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How to grow a bonsai ficus, pruning tips for a bonsai ficus

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How to grow a bonsai ficus, pruning tips for a bonsai ficus

The bonsai ficus is one of the most common bonsai. It stays green all year round and has a graceful shape. It is also relatively easy to care for, making it the first choice for beginners in bonsai.

How to grow a bonsai ficus


First, the growing soil should be rich and loose, such as cow dung, wood shavings, and coal cinders, which both retain moisture and allow air through. The soil in a bonsai ficus pot is limited, so nutrients are limited as well, and attention should be paid to replenishing fertilizer. Because of the artistic characteristic of tree stump bonsai of showing something big in something small, you must not fertilize too much or too frequently. You need to master the fertilizer concentration and type, and grasp the fertilizing season.


Pruning tips for a bonsai ficus


Bonsai trees are still constantly growing. If they are allowed to grow naturally without restraint, it will inevitably affect the tree's shape and cause it to lose its artistic value. Therefore, they should be pruned in time: long shoots cut short, dense shoots thinned, so as to maintain a graceful tree shape and appropriate proportions.
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Pinching: For tree bonsai, to inhibit their height growth and encourage side shoots to develop flat and spreading, you can pinch off the tender tips of the shoots.

Bud removal: When a tree bonsai grows many adventitious buds at the base of the trunk or on the trunk, the buds should be removed at any time to avoid the sprouting of forked branches, which would affect the beauty of the tree shape.

Leaf removal: For foliage-viewing tree bonsai, the viewing period is often the period when new leaves sprout. For example, the new leaves of maple and pomegranate are red. Through leaf removal treatment, the tree can be made to produce new leaves several times a year, bright and pleasing to the eye, improving its ornamental effect.

Branch pruning: Tree bonsai often grow many new branches. To maintain their beautiful shape, you must always pay attention to branch pruning. The pruning method should be decided according to the tree shape, such as a cloud-layer shape. In that case, the branches are pruned into a flat and even form. Generally, dead branches, parallel branches, crossing branches and others that harm the beauty should all be cut off in time.

Root pruning: When repotting, combine it with root pruning. Roots that are too dense or too long should be pruned. This can be considered according to the following situations. If the tree's new roots are poorly developed and the root system has not densely covered the bottom surface of the soil ball, then when repotting you can still use the original pot and there is no need to prune the root system. For tree species with well-developed root systems whose fibrous roots densely cover the bottom surface of the soil ball, you should change to a slightly larger pot, thin out the dense root system, remove old roots, and keep a few new roots when repotting. For some old stump bonsai, when repotting, you can appropriately raise the roots to increase their ornamental value, and prune away old roots and part of the root tips, and cultivate with loose, fertile soil to encourage new roots.

In fact, the simplest way to grow a ficus well is to water thoroughly after the soil dries out. Fertilizing once or twice a year is fine. Although it likes fertilizer, to develop a compact plant shape, it is still better to fertilize less. But if it is a foliage-oriented ficus such as the weeping fig or fiddle-leaf fig, then you should apply light fertilizer frequently and keep the potting soil moist, so that it grows vigorously with large, glossy green leaves and good ornamental value.

How to grow a bonsai ficus, pruning tips for a bonsai ficus

The bonsai ficus is one of the most common bonsai. It stays green all year round and has a graceful shape. It is also relatively easy to care for, making it the first choice for beginners in bonsai.

How to grow a bonsai ficus


First, the growing soil should be rich and loose, such as cow dung, wood shavings, and coal cinders, which both retain moisture and allow air through. The soil in a bonsai ficus pot is limited, so nutrients are limited as well, and attention should be paid to replenishing fertilizer. Because of the artistic characteristic of tree stump bonsai of showing something big in something small, you must not fertilize too much or too frequently. You need to master the fertilizer concentration and type, and grasp the fertilizing season.


Pruning tips for a bonsai ficus


Bonsai trees are still constantly growing. If they are allowed to grow naturally without restraint, it will inevitably affect the tree's shape and cause it to lose its artistic value. Therefore, they should be pruned in time: long shoots cut short, dense shoots thinned, so as to maintain a graceful tree shape and appropriate proportions.
。
Pinching: For tree bonsai, to inhibit their height growth and encourage side shoots to develop flat and spreading, you can pinch off the tender tips of the shoots.

Bud removal: When a tree bonsai grows many adventitious buds at the base of the trunk or on the trunk, the buds should be removed at any time to avoid the sprouting of forked branches, which would affect the beauty of the tree shape.

Leaf removal: For foliage-viewing tree bonsai, the viewing period is often the period when new leaves sprout. For example, the new leaves of maple and pomegranate are red. Through leaf removal treatment, the tree can be made to produce new leaves several times a year, bright and pleasing to the eye, improving its ornamental effect.

Branch pruning: Tree bonsai often grow many new branches. To maintain their beautiful shape, you must always pay attention to branch pruning. The pruning method should be decided according to the tree shape, such as a cloud-layer shape. In that case, the branches are pruned into a flat and even form. Generally, dead branches, parallel branches, crossing branches and others that harm the beauty should all be cut off in time.

Root pruning: When repotting, combine it with root pruning. Roots that are too dense or too long should be pruned. This can be considered according to the following situations. If the tree's new roots are poorly developed and the root system has not densely covered the bottom surface of the soil ball, then when repotting you can still use the original pot and there is no need to prune the root system. For tree species with well-developed root systems whose fibrous roots densely cover the bottom surface of the soil ball, you should change to a slightly larger pot, thin out the dense root system, remove old roots, and keep a few new roots when repotting. For some old stump bonsai, when repotting, you can appropriately raise the roots to increase their ornamental value, and prune away old roots and part of the root tips, and cultivate with loose, fertile soil to encourage new roots.

In fact, the simplest way to grow a ficus well is to water thoroughly after the soil dries out. Fertilizing once or twice a year is fine. Although it likes fertilizer, to develop a compact plant shape, it is still better to fertilize less. But if it is a foliage-oriented ficus such as the weeping fig or fiddle-leaf fig, then you should apply light fertilizer frequently and keep the potting soil moist, so that it grows vigorously with large, glossy green leaves and good ornamental value.


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How to grow a bonsai ficus? Decoding pruning tips for a bonsai ficus

The bonsai ficus is one of the most common bonsai. It stays green all year round and has a graceful shape. It is also relatively easy to care for, making it the first choice for beginners in bonsai.
Pruning is a means of shaping a ficus. Through pruning, the goal of making the ficus graceful in form can be achieved. Pruning should be timely and suited to the tree. A ficus can generally be pruned in all four seasons. The pruning methods for a ficus include pinching, bud removal, leaf removal, short cutting, reduction pruning, and thinning, among several others.

(1) Pinching
During the growth and development period of a tree, removing the tender part at the tip of a new shoot is called pinching. Pinching can promote the sprouting of axillary buds, produce more branches, and expand the crown, while also inhibiting excessive shoot growth. The timing and frequency of pinching are greatly related to the tree species. For example, for pine trees, it is suitable to pinch off about 2/3 of the bud center after the new buds sprout but before the needles have opened, leaving only a small section at the base. In the future, two side buds will sprout here, sending out new branches in two directions. For evergreen broadleaf trees and deciduous trees that readily send out new shoots, you can generally pinch off the leaf center when the new shoot has sprouted and grown 2-3 leaves. When new branches and leaves sprout again, pinch in the same way. By repeating this operation, the goal of making the crown full can be achieved.
(2) Bud thinning
When a tree is sprouting, many buds often sprout at the same time. To ensure concentrated supply of water and nutrients, keep the well-positioned buds and remove unnecessary buds, so as to form a more ideal tree shape. For tree species with strong sprouting ability such as the Chinese elm and Serissa japonica, even more attention should be paid to wiping off buds that are unfavorable to the shape at any time.

(3) Leaf removal
Leaf removal can promote a tree to sprout new leaves. For some tree species such as the Chinese elm and Vitex negundo, leaf removal can make the originally large leaves become smaller and more delicate. For some colored-leaf tree species, such as maple and pomegranate, leaf removal can make the leaf color even more vivid. However, removing leaves, because it takes away the photosynthesis of these leaves, will make the tree stump lose a great opportunity to accumulate nutrients, and for some weak stumps it may cause the plant to weaken or even die. So it is best to carry out leaf removal on relatively vigorous tree stumps. Before removing leaves from a potted tree, first apply nitrogen fertilizer 2-3 times and place it in a place with sufficient sunlight so that it fully performs photosynthesis, accumulates nutrients, and improves its ability to sprout new leaves. When removing leaves, keep the leaf stalk to protect the axillary buds, and generally new leaves can grow in about 1 month. Leaf removal should be done in 3-4 sessions, removing 1/4-1/3 of all leaves each time, with an interval of about 1 week between two adjacent sessions. After leaf removal treatment, transpiration is weakened, so watering should be controlled to avoid excessive soil moisture, which would cause root rot. Generally, after about 20 days of leaf removal treatment, new leaves can grow.


(4) Short cutting
The method of cutting off part of a one-year-old branch is called short cutting. Short cutting can rapidly increase the branching layers of a branch. Generally speaking, it is pruning the top layer of the tree's branches and forks, and can make the tree's outer outline fuller. According to how much is cut off, short cutting can be divided into light short cutting, medium short cutting, and heavy short cutting. Light short cutting generally cuts off 1/5 of the tip of the branch, removing the apical growth advantage of the branch, forming more medium and short branches, making the tree shape fuller and thickening the mother branch. Medium short cutting generally refers to cutting off 1/2-3/5 of the tip of the branch, forming more medium and long branches, which may promote branch growth. Heavy cutting refers to keeping 1/5 of the branch, which can promote the growth of 1-2 vigorous branches below the cut, and is generally used to cultivate the main trunk branch.
(5) Reduction pruning
Cutting off a section of a perennial branch is called reduction pruning. Reduction pruning is the main pruning technique of the Lingnan school's "branch storage and trunk cutting" method, creating many kinds of shapes such as "chicken-claw branches" and "deer-horn branches" that are varied, twisted, vigorous and firm. Reduction pruning can not only dwarf the tree shape, but also enhance the expressive power of the tree's branches and forks. Continuously carrying out reduction pruning on branches can increase the layers of the bonsai.
(6) Branch thinning
Cut off from the base the one-year-old or perennial branches that affect the bonsai's shape. Branch thinning weakens the whole stump, and at the same time, thinning out unwanted branches can ensure that the remaining branches receive sufficient nutrients and water supply, and improve ventilation and light conditions, which is beneficial to the growth of the tree stump. Branch thinning should also make the stump shape more graceful.

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