How to grow spruce bonsai? Garden bonsai from ordinary trees Garden bonsai from spruce do it yourself

The art of curly shearing of trees and shrubs in the garden is of interest to many. The head of the arboretum, senior researcher of the State Scientific Institution "Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus" Mikhail Rudevich.

Ancient art

The first mention of topiary art - the formation of trees and shrubs by artistic shearing - was recorded in ancient Roman sources (50s BC). However, the ancient Romans cannot claim the fame of discoverers. Most likely, this art came to them from Egypt and Persia, and later, with the expansion of the Roman Empire, spread throughout Europe. This art is identified primarily with geometric shapes (ball, cube, pyramid, etc.) in the regular gardens of Europe, but its arsenal should include other forms and figures of the most diverse complexity. On the other hand, in the East, the art of bonsai developed in its own special way, which was cultivated in Japan, partly in Korea, Vietnam, China. Over time, it also came into European culture.

Topiary art has a number of directions. I propose this time to focus on one of them - the creation of garden bonsai, or nivaki. What are the differences? An ordinary bonsai is a "plant on a saucer", flat pots, stones, trays are used for its cultivation. The bottom line is that the plant should look like it has lived a long life and has grown old. Nivaki is a tree that is not tied to any utensils and is grown in a garden. In general, some styles, principles of giving certain forms to plants and features of care when creating and maintaining bonsai and nivaki are largely the same, but they cannot be completely identified, since each of these areas has certain specific features.

Patience, only patience!

Both the creation of a bonsai and the creation of a nivaki require a lot of effort, a long time, and careful care. On the painstaking path of formation of both, the main goal and idea is to give ordinary plants the most natural looking dwarf forms that have a certain philosophical background.

Impatient Europeans decided to simplify the creation of garden bonsai. And now in specialized garden centers, in urban landscapes and on household plots you can often find plants with the so-called. branches-clouds or pom-poms. But these garden forms have nothing to do with classic nivaki.

The original bonsai and nivaki presuppose the formation not so much of the crown surface as of the trunk and each branch. The main technique for reducing the volume of the crown is pruning. And when creating the mentioned clouds or pom-poms, the effect is achieved and maintained for the most part with the help of a haircut. However, this direction also has a right to exist. There is a demand for such pseudo bonsai, which means that people like them.

Plant selection

The list of plants used to form garden bonsai is extensive. It can be both coniferous and deciduous plants. What should you pay attention to first of all? It is important that the plant is sufficiently winter-hardy in your region and, to a certain extent, unpretentious to growing conditions. It is desirable that it be characterized by relatively slow growth, have a suitable crown shape and the ability to give replacement shoots throughout its life.

When choosing a plant, be guided by how much space will be set aside for a garden bonsai. If space permits, you can use breeds with large leaves. If there is little space, then pick plants with slow to medium growth rates and small leaves.

Also, the choice of plants should be determined by what form you want to get. If you prefer trees with a single axial trunk, choose plants that retain the main trunk throughout their life as well. It can be spruce, pine, some types of oak. And if you prefer plants that branch into separate skeletal branches close to the base of the trunk, use plants that behave in the same way in nature - for example, hawthorn, apple, maple. For the rest, rely on your taste.

I recommend for beginners to practice and hone their skills on hardwood... The fact is that deciduous plant able to awaken dormant buds even on fairly old branches. A branch accidentally dropped out or removed during pruning can be "grown" again, brought to the right place and formed. In other words, there is an opportunity to correct the mistakes made after some time. Coniferous plants, in most cases, do not give such an effect. And if we cut off the whole part of the branch, the remaining part of the branch will certainly die off. Therefore, in conifers, during the initial formation of the crown, one must be very careful and especially thoughtful when pruning branches.

No age restrictions

In principle, there is no age qualification for the selection of plants to form them in the nivaki style. Garden bonsai can be created, so to speak, "from the cradle", "from short pants" or use the already "mustachioed and bearded". Each start has its own characteristics. For beginners, it is preferable to use the first two options. Young plants tolerate transplanting more easily, they are more flexible to changing habitat conditions, have more flexible trunks and branches, and their whole life perspective is in your hands.

In general, this is all about initial stages which usually take 3 to 7 years, sometimes a little more. In the future, garden bonsai requires annual maintenance, as missed trims sometimes cannot be corrected. Therefore, orient yourself on the fact that the plant will be your "pupil" throughout your life.

Measure seven times

The formation of a plant purchased in a store or found in nature begins with the removal of all unnecessary branches that thicken the crown. From what remains after that, we will create our masterpiece. The branches left for formation in the foreseeable future should become such that it will be possible to admire each of them for a long time, and in the aggregate they will also organize a crown of unique beauty. Therefore, at the first stage, it is advisable to be guided by the well-known saying "Measure seven times - cut once."

Before you start pruning the plant, you need to select the branches that we will leave for further formation. I will outline a few general guidelines. The branches in the crown should be arranged in layers and, if possible, evenly, they should not intersect or intertwine with each other. The lower branches should be longer than the upper ones. A traditional garden bonsai should give the impression that we have a small tree, but already of a very respectable age. It retains a few skeletal branches extending from the trunk parallel to the soil surface, and sometimes falling down, their ends are flattened. For the rest, you should rely on your taste and intuition.

This procedure can be assisted by such techniques as bending the branches intended to be removed, or covering them with some kind of cloth of a neutral color. So, repeatedly walking around the plant from all sides and examining it from different angles, we can select the best branches to form. Only then can you start trimming. Despite the fact that all the dots have already been placed over i, it is recommended to start with insignificant branches - fouling of the trunk and skeletal branches, and then, constantly checking the correctness of the decisions made, gradually come to the removal of skeletal branches of the first order.

It is recommended to remove more than one third of the crown at the initial stage, and the remaining unnecessary branches should be removed step by step over 3-5 years. Plants have a close balance between the root system and the crown, and it should not be drastically disturbed. Heavy pruning can stimulate excessive growth of the shoots left behind, which is undesirable.

In the process of the initial formation of the crown, as a rule, it is necessary to adjust the position of some branches in a certain way and give them beautiful curves. There are many ways to do this. The branches are bent and fixed with twine to the trunk or to the base of other, more powerful branches, to pegs driven into the ground, tied to wooden slats, bamboo stalks or trellises.

To give the branches a horizontal or bent down position, the suspension of various weights is often used. One of the most readily available materials for weights are stones of various sizes. But since it is rarely possible to guess the necessary weight on the first attempt, it is advisable to use devices that allow you to make the weights type-setting and thereby adjust the load on the bent branch. And women's stockings and tights become indispensable helpers in this matter! Firstly, due to the high elasticity and wide fit to the branch, they will never squeeze it, and secondly, an easy change in the size of the load is possible at any time - just add or subtract stones.

Young, easily bendable shoots can be given the desired shape by spiraling around them with copper, aluminum or annealed steel wire, the beginning of which is fixed to the trunk. It is important to ensure that the diameter of the wire corresponds to the thickness of the branch, and its turns are evenly spaced, do not squeeze the branch too much and do not interfere with sap flow.

It is not easy to master the special techniques of bending or bending branches, but it is possible. In this case, the most important thing, again, is not to overdo it with bends - not to break. The bending must be done gradually, be sure to fix the bent branch with the fingers of both hands from two mutually opposite sides. The flexibility of the branches of different types of plants can vary greatly, so practice on the pruned branches first and get a sense of their strength limits. In general, it is advisable to first learn from a knowledgeable specialist who has sufficient practical experience in carrying out such manipulations.

The next step is to form the endings of the branches. It can be done by trimming or pinching. The latter is carried out at the stage of young, not yet lignified shoots. It is highly recommended for conifers such as pine, spruce and fir. Their needles are relatively large and remain on the branches for several years. When pruning the tops of these plants with scissors or pruning shears, the tips of the needles are damaged in the pruning zone, which subsequently turn brown, impairing the aesthetic appearance of the plants. The browning effect is especially noticeable when pruning already formed shoots. Therefore, if you have already decided to resort to pruning, it must be done on fairly young shoots, in which the needles have not yet developed. This allows you to maintain a relatively acceptable decorative effect of plants.

Along the entire path of implementing the initially set goal, we must clearly understand in which direction the branches being formed will develop and what consistent manipulations we will perform with them.

In some cases, professionals in the formation of bonsai to give the plant a more mature age, use the techniques of damaging the bark by cuts, scraping in some areas of the trunk or branches. This is especially developed in the classic Japanese technology for creating garden bonsai. Beginners, perhaps, should not experiment with this technique in the early stages of formation, because an inept approach can lead to the death of individual branches and even the entire plant.

Trimming

Pruning is made, as a rule, in the springtime until mid-June, the subsequent ones - as they grow back. In some breeds, it is necessary to wait for the lignification of the shoots. Sometimes pruning is carried out on young green shoots, which makes it possible to awaken new buds and thicken the ends of the branches being formed. Slow-growing plants allow one pruning per season, others require 2-3 pruning. The last pruning should be done no later than the second decade of August. Then the plant will be able to lay buds next year, which will begin to grow in the spring.

Plants that we want to see in bloom require special attention. To lay down flower buds, pruning should be completed a little earlier - immediately after flowering. Timing of pruning is selected individually, and, believe my experience, every year it will be easier for you to determine them, as you will gain experience in relation to your pet.

For compact growth, it is also helpful to periodically restrict root overgrowth. To do this, you can initially put a large flat stone, slate or tin on the bottom of the planting pit. Depending on the size of the plant, they are placed at a depth of 30-40 cm or more. Once every couple of years, the roots are chopped off with a garden shovel along the perimeter of the crown.

For pruning, tools such as a pruner, a hacksaw, and in some cases garden or trellis scissors are basic. Additional devices when creating nivaki are pegs, lattices or sticks for tying and bending branches. Sometimes they use adhesive tape, which I do not particularly welcome, because when it is removed, the young bark is sometimes torn off, and dust is deposited on the remnants of the glue, and this reduces the decorative effect of the plant.

Top dressing

Since we are removing part of the crown, on which the plant has expended energy, has consumed nutrients, it needs regular feeding. It is better if it is sufficient than excessive. Especially careful should be used nitrogen fertilizers, which stimulate growth, and this is not welcome when creating bonsai. The main thing is that the plant remains viable, healthy and does not strive for excessive growth in height.

Put the ax down - try creating a garden bonsai

One of the options for creating almost niwaki is to transform not a young plant, but a certain, sometimes large age. For example, a tree does not meet our requirements - we bought dwarf plant, and it has become a garden giant. In such situations, it is not always worth holding an ax over the tree or grabbing a saw - you can try to transform it into a garden bonsai.

For this, a technique such as crown rejuvenation is used. We remove part of the crown (usually the upper one), thin out the rest of it and begin to form those branches that we chose as skeletal. Here again, some caution is required. So, if a plant has a tendency to grow with one trunk, then, having removed it, you can no longer attach it back. Although in Japanese culture there is one of the forms of bonsai, when the main trunk is removed, and several trunks are formed from the vertical shoots on the lateral branches. In our conditions, spruce and fir are suitable for such a garden bonsai.

In general, remember that an interfering branch or plant can always be removed, but it will not be possible to put it back in place. Therefore, do not rush to get rid of the "unwanted" plant, try to form it in the form of a nivaka. The tree will take up less space, give less shade and, in a transformed form, will continue to delight you with the beauty of its new crown, rustle of leaves, scent of flowers, and in some cases, fruits.

Interviewed by Irina Bareiko

Coniferous bonsai - how art originated almost a thousand years ago in China. It became widespread in Japan. In Japanese culture, there has always been a connection between tradition 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 dwarf trees in Japan do not grow in our latitudes. Many gardeners grow the species that grow in our territory. The most suitable breeds for cultivation are conifers. Thuja, spruce, are well suited to create a composition. Not all gardeners know how to properly care for bonsai. Next, we'll reveal behind the composition.

The process of growing bonsai is very time consuming and laborious. This hobby is only suitable 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 forming branches are required. At the moment, strict canons of cultivation have been established, 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 certain experience in this lesson.

Bonsai crown formation process

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

1. Spruce and thuja must have a conical crown, or the crown must be divided into horizontal tiers;
2. Spruce or thuja should have sufficiently dense needles.

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

It will take a lot of effort to form the crown of dwarf trees. After the spruce or thuja is placed in a container from its natural growing environment, the top must be trimmed. First, you need to think over the shape and style of your future plant, since the very first haircut lays its foundation.

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

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

A formed spruce or thuja needs regular trimming. 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 the year, the spruce is trimmed with the beginning of active growth in the spring. Further, the need for trimming is determined by the intensity of the plant's development and the need to remove branches that violate the overall silhouette of the plant.

The cutting rules are different for each individual breed. The process also removes damaged and dried branches. To quickly tighten the places of the cuts, they must be closed up 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 system care

Dwarf spruce and thuja need to be replanted 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:

1. It is necessary to prepare a container deeper than the previous one by a couple of centimeters. A ceramic flower pot with drainage holes can be used for this. A quarter of the container is filled with clay, then a layer of a special substrate is poured.
2. Damaged, old or overgrown parts of the root system are very carefully removed. Do it with garden shears.
3. The root system is cleaned of the old substrate and covered with a new one. For an adult plant, nome is the removal of nearly 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. This is done using 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, the spruce must be abundantly moistened.

Winter rest period

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

Bonsai should be regularly fed 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. The irrigation and lighting regime should be strictly observed, the desired temperature and humidity should be maintained. You can learn all the intricacies of growing bonsai only in the process of caring for the plant.

How to grow pine bonsai on your own at home? Growing and reproducing tabernemontana at home

The ancient art of growing bonsai in pots has spread throughout the world, turning from the fun of the Japanese aristocracy into a mass hobby. Over the centuries, the Japanese have learned to form miniature copies of trees growing in natural conditions. In Japan, this art has reached tremendous development and today represents a whole science with numerous schools and shaping techniques that allow you to get plants of various configurations: straight, asymmetrical, inclined, "bent by the wind", "weeping", cascading and others. These forms are inspired by the very nature of Japan, where plants acquire harmonious, perfect silhouettes in a special climate.

Recently, Russian gardeners are increasingly using oriental style in design, and the creation of bonsai in the open field is undoubtedly a fashionable and promising direction. The formation of a garden bonsai differs little from the traditional one, however, the familiar methods of working with woody plants are used: pruning, pinching and grafting.

The sizes of the garden bonsai, in contrast to the canonical Japanese, are arbitrary. The starting material can be an old fruit tree, an unsightly twisted shrub in the corner of the garden, an unusual specimen found in nature and, of course, a young plant. Take a closer look at the plants in your garden, maybe one of them is already ready to make a bonsai out of it?

It happens that in just a few years of purposeful pruning from a nondescript tree with bare trunks and twigs sticking out in all directions, you can create attractive unusual trees in an oriental style.

Many have old apple or cherry trees in their orchards, which have not been pleasing with harvests for a long time and look sloppy. Try to remove all small branches on the bottom of the crown so that the main trunk is clearly visible, and in the spring, trim the top of the crown parallel to the ground. Repeating these steps annually, you will form dense foliage caps at the top of the crown on a graceful curving trunk. You will soon see the silhouette of a tree change and enjoy this effortless gardening job.

With conifers, the result may be more spectacular, but the formation process takes longer. For example, the dense and dense crown of a mountain pine, which has delighted you for many years, begins to become rare and loose. A great reason to start shaping!

Forming conifers takes time, but produces impressive results. Photo by the author

Look inside the crown and select several branches that form a beautiful silhouette. Cut the rest of the branches without regret, and at the beginning of summer, when the buds begin to grow, pinch them, leaving 1–2 cm. By the next season, many new buds will be laid in the upper part of the crown, and they will give rise to a new beautiful crown in the form of a cloud.

The same can be done with Scots pine. The only thing - along with pinching the shoots and thinning the crown, the Scots pine branches will have to be fixed in a horizontal position. Usually they use thick wire, tie up weights or pull ropes. This is necessary to preserve the tiered crown shape, otherwise - without fixation - the branches begin to "bristle", the space between the tiers closes.

I note that of all conifers, Scots pine and mountain pine are the most suitable material for garden bonsai in the middle lane. Do not be afraid to cut out unnecessary branches, because pines are very plastic trees, it was thanks to their abilities that they were able to adapt to the harsh conditions of nature - the drying winds of the highlands and the bitter frosts of the north.

Pine trees take the desired shape with great pleasure, the main thing is to help them. At the same time, the gardener himself will comprehend harmony and develop taste, bringing the form to perfection. In addition, working with the form is a hobby for many years, and the result is an exclusive and unusual plant that delights the owners and surprises guests.

In addition to pine trees, other conifers are also suitable for creating a garden bonsai. European larch is very resistant and tolerant of pruning, varieties of Chinese juniper and medium, pea cypress are well formed. You can try to work with common spruce varieties.

Remember that pines do not know how to lay buds on lignified shoots of the last year, so you can only pinch young candlesticks-shoots at the beginning of summer, and junipers, larch trees, spruce and cypress trees can be cut at any time, even with the help of scissors.

From deciduous trees, hawthorns, maples, oak are suitable for our climate, as well as fruit trees - apple trees, cherries. Despite the small assortment, these trees are stable in our climate and tolerate formation well.

Recently, ready-made bonsai grown in a nursery and suitable for planting in open ground... Usually these are multi-stemmed versions of Scots pine or mountain pine, on which green thick caps of needles are formed. Such plants, as a rule, are very expensive and do not always look harmonious, so they can be considered as a material for creating a more perfect tree from the point of view of the owner. In any case, after planting, you will have to take care of them, continuing the work begun in the nursery - annually pinch the shoots and cut out the extra branches, otherwise your bonsai will turn into an ordinary tree.

If you own the grafting technique, then the process of creating a bonsai can be somewhat accelerated: graft several cuttings of a dwarf variety at once on a tall stock (for example, pine), thus creating a multi-tiered plant at once. The advantage of this method is that in the future it will not be necessary to pinch the shoots, since the grafted variety is dwarf.

When creating a bonsai, do not forget that it is not only a formed tree, but also its harmonious combination with the surrounding space. Bonsai is a self-contained work of art, closely related to the rest of the composition, as it imitates a piece of nature in miniature.

Agree that your masterpiece will look a little ridiculous if nettles or strawberry beds grow around. Therefore, to give an oriental flavor and support the overall style in the garden, cut everything in a row! Favorite shrubs - spireas, barberries, turf trees and even clumps of perennials will be an excellent addition to formed trees if you give them smooth, streamlined outlines with the help of regular haircuts.

In addition, plants similar in appearance to the plants of the Japanese flora will add zest. For example, instead of mosses, you can grow saxifrage, stonecrop, azorella, some types of bryozoans, and astilbe will look good in the shade. Strive to make the composition harmonious, and the garden itself will tell you what changes are needed.

Konstantin Korzhavin

Familiar to all of us coniferous plant can be grown in a "dwarf" version. It turns out a wonderful bonsai - a miniature copy of a fabulous spruce with a curved, expressive trunk. In order for the plant to delight you for many years, you must follow the rules of care: water it correctly, feed the Christmas tree, and also correctly organize wintering - on the balcony or in the garden. The easiest way is to grow a coniferous beauty in a garden plot, and to implement an unusual shape with the help of pruning.

Bonsai is the unique art of creating miniature plants. Initially, a sprout of a tree is taken. Then the size of the plant is limited to a small pot volume and active pruning of shoots. The bizarre shape is obtained thanks to the imagination of the gardener. As a result, a small tree grows with whimsical trunk curves and a beautiful arrangement of branches.

Conifers are also used as bonsai material. They are distinguished by their rare beauty and are able to transform any interior, bring aristocracy and sophistication.

Key Features:

• powerful curved trunk;
• small to medium size;
• textured bark;
• small branches;
• small, dense needles;
• general view of an old tree growing in mountainous terrain.

Interesting! Spruce is very malleable and allows growers to implement any style of bonsai. You can grow an upright tree or achieve a decorative curvature of the trunk.

In some matters, the tree is capricious. It does not like to winter in conditions warm apartment, he does not like dry indoor air and low light. Leaving the plant outdoors is also not an option, especially in colder climates. Therefore, growing spruce is not suitable for everyone, but only for experienced gardeners who have the opportunity to place a tree in a greenhouse or on a cool veranda.

Views

Most often, the following types are used to create bonsai:

• Norway spruce. Familiar to all residents Middle lane herringbone, which we most often use as a New Year's tree. It is characterized by a conical shape.
• Blue spruce. Used as decorative tree on the central streets of Russian cities. Has a bluish color of needles.
• Glauka Konika. Initially, it has a miniature size. Distinctive features- small needles and a conical crown shape. High decorative qualities are inherent.
• Canadian variety. Initial view for Glauka Konik. Has an interesting hue transition from blue-green to blue-white.

In what conditions to grow?

In nature, the coniferous tree grows well in the shade. But bonsai is a completely different matter! A miniature tree needs to be allocated a well-lit area. The Christmas tree should not be placed in the apartment.

It is advisable that you have a country house or summer cottage. In this case, the plant will be able to obtain the conditions it needs. It is good if the bonsai is outdoors in the warm season, in this case the spruce will receive almost everything it needs just from the air. It will be poured by rain, illuminated by the sun.

The plant requires additional watering, but in very limited quantities. Basic rules of care:

• watering young trees once a week during the warm season;
• watering adult trees growing outdoors is recommended only in drought;
• apply mineral dressing in early spring;
• place on the veranda, patio;
• use clay and peat substrate for planting;
• when placed in a house, spruce must be sprayed frequently;
• v frequent feeding spruce bonsai does not need;
• in winter, the room temperature should be at least minus 10 degrees, but also not higher than + 5-6 degrees.

Peculiarity! Fir-trees grow extremely slowly. This is the specificity of the plant. Don't worry about your tree growing very slowly, especially in the early years.

How to grow blue spruce bonsai?

Spruce bonsai has a truly fabulous look. Such a plant will decorate the patio, veranda, patio.

The main tasks for obtaining a spectacular plant:

• plant a seedling in a special bonsai pot;
• constantly pinch buds and new shoots (prevent the tree from growing);
• pruning branches;
• form an image with a garter or wire;
• replant regularly.

Formation

It is very important to understand at a very early stage what form you want to get. Usually, the formation of the crown is carried out using a wire.

Fundamental rules:

1. Wire laying - September to April.
2. You can leave the material for up to two years.
3. Make sure that the wire does not grow into the bark (scars look ugly).

Pruning

Pruning is divided into two types: sanitary pruning and shaping. Main goals:

• carry out the main pruning in January and February;
• pinch soft young shoots in May;
• in the second half of summer, cut off tough shoots.

Transfer

Experts believe that there are two most suitable terms for transplanting: this is the beginning of spring (March – April) or the beginning of autumn (September – October).

1. Prepare a new bonsai pot (larger) and soil in advance (if they prefer poor, barren soil - peat and clay will do).
2. Fill a new container with soil.
3. Carefully remove the tree from the old pot, remove the excess soil.
4. Try not to prune the roots too much.
5. Plant the plant in a new pot, water it.

Reproduction

The easiest option is to purchase a seedling in a good nursery, and after transplanting into a special container, start forming the crown. But it is much easier and more interesting to grow a tree yourself, from seeds. There are a lot of them in every forest. But cuttings, such a common breeding method, are not very suitable for spruce.

An experienced florist can grow a tree from cones. This is done like this:

1. In late January - early February, collect spruce cones (in frosty weather).
2. At home, in the warmth, the cones open, pour out the seeds.
3. The resulting seeds should be sown in a container, watered.
4. They sprout unevenly: some in a few days, others in a month.
5. After a year, cull, choose the strongest plants with beautiful needles color.
6. After two to three years, transplant the seedlings into special bonsai pots.

Important! When the seedlings reach a height of 10-12 cm, the formation of the crown can already begin.

How to deal with pests?

The most common pests are:

• large pine weevil;
• horntail;
• sawers;
• bark beetles.

Control measures:

1. Remove the affected parts.
2. Treat with oil emulsion.
3. In the spring, spray with insecticides.
4. Feed the tree with complex fertilizers.

How to care for in winter?

Coniferous bonsai cannot overwinter in an apartment. The spruce retains its character - Nordic, requiring moderate cold weather. Coniferous species do not like greenhouse conditions! They need to be sure to show winter hardiness. If you leave a spruce tree indoors, then it is possible that it will simply die sooner or later.

What conditions are needed in the winter months:

• young plants need to winter under a film or in a greenhouse;
• healthy mature trees can spend the winter outdoors (depending on the region);
• if you live in a region with a harsh climate, then you can place the bonsai on a glassed-in balcony or in a greenhouse.

Attention! In winter, the plant is not watered, this can negatively affect the state of the root system.

The video shows tips for growing bonsai from spruce.

Bonsai cultivation is a constant discovery, discovery and creative work that makes a person truly happy. And in order 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 dishes, tools, special care, etc. etc. In this article I will talk directly about the growing process.

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

Choosing plants for bonsai in the nursery

Young plants purchased from the nursery can be used to form beautiful bonsai relatively quickly. Most of the plants sold in nurseries have been container grown for many years. As a result, they tend to develop a well-formed and dense root system, which is ideal for bonsai formation.

The plant is removed from the container, the old soil is removed and the first root pruning is carried out to obtain a flat root system. The plant is then transplanted into a regular container, now filled with potting soil for bonsai. Very soon, such plants can already be transplanted into low special containers (bowls).

The only thing that needs to be remembered when carrying out a strong pruning of roots is the observance of the correct timing of planting plants, in other words, all these activities are carried out at the end of winter, before the period of active growth has begun.

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

True, beginners are advised to select younger plants, from which it is easier to form bonsai. The choice of plants must be very critical. Bonsai trees should be densely branched to the ground so that after pruning, branches suitable for different styles can be left.

When inspecting the plants, the soil around the trunk should be slightly excavated in order to be able to get a good look at the base of the trunk. The grafted plants should be grafted in such a way that the grafted bonsai do not show the graft site.

Special care is needed when buying plants with a very dense crown, the inside of which is usually completely bare. It takes such plants a very long time for new shoots to appear on the inside of the branches. This applies mainly to large specimens of common spruce (Picea abies) "Pumila Glauca" and gray spruce (Picea glauca) "Conica".

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

Bonsai. Composition of several trees. © Sage Ross

Collectors with the necessary experience and preferring difficult to form and expensive plants can only be advised to look for suitable starting material in nurseries. Since Bonsai became famous in Germany, the first nurseries have also appeared, which, along with the usual assortment, began to grow trees intended for bonsai formation.

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, nursery plants are the best way to learn how to form bonsai.

Bonsai taken from nature - Yamadori

There are beautiful trees in nature, which, despite their age, are excellent for the formation of bonsai. Mainly, high in the mountains, on the border of forests, you can find century-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 snow storms, they remain dwarf and acquire a bizarre, often very curved shape.

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

80-year-old trees 50-60 cm in height often have roots of 5 m or more. 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 skillfully cut their long roots. In some especially unfavorable cases, this procedure is stretched for years, so that during this time new roots form at the base of the trunk, thanks to which the dug plant can survive.

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

The roots of the excavated plants are placed in plastic bags with damp moss to withstand transportation. At home, these plants are first planted in large plastic containers.

The soil used is Japanese clay granulate (Akadama), as large as possible, 6-12 mm. After planting, the plants are placed in a shaded and protected from strong wind location. After about 3 years, they can be transplanted into a smaller container. Typically, it takes 5 to 10 years for the excavated plants to produce powerful and impressive bonsai. Older yamadori take even longer for them to take root well in their container.

On the other hand, plants from the nursery take excellent root, most often in the same year. If strong leaves or needles have begun to form on the tips 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 transplanting, deciduous trees take root much faster than conifers. Juniper dug out in nature takes root especially slowly in the container.

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

For a beginner who has yet to learn how to recognize shapes in the original plant material and who still feels insecure about the techniques of forming a bonsai, the use of yamadori is not recommended.

Younger, densely branched deciduous trees with finger-thick trunks are fine for beginners, 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 often necessary to remove some trees in the garden, because they were planted too often, or the question of redeveloping the garden is on the agenda. These plants are the ideal starting material for the bonsai collector. Very often it (material) is distinguished by trunks as thick as an arm, powerful root bases and strong long branches.

These plants also take a while to 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 containers. Already in plastic container you can begin to roughly shape the plant until after three years it is transplanted into a suitable bonsai container. For such plants, the roughing phase lasts about 46 years. But later you get a bonsai at the age of about 50 years, looking very impressive and powerful.

Bonsai shaped rhododendron. 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 for bonsai formation. Often, local breeds are even much more resilient than exotic species. To this it should be added that we know better their needs in terms of location, quality composition and structure of the soil, as well as possible pests and disease. The trees growing in our forests are frost-resistant, and therefore, they do not need to overwinter indoors.

You can find out many questions 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.

Firstly, you can simply experiment on a plant with soil, light and water for irrigation, which, in general, is hardly worth recommending, or you can give preference to a more acceptable solution, which consists in finding out about the growing conditions of this or that species in nature.

When growing bonsai from local tree species, you can get a clear idea of ​​the 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?
• Is the location of the tree shaded or light?
• Does the tree only grow in a protected forest or ravine?
• Which 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 sparse forests. The tops of the black pine are densely covered with needles. The rest of the crown, primarily its lower part, remains transparent. This is because the black pine is a very light-loving plant and develops lush needles only at the tops of the crown.

From this it should be assumed: black pine bonsai need very bright lighting, therefore, the place for them should be several meters away from walls and buildings and slightly raised above the ground, so that the bonsai also receive a little light from below.

In natural conditions, pines grow on well-drained calcareous-sandy or karst foundations. Therefore, for bonsai, a soil mixture of coarse sand or gravel with a small addition of humus is chosen. When forming a 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 sample for their subsequent transfer to bonsai. For those who want to practice 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 bonsai, it is not at all necessary to be guided by the classical Japanese or Chinese forms. When working with local species, it is even much more reasonable to take the shape of the trees growing in our forests as a reference. We have some very beautiful trees that deserve to be modeled on bonsai.

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

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

In contrast, hawthorn bushes are not very attractive in nature and do not have much charm, however, for use as a bonsai, they are an excellent source material.

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

• Does this tree species have small leaves?
• Does it give young shoots from old wood?
• Does it form many ramifications?
• Do his shoots grow strongly?
• Does it grow well in small dishes?
• Is the base of the roots beautifully formed?

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

Bonsai. Yose-Ue style. © William Neuheisel

Bonsai grown from cuttings

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

Cuttings are cut pieces of branches (lignified shoots) without roots, which are cut from healthy mother plants and inserted into the soil for rooting. The right time for grafting conifers is early September or April.

Cuttings in deciduous trees are best cut from early to late June. To stimulate root formation, cuttings can be treated with a special growth stimulant (phytohormone). Deciduous tree cuttings take root after a few weeks.

In conifers, the rooting process can take more than a year. It is best to use plastic mini-greenhouses as utensils for rooting cuttings. Its lower part is two-thirds filled 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 covered with a transparent lid on top of the greenhouse. To place a greenhouse with cuttings, a darkened place is chosen and the 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 airing 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 nutrients... To overwinter such plants, it is necessary to take care of a special shelter, since their delicate roots are not yet able to withstand prolonged frosts. Containers with young plants should be well dug into the soil and covered with a film folded in several layers on top to protect from the wind.

Not all trees reproduce 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, like most trees and shrubs used for hedges such as privet, hornbeam, field maple, barberry and dwarf elm.

Bonsai from Lanta Camara, the plant is 3 years old. Sekijoju style. © JCardinal18

Bonsai grown from seed

Growing from seed is the longest-lasting way to form bonsai. It takes 12 to 15 years to get approximately bonsai-like plants from seeds. Most of the plants sold in horticultural centers and nurseries are of this age. What is such a long journey for?

There are some types of trees in which the optimal shape can be achieved only if you begin to form the plant from the very first days of its life. This applies, for example, to elm trees, from which it is planned to form a 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 by pruning.

After about 20 years, it will already be clearly noticeable that these plants were formed at an early stage of their development. This can be determined primarily 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 trunk height to crown height forms a balanced spatial relationship. All these benefits come from growing plants from seeds. In one-year and two-year-old seedlings of coniferous trees, the trunks can be very strongly bent, giving them any complex shape.

In all conifers with rough bark, the wire applied to the trunks and branches should grow into the wood to a depth of bark thickness. Thanks to this, the bent and uneven trunk additionally gains 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 possible only with seedlings. The overlaid wire is allowed to grow into the bark and is removed only after 3 years, without fear of damage to the plant.

Miniature bonsai. © Norio NAKAYAMA

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

Collecting tree seeds on your own is very exciting and full of surprises. 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 the fall, they can be sown directly into seed bins 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 hard-shell seeds such as cherry, blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, juniper seeds. The seeds of these trees are sown in a flat container with wet sand and covered with a layer of sand on top. Then the container is covered with foil so that the crops do not dry out. After that, the container with the sown seeds is taken out into the street, darkened from direct sun rays place and leave there for the whole winter, so that the hard shell of the seeds cracks under the influence of frost. The first shoots appear in the spring.

Usually, not all seeds germinate. In this case, such seeds are not thrown away, but they are trying to get seedlings from them for the next year. You can also artificially freeze the seeds in the fridge freezer. Soft-shelled bonsai seeds can be partially sown as early as fall, immediately after harvest. Mountain pine seeds are harvested in August and sown immediately. They germinate after 34 weeks.

The container with the emerging seedlings is dropped 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 maple trees found in Germany also germinate in the year they are harvested.

To do this, proceed as follows: the seeds are sprinkled into a flat container with wet sand, after which they are sprayed with water from a spray bottle. A newspaper is then placed on the seeds to keep them moist and to allow some light to pass through the newspaper, since maple seeds need light to germinate. If the winter is mild, then the first shoots appear already in the winter. A year later, next spring, when the seedlings are a little lignified, they can be carefully planted in small pots and form-forming pruning carried out during the summer.

Bonsai from Sargent Juniper. Grown since 1905. Han-Kengai style. © Cliff

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 130 cm high.This is by no means the case that small bonsai are young, and large ones are old, grown over the years.

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

The ideal size of a bonsai depends primarily on the size of the leaves. Bonsai trees of any size can be formed from trees with small leaves.

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). For example, a chestnut should be between 1.20 and 1.50 m in height to look harmonious.

Juniper Bonsai © Daniel Lombrana Gonzalez

Suitable trees for different sizes 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, elderberry, false-sycamore maple (sycamore), sycamore maple, black pine, larch, linden, ash, ash-leaved maple;
• 100-130 cm: sycamore, chestnut, black pine, elderberry, acacia, wisteria.

Features of growing bonsai

For the formation of a certain shape of the branches and trunk of the bonsai, usually, you cannot do without the use of wire. It does not matter at all whether you put wire on the branches or change their direction with the help of tensioning devices, any technique of working with wire is very important for the formation of bonsai.

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

In trees with smooth bark, such as beech, elm, maple, linden, the wire should remain on the plants only for a short time, since the ugly marks from the wire ingrown into the trunk remain visible for decades. Things are quite different with junipers or pines.

These trees have a rough bark, and the wire marks grow overgrowth relatively quickly. However, even in such trees, the superimposed wire should not be allowed to grow into the bark, since otherwise spiral-shaped scars on the trunk will form here too.

Wire is best done in winter or early spring when bonsai pruning is also done. Deciduous trees still have no leaves at this time of year and all branches are easily accessible.

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

Correct wire placement requires skill and dexterity. Therefore, before starting to wire the fragile bonsai branches, you can practice applying wire to tree branches from a garden or forest.

The wire used is copper-clad aluminum bonsai wire sold in specialty stores. of various thicknesses: 0.7 to 7 mm. To determine the correct wire thickness, there is a basic rule: wire thickness = 1/3 of the thickness of the branch it fixes. 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 the formation of bonsai, because it is not flexible enough and rusts. 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 one branch should intersect with another. In conclusion, each branch is individually given the desired direction and shape. Bonsai wire is not done to decorate the tree, but only to improve and change its shape.

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

In multi-stemmed bonsai, wire staples can be used to correct or correct the growth direction and shape of individual stems.

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

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

Pulling the branches down, of course, is not such a laborious process 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 used primarily where branches grow upward and need to be pulled downward.

Learning how to accurately and accurately shape a bonsai with wire takes time and training. That is why it is advisable as an exercise to often put wire on trees and give branches different shape... Only with the help of regular training can you constantly improve your skill in the formation of bonsai.

Indian rhododendron in the form of bonsai. © KENPEI

Artificial aging bonsai

Various techniques and techniques are used to give a relatively young bonsai the appearance of an old tree. One of them is the removal of bark from branches and trunk using a knife or nippers. The job will be more difficult when the trunk needs to be cut or split. To practice these techniques, you need a certain theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

In addition, you need to know that you cannot remove the entire bark from those branches or trunks that are supposed to be left alive. 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 the bonsai. From them, the bark can be removed entirely and the bare wood can be processed with a wood carving knife. Removing bark from branches and trunk is not particularly difficult, however, processing bare wood with a wood carving knife (chisel) requires a certain skill.

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

To confidently master these special techniques, it is imperative to observe plants in nature. Trees in "war zones", that is, in particularly open and unprotected places, 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 a suitable tool and aids. Among them there must be a set of knives for wood carving, pliers for removing bark, nippers of a concave shape, skin, a special bleaching agent with dye for impregnating bare wood.

There are also many electrical 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 power tool for wood carving 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 a while for the necessary sense of form to develop.

Sabamiki is called a bonsai with a split trunk. Outwardly, they look like trees hit by lightning. Very often they no longer represent whole trees, but they are very expressive. In bonsai, this effect can be achieved by splitting the trunk with nippers 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. as if it had been struck by lightning. The top of the trunk needs to be tapered to make the tree look natural. Balls can be used in such places of the trunk.

Bonsai from Red-leaved Maple. © Quinn Dombrowski

Keeping the needles and shoots small 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 these trees can be slightly reduced by watering the plant less and using a leaner potting mix. It is also advisable to apply fertilizers less frequently.

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

Thanks to radical breaking out or cutting off the tops of young shoots with the tips of scissors during the summer, new tender buds are formed on the part of the branches covered with needles, which bloom the 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 trimmed.

Bonsai from Rhododendron. © Michael Bentley

Air layering in bonsai

Air layering in bonsai is obtained in cases where a too high trunk disturbs the harmony of the tree, in addition, with ugly or unevenly diverging roots or when the trunk of the tree rejuvenates downward.

Air layers can also be obtained from beautiful tree branches growing in natural conditions. Bonsai hobbyists and collectors in Germany do not use layering as often as, for example, in Japan. However, this technique is necessary for many bonsai to improve the shape of the tree or get a new bonsai from a beautiful bonsai-like branch. The technique itself is not particularly difficult to obtain air layering. It takes longer for conifers than for deciduous trees.

Technique for obtaining air layers in deciduous trees

Suppose you want to get an air cut from a bonsai with a poorly formed stem. To do this, a circular incision is made on the trunk or branch above the ugly formed place 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 cut site is checked. To do this, open the metal mesh and carefully remove the soil and moss. If the roots are formed evenly along the entire circumference of the cut, then the metal mesh is fixed in the same place and its inner part is again filled with soil. Now you need to wait until stronger and more powerful roots are formed. The trunk can then be cut slightly below the new roots and the resulting new bonsai can be planted in a container.

Bonsai in Sokan style, Sokan. © Bjorn Watland

Technique for obtaining air layers in conifers

The technique here is slightly different. On the trunk of the tree, not a circular cut is made, but a loop of wire is applied, after which it is pulled tightly and turned so that the wire cuts a little into the bark. Then, with a small hammer, gently tap the wire 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 bast or twine. After that, around the trunk, in the same way as in the first case, a metal grid and filled with bonsai potting soil. After a year or two, new roots are formed. When they are strong enough to feed the tree with water and minerals, the trunk of the bonsai can be cut between the old and new roots and planted in a container.

In deciduous trees, air cuttings are obtained from mid to late April. You can carry out a similar procedure for conifers a little later. At the same time, the air temperature should be in the range of 18-22 o C. The care of the plants is the same as for the newly 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 by shaded areas.

Plants are not pruned during the production of air layers, since the strong growth of branches and shoots contributes to a more powerful root formation. Plants from which air layers are obtained must be healthy and vigorous in growth. Young plants produce air layers faster than old ones. In deciduous trees, roots are often formed after 3-4 months.

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