Detailed Explanation of Ginkgo Bonsai Making Methods and Steps

Ginkgo is a famous long-lived tree species with strong vitality and unique leaf shapes. It is easy to propagate by grafting and to shape and prune, making it an excellent material for making bonsai. Ginkgo bonsai made from ginkgo tree burls is even more outstanding, with high ornamental and economic value. Ginkgo is a commonly used tree species in Chinese bonsai. Ginkgo bonsai features a thick trunk, curved branches, exposed roots, a unique shape, rugged elegance, and abundant charm, making it a masterpiece among Chinese bonsai. In summer it is vigorous and lush green, and in autumn it turns golden and captivating, giving a sense of steep majesty and noble elegance. In recent years it has received increasing attention and is praised as “a living art sculpture.” According to different appreciation requirements, there are mainly several types: fruit-viewing bonsai, foliage-viewing bonsai, and trunk bonsai.

I. Making the Trunk

Pots with elegant shapes, strong water retention, and good breathability are preferred, mainly flower pots, wooden boxes, and wooden barrels, among which unglazed clay pots and purple clay pots are the best. The diameter of the pot is generally above 30cm. The potting soil is generally peat soil, leaf mold, or homemade nutrient soil rich in organic matter, loose in texture, and strong in fertilizer and water retention (using 6 parts loam, 2 parts coarse sand, 2 parts leaf mold, adding an appropriate amount of fully decomposed chicken or duck manure or soybean cake residue, etc.), with broken bricks or stones placed at the bottom, then filled with culture soil. Then the long roots and thick roots of the trunk are thinned and trimmed, and it is planted in the pot in February to March. The trunk can be obtained by sowing, cuttings, layering, grafting, and other methods, or can be cultivated from root suckers of various forms.

II. Planting Techniques

When planting, first place a portion of soil in the pot, select the trunk wood obtained by various methods, trim the root system and place it in the pot, allowing the roots to fully extend, then fill the pot with soil, gently press it down by hand and then lift it slightly upward. Do not fill the potting soil too full. After planting, water thoroughly immediately. After it dries slightly, loosen the soil in time to help the plant recover.

III. Shaping

According to different appreciation requirements for ginkgo bonsai, draw the shaping design pattern in advance, create momentum according to the trunk, and follow the pattern to shape the form, bending, binding, and adjusting the branches and trunk. Fruit-viewing bonsai mainly appreciates the seeds and fruits; before maturity the seeds resemble olives, and after maturity they look like kumquats, initially with green leaves, pleasing in color. When shaping, pay attention to cultivating fruiting branches, supplemented by artificial pollination, for large and beautiful seeds. Foliage-viewing bonsai emphasizes leaf shape and leaf color, stressing both excellent color and form and a unique tree shape. Trunk bonsai strives for a rugged and towering majestic posture, and can use old tree root trunks and other materials to develop a proud character with a thick trunk, curved branches, and exposed roots.

IV. Management Techniques

Shaping and pruning. Pruning is the main technique for shaping ginkgo bonsai. According to different appreciation requirements, use thinning, heading back, and renewal pruning methods to cut off excess lateral branches, parallel branches, crossing branches, overly dense branches, water sprouts, and diseased or dead branches, highlighting the main trunk and filling out the ornamental branches, giving it a higher artistic style. However, pruning should follow nature and not be mechanically imitated.

Fertilizer and water management. Ginkgo likes warmth and fears waterlogging. The potting soil should not be too wet. After watering, loosen the soil immediately for aeration. Ginkgo bonsai is appreciated both for its leaves and its fruit, so management should control heavy fertilization and heavy watering, apply less nitrogen fertilizer and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, and follow the principle of “light fertilizer, small amounts, applied frequently.” From after spring budding to the growth period, apply 5-10g of soybean cake or compound fertilizer to the pot. Water immediately after fertilizing. The time and amount of watering are determined specifically according to weather conditions and the moisture level of the potting soil. Water only to the extent that it does not seep out of the pot in large amounts. Before watering, warm the water in the sun; avoid cold water. Avoid heavy watering at hot noon. The best method is to water by the double-pot method, letting water slowly absorb from the bottom of the pot, or use a kettle to spray water, to prevent the potting soil from compacting and causing root breakage.

Artificial supplementary pollination. Ginkgo is a dioecious plant. Fruit-viewing bonsai must adopt artificial supplementary pollination measures to achieve the goal of fruit appreciation. Commonly used artificial pollination methods include spot pollination and flower-hanging techniques. Grafting male cultivars is also relatively effective, that is, in the same pot, graft a male cultivar onto the ginkgo branches, but it must also be shaped to meet the needs of joint appreciation.

Ginkgo bonsai pictures, how to make ginkgo bonsai?

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      Ginkgo is a famous long-lived tree species with strong vitality and unique leaf shapes. It is easy to propagate by grafting and to shape and prune, making it an excellent material for making bonsai. Ginkgo bonsai made from ginkgo tree burls is even more outstanding, with high ornamental and economic value. Ginkgo is a commonly used tree species in Chinese bonsai. Ginkgo bonsai features a thick trunk, curved branches, exposed roots, a unique shape, rugged elegance, and abundant charm, making it a masterpiece among Chinese bonsai.

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      When planting ginkgo bonsai, first place a portion of soil in the pot, select the trunk wood obtained by various methods, trim the root system and place it in the pot, allowing the roots to fully extend, then fill the pot with soil, gently press it down by hand and then lift it slightly upward. Do not fill the potting soil too full. After planting, water thoroughly immediately. After it dries slightly, loosen the soil in time to help the plant recover.
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      For the selection of ginkgo trunk wood, choose root sucker seedlings under large ginkgo trees and stalactite branches of ginkgo trees, which are thick and twisted with various forms and are often ideal materials for horticulturists. Ginkgo root sucker seedlings are good material for making ginkgo bonsai, and new branches sprouting from old stumps left after felling are even superior trunk material for ginkgo bonsai.
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      The prototype is the foundation for making ginkgo bonsai. To process the prototype, the method is to use various methods during the growing season of the ginkgo trunk wood to wire and bend the branches and trunk, making them either curved or straight, slanted or upright, drooping or raised, and to set the extending direction on schedule. When binding, if the branch is too long and you want to bend it into a spiral shape, then from the beginning you need to use the palm-fiber wrapping method, carrying the palm fiber onto the branch. After binding, one palm fiber wrap follows another, without cutting the palm fiber, which is called continuous palm fiber.


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      There are three basic pruning techniques for ginkgo bonsai, namely short pruning, thinning, and renewal pruning. Short pruning means cutting branches short to stimulate the lateral buds below the cut to sprout and form stronger lateral branches, while also tending to cluster, which facilitates shaping. After cutting, secondary buds often sprout, increasing the number of branching orders. Pruning the main trunk is to control tree height and promote lateral branch development. Short pruning lateral branches is to promote latent buds to sprout. Thinning means cutting branches off from the base.
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      Pruning is the main technique for shaping ginkgo bonsai. According to different appreciation requirements, use thinning, heading back, and renewal pruning methods to cut off excess lateral branches, parallel branches, crossing branches, overly dense branches, water sprouts, and diseased or dead branches, highlighting the main trunk and filling out the ornamental branches, giving it a higher artistic style. However, pruning should follow nature and not be mechanically imitated.

      Conclusion: The above is the relevant knowledge about ginkgo bonsai brought to you by the editor. We hope it can be helpful to friends who need it in this area. That is all for this issue of flowers and bonsai. See you next time.

How to grow ginkgo bonsai: ginkgo bonsai cultivation techniques

Ginkgo can be said to be a living fossil in the plant kingdom, possessing not only high ornamental value but also high economic value. Many friends like to make ginkgo into bonsai. Next, Xiao Qi will share ginkgo bonsai cultivation techniques.

I. Ginkgo tree planting methods

1. Sowing and cultivation: After harvesting the seeds in autumn, remove the outer seed coat, dry the seeds with the mesocarp in the sun, and they can be sown in winter of the same year or in spring of the following year (if sown in spring, they must first undergo mixed-sand stratification to promote germination). When sowing, place the seed embryo horizontally in the sowing furrow, cover with 3-4 cm of soil after sowing, and press firm. The seedlings can grow to 15-25 cm tall in the same year, and after leaf fall in autumn, they can be transplanted. It must be noted that the sowing seedbed should be selected in a well-drained area to avoid water accumulation causing the part of the seedling near the ground to rot. This method is mostly used for large-area landscaping seedling cultivation or for making small forest-style bonsai.

2. Division propagation: Ginkgo easily produces suckers, especially trees 10-20 years old produce the most suckers. In spring, division propagation can be carried out using the suckers. The method is to dig away the soil around the root zone, use a knife to cut off the sucker shoots with fibrous roots from the mother plant, and plant and cultivate them separately. Suckers from female plants can advance the fruiting age. This method is generally used to cultivate rootstock and for landscaping seedling cultivation.

3. Cutting propagation: Cutting propagation is divided into two types: hardwood cuttings and softwood cuttings.

1) Hardwood cuttings. Generally in spring from March to April, cut healthy, plump one- to two-year-old branches from the mother plant, cut them into cuttings 10-15 cm long, and insert them into fine yellow sand or loose soil. After inserting, water thoroughly, keep the soil moist, and roots can form in about 40 days. After survival, carry out normal management. They can be transplanted in spring of the second year. This method is suitable for large-area landscaping seedling cultivation, etc.

2) Softwood cuttings. From late May to mid-June, cut non-lignified cuttings growing around the ginkgo root zone or sprouting on branches (cuttings about 2 cm long, retaining 2 leaves), first insert them into a container, place in diffused light, and change the water about every 3 days until callus tissue grows, then transplant into yellow sand or loose soil; they can also be inserted directly into loose soil, but from around noon on sunny days they should be shaded, and the leaves should be misted 2-3 times. After survival, enter normal management. This method is suitable for small-scale cultivation by families or garden units.

4. Grafting propagation: Grafting propagation is the main propagation method in ginkgo cultivation. It can advance fruiting and make the plant dwarfed, full, and high-yielding. Generally from mid-March to early April in spring, grafting is carried out using methods such as subcortical side grafting, bark peeling grafting, or cut grafting. Scions are mostly selected from 20-30 year old plants with strong growth and vigorous fruiting. Generally, 3-4 year old branches with about 4 short branches are selected as scions, and generally 3-5 branches are grafted per plant. After grafting, fruiting begins in 5-8 years.

II. Ginkgo tree bonsai planting

Sowing and seedling cultivation of ginkgo: The most important thing about making ginkgo bonsai is its ornamental value. The ornamental value lies in focusing on the branch and trunk shape of the ginkgo tree when making the bonsai, preventing too many branches and trunks from dropping leaves in winter and reducing its ornamental value. Therefore, on the other hand, attention should be paid to the sowing and seedling cultivation of ginkgo.

Ginkgo bonsai cultivation: After all preparations are done, put the ginkgo seeds into the pot, not buried too deep, to prevent the growth of the seedlings. Also, before sowing the seeds, first dry the seeds in a ventilated place, but do not dry out all the water; drying to about thirty percent is enough. When sowing, be sure to place the seeds flat and not crooked, so as not to affect the normal development of the seedlings. The covering soil should not be too thick; generally four or five cm is enough. After sowing is completed, cover with some dry grass on top until the seedlings appear, then remove it. After the seedlings have grown for some time, prune the terminal buds of the seedlings according to the actual situation; this is to help the lateral buds grow. There is also one more point: dig the ginkgo tree out of the pot with soil and place it in a pre-prepared porcelain pot with organic matter soil, so that after the ginkgo grows well later, it will not need to be transplanted again. After the seedlings have grown a main trunk, prune the other branches and leaves naturally; do not use tools to force shaping, otherwise it will lose the original ornamental value of nature. Fertilize regularly to ensure the normal development of the ginkgo.

Management of ginkgo bonsai: In the mid-growth stage of ginkgo, water once a week and fertilize once a month. Several holes should be drilled in the bottom of the pot so that the soil can breathe and will not accumulate water. During the growth period, observe the growth situation irregularly and prune branches and leaves according to the situation. In winter, do not fertilize, because ginkgo stops growing in winter, and it also stops growing in high-temperature summer weather. Therefore, in spring and autumn, do a good job in cultivating the ginkgo.