How to grow a five-needle pine bonsai? Do this to grow it well

To grow a five-needle pine bonsai well, you need to understand its habits and master its requirements for light, soil, water, fertilizer and so on.

Light: the five-needle pine can grow in both places with ample light and in fairly shady spots. If it is grown in a sunny, well-ventilated courtyard, balcony, window area and so on, its needles grow emerald green, short and sturdy. If placed in a spot with insufficient light that is damp, shady and hot, the needles grow thin and weak and easily turn yellow and withered. In spring and autumn, it can be allowed to receive sunlight fully. But at the hot midday of summer, scorched needles caused by sun exposure must be prevented, so shading is essential. Usually shade with a curtain or move the potted plant into a ventilated room, and never allow long periods of afternoon western sun, lest sunscald kill it. The five-needle pine is cold-hardy; in winter it can be placed outdoors in the sun with the temperature kept at 0°C-15°C, and it should not be too high.

Soil: the five-needle pine likes loose, fertile, well-drained loam with an acidic nature (pH between 5.5-6.5). Generally use 25% leaf mold, 25% mountain soil, 10% charred peat, 40% river sand or honeycomb coal briquette cinders, add a little bone meal and mix together. If ordinary alkaline garden soil is used, the pine needles will turn yellow and drop, and it may even cause the plant to die.

Water: the five-needle pine likes dryness and dislikes dampness; keeping the potting soil slightly moist is enough. Otherwise the pine needles turn yellow and gradually wither. In autumn and winter, the basal needles also turn yellow; this is a natural shedding phenomenon of renewal. For watering in spring, generally water once every 3-4 days, but it must be determined by the weather that day and the wetness or dryness of the potting soil and other specific conditions. In the plum rain season, the air humidity is relatively high, so watering should be reduced as appropriate. Sometimes when the plum rain is continuous, you must also pay attention to withholding water or placing the potted plant in a ventilated spot under the eaves. In summer the temperature is high and the potting soil dries easily, so generally water once in the morning and once in the evening. In autumn the air is dry, and it is also the growing season for the five-needle pine, so the soil dries easily; watering can be once every two days, but it must not be too dry. At ordinary times it is best to frequently spray the leaf surfaces with clean water, which can both lower the temperature and remove dust, and also achieve the effect of preserving greenness and beauty. In winter the amount of watering is relatively reduced; in order to prevent severe cold and freezing, water must also be controlled, and only when it is overly dry should an appropriate amount of water be given.

Fertilizer: fertilizing is the key to growing a five-needle pine well, and it can be combined with watering, but the principle is "light fertilizer, frequent application." Usually use composted and fully rotted rapeseed cake, soybean cake and bone meal mixed with water for irrigation. From March to June, fertilize once every half month, with a fertilizer-water concentration of 15%. In July-August the weather is hot, so it is suitable to apply about 10% diluted liquid fertilizer. September is the period when the five-needle pine thickens and grows relatively fast, so after late August, about 55% liquid fertilizer should be applied to promote its growth. Stop fertilizing after November.

Before fertilizing, the potting soil should be slightly dry, and the soil should be loosened to help the fertilizer be fully absorbed. If the pot damages the roots. Fertilizing on cloudy days is better, and it must never be applied under high temperature and strong light. On the day after fertilizing, water the plant thoroughly.

How to grow a five-needle pine bonsai well

How to grow a five-needle pine bonsai: cultivation methods for five-needle pine bonsai

The five-needle pine has an elegant and graceful tree form, dense and vigorous, evergreen in all four seasons, and is highly ornamental, making it an excellent tree species for bonsai. So how should we grow a five-needle pine bonsai? Next, let me introduce the cultivation methods for five-needle pine bonsai.

1. Cultivation environment

After repotting a five-needle pine and watering it thoroughly, first place it in a shaded spot for 10 days, then move it to a semi-shady, semi-sunny spot for one week, and then place it in a sunny, well-ventilated spot with a humid microclimate for care. It fears scorching sun exposure, especially a five-needle pine bonsai in a fine pot, which has less potting soil and fears the scorching sun even more, so in summer it should be placed in a semi-shady, semi-sunny spot. In dry weather and at high temperatures, water the ground near the five-needle pine bonsai 1-2 times every morning and evening to maintain the humidity of the microclimate.

In northern China in late autumn and early winter, move the five-needle pine bonsai into a smoke-free room (because the five-needle pine is even more sensitive to smoke damage than ordinary potted flowers); a room temperature of about 5°C is best. If the room temperature is too high, it will affect winter dormancy and be unfavorable for growth the following year. The potting soil for five-needle pine requires sandy soil with good drainage, good aeration and rich organic matter that is slightly acidic. Generally, leaf mold, yellow mud soil (or black mountain soil) and sandy soil are commonly mixed, in a ratio of 6:3:1. The potting soil must not be alkaline, otherwise growth will be unfavorable and the five-needle pine will turn yellow and drop.

2. Replacing the potting soil

When the five-needle pine is first potted, it is best to use an unglazed clay pot, because it has good aeration and makes it easy to survive. After it has settled in the pot, then change to a purple clay ceramic pot with an antique form and deep color. The potting soil should be changed once every 3 to 4 years, and the best time for changing the soil is from late February to early April or from September to mid-October. When changing the pot, some old roots should be properly pruned and the plant watered thoroughly.

3. Watering and fertilizing

The five-needle pine likes a moist environment but fears waterlogging; keeping the potting soil moist is enough. April-May is the season when the five-needle pine's new buds sprout and grow vigorously, so water should be properly controlled, because too much water can make new branches shoot up and needles elongate. In summer the temperature is high, so watering should be done before 10 o'clock or after 16 o'clock; in winter the temperature is low and the water requirement decreases, so water less; if the potting soil is moist, it need not be watered, and watering should be done around midday when the temperature is highest in the day.

The five-needle pine most fears waterlogged roots being damaged, so watering should be moderate and not excessive. The leaf surfaces should be sprayed frequently, and soil moisture should preferably be kept between 15%-30%; natural water is best. Generally in spring and autumn, water once a day; in summer, twice a day; in winter, once every few days. At the same time, it should also be flexibly managed according to weather changes. For the five-needle pine, it is suitable to use the method of light fertilizer applied sparingly, and fully rotted cake fertilizer is suitable. For mature plants, fertilizing should be done in spring and autumn.

Spring fertilizer should be applied every 10 days for 2-3 months before budding, at a concentration of about 15%, to promote budding and branch growth. In July-August the weather is hot, so it is suitable to apply 10% dilute fertilizer water, about once every half month, and it should be applied in the morning and evening. September is the stage when the five-needle pine thickens and grows fastest, so autumn fertilizer can be appropriately stronger (the fertilizer concentration can be raised to about 20%), to promote more axillary buds, fewer flower buds, and at the same time provide sufficient nutrients for the growth of stems and branches. Fertilizing must stop after the end of October. In addition, fertilizing also depends on weather conditions: if it has rained for a long time and just cleared, it is not suitable to fertilize immediately; if it has been clear for a long time without rain, then water first, and fertilize after 2-3 days.

4. Light requirements

The five-needle pine is a strongly sun-loving plant. At ordinary times the pot should be placed in a dry, ventilated, sunny spot for care; being too wet or too shady is unfavorable for its growth. For potted five-needle pine seedlings grown for 1-2 years, apart from appropriate shading at the hot midday of summer to prevent excessive sun exposure of the needles and scorched needles, at other times they should all be placed outdoors in the open, allowed to fully receive sunlight. In this way, the five-needle pine bonsai has dense, deep green branches and leaves, high ornamental value and few pests and diseases. Try to maintain the five-needle pine's natural growing environment as much as possible, ensuring good ventilation, sufficient light and even application of water and fertilizer; only in this way can you grow an excellent bonsai.

5. Shaping and tidying

After a year's growth, some branches of a five-needle pine bonsai will grow too long, too dense or in improper positions, so it must be shaped every year. The best time for shaping is from November to March of the following year, because during this period the five-needle pine is in dormancy and the sap flows slowly, so less pine resin oozes out after pruning. At the same time, because the five-needle pine only sends out terminal buds and does not send out adventitious buds, heavy pruning is not suitable. If pruning is too severe, the wounds easily release pine resin, and too much resin flow will affect the growth and development of the five-needle pine.

The pruning period is best from early winter to before the sap begins to flow in early spring of the following year. The wounds after pruning are best sealed with sealing wax, grafting compound, adhesive tape and so on, to prevent pine resin from flowing out. Shaping generally uses a combination of wiring and pruning. For overly long branches, one option is to shorten them by cutting, and the other is to wire them with metal wire into an irregular "S" shape to make the branches shorter. Branches that are too dense and not needed for the design must be cut off. Some beginners feel that since only a few branches grow in a year, it is a pity to cut them and cannot bear to prune them, but in fact, if you do not cut what should be cut, you will instead be burdened by it; branches that are too dense and disorderly will seriously affect the bonsai's shape and artistic conception.

Bud pinching is an important shaping measure for maintaining the beauty of a five-needle pine bonsai's tree form. Every spring when the five-needle pine buds, in order to make the branches shorter and the foliage appropriately sparse or dense, in addition to controlling fertilizer and water, you must also promptly pinch off buds not needed for the design, and the retained buds should also be pinched off by 1/2-2/3 depending on their length. Bud pinching must not be done too early; wait until leaf buds and flower buds can be clearly distinguished before pinching. There is a cluster of flower buds at the lower part of a flower bud, and after the flowers fall, a long leafless branch forms; this kind of bud is best pinched off, but if the design requires it, it may also be retained.