Detailed Guide to Making a Yew (Taxus) Bonsai
1. Potting soil selection
Yew (Taxus) likes loose, fertile, moist, airy, humus-rich, slightly acidic soil, so peat moss and perlite can be mixed with the soil.
2. Root and branch selection
Usually in May-June each year, you can cut sturdy, pest-free, semi-lignified current-year branches from a healthy fruiting yew tree, rinse the resin flowing from the wounds under running water, and prepare clean, uncontaminated coarse sand or vermiculite, keeping it moist.
3. Cutting into sections and rooting cuttings
Cut the branches into 8-10 cm lengths, with the lower cut made diagonally into a horseshoe shape and the upper cut made straight. Gently remove most of the lower leaves, soak in rooting hormone for a few hours, then take out and insert the cuttings. The insertion depth should be more than half the length of the branch, with a plant spacing of 8-10 cm. After all are inserted, water them and place them in semi-shade for care.
4. Bag cover for shade
After inserting the cuttings, find a large plastic bag to cover the pot, place it in semi-shade to keep warm and moist, and keep the pot soil temperature at 20-30°C, and the light must not be too strong. After about a month, they will root abundantly; at this point you can ventilate and harden the seedlings, then care for them normally outdoors.
How to Make a Yew Bonsai and Care Points
The yew is an ancient tree species with a history of a hundred years and has long been cultivated in our country, deeply loved by people. The yew has extremely strong medicinal value and can be used to extract paclitaxel, which is internationally recognized as an anti-cancer and cancer-preventing agent, and it is a national first-class protected tree species. The yew gets its name because its red berries look like red beans.The yew is an evergreen tree with an upright trunk. Because of its graceful plant shape and dark green leaves, the yew is also very effective when used to make bonsai. In its place of origin it can grow to 20 m tall, but in pots it is generally kept at 1 to 3 m, or even shorter, and the bark of the roots, branches, and trunk is all reddish brown.
Yew can be processed into different forms of bonsai such as slanting-trunk style, straight-trunk style, curved-trunk style, double-trunk style, and lying-trunk style, but it is not very suitable for making cascade style and waterside style bonsai. The crown mostly uses an unrestrained natural style, and its naturally drooping small branches can also be used to make a weeping-branch style bonsai. When making it, cut off branches not needed for the design; sometimes its trunk is straight and lacks posture, so it can be cut off and another side branch with a better shape can be cultivated as the trunk, so that it is winding and full of interest and has higher ornamental value.Yew branches are soft. If some branches or trunks have poor shape or unsuitable positions, metal wire can be used for wiring or pulling, while the shaping of small branches is mainly done by pruning. The roots of the yew are simple and varied, and can be raised above the soil surface so that the roots are exposed and claw-like, improving the artistic value of the bonsai.
The yew likes a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight and is slightly tolerant of semi-shade. Spring, summer, and autumn are its growing seasons, and it can be placed outdoors in a well-ventilated, sunny place for care. Water according to the principle of "do not water if not dry, and water thoroughly when watering," and spray the plant when the air is dry to keep the leaves fresh; apply a fully rotted thin liquid fertilizer about once every 20 days, and to make the leaves dark green, foliar fertilizers such as Yemianbao can be sprayed.
In winter, place it in a wind-sheltered, sunny place to overwinter; if a cold wave comes, it can be moved indoors, or it can overwinter in a cold room, with watering controlled, as long as the pot soil stays above 0°C and does not freeze. The yew has strong apical dominance. After the plant grows to a certain height, the top can be cut off to control plant height; side branches should also be thinned so that they are staggered in height and well spaced, meeting the design requirements, but for whorled branches, some should be selectively retained to highlight the variety's characteristics and maintain its unique appearance.Repot once every 1 to 2 years in spring. The potting soil should preferably be loose, fertile, neutral to slightly acidic soil rich in humus.
Yew is commonly propagated by cuttings. In spring, cut sturdy, plump upward-growing branches, first rinse the resin flowing from the wounds under running water, then insert them into clean, uncontaminated coarse sand or vermiculite to a depth of one third of the branch. After inserting, water thoroughly and place in semi-shade for care. Spray water frequently to keep it moist; roots can form in about 40 days, and seedlings can be divided and transplanted in about 90 days. In addition, it can also be propagated by sowing or by air layering during the growing season.
Yew bonsai making method/technique_How much does it cost?
The yew is also called Taxus and is a shallow-rooted plant belonging to the genus Taxus. When growing, its main root is not particularly obvious, but the lateral roots are relatively developed. It is known as one of the world's endangered natural rare anti-cancer plants. This ancient relict tree species has remained from the Quaternary glaciation and has more than 250 years of historical culture on Earth. The natural growth of the yew is very slow, so there is no large-scale yew raw material base. In 1994, the yew was called an endangered protected plant, and many countries around the world have made it a national treasure, and it is banned from logging by the United Nations, so the yew has become a veritable plant panda. For this precious plant, below we will introduce the yew's making methods and techniques, as well as the price of yew.
[Yew Bonsai Making Method — Growth Habits]
The yew is a precious plant very suitable for planting in both northern and southern China. It likes to grow in shady environments and has very good shade tolerance, and it also has drought resistance and cold resistance. The yew's requirement for soil pH is 5.5-7.0. Yew bonsai is a perennial non-forest-forming plant, generally growing in stony, barren soil on mountain tops, growing as a shrub-like plant. The suitable temperature is 2-7°C, and the average annual rainfall in its growing areas must reach 750-1000 mm. It likes to grow in cool, humid environments and can grow at an ultra-low temperature of -30°C. Its cold resistance is especially strong, and it is suitable for growing at a constant temperature of 20-25°C. It is a shade-loving tree species. When planting, choose moist, loose, well-drained sandy soil for growth.
[Yew Bonsai Making Methods and Techniques]
Yew propagation methods include seed propagation and cutting propagation. In most cases, seed propagation is used. If cutting propagation is used, it is best done in spring when there are tender branches, while in autumn better hard branches should be selected. Below let us learn about the yew bonsai making methods and techniques together.
1. Yew bonsai making method — Climate: Yew bonsai is suitable for subtropical and tropical regions, and grows best when the climate is humid and rainy all year round. However, the requirements for the Northeast yew bonsai are different.
2. Yew bonsai making method — Watering: Yew bonsai is a plant that likes to grow in humid environments but is not tolerant of waterlogging. You can frequently spray water on the leaves, but in the pot soil it is best to maintain the principle of not watering if not dry and watering thoroughly when watering.
3. Yew bonsai making method — Fertilizing: Yew bonsai does not have particularly strict fertilizer requirements. Keep fertilizing frequently, but in small amounts. During the growing period from March to October, apply some rapeseed cake and nitrogen fertilizer to the yew. Apply a diluted fermented rapeseed cake liquid once every half month, which can make the yew bonsai grow more luxuriantly.
4. Yew bonsai making method — Pruning: To make the yew bonsai especially beautiful in shape, prune it on schedule, especially in February. Pruning is not suitable during the growing period.
[Yew Bonsai Prices]
The yew has anti-cancer medicinal value and grows very slowly in nature, making it a rare treasure. Therefore, its price is naturally relatively expensive. Generally, the price is determined by the size and fullness of the plant. Generally, yew bonsai range from over ten yuan to tens of thousands of yuan. It is a bonsai plant with a very beautiful shape and especially high artistic value.
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