How to make a beautiful redbud bonsai? Detailed guide to potted cultivation methods
The redbud (Cercis chinensis) is a flowering plant variety with high ornamental value; its main ornamental value lies in its flowers, which are relatively small, distributed along the branches, commonly purple, and bloom in early spring each year. Nowadays many people use redbud to make potted plants for viewing. However, when making them, if you want them to look beautiful, you also need to master some techniques.
How to make a beautiful redbud bonsai
1. For redbud bonsai, generally choose a relatively deep glazed ceramic pot or purple clay ceramic pot; square, round and oval shapes are more common, and sometimes a relatively shallow rectangular pot can also be chosen. The best pot colors are light yellow or cyan, which can complement the branches full of purplish-red flowers and make them even more beautiful.
2. Redbud bonsai does not have high soil requirements and can adapt to slightly acidic or slightly alkaline soil. For potting, it is best to use fertile, loose leaf mold or pond and river mud that has weathered and been mixed with sandy soil and rice husk ash for cultivation.
3. Redbud bonsai is usually planted between February and March in spring. When planting, the main root and overly long roots should be shortened, and the branches should also be appropriately shortened, leaving only 3—4-year-old branches as the framework branches. For shaping redbud bonsai, the processing and styling method mostly adopts pruning as the main method and wiring as the auxiliary method.
4. Generally, only the main trunk needs to be appropriately bent and wired into the required posture; wire bending is more convenient and flexible, and it is best done after flowering during the plum rain season. Branch shaping is carried out by combining pruning with wiring, and it is also best to process after flowering. The main redbud bonsai styles include slanted trunk style, curved trunk style, weeping branch style, and forest style; the natural form is also good, with branches full of purple flowers, very beautiful.
Potted redbud cultivation methods
1. Placement environment. Redbud bonsai should be placed in a place with sufficient sunlight and good air circulation. In summer, it does not need shade for care. In winter, if placed outdoors, it needs to be placed in a south-facing sunny spot so that the redbud bonsai can absorb enough light.
2. Watering. Redbud by nature likes a humid environment, so the pot soil of redbud bonsai needs to be kept slightly moist often, but it must not become waterlogged, which would cause root rot. During high summer temperatures, it needs to be watered in the morning and evening; in autumn, the frequency of watering should gradually decrease. In winter, watering once every three to five days is enough, preferably around noon.
3. Fertilizing. Redbud bonsai needs fertilizing after flowering, preferably applying two to three times a diluted, fully decomposed cake fertilizer solution. After autumn, put some chicken or duck manure or bone meal and other fertilizers rich in phosphorus into the flower pot, which can encourage the redbud to form more flower buds, so that by the next spring it will have abundant flowers and lush leaves.
4. Repotting. Redbud bonsai is best repotted once every two to three years, preferably in autumn, and it can also be done after flowering. When repotting, at the same time cut off some old roots and overly dense roots, remove one half of the old soil, and replace it with fertile, loose cultivation soil.
How to prune potted redbud
1. Shrub-form shaping. Generally leave 3-5 main trunks, requiring reasonable distribution, and cut the trunks at a position away from the ground to promote branching. In spring, buds need to be appropriately rubbed off, with each main trunk retaining about 3 or 4 branches as the first layer of side branches; during the dormant period, pruning work is carried out by cutting back, which can form the basic framework. If the branches are sparse, they can also be cut back in early spring to promote branching, or secondary branches can be promoted by pinching and trimming the tips to expand the crown.
2. Tree-form shaping. For tree-form pruning, generally first determine the thickest and strongest branch as the main trunk, then cut it back at 50-80cm to cultivate secondary and tertiary main branches. After 2-3 years of pruning, the tree-form framework can gradually be determined, forming a full and dense crown. After the trunk height is set, prune during the dormant period; after cutting off dead, diseased, parallel, inward-growing, and crossing branches, retain some thick and strong sprout branches, which can be used to renew and rejuvenate the tree's vigor, and cut off the remaining root sprout branches. Note that when pruning, the robust old flowering branches should be protected, and some overly long branches should be shortened.
What to do if potted redbud leaves turn yellow
1. Repot in time: For the phenomenon of starvation yellowing, it is necessary to promptly change the redbud into a slightly larger flower pot and cut off aged branches and overly dense branches to prevent nutrient loss.
2. Increase light: For shade yellowing, the light intensity for the redbud should be increased, and the potted plant should be placed in a place that can receive sunlight. In summer, it does not need shade, and in winter it should also be placed in a south-facing sunny spot.
When making potted redbud, be sure to pay attention to the choice of soil and pot, and then make different shapes according to your own preferences. After potted redbud is made, care needs to be strengthened; light, fertilizer and water are all essential factors to ensure its growth, so these tasks must be done well.