Miniature Japanese tree in a pot. Japanese bonsai tree: description. Choosing the Right Bonsai Tree

Bonsai requires patience, contemplation and organization. A perennial plant can disappear in one day from the wrong dose of fertilizer, too bright sun or drying out of the roots. The trees of real masters who know how to grow bonsai resemble living sculptures, a work of art.

A plant grown in a flower pot using a special technology is called bonsai. Its size can be from two tens of centimeters to 2 meters.

This is, most often, a tree (maybe grass), which has a thick trunk, a special slope of the branches, and aerial roots. Each composition is made in a certain style.

Several hundred species of plants are suitable for creating bonsai. There are various directions in this art. Sometimes, for example, more than one tree is grown in a flower pot, but a small natural corner with a miniature pond and mountains is created.

• Coniferous bonsai trees are especially valued, they are hardy to cold, and the compositions created with their use look extraordinary.
• Blooming miniature trees are beautiful - jacaranda, acacia, myrtle, magnolia.
• You can grow a small fruit-bearing plant in the bonsai style - peach, pomegranate, orange, lemon, plum. The choice depends on the growing conditions.
• Coniferous trees need a lower air temperature in winter, and in a hot room it is better to grow dracaena, hibiscus, ficus.

You can grow a bonsai tree from a seedling bought at a flower shop, or purchase a ready-made composition. You can start the independent formation of a plant in the chosen style from the age of 2.

1. To create a miniature composition, plants with large leaves, flowers or fruits are not suitable. Small-leaved varieties are selected from representatives of one plant family.
2. A diary helps in growing a miniature tree, in which all pruning and care procedures are planned in advance.
3. Plants are selected that are hardy to the local climate or evergreen, adapted to a warm room all year round.
4. How to grow bonsai from seeds, experiments with ordinary stone fruit or pome crops of temperate latitudes will help to understand.

In addition to trimming, thick copper wire is used to give the tree the desired shape.

The barrel, wrapped with wire to create a slope or bend, is left fixed in position for 2 years. The lateral branches are kept in a wire vice for at least 8 months so that they take the right direction.

Choosing a pot and soil

Choosing a bowl for bonsai is an important point in growing. All landing containers differ in shape and material of manufacture. The coloring of the container is always simple, without bright patterns.

Flats are:

• plastic;
• ceramic with pallets;
• ceramic without pallets.

The advantage of plastic bowls is their low cost. They are almost always sold with pallets. However, if you take the plants outside in the summer, the plastic, especially the dark one, will get very hot, and the root system will suffer from overheating. Plastic containers are also not suitable for plants made in an oblique style - deviating from the central axis, they create an unstable composition. For this reason, the capacity for their disembarkation is needed heavy and wide.

Deep and not very wide bowls are used for miniature trees with aerial roots. Tall containers are suitable for growing cascading styles when trees form with a hanging crown.

At the bottom, the bonsai pot has holes for draining water, which must be covered with a net when planting. If there are no holes, they are made independently - in a ceramic container with a drill, in a plastic one - with a hot screwdriver. Before planting, the container is washed and doused with boiling water.

Soil requirements are specific. Traditional Japanese bonsai are planted in akadama - these are clay granules of various fractions.

Such soil is naturally found in the Japanese province of Kanto. Plants are rarely planted in pure Akadama.

On sale there are special soil mixtures that are suitable for growing miniature trees, with a neutral reaction of the environment and without peat.

Bonsai tree care at home

Bonsai have special watering requirements because the ground dries out quickly.

Interestingly, to moisten dense soil, the method of immersion in a container of water is used.

It is necessary to moisten the entire earthen ball so that water pours into the pan through the drainage holes. The water is immediately drained from the pan.

It is also necessary to take into account the type of plant, making up a watering schedule for yourself.

• Conifers and succulents can be watered less often, because the former evaporates less moisture, and the latter stores it in the leaves.
• A tree with a lush crown, originally from tropical rainforests, for example, ficus bonsai, needs frequent watering and high humidity.

The quality of water for irrigation is of great importance. Hard tap water cannot be used, only rain or passed through a special filter with ion-exchange resins will do. Otherwise, a white coating will form on the surface of the soil and on the tree trunk, which is not cleaned off. For spraying, soft water is also used, the temperature of which is several degrees higher than the surrounding air.

Plants are fed in the spring and summer once a week, and in winter - once a month.

To do this, use special fertilizers for bonsai or ordinary, diluted 2 or 3 times weaker than recommended by the instructions. An overdose for miniature trees is fatal.

Coniferous trees and boxwoods need special nutrition, which can be bought at the garden center, it contains special ingredients that are not found in preparations for deciduous crops.

Immediately after pruning or transplanting plants, fertilizer should not be applied. It is also undesirable to feed before flowering or during it. For example, myrtle will not bloom with an excess of fertilizer in the soil. If the plant has problems - it was attacked by pests or diseases - top dressing should also be abandoned.

The formed bonsai specimen should look as natural as possible. Therefore, the finished shape that the tree will take must be imagined from the very beginning of pruning.

This procedure is usually performed annually at the end of winter. If the plant blooms, pruning is done after flowering. All sections are treated with a special paste (for example, "Rannet"), it can be bought at flower shops.

They trim the ends of the shoots, giving the crown the desired shape, throughout the growing season. This stimulates the branching of new shoots.

Pinching is performed either in early spring, or several times a season.

In bonsai, the roots are also cut during transplantation. It is advisable to do this when the root system grows, completely filling the space of the bowl. Also cut off all diseased and damaged roots, if any.

Problems, diseases and pests

Growing problems are associated with violation of the rules of care - untimely watering, improper feeding, insufficient or excessive lighting, etc.

Pests on bonsai settle the same as on other indoor flowers - scale insects, thrips, aphids, spider mites.

If the plant stands in the garden in the summer, caterpillars and ants can still overcome it. For the fight, insecticides are used - "Fitoverm", "Aktara", "Confidor", etc.

Bonsai diseases associated with fungal infections - gray mold, powdery mildew, rust, root rot - are treated with fungicides, treating the diseased plant several times with an interval of 7 days.

What does the bonsai tree symbolize?

Different styles of bonsai have their own secret meaning, which is understandable only to the initiated.

Description of some styles and symbols:

• hokidachi is a symbol of calmness and stability, the branches of the tree are evenly directed to the sides, resembling a broom;
• fukinagashi - resistance to all elements, a tree growing on the coast, its branches and roots are directed towards the inclined trunk;
• hankengai - a symbol of plasticity on the edge of the abyss, the tree is tilted down, forms a semi-cascade of short thickened branches;
• neagari - a strong connection with the earth, the tree rises on its roots, as if on stilts;
• isitsuki - indestructibility and omnipotence of life, a tree growing on a rock;
• sokan - a link between generations and traditions, two trees of different sizes growing from the same root, etc.

So, we can safely say that bonsai is an attempt to express inner philosophy through the contemplation of the surrounding world.

Bonsai is the national art of Japan. Dwarf trees of bizarre shapes that look like real ones, with a proportional crown and curved trunks, grow for years and decades without adding even a few centimeters of growth. Japanese museums talk about different types of Bonsai, exhibit their photos, seeds, cuttings, so that the viewer can see all the stages of growing Bonsai.

In Japan, bonsai is not just a kind of national art, aesthetics and worldview. Japanese achievements in the art of bonsai have already become part of the museum culture. The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum opened in spring 2010. The museum promotes the art of bonsai both in the country and outside of Japan, arranging exhibitions and various information events.

Museums say that bonsai have been known since the 9th century. In order to grow a miniature tree, it must be carefully cut and shaped by twisting the branches with wire. Trees live and grow, so work on bonsai never stops, they require constant care, fertilizer and watering.

Masterpieces such as Goyo-matsu (Japanese white pine) are valued at over 100 million yen. Nowadays, bonsai are well known outside of Japan, many tourists from all over the world visit Japanese bonsai museums.

The museum is located next to "Bonsai-mura (bonsai village)", where many bonsai producers and fans live and work. Around Bonsai-mura there are 10 bonsai gardens, which are an excellent exposition. The village is planted with trees such as maple, keyaki and cherry trees. Visitors can enjoy the atmosphere of all seasons while watching trees grow and take care of them. Japanese museums are a favorite meeting place for bonsai lovers from all over the world.

Bonsai Museum (video)

Bonsai - Japanese tree: seeds

Many scoff at the idea of ​​growing bonsai from seed, saying things like "Look how old I am, I won't live." In general, there is no such thing as "bonsai seeds". In packages of seeds purchased in stores or online sites, there are simply ordinary tree seeds, from which bonsai will then turn out. Such seeds are bought when it is not possible to just go and collect them in the forest or in the park. Museums usually contain rare and very beautiful species of trees grown by specialists.

Seedlings are planted very close to each other, the trees are intricately intertwined with trunks, competing for light and space, care for them begins immediately after the sprouts hatch.

The seeds of most tropical trees germinate immediately after maturity, but the seeds of temperate plants must be sown after stratification. They need to arrange something like an artificial wintering, holding them for 21-90 days in the cold and only then plant them.

Seeds can be placed in damp peat moss with fungicides in a zippered bag. Some seeds germinate even in the refrigerator. After keeping in the cold, you need to lower them overnight in water at room temperature to increase germination. Seeds that float after soaking will not germinate.

Seeds with a thick coating (like ginkgo) can be pierced to help them germinate better.

Plant the seeds in a light, loose potting mix that is well ventilated. It is desirable that air circulate above the soil.

Remember that loose soil dries quickly, and seedlings with a rudimentary root system can die within a few hours from drought or direct sunlight!

You can also treat the seeds before planting:

• Infusion of garlic or a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water (1 teaspoon to 1/2 cup of water);
• Sprinkle into the soil sprinkle a little cinnamon or soda;
• Dissolve 2 capfuls of household bleach in the water used for irrigation.

It is necessary to disinfect gardening tools and planting pots, even new ones.

The first shoots of Bonsai (video)

White Japanese Pine Bonsai: Growing

The Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora) prefers the open air and makes a striking element of the landscape. Often it has a dense, conical shape, young trees reach a height of 8-16 meters. Tall, graceful, irregularly shaped tree with a wide and flat crown. Museums in Japan talk about various conifers in their displays and installations.

Needles 2.5-6 cm long are hard, blue-green in color, grow in a bunch of 5 pieces and create a fine texture of the silhouette of a tree.

The more sunlight and heat your bonsai receives, the more often it will need water.

In general, the most common reason for the death of bonsai is improper watering.

It is not necessary to water the tree if the soil is wet or cold. Bonsai generally need to be watered every few days when the topsoil is completely dry. An old bonsai watering trick is to place the entire vessel containing the tree in water to a depth of 2.5-5cm so that the water soaks through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.

White Japanese pine: fertilizer and further care

It is necessary to start feeding the bonsai in the spring, when it starts to grow. Use a slow acting organic fertilizer. Fertilizer with chelated iron should be applied 2-3 times a year.

Japanese white pine requires careful root pruning when transplanting to form a strong root system. It is necessary to cut branches and wrap with wire at the end of autumn, leaving the wire on the tree for a maximum of 6-8 months.

New shoots need to pinch in the spring to 1/3 of their length. From this, buds are formed in the fall at the places where the shoots are removed. This must be done to form very short internodes on the branches. Use thin wire.

Never wrap a bonsai immediately after transplanting. Too tight winding will lead to the formation of scars on the trunk. Don't let the wire cut deep into the bark.

Young trees (up to 10 years old) should be replanted every 2 or 3 years. Older trees - every 3 to 5 years. Transplant in early autumn when the summer heat subsides.

White Japanese pine is usually placed in a sturdy rectangular pot, deep enough so that the wind does not pull it out of the soil. The soil must have a combination of drainage and water-retaining properties.

Do not fertilize pine for 3-4 weeks after transplanting.

How to grow a bonsai pine tree from seeds (video)

Japanese cedar Bonsai: cultivation

Cryptomeria or Japanese cedar is an evergreen plant up to 40 meters tall, growing in the humid mountains of Japan. Bonsai grows best when it is recreated in its natural environment. An ideal bonsai for those who like to water their plants because the Japanese cedar will thrive in conditions where other plants will rot. Museums in Japan necessarily contain images of such bonsai or cedars in a natural setting.

The dwarf form of cryptomeria has lovely light green tiny needles and reddish brown scaly bark. During cold winters, the needles "bronze", and in the spring it becomes light green again.

Japanese cedar loves coolness, but you need to protect it from icy wind and drying. If you keep your bonsai indoors during the winter, make sure it doesn't dry out. Likewise, keep it moisturized during the hottest, driest summer months.

This bonsai loves bright light. The needles of Japanese cedar bonsai can easily dry out and turn brown.

Water daily or as needed, never letting the soil dry out completely. In winter, water less often, just make sure that the soil does not dry out at all. It is best to keep it on a sunny bathroom window, on a tray of moistened stones. It is the high humidity of the bathroom that Japanese cedar loves.

To make the needles grow thicker, you need to pinch it.

Pinch the needles only with your fingers, in no case with scissors!

With frequent trimming of needles, cryptomeria will throw out buds from almost anywhere. Remove lower branches to allow air to circulate near the trunk, remove dead needles.

Wire wrapping is best in the spring, bend back the branches gradually, as they tend to break. Bend a little each week until you reach your desired curve.

Plant care involves monitoring pests and destroying them. Unfortunately, bonsai are affected by scale insects and red spider mites. Red ticks should be washed off with a solution of 1 teaspoon of soap in 1 liter of warm water. Remove the shield with a sharp knife, being careful not to damage the bark.

Repot in mid-late spring, once every 2-5 years, depending on age and growth. Don't go overboard with root pruning, plant bonsai in slightly acidic soil with high organic matter and good drainage.

Japanese sakura bonsai tree: how to grow

Cherry tree bonsai has many names - Japanese cherry, East Asian cherry, sakura, etc. There are almost 430 varieties, many of which grow in China, Japan and Korea.

In Japan, cherries are called sakura and are widely used in Japanese festivals. There are 200 species that are cultivated only in Japan. One of the most famous species is Somei Yoshino with almost white flowers on pink legs. They are named after the village of Somei near Tokyo. Almost all plant varieties can be used to grow bonsai. With proper care, you can achieve beautiful-looking miniature trees that will bloom and bear fruit, just like ordinary cherry trees. Museums often exhibit expositions of sakura.

The trunk of the sakura is chestnut in color, slender, the crown is dense. The tree produces black fruits after flowering and pollination. Sakura care is daily, as the plant is rather capricious.

The winter season for bonsai trees lasts for about three months, during which they are dormant and do not grow.

There are several ways to overwinter bonsai:

• You need to cover the tree with mulch to the lowest branches, shelter it from the wind and sun.
• You can place the tree in a cold and dark place, such as a garage or shed. It is necessary to water the bonsai in winter, but it is not necessary to bring it out into the light.

In spring and summer, cherry blossoms require morning and afternoon sun. It is best to take it to the garden, balcony or terrace. It is not necessary to keep the bonsai indoors in spring and summer as it will suffer from lack of sun.

It is best to transplant sakura at the end of winter, when the plant has finished flowering. Transplanting will allow roots to grow in fresh soil.

Sakura can be pruned after the flowers have fallen, new shoots should be pruned, but not completely removed.

Birds usually feed on cherry buds. Caterpillars and aphids also harm the tree.

Bonsai after 7 months (video)

Bonsai is a national art in Japan, where it came from China about 500 years ago. Any seeds are suitable for growing bonsai, because the art lies precisely in the constant pruning of a tree and its transplantation. There are numerous museums in Japan where tourists from all over the world contemplate bizarre bonsai trees that can be over a hundred years old. Coniferous bonsai are especially spectacular - white pine or Japanese cedar. Beautiful Japanese sakura, because of which Korea is called the Land of Morning Calm. Bonsai care consists of proper watering, pruning of leaves and roots, and transplanting.

Japanese Bonsai tree (photo)

Growing bonsai is not just a creative hobby. Miniature plants are art, a living organism that grows and changes every day.

The ancient art of bonsai

« Bonsai" translated from Japanese as " tree in a flat container". It was first mentioned in Chinese chronicles about 2000 years ago. Dwarf plants adorned the gardens and houses of the nobility, were used for meditation, contemplation and reflection. Over time, the beauty and harmony of miniature compositions became an art, which later flourished in Japan.

The Japanese masters adopted the main techniques and methods from the Chinese, but it was in the Land of the Rising Sun that the classical cultivation styles were formed. The formed bonsai should resemble a tree or shrub in nature..

Bonsai came to our country only in 1974 as a gift from the wife of the Japanese ambassador. Since the beginning of the 90s, their popularity in Russia, as well as throughout the world, began to grow. Clubs of amateurs, nurseries for cultivation are created, exhibitions are organized.

Types of plants for bonsai

There are many trees and shrubs suitable for growing vegetable miniatures. How to decide?

The most unpretentious and small-leaved ficus species excellent for the first experience.

Ficus benjamina and ficus blunted

Evergreen trees. They winter well indoors. They do not retire, they only slow down growth. They grow quickly, you need to periodically thin out the crown.

Experienced gardeners can expand their list with subtropical deciduous and.

An evergreen coniferous plant, in nature it grows up to 10 m. It grows quickly, most species are perfectly formed from an early age. Resistant to pests. used for outdoor bonsai.

Pomegranate dwarf

A year-round flowering shrub from the Mediterranean, the flowers are small, bright red. In room conditions, it can bear fruit. The pomegranate is shaped in all Japanese styles.

More difficult to grow is a group of deciduous plants of the middle zone. For them, you need to create special conditions for wintering.

More than 150 species are known. Maple is one of the symbols of bonsai in Japan. It is valued for its beautiful ornamental leaves, which turn crimson in autumn. Light-loving, but can grow in shady places. Resistant to adverse conditions. Handles pruning well.

Blooming sakura (Japanese cherry) is a spectacle of special beauty. Its flowering in nature is annually celebrated in Japan as a national holiday. The trunk of the tree is red-brown in color with a dense crown. Bright pink and white flowers with a diameter of 1 cm are collected in inflorescences of several pieces. Grow up both in an open ground, and in house conditions.

How to choose bonsai in the store?

It is better to purchase plants in garden stores or nurseries. They offer two options: young plants aged 2-3 years, which need to be cut at home and transplanted into a flat container or ready-made bonsai.

What should I pay attention to when buying?

Plant appearance

The plant should look healthy: have a good root system, a lush crown and a strong trunk without scratches and wounds. The presence of several yellowed leaves on the lower branches of deciduous plants in the autumn is allowed, but plants with half-leafed leaves should be discarded. The soil in the pot should not be waterlogged.

Presence of pests and diseases

They should not be on the branches, trunk and ground. If it so happens that pests and diseases are detected after purchase, then immediate treatment with drugs will prevent the spread of infection. The old soil is replaced by adding Bazudin or Aktara to the new substrate to kill the larvae.

What conditions are needed for growing?

illumination

Plants have different lighting needs: some like constant bright light, others like partial shade.

The location also depends on the orientation of the windows (north, south, west, east). Plants are placed so that the sun is available three to four hours a day. Every 2-4 weeks the containers are rotated 180°. In winter, if the shoots began to stretch, organize artificial lighting.

Humidity

Optimum air humidity in a dry urban area is maintained by regular spraying of plants and the air around them with settled water. It is good to place water trays and aquariums near the bonsai tree.

Temperature

The temperature regime during the year must correspond to the natural conditions in the homeland of plants.

Plants of the middle lane in warm weather they are kept outdoors, for the winter they are either left covered there, or brought into a glazed loggia.

subtropical plants in summer they are on the balcony, in the garden or near an open window, in the cold period they are kept indoors at a temperature not exceeding 15 ° C.

Tropical A year-round temperature of 18°C ​​to 25°C is required.

The soil

Bonsai soil must retain moisture, provide the plant with oxygen and nutrition. good substrate consists of peat, sand and humus earth(leaf or coniferous humus) in proportions corresponding to the needs of each species.

How to choose a pot?

The pot is the second most important element of a bonsai. Together with the plant, they create an ideal harmonious image. Depending on the type of plant and style, containers can be of different shapes: round, oval, multi-faceted, deep or flat.

For example, for cascading style fit tall and narrow, for formal and informal vertical styles round, square or rectangular are best.

It is preferable to use earthenware pots in natural colors: brown, gray, black, white. It is important that the coloring is not flashy and does not dominate the overall appearance. Containers must have drainage holes for draining.

How to grow bonsai from seeds?

Growing bonsai from seeds is a long way to go, but some plants that do not take well or do not take cuttings can only be propagated in this way. These include: , cedars, maples, oaks, lindens, birches, elms, poplars etc.

Seeds are prepared for sowing. Without pre-treatment, seedlings will be less and they will have to wait longer. It is conditionally possible to distinguish three groups of seeds:

1. Not requiring stratification. Minimum seed treatment required tropical and subtropical plants (, coffee, ficus), as well as some deciduous, whose seeds in nature ripen in early summer and sprout by autumn. It is enough to soak them for a day in warm water. If the seeds have a hard shell, then to stimulate germination, it is carefully filed, trying not to damage the core.
2. Requiring cold stratification. This group includes plants that live in places where the change of warm and cold periods is a common occurrence. After soaking, the seeds are placed in wet sand, sphagnum, vermiculite and kept in the cold for one to six months at temperatures up to 5°C. Seeds are periodically checked, controlling the appearance of sprouts and preventing rotting.
3. Requiring warm stratification. plant seeds, genus from regions with mild winters (Southern Europe) after soaking and before cold stratification, they are kept at a temperature of 15–20 ° C for a month or two. Some of them are placed in hot water with a temperature of 40 ° C and left in it after cooling for a day. Then transferred to the cold. So artificially for plants, an imitation of the change of seasons is created.

After processing the seeds, they begin sowing. You need flat, shallow containers with drainage holes and a light, water-retaining substrate, such as a mixture of peat and sand. To avoid rot and fungal diseases, the soil is watered with a fungicide. Seeds that germinate in the light are left on the surface, slightly pressed into the substrate. The rest are planted to a depth of 0.5 to 12 cm, depending on the size of the seeds.

At first, they need only moisture and heat to germinate. The air temperature should be at least 25 ° C, after germination it is lowered to 18 ° C. In order to develop safely, good lighting and moderate watering are important for seedlings. Picking is carried out 3-4 weeks after germination, placing one plant in small pots.

Reproduction by cuttings

A faster way to reproduce. Suitable for , boxwood, cypress, willow, ficus, cotoneaster etc. When propagated by cuttings, all parental characteristics are preserved: the shape of the crown, leaves.

The best time for cuttings is March-August. The upper or middle part of the shoot is taken, 8–25 cm long, depending on the type of plant, and cut off with a knife or secateurs. There must be at least two knots on the handle.

The shoot is placed in water or in the substrate so that the lower node is buried. Roots will then begin to form from it. The soil must be porous, permeable to water and air. Suitable river sand, perlite, peat, sphagnum moss. When cuttings, you can use growth stimulants.

The stalk is watered, periodically sprayed with water or covered with a jar or plastic bag. The room must be lit, ventilated, with an air temperature of at least 24°C.

Rooting times are different, some species need more than one month. The appearance of young leaves in most species signals the appearance of roots. But for and spruce, this is not an indicator. Their growth of shoots is ahead of root formation.

After the roots appear, the plants are opened and aired daily. Transplanted into separate pots after the plants get stronger, after 2-3 months.

How to care?

Watering

The most important part of care. Most often, trees and shrubs die due to errors in watering. Water them as needed. The soil should be moist, but not dry and wet. Only the top layer is allowed to dry. Water is used settled, soft, so that mineral salts do not form a crust on the surface of the soil and trunk.

In winter for tropical and deciduous plants watering is reduced. Exception - coniferous, as the extra moisture saves them from dry air in the house. Watering for all types is combined with air humidification.

Fertilizer

For top dressing, organic and mineral fertilizers are used, without mixing them with each other. Plants are fed from spring, when they begin to grow until autumn, once every 3-4 weeks.

Transfer

In the first year, the young tree grows freely, until 3-4 years old it is transplanted once a year. After the regularity of transplantation is determined individually for each species.

The signal for the need for a transplant is the exit of the roots into the drainage holes of the pot. The plant is taken out of the pot, carefully cut off the lower and lateral roots by 2–3 cm, planted in a new bowl and watered. The procedure is carried out in March-April, at the beginning of active growth.

crown formation

The trunk and branches of the tree are the central parts of the image. The trunk should have a powerful base, gradually decreasing towards the crown. To form it, all branches that are superfluous for the selected style are removed, the rest are shortened by at least 1/3.

The volume of the roots should be approximately equal to the volume of the crown. By trimming the crown, the roots are also shortened.

Regular pruning of branches keeps the tree small. When pruning, the lower shoots are left longer. The shortening of the branches sets a new direction for growth - young shoots begin to grow from the buds located near the cut.

To significantly change the direction of growth of branches, pruning alone is not enough. To obtain the desired result, use the wire. It is first mounted on the trunk or on the thickest branch, then fixed on a thinner one. No more than two branches are attached with one wire. You also need to make sure that the wires do not cross and do not cut into the bark of the branch.

Too thick branches are fixed with a tension wire, both ends of which are fixed in loops of thicker wire, fixed through drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.

"Aging" of the tree

To give the "ancient" look of bonsai, you can use:

Threads

With a chisel or power tool, the bark is removed from a certain area. Then these areas are processed with a special cutter. This creates the effect of cracked old wood. This method is used only during the dormant period on healthy trees growing in a pot for at least two years.

Creation of cracks and scars

With the help of chisels of different sizes and a hammer, recesses are made on the trunk. Coal powder is rubbed into these places, the cracks will darken and look natural. By pressing a chisel into the wood and pulling it down the trunk, you get a scar - a cavity that is rougher than a crack.

Imitations of decay

A grinder makes several vertical cuts on the trunk, deepening them if necessary.

"Aged" plants are protected, regularly watered, sprayed and do not feed for a month.

Pests, diseases

Aphid

The first sign of infection is the appearance of a sticky light bloom on the leaves. An easy and quick way to get rid of it is to wash the leaves with soapy water. Do this three times with a break of 3 days. If aphids have bred, then use an aerosol insecticide. It is carefully sprayed from all sides and the plant is covered with a plastic bag for 30-40 minutes. Processing is also carried out 3 times.

spider mite

It feeds on plant juices, which causes the leaves to turn yellow and fall off. For prevention, spraying is more often carried out. If the tick nevertheless appeared, then they fight it, as well as with aphids, with aerosol means. Read more.

whitefly

A small white butterfly settles on the wrong side of the leaf. With a small number of pests, the plants are washed with soapy water. If the insect colony has increased, then pesticides are used. Read more.

Shchitovka

Hiding on the underside of leaves and young shoots. Looks like brown patches. The shield is removed by hand, washing the plant well. The procedure is repeated as new individuals appear.

Mealybug

A white pest with a fluffy skin. Forms nests of many individuals. Aerosol chemicals are used to fight.

powdery mildew

Fungal disease. Appears on the leaves as a white coating. Control measures are the use of fungicides.

root rot

The most common cause is poor drainage. Also, the roots can be damaged from frost and from watering with concentrated fertilizers. The tips of the shoots begin to dry out. Read more about root rot.

The diseased specimen is carefully removed from the pot, the rotten roots are removed to the healthy part, the cut sites are treated with foundationazole and a growth stimulator. It is recommended to temporarily place the plants in sterile sand until signs of decay disappear.

Everyone can grow bonsai. One or more plants will open up a whole world to the gardener, take you on an amazing journey and help you find harmony and yourself.

The art of bonsai has evolved over the years, and during this time a huge number of styles of creating trees have appeared. Of course, first of all, bonsai is created for the sake of decorativeness. The main role is played by the shape of the trunk and crown. It is they who create that unique appearance of the bonsai, which is so valued all over the world.

The most common styles of bonsai are:

• Hokidachi. This is the style of creating a crown like a fan. Great for trees with thin and small leaves. The trunk of the tree should be straight, not curly. Such a crown resembles a ball and looks very beautiful at any time of the year.
• Moyogi. This style is also found in the natural environment. The trunk of the tree is curved and resembles the letter "s". Each bend has its branches covered with foliage. Branches and leaves begin about a third above the base of the trunk. In this case, the base should be wider than the top.
• Bunzings. This is a bohemian style that is designed to show the struggle of trees for survival. In the natural environment, such trees can be seen in dense forests where there is little light and only very tall trees that can reach the illuminated area survive. The trunk of such a tree should be long, slightly curved and bare. Foliage is located only at the very top.
• Fukinagashi. It is also a style of fighting and survival. The trunk of the tree is curved and slightly inclined to the side. All branches are located only on one side of the tree. Such trees can be seen in places with strong winds that constantly blow in one direction.

Despite the presence of long-established styles, it is not necessary to follow any rules. The crown of a tree can have a completely bizarre and unusual shape that does not fit any style. - this is primarily a manifestation of their imagination and creative impulses.

More information can be found in the video:

Bonsai is the art of growing miniature trees. This art came to Japan from China for more than a thousand years, but it was in Japan that the art of growing bonsai trees reached its perfection and completeness. And today bonsai is associated with the land of the rising sun. The word bonsai consists of two hieroglyphs and literally means a bowl and a tree, a tree grown in a bowl.

Bonsai are created for admiration, contemplation and aesthetic effect. In the early seventeenth century, many wealthy families in Edo (now Tokyo) grew plants in small containers, but it was not until the eighteenth century that growing miniature trees began to turn into an art. The appearance of a miniature tree began to be given great importance and shaped in accordance with certain rules, so styles appeared that later became classics.

Previously, only wealthy families could afford to grow bonsai; a lot of time was spent on this entertaining and time-consuming activity. Then, gradually, the bonsai hobby passed to the samurai families, and then became a mass hobby.

Bonsai are mentioned in the early stages of Japanese history, so in the 14th century a play was written about a poor exiled samurai who lived far in the mountains, and to whom a tired and frozen traveler knocked in bad weather. The samurai did not have firewood to warm the cold traveler and he used his three bonsai as firewood. The tired traveler turned out to be the shogun, who later restored the rights of the samurai and gave him land ume(plum) , matzo(pine) and sakura(cherry), in the number and name of burned bonsai. In subsequent years, artists repeatedly created engravings based on this popular drama.

In the 17th century, stories arose that Shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa devoted so much time to growing bonsai that his adviser was forced to remove these trees as far as possible, but this did not stop the shogun and he continued to create forms of miniature trees.

In the 18th century, a large number of people were already interested in bonsai and annual exhibitions of miniature trees began to be held in Kyoto, each such exhibition was delivered with new types of bonsai. In 1829, the first book was published in which the technique of growing miniature trees - bonsai is considered as an art.

Emperor Meiji showed great interest in the art of bonsai and tried to stir up interest in bonsai among the people around him. Those officials who did not show due interest in bonsai fell out of favor. So the art of bonsai, whether the ministers wanted it or not, became an integral part of their lives and a new tradition in Japan. The Meiji government palace, both inside and out, was lined with miniature trees.

Growing dwarf trees is a complex and time-consuming task. Bonsai are real trees taken from nature and with the help of certain methods, turned into small copies of their large counterparts.

For bonsai, different types of trees are used, evergreen coniferous trees, such as: pine, juniper, cypress, fir, spruce, are very popular. Along with the classic bonsai trees, maples (momiji), cherry (sakura), plums, apricots, beech, acacia, azalea and many other types of trees and shrubs are used.

There are several styles of bonsai:

formal straight style (chokkan), the widest trunk at the base, which tapers towards the top of the tree

informal straight (moyogi) - branches and trunk may be slightly curved, but the top of the tree is always directly perpendicular to the base of the trunk and the ground

Double trunk (sokan), this style is a composition of two trunks with one common crown

Cascade style (kengai) - imitates trees that naturally grow on the slopes of mountains or on the banks of a river above water. In this case, the top of the tree falls far below the soil in which the tree is placed. Similar to the previous style - semi-cascade style (han-kengai), the top of the tree remains at the level of the soil in which the tree itself is located

United root (netsunagari) - with this style, part of the trunk is covered with earth and the branches of one tree look like separate trees.

There are many more interesting styles of bonsai, which will be discussed later.

Bonsai is not a houseplant, so it is preferable that they grow in natural conditions, that is, in the fresh air. In winter, special tree care is required and, accordingly, a tree can grow outdoors if this is its native climate, if necessary, the tree is placed in an additional container or the roots are covered to the first branches. Bonsai loves the sun and light, under such conditions it can adapt to room conditions.

Literary style (bunjingi) - characterized by a bare, usually distorted trunk and a minimal amount of foliage in the upper part of the tree.

Bonsai sizes can be from tiny - up to 2.5 centimeters to huge (by bonsai standards) - more than a meter.

In bonsai, everything is important, not only the shape, but also the pots, which must necessarily be in harmony with the overall composition, stones imitating mountains and rocks. At the same time, unlike the Chinese style, the Japanese believe that ceramic pots for bonsai should not be bright and prefer earthy or dark colors.