Soil mixtures. Bonsai care What soil for bonsai
To grow a miniature tree at home, the first thing is to choose the right soil for it. Many people wonder what soil should be for bonsai? The substrate must contain all the necessary nutrients and microelements needed to grow the existing tree variety. In addition, the soil must be free to drain excess water so that the roots do not rot and can receive air.
Flower shops sell regular universal primer, which is suitable for growing bonsai. Store-bought soil mixture contains the necessary substances that do not allow small tree grow a lot. But in order not to waste money, some prefer to make bonsai soil with their own hands from various components.
Soil composition
What should be included in bonsai soil? A sufficient amount of high-quality, useful and nutritious elements that have a beneficial effect on the viability of the tree. The soil mixture must have the following abilities:
- moisture retention. The substrate must hold enough water to nourish the tree. This moisture will be retained in the soil between waterings;
- drainage layer. The substrate should remove excess water from the pot as quickly as possible. If the soil does not have sufficient drainage properties and cannot provide aeration, then salts will accumulate in the vessel. In addition, excess water will certainly lead to rotting of the roots, which can even cause the bonsai to die;
- aeration. Any type of soil for bonsai, store-bought or home-made, must include elements suitable sizes which will create small empty spaces or pockets of air. Such soil will provide the root system of the bonsai required amount oxygen, will preserve bacteria and mycorrhizae, which are involved in the process of processing nutrients, before the root system absorbs them.
The composition of the soil mixture is selected depending on what type of plant will be grown. Bonsai soil should contain the following components:
- sand, which holds water well and keeps the substrate moist. In addition, sand perfectly eliminates the lumpy structure of the soil mixture;
- clay is a hygroscopic material that binds well different types soil. Thanks to these properties, clay allows you to mitigate unexpected changes in the substrate that adversely affect its condition.
In addition, the clay structure ensures that nutrients flow evenly to the root system. But fine powdery clay soil makes the soil very dense in a short period of time. Due to this, small pockets of air and empty spaces disappear, as a result of which the root system suffers because its aeration is disrupted. Because of these negative properties, experts recommend using clay granules for bonsai; it has a spherical shape. Granulate in the form of balls retains its granularity and buffering properties for a long period, 2 years or more;
- humus or humus consists mainly of decomposed plant remains. Natural humus is a heather soil that has high rate acidity. Humus perfectly accumulates and subsequently releases nutrients;
- Pumice is a substance of volcanic origin; it absorbs moisture and many useful microelements well. Pumice has a beneficial effect on the root system, thickening it;
- lava improves soil structure.
Types of soil suitable for bonsai
Experts say that for bonsai it is better to use inorganic soil, which copes well with drainage and aeration.
If you are growing a coniferous bonsai, it is better to use soil containing more sand. It will quickly remove excess water and prevent rotting of the root system. When preparing the soil mixture with your own hands, it is advisable to add a small amount of pine needles or leaves from the plant that is being grown.
Azaleas love acidic soil, which should be watered with diluted lemon juice from time to time. For azaleas, you cannot use a soil mixture that contains calcium. If a succulent is grown, a little charcoal is added to the soil, which prevents the substrate from souring and the roots from rotting.
For many bonsai plants, an acidic substrate is suitable, which most often contains peat. It consists of dehydrated, pressed remains of organic vegetation. Peat perfectly absorbs moisture and retains the amount of water that is needed. If the plant is taken from open ground, and a bonsai tree is grown from it, it is recommended to use the soil on which the tree grew.
In any case, before pouring the substrate into the pot, first add a small layer of drainage material, for example, fine expanded clay.
DIY cooking
To prepare your own soil mixture for growing bonsai, it is important to adhere to the following rules:
- for deciduous rocks, use two parts of baked clay, and one part each of lava and pumice;
- for coniferous trees, coarse river sand, leaf soil and humus are suitable, which are mixed in equal quantities;
- for growing miniature fruit plants use leaf soil and compost, they are taken in equal volumes;
- Bonsai that like acidic soil grow and develop well in a soil mixture made from one part peat, one part compost and two parts heather soil.
So, before planting a bonsai tree in one soil or another, you first need to find out which type of soil is preferable for the tree. Thanks to the correct selection of substrate, ornamental plant will feel good and develop fully. If you have any doubts about which soil is best to use, you can purchase universal soil at a flower shop that is suitable for growing bonsai.
Choosing a container for bonsai
The shape of a bonsai container can be rectangular, oval, round or polygonal. Deep or almost flat - focused on the style that will be formed. All styles that have a sloped trunk require a more stable container for planting, which means the container must be made of heavy material (clay bowls) or be deep enough. The container should not be too bright or colorful; on the contrary, the simplicity of color and shape only emphasizes the style.
In addition, the bonsai container should not violate the proportions of the grown composition with its shape. For example, bowl too flat and wide used for bonsai with a wide dense crown or multi-trunked forms, and for styles with a single tree, in which the lower part of the trunk is exposed, it will look good if only a piece of landscape or terrain is imitated on it (moss, stones, figurines or miniature houses, etc. .). Big square bowls create a feeling of space.
Not wide, but quite deep bowls Suitable for styles where plants have tall and open roots.
Very narrow and deep containers, reminiscent of flower vases in shape, are used for cascading styles, with a hanging tree crown.
In any case, try to maintain the following proportions - the height of the walls of the bowl should be no less than the thickness of the trunk. And the length of the bowl should correspond to approximately 2/3 of the height of the plant.
Containers require additional preparation before planting. First, some of them do not have drainage holes. You will have to make them yourself, since most often bonsai bowls are made of clay or ceramics, then for the holes you need to use a regular drill with a drill for tiles and glass (which is used to drill holes in bathrooms).
Don’t forget also that before transplanting into any container, it is not enough to just rinse it; it is safer to additionally scald it with boiling water.
Bonsai soil
As a rule, a special substrate is used to grow bonsai. Mandatory components are sand, clay, humus. For deciduous trees, it is better to prepare a substrate of 7 parts clay and 3 parts sand. For flowering and fruiting bonsai - 6 parts clay, 3 parts sand and 1 part leaf humus. For coniferous plants, you need to prepare a mixture of 6 parts clay and 4 parts sand.
The sand usually used is fine - about 1-2 mm; its main task is to provide the soil with sufficient looseness. river sand Before use, rinse thoroughly and thoroughly bake in the oven. Some of the sand can be replaced with vermiculite.
Clay has nutritional value, but it must also absorb moisture well and allow air to pass through.
Use store bought soil mixtures it is possible, but the choice must be made with special care. The fact is that most earth mixtures consists of peat with the addition of garden fertilizers. The most suitable mixtures are made from substrate processed by Californian worms (if the producers are not lying and did not collect it from the nearest peat bogs). If you want to prepare the soil yourself, then collect it in April, when all the snow has melted and the ground has almost thawed. Collect soil from plantings and groves of deciduous trees, removing upper layer last year's unrotted leaves.
The soil also requires preliminary disinfection. To do this, you will need a metal bucket and a sieve, such a width that when placed in the bucket it fits tightly at about the middle of its height. Water is poured into a bucket, the sieve is lowered and a layer of earth is poured, no more than the height of the sieve. Place the structure on the fire, which is reduced after boiling. The duration of the procedure is about 30 minutes.
Bonsai transplant
To maintain the miniature size of the plant, it has to be pruned. But in order to maintain balance in proportions, it is necessary to trim the roots. This is done during transplantation. The time of transplantation depends on the type of plant. Typically, a sign of the need for a transplant is the appearance of new kidneys. For decorative deciduous plants this occurs in the spring, at the end of winter. For flowering bonsai, replanting, pruning the crown and roots is carried out after flowering, usually in the fall. Replanting and pruning become necessary only when the roots have filled the entire container. If this does not happen, and the plant has already been taken out of the container, then the roots are not cut off, but only the old soil is replaced with fresh one. The main indicator of the need to replant a bonsai, as for everyone indoor plants is the germination of roots into the drainage hole of the container. You need to remove the plant from the container after thoroughly moistening the soil. The roots need to be inspected and those that are too thick should be removed with pruning shears. The main strength is the wide fibrous root system. Therefore, the main bundle of fibrous roots is not touched, i.e. there is no need to pick it apart and try to remove the remaining soil from it. But the existing tap root is completely removed. If they are not replanting a purchased ready-made bonsai, but one previously grown in an ordinary pot, and upon examination it is discovered that the tap root is well developed and the fibrous system is poorly developed, then it is too early to form a bonsai from it. You can trim the taproot by 1/3 or 1/2 and leave it in the same pot until fibrous roots develop. It is believed that thickened roots protruding above the surface of the ground in a container are one of the main signs of a real bonsai. Therefore, when transplanting, thickened roots are brought to the surface - this gives the composition a more natural look. The soil in the container can be covered with a layer of green moss. This also maintains a natural look and prevents water from evaporating too quickly. After transplantation, the bonsai is watered more moderately to avoid rotting of the cut roots, shaded from straight sun rays and protect from the wind. Adaptation takes approximately 3-4 weeks.
Watering bonsai
Due to the peculiarities of planting bonsai, the soil in the container dries out much faster than in ordinary pots with indoor plants. Therefore, bonsai are watered much more often. When planting a bonsai, the soil is compacted, and water may not be absorbed well when watering, so bonsai are often watered by immersing them in a basin filled with water.
The frequency of watering depends on the time of year and, accordingly, on the temperature; in summer this usually happens daily, and on hot days in the morning and evening. In winter, watering is much less frequent - about once a week, and more sparing. Wet soil should not be allowed to cool.
The frequency of watering is a very controversial issue and giving recommendations as when growing other plants - touching the soil at depth with your finger - is pointless. Yes, it should have time to dry on top, but it is impossible to test it at depth, so it is more a matter of experience. There are plants that tolerate dryness quite easily; as soon as you water them, the wilted leaves and twigs become elastic again. For some, too much drying can be disastrous. The less land in the container and the more roots, the faster water in the soil absorbs and dries. That's why important point- when watering, water should wet the entire earthen ball, and not just the top layer of soil. Those. It is necessary to water so that water appears from the drainage holes. Water must not remain in the stand! Bonsai containers with high legs serve as a safety net.
In addition, the watering regime and water consumption depend on the type of plant; it should be taken into account that plants with fleshy parts (stems or leaves - succulents), as well as conifers require less water for irrigation. The former because they are able to store it in tissues, the latter due to the smaller surface area for water evaporation. Accordingly, deciduous bonsai with a lush crown evaporate more moisture and are more demanding both in terms of watering and air humidity.
It is best to water in the morning and/or evening, i.e. when the heat of the day has not yet arrived or has already subsided. Not a single plant tolerates water getting on its leaves on a sunny day. All living conditions should be similar to natural ones, and in nature, as you know, dew falls in the morning and evening. If suddenly on a hot day the plant dries out and the leaves droop, it needs to be moved to the shade (to a cool place), then allowed to cool a little, and only then placed the container in a container with warm water so that it completely covers the ground. When the bonsai gets drunk, it can be sprayed.
What should the water be like? It is best to use soft tap water, filtered household filter. If there is no possibility or desire to use filtered or rain water (it is most preferable), then you can use tap water that has been standing for at least 3 days. During this time, a sediment of impurities will fall out, so you need to carefully drain only the top layer of water.
If the water in your area is very hard, then a regular filter is not enough; only filters with ion exchange resins(they remove impurities of calcium and magnesium salts from water), for example, Geyser WS series.
If this is not done, then not only on the surface of the earth, but over time and on the bark of trees, a white chalky sediment will form, which can no longer be cleaned off.
The same goes for spraying. Bonsai requires and responds well to regular spraying, but hard water leaves an indelible white salt coating on the leaves.
The water temperature for irrigation and spraying should be several degrees higher than the ambient temperature.
Fertilizing bonsai with fertilizers
Bonsai are fertilized throughout the year, with the only difference being that in spring and summer, fertilizers are applied with watering once a week, and in autumn and winter - once a month. This is due to the fact that there is little land in the container, and water nutrients, as a rule, does not.
Both specialized fertilizers for bonsai and ordinary preparations for indoor plants are used as fertilizer. Do not mix organic and mineral fertilizers in one go. All fertilizers are diluted in a concentration two or even three times less than recommended. An overdose is like death.
There are special developments by famous authors involved in bonsai breeding, who provide recipes for special fertilizers for bonsai. For example, fertilizer based on cotton cake contains: cotton cake - 300 g; sesame cake - 300 g; superphosphate - 100 g; fish meal - 200 g; wood ash - 100 g; water - 10 l.
But I personally will never use such a recipe, due to the fact that I have no idea where to look for cake or fishmeal in an urban environment. In addition, the liquid will have a very unpleasant odor.
It is much easier, more convenient and safer to use special fertilizers for bonsai, for example, Pokon for bonsai. I also recommend fertilizers Planet of Flowers for bonsai. If you do not find specialized fertilizers, then you can use fertilizer for indoor flowers"Ideal".
You should not apply fertilizer immediately after replanting and pruning the plant, or if the plant is sick and weakened. Do not feed plants before flowering or during flowering. Moreover, some types of bonsai (for example, myrtle) will not bloom at all if they are fed too often.
It should also be borne in mind that coniferous bonsai plants require less fertilizer than deciduous ones. Therefore, they are fed approximately half as often.
All fertilizers are applied to moist soil or diluted in sufficient amounts of water.
To avoid mistakes, it is better to create a feeding calendar or set aside one day a week for this procedure. Let's say Monday is fertilization day.
The shape of a bonsai container can be rectangular, oval, round or polygonal. Deep or almost flat - focused on the style that will be formed. All styles that have a sloped trunk require a more stable container for planting, which means the container must be made of heavy material (clay bowls) or be deep enough. The container should not be too bright or colorful; on the contrary, the simplicity of color and shape only emphasizes the style.
In addition, the bonsai container should not violate the proportions of the grown composition with its shape.
For example, bowl too flat and wide used for bonsai with a wide dense crown or multi-trunked forms, and for styles with a single tree, in which the lower part of the trunk is exposed, it will look good if only a piece of landscape or terrain is imitated on it (moss, stones, figurines or miniature houses, etc. .). The large area of the bowl creates a feeling of space.
Not wide, but quite deep bowls Suitable for styles where plants have tall and open roots.
Very narrow and deep containers, reminiscent of flower vases in shape, are used for cascading styles, with a hanging tree crown.
In any case, try to maintain the following proportions - the height of the walls of the bowl should be no less than the thickness of the trunk. And the length of the bowl should correspond to approximately 2/3 of the height of the plant.
Containers require additional preparation before planting. First, some of them do not have drainage holes. You will have to make them yourself, since most often bonsai bowls are made of clay or ceramics, then for the holes you need to use a regular drill with a drill for tiles and glass (which is used to drill holes in bathrooms).
Don’t forget also that before transplanting into any container, it is not enough to just rinse it; it is safer to additionally scald it with boiling water.
Bonsai soil
As a rule, a special substrate is used to grow bonsai. This is akadama akadama - clay granules, in nature it is earth from the territory of the Kanto province, in Japan. Used in traditional Japanese bonsai. The soil is heavy, nutritious, moisture-intensive and breathable soil. It has different fractions, small and larger, on average about 3-5 mm, has a pH = 6-6.5. They rarely plant in pure akadama.
The bonsai mixture contains components - sand, clay, humus (humus). For deciduous trees, it is better to prepare a substrate of 7 parts turf land and 3 parts sand. For flowering and fruiting bonsai - 6 parts of turf soil, 3 parts of sand and 1 part of leaf humus. For coniferous plants, you need to prepare a mixture of 6 parts turf soil and 4 parts sand.
Before use, river sand is thoroughly washed and thoroughly calcined in the oven; its main task is to provide the soil with sufficient looseness. Some of the sand can be replaced with vermiculite.
Clay-turf soil has nutritional value, but it must also absorb moisture well and allow air to pass through.
You can use purchased soil mixtures, but the choice should be made with special care. The fact is that most earthen mixtures consist of peat with the addition of garden fertilizers. But there are special substrates for growing bonsai, for example, “Aurica Gardens for Bonsai”.
If you want to prepare the soil yourself, then find a green meadow, remove a layer of turf, and dig up the top 20cm of soil. It needs to be sifted through a large screen to remove stones, sticks and roots of meadow grass.
The soil also requires preliminary disinfection. To do this, you will need a metal bucket and a sieve, such a width that when placed in the bucket, it fits snugly about halfway up its height. Water is poured into a bucket, the sieve is lowered and a layer of earth is poured, no more than the height of the sieve. Place the structure on the fire, which is reduced after boiling. The duration of the procedure is about 30 minutes. You can also simply warm the soil in the oven on a baking sheet.
Bonsai transplant
To maintain the miniature size of the plant you have to prune it. But in order to maintain balance in proportions, it is necessary to trim the roots. This is done during transplantation. The time of transplantation depends on the type of plant. As a rule, a sign of the need for transplantation is the appearance of new buds. For decorative deciduous plants this occurs in the spring, at the end of winter. For flowering bonsai, replanting, pruning the crown and roots is carried out at the end of flowering, usually in the fall.
Replanting and pruning become necessary only when the roots have filled the entire container. If this does not happen, and the plant has already been taken out of the container, then the roots are not cut off, but only the old soil is replaced with fresh soil. The main indicator of the need to replant a bonsai, as for all indoor plants, is the growth of roots into the drainage hole of the container.
You need to remove the plant from the container after thoroughly moistening the soil. The roots need to be inspected and those that are too thick should be removed with pruning shears. The main strength is the wide fibrous root system. Therefore, the main bundle of fibrous roots is not touched, i.e. there is no need to pick it apart and try to remove the remaining soil from it. But the existing tap root is completely removed.
If it is not a purchased ready-made bonsai that is replanted, but one previously grown in an ordinary pot, and upon examination it is discovered that the tap root is well developed and the fibrous system is poorly developed, then it is too early to form a bonsai from it. You can trim the taproot by 1/3 or 1/2 and leave it in the same pot until fibrous roots develop.
It is believed that thickened roots protruding above the surface of the ground in a container are one of the main characteristics of a true bonsai. Therefore, when transplanting, the thickened roots are brought to the surface - this gives the composition a more natural look. The soil in the container can be covered with a layer of green moss. This also maintains a natural appearance and does not allow water to evaporate too quickly. After replanting, the bonsai is watered more moderately to avoid rotting of the cut roots, shaded from direct sunlight and protected from the wind. Adaptation takes about 3-4 weeks.
Watering bonsai
Due to the nature of planting bonsai, the soil in a container dries out much faster than in ordinary pots with indoor plants. Therefore, bonsai are watered much more often. When planting a bonsai, the soil is compacted, and water may not be absorbed well when watering, so bonsai are often watered by immersing them in a basin filled with water.
The frequency of watering depends on the time of year and, accordingly, on the temperature; in summer this usually happens daily, and on hot days in the morning and evening. In winter, watering is much less frequent - about once a week, and more sparing. Wet soil should not be allowed to cool.
The frequency of watering is a very controversial issue and giving recommendations as when growing other plants - touching the soil at depth with your finger - is pointless. Yes, it should have time to dry on top, but it is impossible to test it at depth, so it is more a matter of experience. There are plants that tolerate dryness quite easily; as soon as you water them, the wilted leaves and twigs become elastic again. For some, too much drying can be disastrous. The less soil in the container and the more roots, the faster the water in the soil absorbs and dries. Therefore, an important point is that when watering, water should wet the entire earthen ball, and not just the top layer of soil. Those. It is necessary to water so that water appears from the drainage holes. Water must not remain in the stand! Containers for bonsai with tall legs serve as a safety net.
In addition, the irrigation regime and water consumption depend on the type of plant; it should be taken into account that plants with fleshy parts (stems or leaves - succulents), as well as coniferous plants, require less water for irrigation. The former because they are able to store it in tissues, the latter due to the smaller surface area for water evaporation. Accordingly, deciduous bonsai with a lush crown evaporate more moisture and are more demanding both in terms of watering and air humidity.
It is best to water in the morning and/or evening, i.e. when the heat of the day has not yet arrived or has already subsided. Not a single plant tolerates water getting on its leaves on a sunny day. All living conditions should be similar to natural ones, and in nature, as you know, dew falls in the morning and evening. If suddenly on a hot day the plant dries out and the leaves droop, it needs to be moved to the shade (to a cool place), then allowed to cool a little, and only then placed the container in a container with warm water so that it completely covers the ground. When the bonsai gets drunk, it can be sprayed.
What should the water be like? It is best to use soft tap water filtered with a household filter. If there is no possibility or desire to use filtered or rain water (it is most preferable), then you can use tap water that has been standing for at least 3 days. During this time, a sediment of impurities will fall out, so you need to carefully drain only the top layer of water.
If the water in your area is very hard, then a regular filter will not be enough; only filters with ion exchange resins will help (they remove impurities of calcium and magnesium salts from the water), for example, Geyser WS series.
If this is not done, then not only on the surface of the earth, but over time and on the bark of trees, a white chalky sediment will form, which can no longer be cleaned off.
The same goes for spraying. Bonsai requires and responds well to regular spraying, but hard water leaves an indelible white salt coating on the leaves.
The water temperature for irrigation and spraying should be several degrees higher than the ambient temperature.
Fertilizer feeding
Bonsai are fertilized throughout the year, with the only difference being that in spring and summer, fertilizers are applied with watering once a week, and in autumn and winter - once a month. This is due to the fact that there is not much land in the container, and the water, as a rule, does not have nutrients.
Both specialized fertilizers for bonsai and ordinary preparations for indoor plants are used as fertilizer. Do not mix organic and mineral fertilizers at one time. All fertilizers are diluted in a concentration two or even three times less than recommended. An overdose is like death.
There are special developments by famous authors involved in bonsai breeding, who provide recipes for special fertilizers for bonsai. For example, fertilizer based on cotton cake contains: cotton cake - 300 g; sesame cake - 300 g; superphosphate - 100 g; fish meal - 200 g; wood ash - 100 g; water - 10 l.
But I personally will never use such a recipe, due to the fact that I have no idea where to look for cake or fishmeal in an urban environment. In addition, the liquid will have a very unpleasant odor.
It is much easier, more convenient and safer to use special fertilizers for bonsai, for example, Pokon for bonsai. I also recommend Planet of Flowers fertilizers for bonsai. If you have not found specialized fertilizers, then you can use the “Ideal” fertilizer for indoor flowers.
You should not apply fertilizer immediately after replanting and pruning the plant, or if the plant is sick and weakened. Do not feed plants before flowering or during flowering. Moreover, some types of bonsai (for example, myrtle) will not bloom at all if they are fed too often.
It should also be borne in mind that coniferous bonsai plants require less fertilizer than deciduous ones. Therefore, they are fed approximately half as often.
All fertilizers are applied to moist soil or diluted in sufficient amounts of water.
To avoid mistakes, it is better to create a feeding calendar or set aside one day a week for this procedure. Let's say Monday is fertilization day.
Bonsai is an art that came from Japan. Indoor bonsai is a miniature tree growing in a small bowl. This is an exact replica of a real tree, usually at a scale of 1:100. In this article you will be able to understand what bonsai is and how to form it at home.
Fruiting bonsai
Bonsai is not just a miniature tree. It has characteristic features: thickened trunk, correctly formed crown, height from 20 cm to 2 m. This is a full-fledged tree, but in miniature. Translated from Chinese, "poong sai" means "tree in a bowl" - miniature copies have been grown for decades. And what older tree, the more beautiful it is transplanted into a pot in the countries of the East.
As an art, bonsai originated in China as early as 200 BC. e. The Japanese brought it to perfection several centuries later. The hobby became widespread primarily among the common people. The lack of opportunity to plant a garden near the house was compensated by growing mini-trees.
Creating a bonsai at home is not difficult if you take proper care of it. The growth rate must be constantly regulated by pruning the root system. There are several styles of bonsai in art. Before growing a tree, you need to decide what kind of tree you would like to see on your windowsill.
Bonsai styles
The choice of container for the tree will depend on the style. Cascading or sloping styles require choosing a heavier, more stable bowl to support the weight of the sloping crown. There are many styles, of which the most commonly used are:
For beginners, it's best to start with the tekkan style. And if you manage to master the technique of growing bonsai, you can experiment with others.
Choosing a Bonsai Plant
Trees and shrubs that acquire a lignified trunk and branches as they grow are suitable for bonsai. You need to choose a plant that suits its surroundings. climatic conditions. Plants with big flowers It is better not to choose fruits, leaves for creating miniatures.
Among the coniferous trees for bonsai, cypress, thuja, pine, juniper, and larch are often chosen. Deciduous trees - birch, maple, hornbeam, willow, oak. Flowering plants for bonsai look impressive: acacia, pomegranate, citrus fruits, peach, plum, magnolia.
Different types of trees are suitable for bonsai.
For indoor growing, it is better to choose non-deciduous plants that are able to develop all year round. Among indoor flowers, ficus, gardenia, dracaena, and cordyline are often used as a basis. For beginners, portulacaria africanica and ficus benjamina are ideal.
What you need to grow
To care for a bonsai you will need a set of certain tools. For a beginner, two or three main ones will be enough to form a crown.
- Concave cutters are necessary for cutting wire and cutting branches right down to the trunk - so that there are no stumps or burrs left.
- Convex nippers. With their help, unnecessary convex areas, parts of the trunk, and roots are removed from the trunk. The instrument, which has a spherical head, creates a cut that heals quickly.
- Special scissors for cutting roots. Necessary when pruning thin roots. You can also use special nippers. They differ from convex ones in that they have a head that follows the contour of a sphere, but has a straight cutting edge.
- Tweezers with a curved tip are necessary for removing excess buds, dead leaves, and plucking out pine needles.
When indoor bonsai become a permanent hobby, and not a short-term hobby, you can purchase a professional set of tools.
Growing Bonsai
Creating a bonsai begins with choosing a plant and preparing the container and soil for planting. Next, you will need to make efforts to achieve growth not of the crown, but of the trunk. Caring for bonsai involves not only planting the plant and forming the crown, but also observing other nuances.
Choosing a pot
Sloping styles require stable pots, such as clay or ceramic. The container should not violate the integrity of the composition. For bonsai with a dense, spreading crown or several trunks, choose wide, shallow bowls. For plants with bare roots, tall, narrow pots are suitable. Narrow and deep containers that resemble vases are suitable for cascading styles.
The pot should ensure the stability of the composition.
The height of the walls should be no less than the diameter of the trunk, the width should be 2/3 of the length of the plant. Bonsai pots must have drainage holes. If clay or ceramic containers do not have them, drill them yourself. The tree must be rooted in a standard deep container. The initial formation process takes about 2 years, after which the plant can be transplanted into a permanent bowl.
Bonsai soil
Growing bonsai requires poor soil. It slows down the growth of the plant. The optimal mixture consists of 1/3 clay, and half from peat or rotted leaves, the rest is filled with coarse sand or small stones.
For deciduous trees, it is better to take 7 parts of clay soil and 3 parts of sand. For flowering ones - 6 parts clay, 3 parts sand, 1 part leaf humus. For coniferous trees, a mixture of clay and sand is made in a ratio of 6:4. Before use, the sand must be washed and calcined in the oven. It can be partially replaced with vermiculite.
It is better to collect the soil yourself in April, when the snow has melted and the soil has almost thawed. Purchased mixtures usually include peat and garden fertilizers, so the bonsai will grow intensively in them, but this is not necessary. Before use, the soil is disinfected by boiling it in a sieve and water for about 30 minutes or calcining it in the oven.
First planting
When planting, the tree must be buried in the soil to thicken the trunk. Root system At the same time, trim, leaving only the roots growing to the sides. This must be done in the future with each transplant. The formation of a horizontal root system is required to slow growth.
Rooting should take place in a shaded place - bonsai does not like direct sunlight. After planting, the soil needs to be watered and compacted, then the plant must be quarantined for 10 days. Bonsai is isolated from other plants, to open air if necessary, accustom gradually.
Accommodation
The required light intensity depends on the type of plant chosen. However, most trees do well in a well-lit location without direct sunlight. During the day, from 11.00 to 16.00, it is better to shade the plant and periodically turn different sides towards the light. This is necessary for uniform formation.
If the plant does not have enough light, the shoots will be thin, the petioles will be elongated, and the leaves will stretch towards the light. In this case you will need additional lighting fluorescent lamp or phytolamp. Bonsai must be protected from drafts.
Watering
In a shallow container, the soil dries out faster than in standard pots. When planting, the soil is compacted, so it may not absorb moisture well. To ensure that the earthen ball is well saturated, the bonsai is usually watered using the immersion method.
To do this, dip the bowl completely into a container filled with water for a few seconds. If you water at the root, then until water begins to seep through the drainage holes into the pan. The excess is drained after half an hour.
In between waterings, the top layer of soil should dry out. In summer, it is necessary to water the bonsai often, sometimes daily, in winter - once a week, sparingly, to avoid overcooling of the soil. The frequency also depends on the needs of the plant - some species easily tolerate drought, while others instantly lose their turgor.
Blooming bonsai tree.
Water the bonsai in the morning or evening, avoiding water getting on the leaves in bright sunlight. Deciduous varieties require additional spraying. The water should be soft, filtered, rain and melted water are suitable. Its temperature should be several degrees higher than the air temperature in the room.
Top dressing
Bonsai should be fertilized throughout the year. In summer and autumn, fertilizing is applied once a week, in winter and autumn - once a month. A specialized fertilizer for bonsai or a regular one for indoor plants is suitable. It must be diluted in proportions that are 2-3 times weaker than those recommended by the manufacturer.
Bonsai should not be fed if the plant is weakened, has just been transplanted, or has been pruned. There is also no need to fertilize before or during flowering. Conifers trees need to be fed 2 times less than other plants. Fertilizer is applied to the soil after watering.
Creating a wireframe
You need to start forming a style immediately after planting the tree in the primary pot. To give the plant the desired shape, use copper or aluminum wire. One end of the wire needs to be buried and strengthened in the soil, and then wrapped around the trunk and branches, forcing it to grow in a given direction. Its thickness should be the same as the branches.
Select 3 main branches on the tree. To form the desired frame, you will need additional pieces attached to the main wire. It should fit snugly to the trunk and branches, but not damage the bark. Its length should be at least 1.5 times the area to be wrapped.
For delicate branches, use thinner wire in the winding. The frame is removed from the branches after 6-8 months, but the wire from the trunk is removed no earlier than after 1.5-2 years. After this, the bonsai is transplanted into a permanent bowl.
Bonsai transplant
The first transplant of a young tree is done in the second year of growth, in early spring. The plant is transplanted into a permanent bowl, again cutting off all the roots going down. Transfer time different varieties plants may vary, but usually the appearance of buds indicates the need. Flowering trees are replanted after the end of the flowering period - in the fall.
Pruning the root system during transplantation.
Transplantation and pruning of roots should be done when they have filled the entire pot. This can be understood by their germination into drainage holes. Before removing, the lump of earth must be moistened generously with water. If you remove the plant from the pot and realize that there is still room for roots to develop, do not cut them, just replace the soil.
When replanting, the taproot and thick roots are removed with pruning shears if the lateral roots are well developed. If the lateral roots are weak, then only part of the taproot is removed, and those growing to the sides are formed using wire. Thickened roots are left above the ground, which adds naturalness to the composition. The soil can be covered with a layer of green moss.
Bonsai formation
In order for an ordinary plant to acquire the characteristics of a bonsai, it is necessary to begin its formation after transplanting it into a permanent bowl. You can achieve a thicker trunk by slowing down the growth of the tree. To do this, resort to the following tricks:
- They make cuts on the trunk, reducing the flow of juices. The tree releases sap to heal wounds and this slows down its growth.
- The trunk is tied with wire at a short distance from the ground. Due to this, the trunk becomes thicker and the tree grows slower. The wire should only compress the upper tissues and interfere with the circulation of juice. When the trunk above it thickens, it is removed and transferred to another place.
- To form the crown, branches are pruned. Pinching and pruning are done in the spring or throughout the year, depending on the plant.
Trimming and pinching
In the spring, after new buds appear, all overlapping branches of the tree are cut off and young shoots are pinched at the level of 1-2 pairs of leaves. Flowering plants do not prune until the end of this period. The pruning tool is disinfected, and the cut areas are sprinkled with crushed coal.
Formation of a bonsai crown.
If shoots grow rapidly, periodic pruning may be necessary throughout the year. The more often you do this, the thicker and smaller the crown will be. Use scissors to remove branches that are too long and interfere with the overall composition.
Bonsai is a fascinating art that can be learned at home. When the tree acquires the required shape and is planted in a permanent bowl, all that remains is to annually prune the branches and periodically replant.
When growing bonsai, it is very important to determine the composition of the soil in whichthe tree will grow. Its beauty and longevity largely depend on this. Ordinary land for indoor flowers or garden plants- not the best the best option for bonsai. The soil should drain water well, be light and rough. In addition, you will need to ensure good drainage to allow excess moisture to leave the ground and air to penetrate into the soil.
More experienced gardeners They try both exclusively organic or inorganic soil, as well as various combinations of their components. For a beginner, the easiest option is to buy a ready-made soil mixture.
There is no clear answer to the question of which land is suitable for this or not. But there is a great opportunity for experimentation depending on the chosen plant.
Bonsai soil: pros and cons of soil compositions
Add highly diluted soil to the soil. lemon juice. Succulents (adenium or crassula) love charcoal. Conifers prefer more sand or leaves.
It is also important to consider that a plant that grew in its natural environment will feel great in the same soil in which it was located before. However, it must be processed: remove about 20 cm of the top layer, make sure that there are no seeds or insects in it, sift the fine-grained part, sterilize in the sun or in a water bath.
Soil mixtures can be organic or inorganic. The organic soil for growing bonsai contains: humus, coniferous and leaf soil, that is non-living plants. When using organic matter, there is a high risk of infecting the tree with fungus or introducing pests. To avoid this, you need to place the soil in containers in the microwave for 5 minutes.
Inorganic mixtures do not contain organic components; clay and volcanic lava are especially popular. Clay helps to mitigate sudden changes in the soil, binding nutrients for their uniform supply. One of the disadvantages is that it quickly becomes dense - this disrupts root respiration.
This is why small clay balls are convenient; they retain their structure for one to two years. Lava granules contain microelements that are important for gas exchange and respiration of the bonsai root system. All mixtures contain sand - it provides drainage and stabilization of the lumpy structure.
Regardless of whether it was purchased ready mix or prepared independently, to remove unnecessary particles and dust, it must be sifted through a sieve. This will promote moisture circulation. Finding the ideal soil for a tree will take time, but when the result exceeds your expectations, you will appreciate your contribution to the creation of a true work of art.
Sincerely
