Detailed Explanation of Chrysanthemum Bonsai Production Methods and Daily Care Key Points
Chrysanthemum has many effects and functions; chrysanthemum wine, chrysanthemum porridge, and chrysanthemum pillows can all play a certain role in human health, making people feel refreshed. Chrysanthemums are widely used for ornamental purposes, with large and beautiful flowers that can rival peonies, and chrysanthemum bonsai has great ornamental value.
1. Material Selection
The plant height of chrysanthemums is generally 30-90cm. The stem color is tender green or brown, with the base semi-lignified. Leaves are alternate, ovate to oblong, with serrated edges. Terminal or axillary capitulum, solitary or several clustered together. Among them, ligulate flowers are female flowers, and tubular flowers are bisexual flowers; for varieties, you can choose the ten famous chrysanthemum varieties, namely Green Peony, Ink Chrysanthemum (also known as Ink Lotus), Commanding Flag, Green Cloud, Red Robe Green Skirt, Ten-Zhang Hanging Curtain, West Lake Willow Moon, Phoenix Fluttering Feathers, Lord Yellow Stone, and Jade Pot Spring. Select chrysanthemum seedlings that grow robustly and are free of pests and diseases.
2. Bonsai Styling
(1) Cliff-style chrysanthemum bonsai
For the chrysanthemum seedlings used to make cliff-style chrysanthemum bonsai, you can take old chrysanthemum root shoots in November, plant them in clay pots, water them thoroughly, place them in a cool place for one week, and then move them to a sunny indoor location with a low temperature (15°C) for overwintering care. In winter, just keep the potting soil moist; do not water too much. When the weather warms up in late March of the following year, move the chrysanthemum seedlings outdoors and repot them into a larger, deeper clay pot.
(2) Rock-attached chrysanthemum bonsai
The chrysanthemum seedlings for rock-attached chrysanthemum bonsai also use old chrysanthemum root shoots. In November, select robust chrysanthemum root shoots about 4cm long and plant them in pots. The potting soil should be a mixture of half fine sandy soil and half old potting soil; do not use fertile soil. After the chrysanthemum root shoots survive, place them indoors in a low-temperature, sunny location and appropriately control watering. The potting soil should not be too wet, otherwise it will cause the chrysanthemum to grow leggy.
3. Bonsai Care
(1) Light
Chrysanthemum is a short-day plant that prefers cool conditions and fears direct sunlight, so appropriate shading is needed in summer. A daily light duration of 14h is beneficial for the growth of its branches and leaves. If it spends 12h per day in darkness, this is beneficial for its flower bud differentiation. Summer chrysanthemums can undergo flower bud differentiation and bloom under long-day conditions in summer.
(2) Fertilization
When planting chrysanthemums, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied in the pot. Afterward, additional fertilizer should be applied during the plant's growth process, but topdressing should not be applied too early or in excess. Generally, apply a dilute, light fertilizer once every 10 days.
(3) Watering
Watering should be done at the right time and in the right amount. Generally, water when the surface of the potting soil turns pale. Do not water if it is not dry; when watering, water thoroughly, but do not let water accumulate in the pot, so as to avoid root rot and yellow leaves. When watering chrysanthemums, it is best to spray slowly with a watering can; do not use a strong stream of water. Water with low mineral content, such as river water, pond water, or stored rainwater, is best. The water temperature should be consistent with the soil temperature.
The above are the production methods for chrysanthemum bonsai. If you are also interested in making chrysanthemum bonsai, you can come to Huinong.com to learn more related knowledge!
Production Techniques and Care Management Key Points of Chrysanthemum Bonsai
Production Techniques of Chrysanthemum Bonsai
Chrysanthemum is a famous flower of China, and the history of using chrysanthemums to make bonsai is long. For example, the famous cliff chrysanthemum has a relatively long cultivation history. The key points for appreciating chrysanthemum works are the artistic conception of the work, the posture of the chrysanthemum stump, and the luxuriance of the chrysanthemum flowers. How can chrysanthemums be made to bloom profusely? The following experiences and methods can be adopted:
(1) Variety Selection
There are many varieties of chrysanthemums, including large-flowered types and small-flowered types. Usually, small-flowered chrysanthemums bloom more, and for bonsai chrysanthemums, it is generally better to choose small-flowered types.
(2) Care Management
To make chrysanthemums bloom profusely, the care management system is key. Only when the chrysanthemum plant itself grows vigorously and is rich in nutrients will the plant be strong and bear many flowers.
(3) Sufficient Light
Sufficient light is the prerequisite for robust seedlings. Only when the leaves receive sufficient light can they produce enough nutrients through photosynthesis and transport them to the whole plant, so that the chrysanthemum plant can have lush leaves and many flowers.
(4) Good Soil Conditions
Soil with good aeration and drainage and rich in humus can promote more roots, stronger seedlings, and abundant flowering in chrysanthemum plants.
(5) Proper Watering and Fertilization
Moisture is beneficial for larger leaves and elongated internodes, while drought makes the plant's leaves smaller and internodes shorter, so attention should be paid to watering. The principle is to water when dry and stop when wet, and when watering, water thoroughly. Fertilization is key to plant shaping and the production of many flowers. Too much or too little fertilizer is not conducive to plant shaping, so the amount of fertilizer should be adjusted in a timely manner. Generally, after chrysanthemums root in spring, apply a thin fertilizer once a week to promote robust plant growth.
(6) Pest and Disease Control
Chrysanthemums are prone to aphids, so attention should be paid to aphid control. You can spray 1000-fold dichlorvos solution or 1000-fold 40% omethoate solution for control. Usually, attention should be paid to ventilation in the greenhouse and cooling in summer to reduce the chance of aphids occurring.
(7) Short-day Treatment
Chrysanthemum is a short-day plant. Subjecting it to short-day treatment helps promote bud emergence. The method is, after pinching, cover the plant with a thick black paper bag in the early morning or evening every day to block out the scattered light at dawn and dusk. After more than 20 days, the plant can emerge buds.
(8) Pinching
Pinching can promote the plant to produce more new branches and obtain a full “crown”, creating conditions for more flowers. After the plant has been preliminarily styled, pinching can be carried out. Pinching should not be too late; the last pinching treatment should be controlled to about 20 days before bud emergence. Otherwise, bud cessation will occur, and years of hard work will be wasted.
(9) Spraying Phosphorus and Potassium Fertilizer to Promote Buds
After the last pinching has stopped, spray phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to promote buds. Use a mixed solution of 1% monopotassium phosphate and 0.5% urea for foliar spraying, while reducing the amount and frequency of watering to promote an increase in flower buds.
Key Points for Winter Care of Chrysanthemum Bonsai
After the old plants of bonsai small chrysanthemums are lightly pruned and rejuvenated following flowering, different methods can be chosen for overwintering depending on the region and weather conditions. In southern and central China, there is no need to bother covering them for cold protection in winter; simply place the bonsai under a south-facing wall that is sheltered from the wind and exposed to light. In rainy areas, moderate protection against waterlogging is enough to safely pass through the winter cold. In temperate areas of northern China, small chrysanthemums must be slightly covered for overwintering. As long as the coldest temperature does not fall below -10°C, the chrysanthemum plants will not freeze to death. In northern and plateau regions, frost is severe. The frost period is longer, and nighttime temperatures drop to -15°C or even lower, so soil burial is generally used. Methods such as burying the lower part in soil while covering the upper part with dry leaves, placing them in cellars, cold rooms, or relatively low-temperature greenhouses are used to avoid the cold winter. Here, the taboos in protection and management during the overwintering process of bonsai small chrysanthemums in the north and plateau regions are introduced for everyone's reference, so as to avoid losses caused by improper handling by friends who are new to cultivating small chrysanthemum bonsai.
The roots and root buds of small chrysanthemums have relatively strong cold resistance and can generally endure -30°C freezing; the old stems, leaves, branches, and buds above the root zone are all difficult to keep unharmed below 0°C, so we commonly see chrysanthemum plants dry up above the soil in winter, while root buds grow when spring warms. Under reasonable management, the bonsai small chrysanthemums we have grown for a year can not only bloom the next year, but after scientific pruning control and binding and styling, the whole plant grows larger and denser, blooming even more and better than the previous year. Below, the management taboos are discussed separately according to the several overwintering methods mentioned above.
For soil burial, or burying the lower part in soil while covering the upper part with dry leaves, before the frost period arrives, bonsai small chrysanthemums can be buried with or without pots, and plain wet soil should be used for burial and covering. First, it is taboo to use fertile soil or soil mixed with firewood, grass, or leaves, because plain soil will not mold or generate heat and damage chrysanthemum roots and plants. If plain wet soil is used to bury the lower part and dry leaves are then used to cover the upper part, even if the leaves become wet from snow, they will dry in the wind after sunny weather and will not cause great harm to the chrysanthemum plants. Second, it is taboo to keep watering after burial, because they are already buried in wet soil. Small chrysanthemums dormant under the soil do not grow and do not consume water. Even if the soil surface dries, it is only shallowly dry, and the chrysanthemum plants are in no danger of dying from drought throughout the winter. Therefore, excessive water will instead suffocate the slow respiration of the chrysanthemum plants, causing death and rot. Third, it is taboo to dig them up for inspection. During hibernation, chrysanthemum plants gradually adapt to the small environment and do not need inspection or visiting. Digging them up first easily damages chrysanthemum trunks and branches by cutting, and also easily leads to improper reburial, causing the chrysanthemum plants to overheat or freeze. For this method of storage, it is better to be careful and thorough at the beginning and then leave them alone with peace of mind until spring.
For placing in cellars or cold rooms, bonsai small chrysanthemums can also be overwintered in cellars or cold rooms with or without pots. When placed without pots in cellars or cold rooms, the roots must also be buried in wet soil, and the upper part can be covered or left exposed, but the ambient temperature must not be lower than -10°C. The relatively ideal temperature is -4°C to 4°C, maintaining dormancy until budding and growth between February and March in spring. During this period, it is taboo for them to be damaged by excessive drought or rotted by excessive moisture; at the same time, ambient temperature monitoring must not be neglected. Forgetting to cover the cellar opening or forgetting to close doors and windows, causing cooling and freezing, or intermittent high temperatures in the cellar or room forcing out tender buds, are both harmful to the chrysanthemum plants. Generally speaking, indoors they are prone to becoming too dry and need water replenishment, but do not water frequently. Indoors, sunny and warm weather can also easily raise the temperature, but when opening doors and windows, be sure not to forget to close them in time.
In relatively low-temperature greenhouses, chrysanthemum plants will stop their early-winter dormancy and shift into a growth state. In this case, management must be carried out, and it is taboo to let them grow wildly. New buds should be reasonably thinned and retained, and long branches should be pruned or bent by binding, that is, entering styling management.
Avoiding the above taboos can enable old small chrysanthemum plants to robustly transition from dormancy to growth, and in the coming year the chrysanthemum plants will once again contribute splendor in autumn, larger and stronger.