-resistant, and therefore, they do not need to overwinter indoors.

Many questions can be clarified for yourself at the place of natural growth of the selected trees. In principle, bonsai can be grown from any European tree species that has never been used as a bonsai before. There are many possibilities for this.

First, you can simply experiment on the plant with soil, light and water for irrigation, which, in general, is hardly recommended to do, or prefer a more acceptable solution, which is to find out about the growing conditions of one or another species in nature.

When growing bonsai from local tree species, you can get a clear idea of \u200b\u200bthe growing conditions of a particular tree if you carefully observe it in its natural habitat and ask yourself the following questions:

What soil does the tree grow on?
How much light does it need?
Location of the tree: shaded or light?
Does the tree grow only in a place protected by a forest or a gorge?
What kind of places does it prefer: dry or wet?

Example: it is necessary to form a bonsai from black pine. In search of old trees, they usually go to tall woodlands. Tops of black pine are densely covered with needles. The rest of the crown, first of all, its Bottom part, remains transparent. This is because black pine is a very light-loving plant and develops lush needles only at the tops of the crown.

From this one should proceed: black pine bonsai need very bright lighting, therefore, the place for them should be several meters away from walls and buildings and slightly elevated above the ground so that the bonsai also receive some light from below.

Under natural conditions, pines grow on well-drained lime-sand or karst bases. Therefore, for bonsai, a soil mixture of coarse sand or gravel with a small addition of humus is chosen. When forming bonsai from black pine, it is not at all necessary to accurately copy the natural shape of the tree, traditional Japanese forms are also possible.

Thus, the natural forms of trees of any species growing in our country can be used as a model for their subsequent transfer to bonsai. For those who want to pursue the art of growing bonsai more intensively and purposefully, it is necessary to make it a rule to pay attention to beautiful trees on the street and study them closely, especially those that you pass by every day,

When forming a bonsai, it is not at all necessary to be guided by classical Japanese or Chinese forms. When working with local species, it is even much more reasonable to take as a model the forms of trees growing in our forests. We have some very beautiful trees that deserve to be modeled as bonsai trees.

In addition, it is much easier to carefully consider and study trees in natural conditions and then transfer their shape to bonsai. Isn't it interesting to imagine that an oak tree only a meter high, with its branches and branches, can look like an old mature tree. Among the tree species growing in our latitudes there are at least a dozen that can certainly serve as good source material.

Anyone who from time to time attempts to use tree species that are almost unknown in this capacity for the formation of bonsai very soon comes to the conclusion that not every tree is suitable for the formation of bonsai from it. So, for example, the chestnut tree has amazingly beautiful flowers and leaves, and besides, it also has a magnificent crown, but because of its huge inflorescences and leaves, this tree is not suitable for the formation of bonsai.

Conversely, hawthorn bushes in natural conditions are not very attractive and do not have much charm, however, for use as a bonsai, this is an excellent source material.

Therefore, when choosing local tree species, you need to mentally answer yourself the following questions:

Does this tree have small leaves?
Does it produce young shoots from old wood?
Does it form many branches?
Does his shoots grow strongly?
Does it grow well in a small pot?
Is the base of the roots beautifully formed?

However, in addition to the type of wood, the appearance and condition of the individual plant is also of decisive importance when choosing the source material.

Bonsai. Style Yose Ue (Youse-Ue). © William Neuheisel

Bonsai grown from cuttings

Growing bonsai from cuttings is also a time-consuming and patient undertaking. True, growing plants in this way gives a gain per year compared to seedlings.

Cuttings are cut parts of branches (lignified shoots) without roots, which are cut from healthy mother plants and stuck into the soil for rooting. A suitable time for cuttings of coniferous trees is the beginning of September or April.

Cuttings from deciduous trees are best cut from the beginning to the end of June. To stimulate root formation, cuttings can be treated with a special growth stimulator (phytohormone). Deciduous tree cuttings take root in a few weeks.

In coniferous trees, the process of root formation can last more than a year. It is best to use plastic mini-greenhouses as dishes for rooting cuttings. Its lower part is filled by two-thirds with a mixture of sand and peat and the cuttings are stuck into the soil at an equal distance from each other.

Then the cuttings are carefully watered and cover the greenhouse on top with a transparent lid. To place a greenhouse with cuttings, a dark place is chosen and soil moisture is monitored daily, if necessary, the soil in the greenhouse is watered.

When young leaves appear on the cuttings, which is possible in a couple of weeks, this means that roots have already formed. Now the transparent cover of the mini-greenhouse can be lifted from time to time for ventilation in order to harden young plants and gradually accustom them to the usual climate. After a few months, the cuttings are already well rooted and can be planted in separate containers.

For this, a loose, clay-containing soil mixture for plants is used. This year, young plants do not need to be fed with fertilizers, since fresh soil contains a sufficient amount of nutrients. For overwintering of such plants, it is necessary to take care of a special shelter, since their delicate roots are not yet able to endure prolonged frosts. Containers with young plants should be well dug into the soil and covered on top with a film folded in several layers to protect from the wind.

Not all trees propagate by cuttings. For example, cedars and pines cannot be propagated in this way. They are propagated exclusively by seeds. Elms, on the other hand, can be grown very quickly from cuttings, as can most trees and shrubs used for hedges, such as privet, common hornbeam, field maple, barberry, and dwarf elm.

Bonsai from Lanta kamara, plant 3 years old. Sekijoju style. © JCardinal18

Bonsai grown from seeds

Growing from seeds is the longest way to form bonsai. It takes 12 to 15 years to produce approximately bonsai-like plants from seeds. Most of the plants sold in gardening centers and nurseries have this age. Why is such a long journey necessary?

There are some types of trees in which the optimal form can only be achieved if you start shaping the plant from the very first days of its life. This applies, for example, to elms, from which it is planned to form bonsai in a strictly vertical style. In such plants, it is necessary to cut out part of the roots already in the first year and regulate the growth of young stems with the help of pruning.

In about 20 years, it will already be clearly noticeable that these plants are formed on early stage of its development. This can be determined, first of all, by the base of the roots. All the roots protruding on the surface of the soil diverge from the trunk in the form of a star, and the trunks themselves are beautifully shaped. When looking at the base of the branches, their harmonious distribution is striking.

The proportion of the height of the trunk to the height of the crown forms a balanced spatial relationship. All these benefits come from growing plants from seeds. In annual and biennial seedlings of coniferous trees, the stems can be very strongly bent, giving them any complex shape.

In all coniferous trees with a rough bark, the wire applied to the trunks and branches should grow into the wood to the depth of the bark thickness. Due to this, a curved and uneven trunk additionally receives the effect of healing wounds, which quickly heal in young plants.

Two-year-old black pine trees, for example, can be very strongly bent in winter, which is only possible with seedlings. The superimposed wire is allowed to grow into the bark and is removed only after 3 years, without fear that the plant will be damaged.

Miniature bonsai. © Norio NAKAYAMA

Later, the wire can be applied again to again get the effect of scarring of the wounds. When the plant has grown to such an extent that in the next 45 years it will be ready for display as a bonsai, in no case should the wire be allowed to grow into the trunk. Since the stem of plants grows in thickness much more slowly with age, the wounds from the wire ingrown into the bark heal much worse and it will take more than a dozen years for the last traces of the wire to become invisible.

Self-collection of tree seeds is a very exciting and full of surprises activity. While walking in the park or in the forest, you can constantly find more and more seeds of trees and shrubs. If bonsai seeds are harvested in autumn, they can be sown directly into seed boxes or bonsai containers.

In this case, it is necessary to take into account the following: there are seeds that need cold (freezing) for germination.

These are seeds with a hard shell, such as seeds of cherries, blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, juniper. The seeds of these trees are sown in a flat container with wet sand and also covered with a layer of sand on top. Then the container is covered with a film so that the crops do not dry out. After that, the container with the sown seeds is taken outside to a place darkened from direct sunlight and left there for the whole winter, so that under the influence of frost the hard shell of the seeds cracks. In the spring, the first shoots appear.

Usually, not all seeds germinate. In this case, such seeds are not thrown away, but they try to get seedlings from them for the next year. You can also carry out artificial freezing of seeds in the freezer of the refrigerator. Bonsai seeds with a soft shell can be partially sown in autumn, immediately after harvest. Mountain pine seeds are harvested in August and sown immediately. They germinate in 34 weeks.

A container with emerging seedlings is added dropwise in a place protected from the weather so that tender seedlings do not die in winter from drying out the soil. The seeds of most maples growing in the forests of Germany also germinate in the year they are harvested.

To do this, proceed as follows: the seeds are scattered in a flat container with wet sand, and then sprayed with water from a spray bottle. Newspaper is then placed over the seeds to keep them moist and allow some light to pass through the newspaper, as maple seeds need light to germinate. If the winter is mild, then the first shoots appear in winter. A year later, next spring, when the seedlings are a little woody, they can be carefully planted in small pots and shaped pruning during the summer.

Bonsai sizes

Bonsai can vary greatly in size. The smallest of them barely reach a height of 8 cm, however, there are also trees of impressive size with a height of 130 cm. At the same time, things are by no means so that small bonsai are young, and large ones are old, grown over many years.

The future size of the bonsai is approximately set at the very beginning of the formation. Most often, the main skeletal branches, at least the rudiments of them, are already present on the plant, and they largely determine in what style a bonsai can be formed. And although over the years the bonsai grows several centimeters in height, the growth of the tree is limited mainly to the development of the ideal shape that the amateur strives for.

The ideal size of a bonsai depends primarily on the size of the leaves. Trees with small leaves can form bonsai of any size.

For trees with large leaves or long needles, a minimum size must be set at which they can be represented in the correct proportion (the ratio of the size of the leaves to the size of the tree itself). So, for example, a chestnut must have a height of 1.20 to 1.50 m to look harmonious.

Suitable trees for different sizes of bonsai:

8-20 cm: juniper, irga, rhododendron, spruce;
20-30 cm: barberry, field maple, rock maple, privet, mountain pine with small needles;
30-70 cm: birch, hazel, pine, ash-leaved maple (American), elm;
60-100 cm: beech, oak, elder, false plane maple (sycamore), plane maple, black pine, larch, linden, ash, ash-leaved maple;
100-130 cm: plane tree, chestnut, black pine, elderberry, acacia, wisteria.

Features of growing bonsai

To form a certain shape of the branches and trunk of a bonsai, usually, you can not do without the use of wire. It doesn't matter if you wire the branches or change their direction with the help of tensioners, any technique of working with wire is very important for the formation of bonsai.

Wire laying is the most time-consuming technique for shaping bonsai, especially in coniferous trees. Here it is necessary to fix with wire all the branches without exception to the very top of the shoots. In deciduous trees, the shape can often be perfectly controlled only by pruning, and the need to wire the branches is relatively rare.

In trees with smooth bark, such as beech, elm, maple, linden, the wire should only remain on the plants for a short time, since the unsightly traces of the wire ingrown into the trunk remain visible for decades. The juniper or pine trees are quite different.

These trees have a rough bark, and traces of the wire overgrow relatively quickly. However, even in such trees, the ingrowth of the superimposed wire into the bark should not be allowed, since otherwise spiral scars form on the trunk here too.

Wire laying is best in winter or early spring, when the bonsai is also pruned. At this time of the year, the deciduous trees are still leafless and all branches are easily accessible.

With the onset of sap flow and growth of young shoots in spring, the branches quickly become thicker, so the wire must be applied very loosely and subsequently regularly checked so that it does not cut into the bark or does not grow into the wood.

After about three months, the desired shape is usually stabilized and the wire can be removed. It is carefully bitten off with wire cutters, and not untwisted, as this can easily break off the branches.

Proper wire laying requires skill and dexterity. Therefore, before proceeding to fix fragile bonsai branches with wire, you can practice wire on tree branches from a garden or forest.

Copper-plated aluminum wire for bonsai of various thicknesses sold in specialized stores is used as a wire: from 0.7 to 7 mm. To determine the correct thickness of the wire, there is a basic rule: the thickness of the wire \u003d 1/3 of the thickness of the branch fixed by it. Thus, with a branch thickness of 1 cm, it is necessary to use a wire with a thickness of about 3 mm.

Iron wire or wire used in floristry is not suitable for shaping bonsai because it is not flexible enough and will rust. When the bonsai is first formed from the original plant, the wire is applied entirely to all branches, including their thinnest parts.

In this case, no branch should cross with another. In conclusion, each branch is separately given the desired direction and shape. The imposition of wire on a bonsai is not carried out for the purpose of decorating a tree, but only to improve and change its shape.

Bonsai with wire attached to the trunk and branches should not be displayed or displayed at exhibitions. Wire staples are used where it is no longer possible to achieve the desired result by applying wire, for example, when changing the direction of growth of thick branches and trunks.

In bonsai formed in a multi-stemmed style, using wire brackets, you can correct or correct the direction of growth and the shape of individual stems.

The performance of this work requires the application of a certain force. In this case, it is necessary to regularly check whether the wire has grown into the wood, and rearrange the brackets from time to time.

In order not to damage the bark of the tree with wire brackets, pieces of leather are placed under them. Changing the direction of growth of branches with the help of wire tensioners is appropriate where it is no longer possible to apply wire on too thick and powerful branches.

Pulling the branches down, of course, is not as laborious as laying the wire. The disadvantage of wire tensioners is that this method allows you to change the direction of growth of the branch in only one specific direction. This bonsai shaping technique is mainly used where the branches grow upwards and need to be pulled down.

In order to learn how to accurately and accurately form bonsai with wire, some time and training are needed. That is why it is desirable as an exercise to often lay wire on trees and give branches different shape. Only with the help of regular training can you constantly improve your skills in shaping bonsai.

artificial aging bonsai

To give a relatively young bonsai the look of an old tree, various techniques and techniques are used. One of them is the removal of the bark from the branches and trunk with a knife or wire cutters. The job will be more difficult when the trunk has to be cut or split. To engage in these techniques, certain theoretical knowledge and practical experience are required.

In addition, you need to know that from those branches or trunks that are supposed to be left alive, you cannot remove the entire bark. It is necessary to leave thin strips of bark leading to the top of the branch or trunk, through which water and nutrients will flow to the needles.

The situation is different with parts of branches and trunks that should be dead on bonsai. From them, the bark can be removed entirely and the bare wood can be processed with a carving knife. Removing the bark from the branches and trunk is not particularly difficult, but the processing of bare wood with a carving knife (chisel) requires a certain skill.

Therefore, before you start working with bonsai, you need to practice on a piece of wood. Ideal material for artificial aging among bonsai are coniferous trees such as juniper, yew, spruce and pine, because their wood is not affected by fungus and does not rot. However, deciduous trees can also be artificially aged.

In order to master these special techniques with confidence, it is absolutely necessary to observe plants in nature. Trees in "war zones", that is, in particularly open and unprotected areas, are the best examples.

Particular attention should be paid to trees marked by lightning, windbreak or drought. Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare the appropriate tool and aids. Among them, there must be a set of knives for wood carving, bark pliers, concave pliers, skin, a special bleaching agent with a dye for impregnating bare wood.

There are also many power tools that make the job much easier. However, they are more difficult to handle. That is why at the very beginning of mastering the techniques of aging bonsai, it is necessary to use a conventional tool. Those who are constantly engaged in this craft, using the appropriate tools, will quickly find out which woodcarving power tool can be used.

Sharimiki- a technique of artificial aging, in which the bark is removed from a significant part of the bonsai branches, after which the bare wood is processed with a knife or a special cutter. Beginners should not use expensive plants for this, because it takes some time until the necessary sense of form develops.

sabamiki called bonsai with a split trunk. Outwardly, they look like trees that have been struck by lightning. Very often they are no longer whole trees, but they are very expressive. In bonsai, this effect can be achieved by splitting the trunk with wire cutters and wedges. Thanks to this, the tree itself becomes more powerful and strong.

Plants found in nature suitable for sabamika, which have the desired trunk thickness, often exceed 2 m in height. To obtain a bonsai of a suitable format from them, such plants are first shortened in height to 70-80 cm. as if struck by lightning. The upper part of the trunk must be conical in order to make the tree look natural. In such places of the trunk, balls can be used.

Maintaining small size needles and shoots in pines and spruces

Pines growing in the forests of Germany often have very long needles, especially black pine. The size of the needles in such trees can be slightly reduced by watering the plant smaller and using a poorer soil mixture. It is also desirable to fertilize less often.

In order to keep the overall shape of pines and spruces compact and harmonious, the tops of young shoots are broken off from pines from April to early May. In spruces, young shoots are allowed to grow a little, and then they are shortened by half or two-thirds.

Due to the radical breaking out or pruning with the tips of scissors of the tops of young shoots during the summer, new tender buds are formed on the needle-covered part of the branches, which bloom next year. A year later, new apical shoots are formed.

They are allowed to grow long enough and then shortened by one third or one quarter of their length. From September to the end of October, two or three-year-old needles are plucked or cut.

Air layering for bonsai

Bonsai air layering is obtained in cases where a too high trunk violates the harmony of the tree, in addition, with ugly or uneven roots diverging to the sides, or when the tree trunk is rejuvenated down.

You can also get air layering from beautiful branches of trees growing in natural conditions. Bonsai hobbyists and collectors in Germany do not use air layers as often as they do, for example, in Japan. However, this technique is necessary for many bonsai in order to achieve an improvement in the shape of the tree or to get a new bonsai from a beautiful, bonsai-like branch. The technique itself for obtaining an air layer is not particularly complicated. It takes longer for coniferous trees than for deciduous trees.

Technique for obtaining air layering from deciduous trees

Let's say you want to get an air layer on a bonsai with a poorly formed trunk. To do this, above an ugly place, a circular incision is made on the trunk or branch and a strip of bark is removed. Then a small amount of wet sphagnum moss is tied to the cut site. On top of the moss, a kind of larger casing of a metal mosquito net is fixed, which is filled with soil mixture for bonsai.

Then the plant is watered as usual. In late autumn, the place of the cut is checked. To do this, open the metal mesh and carefully remove the soil and moss. If the roots are formed evenly around the entire circumference of the cut, then the metal mesh is fixed in its original place and its inside is again filled with soil. Now you need to wait until stronger and more powerful roots are formed. The trunk can then be cut off just below the new roots and the new bonsai thus obtained can be planted in a container.

Technique for obtaining air layering from coniferous trees

Here the technique is slightly different. On the trunk of the tree, not a circular incision is made, but a loop of wire is applied, after which it is tightly pulled together and turned so that the wire cuts a little into the bark. Then, with a small hammer, the wire is carefully tapped around the trunk so that small wounds form on the bark. In this way, root formation can be stimulated. A small part of the trunk or branch on top of the wire is treated with a growth stimulator (phytohormone).

Then a handful of wet sphagnum moss is applied to this place and fixed with a bast or twine. After that, a metal mesh is applied around the trunk, as in the first case, and filled with soil mixture for bonsai. After a year or two, new roots form. When they become strong enough to nourish the tree with water and minerals, the bonsai stem between the old and new roots can be cut and planted in a container.

In deciduous trees, air layering is carried out from mid to late April. You can carry out a similar procedure in coniferous trees a little later. At the same time, the air temperature should be within 18-22 o C. Plant care is the same as for freshly planted bonsai, namely: you need to put the plants in a slightly shaded place and turn them every 14 days, since the roots grow faster on shaded areas.

When receiving air layering, pruning of plants is not carried out, since the strong growth of branches and shoots contributes to more powerful root formation. Plants from which air layering is obtained should be healthy and vigorous in growth. Young plants produce aerial layering faster than old ones. In deciduous trees, roots often form after 3-4 months.

Coniferous trees take root very slowly. In pines, the process of root formation can take 4-5 years. For beginners, it is much more reasonable to get aerial layers from young and low-value plant material in order to test the reaction of plants to this method of vegetative propagation.