How to grow a Sageretia bonsai? Detailed guide to daily care techniques
Sageretia (Sageretia thea) is a tree species very well suited to bonsai; since ancient times people have used it as material for making bonsai, and the Sageretia bonsai is a very common variety among bonsai. It can not only be appreciated as a bonsai, but its fruit is also edible, tasting sweet and sour. Many people grow a Sageretia bonsai but do not know how to care for it. After being potted, a Sageretia bonsai needs regular care, otherwise it will gradually stop looking good and a whole bunch of problems will appear. Below, Shuaishuai introduces some care techniques for Sageretia bonsai!
During its peak growing season, a Sageretia bonsai needs to be watered more frequently and with larger amounts of water, so as to meet its water needs for growth. Then, for fertilizing, try to choose nitrogen fertilizer; applying concentrated fertilizer will definitely make its soil overly nutritious or too high in nutrient concentration, which easily causes root rot. So next, Shuaishuai will explain further for everyone!
1. Water
For plants, water is a very important growth factor. No matter what water you use, it is best to use river water, natural water, pond water or rainwater. If you use tap water, you need to let it sit for one or two days so the chlorine inside evaporates before use; this reduces the harm chemicals cause to the plant, because chlorine is a toxic substance. In addition, you must not, just for convenience or to save water, use bathwater, laundry water, or dirty water containing oil stains and other debris to water the plants. This is absolutely unacceptable, otherwise the bonsai will grow deformed or even die.
2. Fertilizing
Fertilizing is a rather technical job. If the bonsai's branches and leaves grow excessively, once it lacks fertilizer its branches will become thin and weak and its leaf color will turn yellowish, which sharply lowers the plant's immunity and disease resistance, making it vulnerable to pests and diseases. There are rules and methods for fertilizing. For example, newly planted and newly potted plants, as well as those whose roots have been damaged, must not be fertilized within a short time; at least one month must pass before fertilizing. In autumn and winter, fertilizer should be appropriately reduced, and by winter fertilizing should stop. Do not fertilize when it is raining or at noon; it is best to keep fertilizing time in the evening or at dusk.
3. Potting soil
For a Sageretia bonsai, because Sageretia originally grows in wild subtropical regions, its root system is very well developed and it is very drought tolerant, but it is not very cold tolerant. Therefore, for the potting soil it is best to choose a flower soil with good drainage. A finished bonsai needs very careful care during maintenance; the potting soil should be put in fairly thick, and remember to change the soil, with the soil changed once every two years. To make the soil more fertile, you can put some base fertilizer into the soil, so the bonsai can grow better and be ensured sufficient nutrients.
4. Pruning
Pruning is mainly about choosing the right time. Although Sageretia is a plant that is very tolerant of pruning, you still need to pay attention to the number of prunings and the intervals between them. The main pruning times are late spring and early autumn; at these two times its stumps have the strongest sprouting ability and the most vigorous growth. When pruning, we should cut off all the unfavorable branches, such as excessive water sprouts, overlapping branches, crossing branches, and dead or diseased branches; these are all targets for cutting. Note here that when pruning, if the sunlight is too strong, first move it indoors, because the cut wounds will be scorched by strong light; so place it in a shady spot until it sprouts, then move it back to its previous position.
5. Pest control
The main pest of this Sageretia stump is the longhorn beetle, also called the heart-boring worm. After the female longhorn beetle bites through the bark of the Sageretia, it lays its eggs on the branches and trunk. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae keep gnawing, and after growing into adults they enter the trunk and the heartwood. Gradually the Sageretia is hollowed out by the insects and dies. So when preventing and controlling this pest, we can locate its position based on its excrement, then insert a thin wire into the borehole to stab it to death, or soak a cotton ball with a 200-times dilution and plug the borehole so the insect is poisoned by the medicine, and finally seal the insect hole with wet mud.
These are the daily care techniques for Sageretia bonsai. Did you learn anything? The earlier points are all very simple and can be done with just a little more observation and care in daily life. The main difficulty is that pests and diseases are relatively hard to spot, so during seasons when pests and diseases are frequent, we should observe the plant's growth more often to prevent it from being infested by pests.