How to Make a Serissa Bonsai and Watering Tips

Serissa (Serissa japonica), also known as snow-in-June, is an evergreen small shrub in the Rubiaceae family. The plant does not grow tall, and from May to July each year it produces pale pink or white flowers with an elegant form. It also has low requirements for soil and other conditions, so many people use serissa plants to make bonsai for ornamental display. So how should a serissa bonsai be made? And how should it be cared for so it grows well?

How to Make a Serissa Bonsai

1. Carry out division propagation of serissa in March, and cutting propagation from April to October.

2. Use the “trunk-growing and trunk-chopping method” for shaping, or the “pruning and wiring combined method”. Wiring is usually done from winter, when the plant is semi-deciduous, until before bud break in spring. The main trunk and main branches of serissa are wired with metal wire, and the small branches are shaped by pruning.

3. Transplant into pots from February to March. Choose a relatively dark purple clay pot or glazed pot; the pot should be relatively shallow to contrast with the flower color. The potting soil should be a sandy loam rich in organic matter, loose and fertile, and with good drainage and aeration.

4. Repot once every 1-2 years, in February-March of spring or in late autumn. Discard all the old soil and prune the roots appropriately. Root exposure can be carried out together with repotting to form exposed roots and increase ornamental value.

How to Water Potted Serissa

1. Serissa dislikes waterlogged roots simply because they do not like dry soil.

2. Water thoroughly, and make sure the compost medium is well drained before watering again.

3. Daily watering should not be done as a routine unless necessary, although daily misting is needed; do not mist while it is blooming, because this will cause the flowers to rot.

4. Make sure to keep a saucer of wet gravel constantly, but never allow it to stand in water.

How to Grow Potted Serissa

1. Soil selection

Serissa is not strict about soil quality; a slightly acidic soil rich in humus and well drained is best. For potting soil, you can use fertile mountain soil, or mix 4 parts garden soil, 4 parts leaf mold and 2 parts sand.

2. Fertilization method

1. Serissa is relatively tolerant of drought and poor soil, so fertilization should not be too frequent or too concentrated. Generally, applying cake fertilizer water once each in spring and summer is enough. When potted, apply some light fertilizer in winter; fertilization is not suitable in other seasons. After the Start of Winter, it should be moved indoors for care, and in the cold winter season the indoor temperature must not be lower than 0°C, otherwise it is prone to dying.

2. Fertilization should be sparse. Apart from base fertilizer, generally apply 1 application of dilute decomposed liquid fertilizer in early summer or late autumn.

3. Light requirements

1. It likes light and is also slightly tolerant of shade. Newly potted plants need to be placed temporarily in a shaded place, and after half a month they should be moved to a place with scattered light for care. In slightly shaded and relatively moist places, it grows especially vigorously.

4. Styling methods

1. You can choose the slanting-trunk style, curved-trunk style, cascade style, forest style or exposed-root style.

2. Regardless of the style, generally use the extremely well-developed root system of serissa to expose roots or raise roots, or make a root-on-rock style in which the roots and stone blend together;

3. The trunk and main branches are wired and bent according to the styling requirements, while the small side branches are pruned and shaped, so that the branches and leaves spread out horizontally into cloud-like forms of different sizes and densities.

Precautions for Growing Potted Serissa

1. In summer, when it is dry and hot, besides watering serissa every day, sprinkle the leaf surface with clean water in the morning and evening. In spring and autumn, when temperatures are lower, the amount of watering should be appropriately reduced. In winter, keep the air moist. During the growing season, apply 1-2 applications of dilute liquid fertilizer.

2. In May-June, often pinch the shoot tips of serissa once, and any new buds produced after July should all be removed. Promptly remove suckers sprouting from the roots.

3. Pruning is mainly arranged in March and June. Before bud break in March, thin out overly dense branches and sprouting branches, and shorten overly long or overly vigorous branches; after flowering in June, promptly tidy up messy branches and pinch the tips of relatively vigorous small branches to inhibit their vegetative growth and promote flower bud formation. In addition, in September-October, appropriately control water and avoid heavy pruning to prevent a second flush of new shoots in autumn.

4. Keep the potting soil moist: water once a day in spring and autumn, and twice a day in summer. Generally, applying 1 application of light fertilizer in late autumn is enough.

Serissa has low requirements for its growing environment and is tolerant of cold and drought, so it is very suitable for home bonsai growing. However, note that serissa is afraid of strong light and likes a warm climate, so during home growing, avoid exposing serissa to strong sun at noon in summer; only then can the bonsai grow better.