Key Points and Methods for the Care and Management of Miniature Bonsai

Nowadays many people place miniature plant bonsai in their homes, or hang miniature plant bonsai on the wall, which can be used for viewing while also saving space. Because miniature bonsai flowers and trees are not as capable as ordinary potted flowers and trees in terms of cold resistance, wind resistance and pest and disease resistance, extra care is needed when maintaining miniature bonsai. Never forget to care for them out of carelessness, because in serious cases this can cause the entire plant to die. But do not be afraid either; as long as you master the key points of miniature bonsai care and management, there is naturally nothing to worry about. Next, let us take a look at what the key points of miniature bonsai care and management are.

1. Selection of tree species

Choose plants with small leaves, short and thick stems, vigorous vitality, easy survival after potting, and tolerance for pruning and easy wiring and shaping. It is best to choose tree species with small leaf shapes, strong sprouting ability and relatively good shade tolerance (because they are hung on the wall at home, the environment is relatively dark), such as small-leaf Buddhist pine, Serissa foetida, four-season pomegranate, kumquat, cherry blossom, plum blossom, crabapple, crape myrtle, redbud, gardenia, orchid, ivy, honeysuckle, small phoenix-tail bamboo, dwarf asparagus fern, sago palm, lily turf and so on.

2. Potting

After selecting the plant, pot the plant in a suitable pot according to its styling requirements. For single-trunk styles, choose a shallow rectangular or oval pot for the straight-trunk and slanting-trunk forms; for the curved-trunk form, a square, polygonal, chrysanthemum-shaped or crabapple-style pot can be used; for the semi-cascade or full-cascade form, a deep cylindrical pot is suitable. After potting, water the plant by the soaking method. The surface of the pot should be covered with moss, which helps maintain the moisture of the potting soil and prevents rain or watering from washing the soil away. When the plant has just been potted, it needs to be shaded, or placed in a cool and ventilated place.

3. Watering

Miniature bonsai can be watered by the soaking method, or by using a self-made small watering can. In spring and autumn, watering once in the morning and once in the evening is enough. In hot summer, watering is needed frequently, especially watering the leaves. In winter, because the temperature is relatively low, generally watering once every 2-3 days is enough.

4. Fertilizing

Miniature bonsai have small pots and little soil, which makes nutrients limited, so fertilizer must be applied in time. Apply some dilute liquid fertilizer before the miniature bonsai sprout, and apply fertilizer in time during the vigorous growth period. For flowering and fruiting plants, apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. After flowering, apply one or two additional applications of thin liquid fertilizer, which helps produce larger flowers, brighter colors and more fruit.

5. Styling

Styling is suitable from winter to before sprouting the following spring. When styling, knock the plant out of the pot, cut off the main root, and keep the lateral roots and fibrous roots, then prune and wire the branches. The selected plants are all relatively short, so making 1-2 bends is enough, and keeping 2-3 branches is best. Note that the branches and leaves should not be too luxuriant; they should be well spaced with clear layers to show their artistic styling. For the cascade style, the lead-wire wrapping method or the palm-fiber tying method can be used for styling.

6. Repotting and changing soil

Miniature bonsai grow in a narrow environment, so the soil needs to be changed in time. Generally, coniferous miniature bonsai are repotted once every 2-3 years, while broadleaf trees are generally repotted once every 1-2 years. The best seasons for repotting are late autumn and early spring. Do not water before repotting. After the root ball comes out of the pot, gently straighten the root system with a bamboo needle, cut off old roots, dead roots, overly long roots and excess roots, to promote better growth of the bonsai.

How are tree-type miniature bonsai made? Key points for making tree-type miniature bonsai

How are tree-type miniature bonsai made? Nowadays many people place some tree-type miniature bonsai at home to decorate their houses, and tree-type miniature bonsai are the most important part of the miniature bonsai family. Therefore, today the editor will briefly talk about the key points for making tree-type miniature bonsai, hoping it can be of some help to everyone.

1. Selection of tree material varieties used in tree-type miniature bonsai

For tree-type miniature bonsai, the tree material varieties generally chosen are plants with graceful posture, short stature, evergreen habit, shade tolerance, small and delicate leaves, long lifespan, tolerance for pruning and wiring, strong vitality and easy cultivation and styling. Simply put, they are small yet exquisite varieties. For example, among pines and cypresses there are Japanese white pine, Osaka pine, black pine, Buddhist pine, golden larch, lacebark pine, true cypress, golden cypress, Chinese juniper, pearl juniper and so on; among broadleaf foliage types there are Sageretia thea, red maple, elm, ginkgo, small-leaf holly, tiger thorn, Chinese fringe tree, small-leaf boxwood, fragrant wood and so on; among flowering and fruiting types there are pomegranate, goji, Serissa foetida, Fujian tea, firethorn, small-leaf winter jasmine, Caragana sinica and so on; among vine types there are honeysuckle, thunder vine, Euonymus fortunei, Boston ivy, ivy and so on. Tree-type miniature bonsai can be obtained through propagation by grafting, hardwood cuttings, layering, sleeve planting, root division, and seedling cultivation in sand beds in a greenhouse.

2. Production process of super-miniature tree-type bonsai

(1) Variety selection for tree-type miniature bonsai

Choose plants that are suitable to be small rather than large, preferably plants with a height of 5-15 cm and a thickness of about 1-3 cm, such as Japanese five-needle pine, Osaka pine, black pine and so on among pines and cypresses.

(2) Propagation

Tree miniature bonsai materials are propagated by methods such as grafting, hardwood cuttings, layering, sleeve planting, root division, seedling cultivation and digging up small wild stumps.

(3) Rough cultivation of the tree stock and determining the form according to the shape

Straight trunks and branches can be made into the straight-trunk style or forest style; curved trunks and branches can be made into the curved-trunk style; long and strong roots can be made into the root-on-rock style or the raised-root exposed-claw style; slanted trunks and branches can be made into the slanting-trunk style or cascade style. The styling of tree miniature bonsai is generally achieved by combining techniques such as pruning, wiring and pinching.

(4) Replacing with a fine pot

After the material has been cultivated and formed in a clay pot, it is then replaced with a fine pot for viewing. For maintenance, a long pot should be 12-25 cm in length and 3-5 cm in depth; a round pot should have a diameter of 8-12 cm and a depth of about 6-8 cm, which is most suitable.

Miniature bonsai care and management

Miniature bonsai care and management

Miniature bonsai have very little potting soil, and water and nutrients are stored only in limited amounts. With the slightest negligence, all previous hard work and hopes will be wasted.
(1) Water frequently. Miniature bonsai have small pots, shallow roots and little soil, and cannot be compared with ordinary bonsai, so watering has become the key to care. Usually, water whenever the pot surface looks dry. In summer, water several times a day, and each watering must soak through. Miniature tree bonsai can be placed on a sand bed for maintenance; keeping the sand bed moist can create a humid environment for the bonsai. In summer, miniature tree bonsai should be placed in the shade of trees or under large bonsai to avoid direct strong sunlight, and a curtain can also be used for shade to reduce water evaporation; the leaf surface can also be sprayed with water, as water absorbed by the leaves can supplement the insufficiency of root water uptake. Spraying the leaf surface can also wash away dust on the leaves. The water used for miniature tree bonsai is not restricted, but alkaline water is not suitable. The water temperature should remain normal to reduce stimulation to the plant roots. In winter, the pot surface should also be kept moist. In winter it is easy to neglect watering; once dehydration lasts too long, the root cells find it difficult to recover their water-absorbing ability, and the plant will wither.

2) Fertilizing. Fertilizing miniature bonsai is an important technique. The culture soil used for bonsai should contain a certain amount of nutrients, but after a long time, the nutrients in the potting soil are exhausted and it becomes barren, unable to meet the needs of plant growth, so additional fertilizer should be applied in time to make up for the deficiency. The fertilizer is generally mainly cake fertilizer, including rapeseed cake and soybean cake. Cake fertilizer should be fully fermented and decomposed before use, and when used it should be diluted with clean water by 10-15 times. Fertilizing should be light rather than concentrated. Generally, fertilize after the potting soil looks dry, when it is easily absorbed by the plants. If fertilization can be done reasonably according to the growth needs of the plants, the result will be twice as good with half the effort. For example, plants in the growth period have a large demand for nitrogen, so more cake fertilizer can be applied; flowering and fruiting plants have a large demand for phosphorus and potassium, so more bone meal, decomposed fish offal fertilizer and the like can be applied; if the leaves turn yellow and new branches are thin and weak, nitrogen fertilizer should be added; when the plants enter dormancy, no fertilization is needed.

(3) Repotting. Miniature bonsai are easy to keep alive at first, sending out leaves and sprouting, full of vitality; by the second or third year of cultivation they gradually lose vigor and may even wither; if the small tree stump is taken out of the pot, you will find that its roots are as dense as a coiled nest, and most of the soil has been pushed out of the pot. It must be repotted once a year. During repotting, trim away part of the old roots and replace with new soil rich in humus, so that the small tree stump can re-grow roots and absorb nutrients, maintaining vigorous vitality and lasting without decline. As for the repotting time, in the Shanghai area it is generally suitable around the Spring Equinox. Management after repotting must keep up. After repotting, place it in a sheltered and shaded place for one week, spray water on the leaf surface frequently, and after one week gradually move it into the sunlight for photosynthesis.

(4) Pruning and reshaping. After the plants grow for a period of time, the branches and leaves become dense and crowded, losing the original graceful posture of lush fine trees. Reshaping and pruning should be carried out in time. Excess branches should be cut off, such as parallel branches, crossing branches, overlapping branches, opposite branches and strong branches, as well as excess leaves. Some also need their heart buds removed, so that the miniature bonsai maintains lush branches and leaves while showing structural strength, with both form and spirit, full of pictorial quality.
(5) Cold protection and typhoon protection. Because miniature bonsai are tiny, in severe winter they should all be moved indoors to a sunny place to prevent freezing and avoid the cold. Before a typhoon comes, they should be moved to a safe place to prevent damage.

People often say that bonsai is "three parts planting, seven parts care." With good trees and styling, careful maintenance and management are still needed, let alone the fact that miniature bonsai have very little potting soil and limited retention of water and nutrients; with the slightest negligence, all previous hard work and hopes will be wasted. Therefore, mastering the habits and growth patterns of various plants and changes in climate has a close relationship with growing bonsai well.

Plants have a growth period and a dormant period every year (in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas there are three growth periods and two dormant periods in total). The first growth period is from March to May around Qingming. At this time the earth returns to spring and all trees revive; it is the strongest growth period of the year. The second growth period is the plum rain season unique to the south, that is, May to June. At this time the climate is warm and the rain is abundant, which is most suitable for plant growth; the third growth period is from September to November around the Mid-Autumn Festival. At this time the temperature falls back from the high levels, and most plants begin to revive and enter a growth state. The first dormant period is from December of the current year to February of the following year, and the second dormant period is from July to August. One is the freezing period, and the other is the high-temperature period. From the changes in temperature, it can be seen that the optimal growth temperature for plants is 15°C-25°C. When the temperature is lower than 6°C or higher than 30°C, most potted plants enter dormancy. After understanding the growth periods and dormant periods of plants, we should then apply fertilizer well and water sufficiently according to the habits of the plants to meet the needs of growth and development of the tree stumps in the pots. Watering in particular is the foundation for maintaining their life.

Miniature bonsai pots are tiny, and watering should be determined according to the changes in weather and temperature throughout the four seasons and the environment and orientation in which the bonsai are placed. Water is the aspect that needs to be provided artificially the most during the care process. All things grow relying on the sun, and rain and dew nourish the seedlings to strength. Only with the correct method can plants grow sturdily.
When watering, water according to the soil condition and water according to the condition of the seedlings. Do not water when not dry; when watering, soak thoroughly. Watering cannot be half-watering. If plants remain under dry conditions for a long time, they will dehydrate and die. If watered too much, the potting soil will remain wet without drying, which can also easily cause new roots not to grow and roots to rot, leading to death. Plants need sufficient water during the growth period and less during the dormant period. In hot summer, the temperature is high and the air is dry, and the water content of the potting soil cannot keep up with the needs of the plants, so sufficient water should be given, the leaf surface should be sprayed with water, and watering should only be done after 18:00 in the evening. Miniature bonsai are best soaked in a water basin until no bubbles emerge.

In fact, the above are all principle-based management methods. Below is a convenient and practical little trick: use culture soil with strong water-absorbing capacity, thread a cotton string through the hole at the bottom of the pot, and use it for automatic water guiding.

Then place the pot in a water tank, with a pad underneath at the lower part to prevent the pot from being submerged below the water surface. In this way, not only can stable soil moisture be maintained, but the humidity of the local environment can also be increased.