How to Create and Care for a Murraya paniculata Bonsai

Murraya paniculata (orange jasmine) is an evergreen shrub of the genus Murraya in the family Rutaceae, sometimes able to grow into a small tree form, with graceful plant posture, elegant branches and leaves, and a rich floral fragrance; it prefers to grow in sandy soil and sunny places. In southern regions it is mostly used as hedge material, or as an ornamental feature for flower gardens and hotels, and also as bonsai material. Now let us take a look at the creation and care of Murraya paniculata bonsai!

Creating a Murraya paniculata Bonsai

1. Plant source: To create a Murraya paniculata bonsai, you can use artificial propagation methods such as sowing and cuttings to propagate bonsai material, or you can collect tree stumps with antique tree posture from the mountains and fields.

2. Potting: Murraya paniculata bonsai is usually transplanted in spring from March to April. Use well-aerated garden soil for the potting soil, mixed with a small amount of sand and chaff ash; glazed ceramic pots in light yellow, gray-brown and blue are commonly used.

3. Shaping: Murraya paniculata is suitable for making into natural-style large bonsai such as straight-trunk style and slanting-trunk style. Pruning is suitable for shaping; the trunk can be slightly bent and then pruned, and the pruning period is preferably from April to May in spring. The “branch-storing and trunk-cutting method” is generally adopted, that is, when the main branches of the trunk are cultivated to a suitable thickness, a section is cut off from each branch.

Care of Murraya paniculata Bonsai

1. Placement: Murraya paniculata bonsai should not be placed indoors in insufficient light for a long time; it is best placed in a semi-shaded spot. In summer, attention must be paid to preventing exposure to the sun, and in winter it needs to be put into a greenhouse, where the temperature must not be lower than 5°C. The place where the Murraya paniculata bonsai is placed should be sprayed with water frequently to maintain air humidity.

2. Watering: Murraya paniculata likes a humid environment, but because the potting soil of a Murraya paniculata bonsai is limited, it dries out very easily; if not watered in time, it will die from lack of water. Although it needs constant watering, it should not be watered too much either; too much water will cause Murraya paniculata to grow leggy, and long-term overly wet potting soil will cause poor root respiration, easily leading to root rot and death. Therefore, watering a Murraya paniculata bonsai should follow the principle of “do not water until dry, and water thoroughly when watering.”

3. Fertilizing: The nutrients in the potting soil are limited. In order to supply the nutrients needed for the growth of Murraya paniculata, attention should be paid to supplementing appropriate fertilizer. However, Murraya paniculata bonsai grows slowly, so too much fertilizer should not be applied, lest it grow leggy and affect its beauty. Fertilization should be moderate, and the type of fertilizer and nutrient content should be controlled.

Disease Control of Murraya paniculata

1. Powdery mildew: Powdery mildew occurs on the leaves and can be controlled by spraying agents such as azoxystrobin, triadimefon and thiophanate-methyl.

2. Rust disease: Rust disease is a common disease of branches and trunks, causing the core of branches and trunks to rot; it can be controlled by spraying triadimefon.

3. Red spider mite: Red spider mites occur when the temperature is relatively high. They suck the sap of branches and leaves; after the leaves are damaged, gray spots appear, and in severe cases they turn yellow and fall off. They can be controlled by spraying propargite, hexythiazox or pyridaben.

4. Scale insects: Scale insects suck the sap of the tree and can also cause sooty mold, making the tree grow poorly, with branches and leaves turning yellow and falling early. Besides manual brushing to eliminate them, they can be killed by spraying dimethoate, trichlorfon or dichlorvos.

5. Longhorn beetles: Longhorn beetles are quite harmful to the plant. Adults can be removed manually, or lime-sulfur mixture can be applied for control.

6. Scarab beetles: During the growth period of young leaves, an 800-fold aqueous solution of trichlorfon, or a 1000-fold aqueous solution of Yibianjing, can be sprayed once for control. For household potted Murraya paniculata, manual capture can be used for control; the captured pests can simply be killed by scalding with hot water.

7. Leaf roller moths: During the growth period of young leaves, a 1500-fold aqueous solution of Yashijing, or a 1500-fold aqueous solution of Dagongchen, or a 1500-fold aqueous solution of Anlubao can be sprayed once for control, killing the larvae.

Precautions for Murraya paniculata Bonsai

1. Organic fertilizer and cake fertilizer applied to Murraya paniculata must be fully decomposed before use; otherwise, fermentation in the potting soil can easily burn the roots.

2. Liquid fertilizer applied to Murraya paniculata should not be too concentrated; it must be diluted before use, otherwise fertilizer damage can easily occur.

3. For newly potted Murraya paniculata trees, fertilizer should not be applied when new roots have not yet grown.

4. When the potting soil of Murraya paniculata is dry, water after fertilizing; fertilizing before rain is better, and fertilizing on rainy days is not advisable.

5. Liquid fertilizer water applied to Murraya paniculata should not be sprinkled on the leaf surface.

6. During the growing season, topdressing for Murraya paniculata should use quick-acting fertilizer, and during the dormant period, slow-acting fertilizer should be used; generally no fertilizer is applied during the plum rain season and in autumn.