How to grow potted small-leaf red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus) fast? Bonsai cultivation methods and precautions
Small-leaf red sandalwood has a hard texture; after handling and polishing, its color shifts from reddish-brown to purple-black, varied and changeable, with fine, dense grain. Fragrant rosewood is the finest among red sandalwoods; its large density and small pores are its notable features, and its wood properties are very stable, not prone to deformation or cracking. So, how should potted small-leaf red sandalwood be grown to grow fast? What about the cultivation methods and the points to note?
How to grow potted small-leaf red sandalwood fast
Light management
We often like to place many potted plants in rooms or in front of a desk, without direct sunlight; for sun-loving plants this is like a person who cannot eat, and they will slowly “starve” to death. Potted small-leaf red sandalwood should be placed on a sunny balcony to ensure the potted plant gets enough sunlight.
Water at the right time
Small-leaf red sandalwood is a tropical plant with relatively high water requirements and is not drought-tolerant, so it should be watered once every two or three days. Watering also has technique; it is not enough to just dump a basin of water on it. Watering cannot be done at noon when the sun is at its harshest, as this easily causes the plant's water vapor to evaporate at high temperature, and doing it too many times will cause the plant to wither and die. When watering, it should be thorough, not merely wetting the soil surface.
Fertilize reasonably
Small-leaf red sandalwood is a tropical plant with relatively high water requirements and is not drought-tolerant, so it should be watered once every two or three days. Watering also has technique; it is not enough to just dump a basin of water on it. Watering cannot be done at noon when the sun is at its harshest, as this easily causes the plant's water vapor to evaporate at high temperature, and doing it too many times will cause the plant to wither and die. When watering, it should be thorough, not merely wetting the soil surface.
Bonsai cultivation methods and precautions for small-leaf red sandalwood
1. Care methods
1. Temperature and light
Small-leaf red sandalwood is a sun-loving plant and is not tolerant of low temperatures; the suitable growing temperature is between 20-30°C, and generally temperatures below 3°C make it prone to cold damage. Therefore, potted small-leaf red sandalwood is suitable for placement on a sunny balcony or in a sunny spot to ensure sufficient light.
2. Soil
Small-leaf red sandalwood has a well-developed root system and root nodules, can fix nitrogen, and has no strict requirements for soil.
3. Watering
Small-leaf red sandalwood has relatively high water requirements, and generally needs watering every two or three days. Watering cannot be done at noon, otherwise it easily causes the small-leaf red sandalwood plant's water vapor to evaporate at high temperature. Watering should be thorough, and the leaves can often be misted.
4. Fertilizing
It is not necessary to frequently fertilize potted small-leaf red sandalwood; generally every 1-2 months you can drip plant nutrient solution into water and mix it evenly, then pour it directly onto the soil.
2. Precautions
1. Fixed placement
Small-leaf red sandalwood bonsai has the ability to adapt to its environment; once it has become accustomed to the surrounding growing environment, it should not be moved frequently, to avoid increasing the growth burden on the small-leaf red sandalwood bonsai.
2. Pest and disease control
During the seedling stage and as young trees, small-leaf red sandalwood bonsai often easily suffers from two common diseases, anthracnose and black spot disease; they can be controlled by spraying 1:100 Bordeaux mixture or 50% carbendazim 1000-fold solution. As for insect pests, there are leaf-eating pests such as flea beetles and scarab beetles, which can be controlled by spraying trichlorfon.
How to prune small-leaf red sandalwood for shaping
1. First, the branches need to be cultivated to a suitable thickness, then cut off a small section on the first branch; wait until the pruned branch grows a second node, cultivate it to a suitable thickness, then cut off another small section in turn.
2. Note that how much length to keep for each node and how many small branches to keep must all be determined according to the bonsai's own shape.
How to repot potted small-leaf red sandalwood
1. Repotting is best done during the plant's dormant period and in early spring before new buds sprout.
2. Repotting method: stop watering 1-2 days before repotting, so that the soil separates from the pot wall. When repotting, fibrous-root flowering plants need to have a layer of old soil removed from the shoulder and outer sides of the original root ball, and dead roots trimmed off.
Small-leaf red sandalwood belongs to the Fabaceae (Papilionaceae) family, Pterocarpus genus. There are many kinds of red sandalwood; red sandalwood grows very slowly. Generally speaking, it takes 5 years for one growth ring, and more than 800 years to become usable timber. Its hardness ranks first among woods, and it is called the “wood of emperors”, which ordinary woods cannot compare with.