Care and Management of Plum Blossom Bonsai and Techniques for Enjoying the Blooming Period

(1) Care and Management

Location: Plum blossoms should be placed in a spot with ample sunlight and good air circulation. Although plum blossoms are relatively cold-hardy and can bloom proudly through frost and snow, they still prefer warmth and are suited to the southern climate. If cultivated in cold northern regions, they should be placed indoors to overwinter in winter.

Watering: Keep the potting soil moist at ordinary times, taking care not to water when the soil is not dry, and prevent water from accumulating in the pot. From mid to late May through early to mid June, that is, from the time the flower buds sprout until they form, "water withholding" treatment must be carried out, that is, let the potting soil dry until the old leaves curl slightly and the new shoots wilt before watering again. Repeat this several times to destroy the growing points of the new branches, stop the new shoots from elongating, and increase the occurrence of flower buds, then gradually restore normal watering.

Fertilizing: Pay attention to the fertilizing season. Generally, when repotting, bone meal, soybean cake and the like may be placed at the bottom of the pot as a base fertilizer. From mid to late May, before the flower buds form, apply 1 to 2 times of cake fertilizer water as a top dressing, apply another 1 to 2 times in early August, and apply one more top dressing in early autumn.

Pruning: To make plum blossom bonsai both ruggedly ancient and vigorous in growth with abundant blooms, pruning is extremely important. Because plum flower buds form on new branches of the current year, after flowering each year the old flowering branches should be cut short immediately, leaving only 2 to 3 buds, and care should be taken to make the buds grow outward, so that the next year's flowers will be abundant and brightly colored. Plum blossom pruning can be divided into the following types:

1. Thinning branches: Remove various crossing branches, parallel branches, overlapping branches, opposite branches, water sprouts and excessively dense or weak branches that affect the beauty of the tree shape. Follow the thinning principle of "leave the old branches untouched, keep the strong and remove the weak."

2. Heading back: On the basis of thinning branches, cut off the upper part of the one-year-old branches after flowering. The degree of shortening depends on the styling needs and growth vigor; those with good vigor may be cut less, while those with poor vigor may be cut more. According to styling needs, a few long branches may sometimes be appropriately retained. When heading back, also choose the direction of the bud opening according to the direction and angle of the branch, so as to achieve an appropriate balance of density and openness.

3. Bud removal: Around April, when the leaf buds of the current year have grown to about 3 cm, remove some unnecessary buds according to the position of the buds, their density, and the needs of the tree's styling. For buds on old trunks, remove them as soon as they appear.

4. Pinching: In late June, when the new shoots have grown to a certain length, remove the terminal buds to control branch growth; the length should generally be 15 to 30 cm. For plum blossoms with weaker sprouting ability, pinching may be done earlier to encourage them to sprout again. When plum trees are too old, their vigor often declines. To make declining plum trees "young again," the following measures may be taken:

① Over successive years, cut away the side branches on the main trunk in batches, or shorten the side branches year by year until they are removed from the base, so as to achieve renewal.

② When renewing thick branches, attention must be paid to protecting the wounds to prevent the invasion of pests and diseases.

③ Place the plum pot in the ground for cultivation, preferably choosing a spot with good ventilation and light and fertile, loose soil, and at the same time thin out the branches. Repotting: Plum blossom bonsai should be repotted once every 1 to 2 years, preferably after flowering in March, though November to December in winter is also acceptable. When repotting, remove 1B3 to 1B2 of the old soil, cut off dead roots, shorten excessively long old roots, and replace with leaf mold rich in humus or frozen and loosened pond mud, mixed with rice husk ash and sandy soil.

Pest and disease control: The main diseases of plum blossoms include anthracnose, powdery mildew, leaf curl, and sooty mold. The main insect pests include plum tent caterpillars, aphids, longhorn beetles, lace bugs, and slug moths. Diseases can be controlled by spraying 0.5% Bordeaux mixture; insect pests can be controlled by spraying 80% dichlorvos at 1500 times dilution. If longhorn beetle larvae are found boring into the trunk of a plum tree, use 1 part dichlorvos plus 0.5 part light diesel oil, dip a cotton ball in it and plug the insect hole, then seal the opening with wet mud. When using chemicals to control insect pests, avoid dimethoate, otherwise it will cause leaf drop and may even lead to death.

(2) Enjoying the Blooms

The plum tree has an elegant posture, gnarled trunk, spreading canopy, and sparse slanting branches, rugged and ancient, and is most beautiful. The best viewing period is the flowering period, generally from February to March. If blooming is desired at Spring Festival, place the plum blossom bonsai in a greenhouse at about 10°C around 40 days before Spring Festival, with ample sunlight, and mist it frequently. Plum trunk bonsai has beauty of color, beauty of form, and beauty of charm, and is excellent in color, fragrance, and flavor. The Southern Song poet Yang Wanli wrote in a poem on plum blossoms: "At first arrival I felt the fragrance pierce my nose; when it faded, there was no fragrance and no flavor. Idly gazing at dusk, the flowers seem about to sleep; I do not know I have been intoxicated by their scent." This is a description of the subtle fragrance of plum blossoms.

Plum Blossom Bonsai Care and Enjoyment

Plum Blossom Bonsai Care

Plum Blossom Bonsai Care

Plum blossom bonsai care is very important; with proper care they can bloom and be enjoyed year after year.

When potting. Generally use 70% pond mud, 20% leaf mold, and 10% decomposed compost soil mixed evenly for planting; such potting soil has good drainage and is not prone to waterlogging. The size and style of the pot depend on the size of the tree stump and the styling form; long pots of medium depth are often used, and the potting soil should not be too shallow or too little, otherwise it will affect the growth and development of the stump. After the stump is potted. It should be placed in a spot with ample sunlight and good ventilation.

After plum blossoms flower, water and fertilizer management should be strengthened. April to June is the new shoot growth period, and at this time apply thin fertilizer once a month! Stop fertilizing during the dormant period from October to November; in early December the flower buds begin to swell, and at this time 2 applications of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer may be appropriately given, which is beneficial for flowering, making the flowers large and the fragrance strong. In other periods, apply thin fertilizer once a month. Late June to mid July is the flower bud differentiation period, and water supply should be appropriately moderated to make the soil slightly dry, which is beneficial for flower bud differentiation. From August to October, supply water and fertilizer normally, and from October to November reduce the amount of watering.
Plum blossoms only flower on branches of the current year, so after the flowers fade, pruning and shaping should be started. Leave 2 to 3 bud nodes at the base of branches that have flowered, and cut off all the rest. When pruning, pay attention to the orientation of the bud at the cut. When the buds at the base of the branches and trunk have grown to about 15 cm long, cut off water sprouts, crossing branches, overlapping branches, dense branches, thin and weak branches, and branches that affect the tree's posture, ensuring that the retained branches grow and flower well. When pruning, the method of accumulating branches and truncating the trunk may be used to cut the straight and retain the curved.

If plum blossoms lose their leaves in July, there will be no flowers that year; if they lose leaves in August, there will be few flowers, because after leaf drop photosynthesis cannot be carried out, there are fewer products of photosynthesis, and the flower buds find it difficult to complete differentiation; only after September are the flower buds basically formed. June to July is the flower bud differentiation period, so care and management should be strengthened to avoid poor care causing leaf drop and affecting flowering that year.

Repot once every other year, after the flowers fade in March. When repotting, remove about half of the potting soil, prune the roots once, cutting off dead and old roots, overly long roots, and some fibrous roots. When repotting, replace with soil rich in humus, fertile, and with good drainage; a small amount of fermented bone meal and cake fertilizer may also be added to supplement the base fertilizer.

The main insect pests harming plum blossom growth are aphids and red spider mites, which can be sprayed and killed with 50% dichlorvos at 800 to 1000 times dilution. Dimethoate must not be sprayed to kill insect pests, so as to avoid causing leaf drop, affecting growth and flower bud differentiation, and causing failure to bloom that year.