Detailed Explanation of Plum Blossom Bonsai Cultivation Techniques, Step by Step Teaching You How to Grow Plum Blossoms

Plum blossom has a long history of cultivation in our country and is a traditional famous flower of China, symbolizing strength and elegance. With the continuous development of cultivation techniques, plum blossom bonsai is now popular among the public. Below, the editor of Huinong Network will tell you about the detailed explanation of plum blossom bonsai cultivation techniques.

I. Wild Plum Is Suitable for Small Bonsai

There are many varieties of plum blossom, which can be roughly divided into several categories such as wild plum, red-flowered types, Bungo types, and apricot types.

Among them, wild plum has the thickest trunk and is also easy to cultivate in tree shape, so wild plum is most suitable for small bonsai and is also the variety cultivated by the most people.

Although the apricot-type plum has good flower color, it lacks fragrance, which is a shortcoming. Red flower systems such as red plum and crimson plum have trunks that are too poor in thickness, and Bungo-type plum (peach-type varieties) has flowers that are too large, making them unsuitable for small bonsai.

The trunk of wild plum easily becomes thick and sturdy, and the tree height is also low. Even as a small bonsai, it easily presents the appearance of an ancient tree. It is best to choose a wild plum stump that has already flowered. Because as long as it has flowered, it will produce many flowers every year.

II. Tips for Small Bonsai

Choose a stump with vigorous, aged branches as a superior specimen. After purchasing the material, you can cultivate it into a small bonsai by pruning. This is the secret to making it bloom very well every year, and when pruning, the timing must be chosen. Generally, transplant after flowering and before leaf buds grow out, but at this time prune only slightly. Then, after the flower buds form in August to September of the following year, keep the flower buds and cut off unused branch sections and excessively vigorous branches.

If the material is still a young tree, wire the branches and trunk to create a shape, expose the upper part of the roots to sunlight, and encourage the roots to spread.

The tree shape is generally made into informal upright and slanting trunk styles, and wire is applied as necessary. The trunk can be made to have bark with a sense of ancient wood, and the treetop as well, thus presenting the pleasure of small bonsai.

III. Points to Note When Repotting

Plum must be repotted every year. After flowering, transplant during the period until leaf buds extend. For early-blooming varieties such as winter plum, this period is very long. As soon as you see the flowers open, you can cut off about 1 node of the branch tips, and wait until the cold period has passed before repotting. Transplant around spring. Around March, pruning and transplanting can also be done at the same time. Cut off the branch tips, untangle the roots, cut off 1/2, and then transplant. At this time, plant the roots a little higher; this is the secret of repotting.

IV. Fertilizer and Pest Removal

For fertilizer, a base fertilizer made by mixing oil cake and bone meal can be used, applied about 2 times a month from spring to autumn.

The above is the detailed explanation of plum blossom bonsai cultivation techniques compiled by the editor of Huinong Network. Have you all learned it? Plum blossom is a traditional famous flower with national spirit, and flower enthusiasts must pay more attention to care when cultivating it.

Cultivation of Plum Blossom, One of the Ten Famous Flowers, with Detailed Explanation of Plum Blossom Growth Habits

    Plum Blossom——The Gentleman Among Flowers

    Scientific name: prunusmume

    English name: MumeplantJapaneseApricot

    Aliases: Spring Plum, Dry Branch Plum, Red and Green Plum

    Family name: Rosaceae

    Morphological characteristics: Plant height about 10m, trunk brownish-purple, with many longitudinal fissures. Young branches green. Leaves broadly ovate to ovate, with fine serrations along the edges. Flowers 1 to 2 per node, sessile or with short stalks; the original species is pale pink or white, while cultivated varieties have flower colors including purple, red, variegated, and pale yellow, blooming before the leaves in early spring. Plum blossom can be divided into series, classes, and types. Such as the true plum series, apricot plum series, cherry plum series, etc. Under the series are classes, and under the classes are types.

    Origin and habits: Plum blossom originated in China. Wild plum first evolved into fruiting plum, and ornamental plum is a branch of the fruiting plum series. There are 4 secondary distribution centers of wild plum in China, namely the mountainous areas of eastern Sichuan and western Hubei; the mountainous areas of southeastern Hubei, northeastern Jiangxi, and Anhui-Zhejiang; the mountainous areas of Guangdong-Guangxi and southern Jiangxi; and the Fujian and Taipei, China areas. It is a deciduous tree. Plum likes a warm climate, and the flowering period is particularly sensitive to climate change. Plum likes relatively high air humidity, but the flowering period avoids heavy rain. Plum can grow well in areas with annual rainfall of 1000mm or slightly more, and has low requirements for soil, being relatively tolerant of poor soil. It is a light-loving tree species and likes sufficient sunlight and good ventilation. It is a long-lived tree species. In the Yangtze River Basin, the flowering period is from December to March of the following year.

    Propagation and cultivation: Grafting is commonly used for propagation, and the rootstock is mostly plum, peach, apricot, mountain apricot, and mountain peach. For open-field cultivation of plum blossom, choose sunny slopes or semi-sunny slopes, with a plant spacing of 3 to 5m. Usually fertilizer is applied 3 times during the growing period, namely from autumn to early winter with fertilizers such as cake fertilizer, compost, and barnyard manure; before budding with quick-acting fertilizer; and after new shoots stop growing (late June to early July), appropriately control water and apply fertilizer to promote flower bud differentiation.

     Plum blossom is suitable for bonsai cultivation. Plants grown in the ground for several years are potted. The potting soil should be soft, loose, and fertile, and shaping and pruning should be done both before and after planting.

     Common diseases include shot hole disease, anthracnose, powdery mildew, gummosis of dead branches, and gummosis of trunk rot.

     Application: In gardens, green spaces, courtyards, and scenic areas, it can be planted alone, in clumps, or in groups; it can also be naturally arranged in front of houses, on slopes, beside stones, and along roadsides. If evergreen trees or dark-colored buildings are used as a background, the pure and elegant beauty of plum blossom can be even more highlighted. For example, when pine, bamboo, and plum are combined, the sturdy pine is the background, the tall bamboo is the secondary scenery, and the plum blossom is the main scenery. In ancient times, emphasis was placed on "plum blossoms surrounding the house" and "ascending the tower to view plum blossoms," all to obtain the best ornamental effect. In addition, plum blossom can be arranged into plum ridge, plum peak, plum garden, plum stream, plum path, plum dock, and so on.