Detailed Guide to Making and Caring for Vitex Bonsai

Vitex, also known as five-finger citrus, five-finger wind, and cloth vitex, is mainly distributed across the provinces south of the Yangtze River in our country, and is commonly found beside hillside roads or in shrub thickets. Vitex has many uses: its flowers and leaves can be used to extract aromatic oil, its roots can expel pinworms, and its stem bark can be used as artificial cotton or artificial paper. Nowadays, some people also grow it in pots to decorate indoor environments. Below, let us take a look at the introduction to the making method and care key points for Vitex bonsai.

I. Making method for Vitex bonsai

1. Wood stump

Vitex wood stumps are generally collected in spring, in March and April. When transplanting, if the original soil around the roots can be kept from falling apart, transplanting can be carried out in all three seasons of spring, summer, and autumn.

2. Planting

Vitex has very strong adaptability and does not have strict requirements for soil. For potted Vitex, humus soil that is loose in texture and good in water permeability is best, and the planting pot should preferably be a clay pot or cement pot. Before planting, cut off damaged roots and overly long roots, and cut off steeply growing branches and overly dense branches.

3. Styling

Old Vitex stumps are very ancient-looking, and their natural deadwood trunks and hard ossified surfaces are especially eye-catching, but their shortcoming is long internodes and large leaves. In order to make the most of the strengths and avoid the weaknesses, wiring and pruning are needed. Before wiring and pruning, decide on the design according to the different forms of the stumps, cut off all useless branches (overlapping branches, crossing branches, front-facing branches, whorled branches, etc.), and wire the retained branches according to their different directions of growth. Let the wired branches grow and thicken freely. After one to two years, once the branches are in harmony with the thickness of the main trunk, keep one or two branch nodes and make the first cut. The secondary branches and tertiary branches cultivated afterward should gradually vary in thickness, with natural transitions.

II. Care key points for Vitex bonsai

1. Placement location

Vitex stump bonsai should be placed in a place with air circulation and sufficient sunlight. In summer, shading is not needed, but it should not be placed on cement stands, as the high temperature and scorching heat are not good for growth. In winter, it is relatively cold-tolerant, and in regions south of the Yangtze River it can overwinter outdoors, but in the severe cold of the north it must be brought indoors.

2. Fertilizing

Before the Vitex stump bonsai has taken shape, fertilizing should be done fairly frequently. Except on rainy days, apply a dilute, thoroughly decomposed cake fertilizer solution once a week. Never use concentrated fertilizer, as it will burn the roots and affect growth. After it has taken shape, fertilizing should be controlled. Generally, apply once each in spring and summer, and once more after autumn begins, which is enough, so as to avoid excessive fertilizer and water causing leggy growth, disrupting the tree form, and affecting ornamental value.

3. Watering

During the growth period, potted Vitex should keep the pot soil moist. At ordinary times it may be slightly dry, following the principle of seeing dry and seeing wet, and not watering when not dry. In summer, watering should be done in the morning and evening, and after autumn begins, watering should be on the light side.

4. Pruning

Vitex has extremely strong sprouting ability and is very tolerant of pruning. Carry out a shaping pruning once every year after autumn, thinning out some unnecessary branches to maintain a certain tree posture. At ordinary times, pinch the tips frequently to control leggy growth of branches and leaves.

5. Repotting

Carry this out once every 2 to 3 years, preferably in March to April before budding. When repotting, cut off dead roots and overly long old roots, remove 1B2 of the old soil, and replace it with fresh culture soil that is loose and rich in humus. Be sure to leave space at the bottom of the pot and put in a layer of coarse sand to facilitate drainage.

6. Pest and disease control

Common insect pests of Vitex include scale insects and aphids, which can be controlled by spraying a 2000-fold dilution of 50% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate. Scale insects can also be brushed off.