Bonsai shaping: remember these techniques and just follow them from now on
Bonsai is a wordless poem, a three-dimensional painting, a living sculpture. On the day the scene is complete, the merit lies in ten years! Do not fear cutting the wrong branch; fear only placing it in the wrong position.
Bonsai shaping and care mnemonic
No inch is straight, one inch has three bends. Where it is sparse, a horse can pass; where it is dense, the wind cannot blow through. One branch shows twists and turns, two branches divide into long and short, three branches speak of gathering and scattering, many branches have both exposed and hidden parts. Straight long positions should be hidden rather than exposed; straight curved positions should be exposed rather than hidden.
A zhang for mountains, a chi for trees, a cun for horses, a fen for people. Distant mountains have no trees; near things are large and far things are small. Remove the strong and keep the weak; remove the coarse and keep the fine. Examine accurately, cut ruthlessly. Rugao bonsai: looking left and right with two and a half bends, cloud head and rain feet, beauty's waist.
Do not water if not dry; when watering, it must soak through. See dry, see wet; apply thin fertilizer frequently; a landscape tree without roots is like a stuck-in cutting. For pavilions, look at the tip; for bonsai, look at the feet. In spring, rub off misplaced buds; in summer, prune strong and weak branches; in autumn, apply topdressing; in winter, prune all branches.
Song of Managing Deciduous Bonsai
Pests and diseases should be prevented early. Winter is exactly the time. Clear fallen leaves in time. Eliminate overwintering eggs. Spray "lime sulfur"; when spring comes, the tree will be well.
Song of Daily Management of Deciduous Bonsai
In spring, water in the morning, strengthen light to prevent leggy growth. Apply more "phosphorus and potassium" organic fertilizer; branches become strong, leaves thick, internodes short. In summer, it is best to avoid the west sun and prevent leaves from drying and scorching early. When the temperature drops, fertilize in time; in extreme heat, bonsai are especially enchanting. In autumn, the west wind turns fallen leaves yellow; withhold water and reduce fertilizer as is proper. The plant's internal mechanisms shift; check and adjust frequently, and the tree can be safe. In winter, cold protection is the main thing; placing it high up is the first priority. Overwinter indoors with light; with full dormancy, the bonsai will be good.
Song of Managing Lingnan Bonsai
Take off the clothes and change into brocade, one display with three transformations; spring buds, autumn leaves, summer luxuriance, winter storage.
Long below, short above; long inside, short outside. Before the eyes, thousands of slanting blossoms; what pleases the heart is only two or three branches.
The five-remove five-keep method of pruning
Remove far and keep near, remove large and keep small. Remove straight and keep curved, remove center and keep sides, remove high and keep low.
Bonsai and flowering plants have a set of fertilizing rules
"Four more": apply more when yellow and thin, apply more before budding, apply more during the bud stage, apply more after flowering.
"Four less": apply less when fat and strong, apply less at budding, apply less at flowering, apply less in the rainy season;
"Four no": do not apply when leggy, do not apply when newly planted, do not apply in peak heat, do not apply during dormancy.
Four conditions for potted trees: exposed roots, thick trunk, dense branches, fine leaves
Four great families of potted trees: boxwood, Caragana, winter jasmine, Juniperus chinensis 'Rongzhenbai'.
Seven sages of potted trees: Huangshan pine, yingluo juniper, elm, maple, holly, ginkgo, plum pine.
Eighteen scholars of potted trees: plum, peach, tiger thorn, auspicious plant (winter cherry), goji, azalea, emerald cypress, papaya, wintersweet, nandina, camellia, Buddhist pine, Xifu crabapple, phoenix-tail bamboo, crape myrtle, pomegranate, six-month snow, gardenia.
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