How to Make a Chinese Hackberry Bonsai? A Complete Guide to the Basics

(1) Botanical Knowledge

Belongs to the elm family (Ulmaceae), genus Celtis. A deciduous tree with rough, grayish-black bark that does not crack. Leaves are simple and alternate, ovate-oblong or broadly ovate, with an oblique base, 3 main veins, and serrated margins above the middle; the upper surface is dark green and the underside pale green. Flowers are polygamous on the same tree; male flowers grow on the lower part of new shoots, while bisexual flowers are solitary or clustered in groups of 2-3 in the leaf axils on the upper part of new shoots; the flowers are small and pale green. The drupe is nearly spherical, orange-yellow or orange-red when ripe, usually solitary or in pairs, with the fruit stalk nearly as long as the leaf stalk. The flowering period is April to May, and the fruit ripening period is September to October.

The Chinese hackberry is produced in the Huai River basin and south of the Qinling Mountains, reaching south to Guangdong, Guangxi and other provinces and regions; it is a subtropical tree species. It mostly grows scattered in plains and low mountain areas.

It likes light and is suited to a warm, humid climate, and is suitable for growing in fertile, flat land. It is not demanding about soil, has a certain tolerance for dryness, and also tolerates waterlogged and poor, thin soil, with strong adaptability.

(2) Material Collection and Cultivation Measures

Artificial cultivation: The Chinese hackberry is usually propagated by sowing. The seeds mature in September to October, and the fruit turns reddish-brown; they should be collected in time, spread out to dry in the shade, with debris removed, then mixed with sandy soil and stored. Sow in March of the following spring. Before sowing, the seeds must be treated: crack the seed shell with a wooden stick, or rub the outer seed coat with sand, before sowing, as this helps the seeds germinate. The seedbed soil should preferably be loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam. After sowing, cover with a layer of fine soil about 2 cm thick, then cover with rice straw, and water thoroughly once; germination can begin in about 10 days. After the seedlings emerge, remove the straw in time. Maintenance and management work must be done well during the seedling stage, paying attention to loosening the soil, weeding, and topdressing, and thinning the seedlings appropriately; the current-year seedlings can reach 30-40 cm tall. Young saplings used for cultivating Chinese hackberry bonsai should be pruned and shaped with attention, "suppressing the top and promoting the sides," controlling the height growth of the sapling and promoting thickening of the trunk and growth of side branches, so as to facilitate potting and shaping.

Collection in the wild: The Chinese hackberry is commonly found growing wild along streams and valleys in the hilly low mountains of the Yangtze River basin and areas to its south. Old sprouted stumps with ancient and peculiar forms that have been cut back for many years can be collected for "raising the embryo." Through pruning, root development is promoted and new shoots sprout, then they are shaped and cultivated; after 1-2 years, they are potted and worked on, and a vigorous, quaint Chinese hackberry bonsai can be made in a relatively short period.

(3) Potting Process

Pot selection: Chinese hackberry bonsai is noted for its antique elegance, so purple clay (zisha) pots or glazed ceramic pots are suitable, with rectangular, square, or oval shapes being good, depending on the tree shape. Because the Chinese hackberry has dense leaves, deep green leaf color, and rough grayish-brown bark, pot colors of light yellow or ochre-brown are best, serving as a contrasting foil.

Soil: The Chinese hackberry is not choosy about soil and has strong adaptability, but it grows better in fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam. For bonsai cultivation, a growing medium made by mixing garden soil with sandy soil or rice-hull ash is generally used.

Planting: It is best done after autumn or before spring budbreak. When planting, the root system should be properly pruned and tidied, cutting off overly long main roots and keeping more lateral roots and fibrous roots, and mounding with loose, fertile soil; at the same time, the branches and leaves should also be thinned appropriately. If planting in a medium-shallow pot, the roots must be fixed to the bottom of the pot with metal wire to prevent lodging.

(4) Styling Techniques

Processing: Chinese hackberry styling mostly uses the method of coarse wiring and fine pruning, while the Lingnan school's large tree form processing completely adopts the pruning method, imitating Lingnan painting techniques, emphasizing pruning skills, accumulating branches and truncating the trunk, and valuing the overall compositional effect. A shaped stump bonsai, whether when the branches and leaves are lush or in the winter state after leaf fall, can maintain a graceful form.

Tree forms: Chinese hackberry bonsai is suitable for being made into forms such as the straight-trunk style, slanting-trunk style, curved-trunk style, lying-trunk style, or root-over-rock style. The branches and leaves can be wired into pads or pruned into steamed-bun-shaped round pads, and can also be processed into a natural tree form.

Basics - Making a Chinese Hackberry Bonsai

1) Botanical Knowledge



Belongs to the elm family (Ulmaceae), genus Celtis. A deciduous tree with rough, grayish-black bark that does not crack. Leaves are simple and alternate, ovate-oblong or broadly ovate, with an oblique base, 3 main veins, and serrated margins above the middle; the upper surface is dark green and the underside pale green. Flowers are polygamous on the same tree; male flowers grow on the lower part of new shoots, while bisexual flowers are solitary or clustered in groups of 2-3 in the leaf axils on the upper part of new shoots; the flowers are small and pale green. The drupe is nearly spherical, orange-yellow or orange-red when ripe, usually solitary or in pairs, with the fruit stalk nearly as long as the leaf stalk. The flowering period is April to May, and the fruit ripening period is September to October.



The Chinese hackberry is produced in the Huai River basin and south of the Qinling Mountains, reaching south to Guangdong, Guangxi and other provinces and regions; it is a subtropical tree species. It mostly grows scattered in plains and low mountain areas.



It likes light and is suited to a warm, humid climate, and is suitable for growing in fertile, flat land. It is not demanding about soil, has a certain tolerance for dryness, and also tolerates waterlogged and poor, thin soil, with strong adaptability.



(2) Material Collection and Cultivation Measures



Artificial cultivation: The Chinese hackberry is usually propagated by sowing. The seeds mature in September to October, and the fruit turns reddish-brown; they should be collected in time, spread out to dry in the shade, with debris removed, then mixed with sandy soil and stored. Sow in March of the following spring. Before sowing, the seeds must be treated: crack the seed shell with a wooden stick, or rub the outer seed coat with sand, before sowing, as this helps the seeds germinate. The seedbed soil should preferably be loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam. After sowing, cover with a layer of fine soil about 2 cm thick, then cover with rice straw, and water thoroughly once; germination can begin in about 10 days. After the seedlings emerge, remove the straw in time. Maintenance and management work must be done well during the seedling stage, paying attention to loosening the soil, weeding, and topdressing, and thinning the seedlings appropriately; the current-year seedlings can reach 30-40 cm tall. Young saplings used for cultivating Chinese hackberry bonsai should be pruned and shaped with attention, "suppressing the top and promoting the sides," controlling the height growth of the sapling and promoting thickening of the trunk and growth of side branches, so as to facilitate potting and shaping.



Collection in the wild: The Chinese hackberry is commonly found growing wild along streams and valleys in the hilly low mountains of the Yangtze River basin and areas to its south. Old sprouted stumps with ancient and peculiar forms that have been cut back for many years can be collected for "raising the embryo." Through pruning, root development is promoted and new shoots sprout, then they are shaped and cultivated; after 1-2 years, they are potted and worked on, and a vigorous, quaint Chinese hackberry bonsai can be made in a relatively short period.



(3) Potting Process



Pot selection: Chinese hackberry bonsai is noted for its antique elegance, so purple clay (zisha) pots or glazed ceramic pots are suitable, with rectangular, square, or oval shapes being good, depending on the tree shape. Because the Chinese hackberry has dense leaves, deep green leaf color, and rough grayish-brown bark, pot colors of light yellow or ochre-brown are best, serving as a contrasting foil.



Soil: The Chinese hackberry is not choosy about soil and has strong adaptability, but it grows better in fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam. For bonsai cultivation, a growing medium made by mixing garden soil with sandy soil or rice-hull ash is generally used.



Planting: It is best done after autumn or before spring budbreak. When planting, the root system should be properly pruned and tidied, cutting off overly long main roots and keeping more lateral roots and fibrous roots, and mounding with loose, fertile soil; at the same time, the branches and leaves should also be thinned appropriately. If planting in a medium-shallow pot, the roots must be fixed to the bottom of the pot with metal wire to prevent lodging.



(4) Styling Techniques



Processing: Chinese hackberry styling mostly uses the method of coarse wiring and fine pruning, while the Lingnan school's large tree form processing completely adopts the pruning method, imitating Lingnan painting techniques, emphasizing pruning skills, accumulating branches and truncating the trunk, and valuing the overall compositional effect. A shaped stump bonsai, whether when the branches and leaves are lush or in the winter state after leaf fall, can maintain a graceful form.



Tree forms: Chinese hackberry bonsai is suitable for being made into forms such as the straight-trunk style, slanting-trunk style, curved-trunk style, lying-trunk style, or root-over-rock style. The branches and leaves can be wired into pads or pruned into steamed-bun-shaped round pads, and can also be processed into a natural tree form.

Basics - Making a Chinese Hackberry Bonsai (Photo)

    1) Botanical Knowledge

    Belongs to the elm family (Ulmaceae), genus Celtis. A deciduous tree with rough, grayish-black bark that does not crack. Leaves are simple and alternate, ovate-oblong or broadly ovate, with an oblique base, 3 main veins, and serrated margins above the middle; the upper surface is dark green and the underside pale green. Flowers are polygamous on the same tree; male flowers grow on the lower part of new shoots, while bisexual flowers are solitary or clustered in groups of 2-3 in the leaf axils on the upper part of new shoots; the flowers are small and pale green. The drupe is nearly spherical, orange-yellow or orange-red when ripe, usually solitary or in pairs, with the fruit stalk nearly as long as the leaf stalk. The flowering period is April to May, and the fruit ripening period is September to October.

    The Chinese hackberry is produced in the Huai River basin and south of the Qinling Mountains, reaching south to Guangdong, Guangxi and other provinces and regions; it is a subtropical tree species. It mostly grows scattered in plains and low mountain areas.

    It likes light and is suited to a warm, humid climate, and is suitable for growing in fertile, flat land. It is not demanding about soil, has a certain tolerance for dryness, and also tolerates waterlogged and poor, thin soil, with strong adaptability.

    (2) Material Collection and Cultivation Measures

    Artificial propagation: The Chinese hackberry is usually propagated by sowing. The seeds mature in September to October, and the fruit turns reddish-brown; they should be collected in time, spread out to dry in the shade, with debris removed, then mixed with sandy soil and stored. Sow in March of the following spring. Before sowing, the seeds must be treated: crack the seed shell with a wooden stick, or rub the outer seed coat with sand, before sowing, as this helps the seeds germinate. The seedbed soil should preferably be loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam. After sowing, cover with a layer of fine soil about 2 cm thick, then cover with rice straw, and water thoroughly once; germination can begin in about 10 days. After the seedlings emerge, remove the straw in time. Maintenance and management work must be done well during the seedling stage, paying attention to loosening the soil, weeding, and topdressing, and thinning the seedlings appropriately; the current-year seedlings can reach 30-40 cm tall. Young saplings used for cultivating Chinese hackberry bonsai should be pruned and shaped with attention, "suppressing the top and promoting the sides," controlling the height growth of the sapling and promoting thickening of the trunk and growth of side branches, so as to facilitate potting and shaping.

    Collection in the wild: The Chinese hackberry is commonly found growing wild along streams and valleys in the hilly low mountains of the Yangtze River basin and areas to its south. Old sprouted stumps with ancient and peculiar forms that have been cut back for many years can be collected for "raising the embryo." Through pruning, root development is promoted and new shoots sprout, then they are shaped and cultivated; after 1-2 years, they are potted and worked on, and a vigorous, quaint Chinese hackberry bonsai can be made in a relatively short period.

    (3) Potting Process

    Pot selection: Chinese hackberry bonsai is noted for its antique elegance, so purple clay (zisha) pots or glazed ceramic pots are suitable, with rectangular, square, or oval shapes being good, depending on the tree shape. Because the Chinese hackberry has dense leaves, deep green leaf color, and rough grayish-brown bark, pot colors of light yellow or ochre-brown are best, serving as a contrasting foil.

    Soil: The Chinese hackberry is not choosy about soil and has strong adaptability, but it grows better in fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam. For bonsai cultivation, a growing medium made by mixing garden soil with sandy soil or rice-hull ash is generally used.

    Planting: It is best done after autumn or before spring budbreak. When planting, the root system should be properly pruned and tidied, cutting off overly long main roots and keeping more lateral roots and fibrous roots, and mounding with loose, fertile soil; at the same time, the branches and leaves should also be thinned appropriately. If planting in a medium-shallow pot, the roots must be fixed to the bottom of the pot with metal wire to prevent lodging.

    (4) Styling Techniques

    Processing: Chinese hackberry styling mostly uses the method of coarse wiring and fine pruning, while the Lingnan school's large tree form processing completely adopts the pruning method, imitating Lingnan painting techniques, emphasizing pruning skills, accumulating branches and truncating the trunk, and valuing the overall compositional effect. A shaped stump bonsai, whether when the branches and leaves are lush or in the winter state after leaf fall, can maintain a graceful form.

    Tree forms: Chinese hackberry bonsai is suitable for being made into forms such as the straight-trunk style, slanting-trunk style, curved-trunk style, lying-trunk style, or root-over-rock style. The branches and leaves can be wired into pads or pruned into steamed-bun-shaped round pads, and can also be processed into a natural tree form.