How to make and care for a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai? Planting 5 stems in one pot fully shows natural charm

Growing Techniques Jan 1, 1970 0 views

Buddha belly bamboo (Bambusa ventricosa) is a plant with a peculiar form. It differs from ordinary bamboo in that its nodes are rather thin, and the internodes are short and swollen, resembling the belly of Maitreya Buddha, or stacked arhats, so it is also called arhat bamboo. In daily life, Buddha belly bamboo is often made into bonsai and kept indoors, so how do you make and care for a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai?

I. How to make and care for a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai

According to what the editor knows, the most commonly used style for making a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai is the forest style, to express the natural charm of a bamboo grove. This method usually uses 5 stems as one pot, of which 3 stems are the main body and the other 2 stems are the secondary body, playing a supporting role. After the bonsai is made, place it in a ventilated spot, give it sufficient light, and provide reasonable water and fertilizer and timely pruning, so it can grow beautifully~

(1) How to make a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai

To make a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai, the forest style is generally used, to express the natural charm of a bamboo grove. Method: take 5 stems as an example (7 or 9 stems are also fine, decided according to the size of the flower pot), label them a, b, c, d, e, and then plant them in a flower pot (a relatively shallow rectangular or oval purple clay pot). When planting, use a, c, d as group one, and b, e as group two.

One group serves as the main body of the Buddha belly bamboo bonsai, and group two serves as the secondary body, playing a supporting role, and there should be an appropriate distance between the two groups. After planting is completed, in the bonsai, according to your own preference, you can place some ornaments such as pandas with appropriate size proportions, exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful shapes, which will add more poetic charm to the bonsai.

(2) Care of a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai

1. Growing environment

After the Buddha belly bamboo bonsai is made, water it thoroughly, then place it in a shaded spot for about 10 days of care, then place it in a semi-shaded spot for 5 days of care, and then place it in a warm environment with sufficient light and air circulation for care. In addition, note to shade it when the light is strong in summer, and move it indoors when it is cold in winter, keeping the temperature at around 8°C.

2. Reasonable water and fertilizer

Buddha belly bamboo likes a moist environment and also likes fertilizer. During growth, it should be watered frequently to keep the soil moist, and from March to September, apply a decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer once a month. However, everyone needs to note that, first, there must be no water accumulation in the pot, otherwise the roots will rot; second, fertilizer must not be applied too much, otherwise the branches and leaves will grow excessively, affecting appearance.

3. Shaping and pruning

Under suitable water, fertilizer and light conditions, Buddha belly bamboo grows very fast, and at this time everyone should prune it in a timely manner. First, cut off branches not needed for the shape; second, new bamboo culms that are thin and have long internodes and also affect the shape should also be cut off in time. For more specifics, you can refer to the pruning methods for Buddha belly bamboo. After such pruning, not only can excessive nutrient consumption be avoided, but the beauty of the Buddha belly bamboo bonsai can also be maintained.

4. Pest and disease prevention

Buddha belly bamboo has relatively few pests and diseases, but under improper care and unsuitable environment, it is easily attacked by pests such as scale insects and bamboo locusts, and is also prone to diseases such as rust, leaf blight and black spot disease. Once discovered, everyone should immediately spray pesticide for prevention and control. As for what to spray, you can refer to pest and disease control for Buddha belly bamboo.

How to make a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai? Making methods and care for a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai

Since ancient times, bamboo has been deeply loved by literati and scholars. Among them, Buddha belly bamboo is green all year round, with an elegant and graceful plant shape, and it does not wither through heat and cold snow, with bamboo culms upright and hollow inside. It has the reputation of being strong and modest. Now Buddha belly bamboo is often used to make Buddha belly bamboo bonsai, with a grand and beautiful shape. Below, let's take a look with the Huinong Network editor at the making methods for a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai.

1. Material selection

There are two sources for making a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai. One is in May or September, cutting apart a Buddha belly bamboo with multiple culms at the thinner part of the connected underground stem, so one pot of Buddha belly bamboo can be divided into 2-3 new plants. The other is to buy it at a flower market. Whether it is Buddha belly bamboo obtained by division or Buddha belly bamboo bought from a flower market, in May or September move it into a relatively shallow purple clay pot or glazed pottery pot for care for a few months, and then put it into a relatively shallow ornamental pot for shaping.

2. Bonsai shaping

To make a forest-style Buddha belly bamboo bonsai, according to the size of the pot, generally 5, 7 or 9 stems are planted together in one pot. Taking 5 stems as an example, according to plant size, number them No. 1-5. When making it, often No. 1, 3 and 4 are used as one group, as the main body of the bonsai; No. 2 and 5 are used as one group, as the secondary body of the bonsai, playing a supporting role, and there should be an appropriate distance between the two groups.

3. Bonsai care

(1) Light

When cultivating a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai, in spring and autumn it should be placed in a warm, moist and ventilated place with sufficient light. In hot summer, it should be properly shaded, such as adding a shade net above the cultivation site, or placing the bonsai on a balcony on the north side of a building where it can see sunlight in the morning and evening. In late autumn and early winter, move it indoors for winter, with around 8°C being best.

(2) Watering

Buddha belly bamboo likes moisture, especially in the growing season the pot soil should be kept moist, but there must not be water accumulation in the pot. In hot summer, water thoroughly in the morning, and "check for water" in the evening. Besides watering into the pot, you should also sprinkle water on the ground. In winter, water less. If there is dust on the leaf surface, properly spray water on the leaf surface, so the leaves remain evergreen and beautiful.

(3) Fertilizing

In the growing season, apply a decomposed dilute organic liquid fertilizer once a month, and apply "alum fertilizer water" once each in spring and autumn, making the leaves even more emerald green. Do not fertilize in winter.

The above is the detailed making methods for Buddha belly bamboo compiled by the Huinong Network editor. Have you learned it?

How to make and care for a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai

Flower and Bonsai Network guide: today the Flower and Bonsai Network editor brings you an article on how to make and care for a Buddha belly bamboo bonsai. Let's take a look below.

Buddha belly bamboo is also called arhat bamboo and dense-node bamboo. Its plant is relatively short, the bamboo culms of young seedlings are green, and old bamboo is orange-yellow. If old bamboo is cared for properly, its leaves are as emerald green as those of young bamboo. What makes Buddha belly bamboo different from ordinary bamboo is that its nodes are rather thin and the internodes are short and swollen, resembling the belly of Maitreya Buddha, or stacked arhats, hence the name. Whether planted in the ground or in a pot, Buddha belly bamboo can show its unrestrained graceful posture. This kind of bamboo is sturdy and upright, handsome and elegant, does not wither through frost and snow, and flourishes through all four seasons, appealing to both refined and popular tastes and naturally picturesque. Since ancient times, people have regarded bamboo as a symbol of uprightness, chastity and the virtue of modesty. Bamboo planted together with plum, orchid and chrysanthemum was called the "Four Gentlemen" in ancient times, and bamboo planted together with pine and plum in one pot becomes the widely known "Three Friends of Winter"; the great Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo had a poem saying:

"I would rather eat without meat than live without bamboo; without meat one grows thin, without bamboo one grows vulgar."From the above poem lines, one can see just how infatuated the ancients were with bamboo.

1. Shaping and pot selection

When using Buddha belly bamboo to make bonsai, the forest style is mostly used, to express the natural charm of a bamboo grove, but there are also bonsai made with one or two stems of Buddha belly bamboo. If two stems of Buddha belly bamboo are planted in one pot, they should be one large and one small, one thick and one thin, one tall and one short, one straight and one slanting. The upright stem is generally tall, large and thick, and the slanting stem should generally be small, thin and short, with the former as the main and the latter as the auxiliary. If the two stems are similar in size and both are upright, this kind of bonsai has relatively poor appeal. To make a forest-style Buddha belly bamboo bonsai, according to the size of the pot, generally 5, 7 or 9 stems are planted together in one pot. Taking 5 stems as an example, according to plant size, number them No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. When making it, often No. 1, 3 and 4 are used as one group, as the main body of the bonsai; No. 2 and 5 are used as one group, as the secondary body of the bonsai, playing a supporting role, and there should be an appropriate distance between the two groups.

For a forest-style Buddha belly bamboo bonsai, a relatively shallow rectangular or oval purple clay pot is best, followed by a glazed pottery pot. If some ornaments such as pandas with appropriate size proportions, exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful shapes are placed in it, the bonsai will add more poetic charm. If 2-3 stems of Buddha belly bamboo of different heights are planted in the pot, and then exquisitely carved rocks are placed in appropriate positions in the pot, it becomes a beautifully shaped three-dimensional Chinese painting - "Bamboo and Rock Picture".

2. Planting and propagation

Propagation, repotting and planting of Buddha belly bamboo are all best done in May or September. Propagation often uses the division method, that is, taking the plant out of the pot, using a bamboo strip to remove about 1/2 of the old soil around the roots, finding the thick roots connecting the stems, cutting them off, and then dividing and planting. When planting, carry more old soil to increase the survival rate. In combination with division and repotting, cut off old roots, overly long roots and dead roots, and at the same time cut off upright branches, drooping branches and overly dense branches, to reduce water evaporation from the plant, help survival, and make the plant shape more beautiful. Buddha belly bamboo likes loose, relatively fertile, well-drained acidic sandy soil; using humus soil as the main part with a small amount of sandy soil mixed evenly, it can then be used.

3. Care and management

(1) Site. After a newly planted Buddha belly bamboo bonsai is watered thoroughly, place it in a shaded spot for about 10 days of care, then place it in a half-shaded, half-sunny spot for 5 days of care, and then place it in an environment with sufficient sunlight, air circulation, and warmth and moisture for careful care. Because the pot is shallow and holds little soil, exposure to the scorching sun in summer easily damages the root system, so it should be properly shaded. In late autumn and early winter, when the nighttime minimum temperature drops to around 5°C, it should be moved indoors, and the room temperature kept at around 8°C, as too high a room temperature is unfavorable for growth the next year. In the south, as long as the pot is buried in soil in a sunny, wind-sheltered spot, it can safely overwinter.

(2) Watering. Buddha belly bamboo likes moisture, and should be watered frequently to keep the soil moist, but there must not be water accumulation in the pot. Summer is its vigorous growth period, and the temperature is also high, so it should be watered once each in the morning and evening. After moving indoors in winter, there is a lot of dust on the leaf surface, so properly spray water on the leaf surface, so the leaves remain green and beautiful.

(3) Fertilizing. A Buddha belly bamboo bonsai should not be fertilized too much; too much fertilizer and water makes the branches and leaves grow excessively, affecting appearance. From March to September, applying a decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer once a month is enough.

(4) Shaping. Buddha belly bamboo grows relatively fast, and branches not needed for the shape should be cut off in time, to avoid consuming nutrients. For new bamboo, its form can be considered to decide whether to keep it. If the internodes are short and the belly is large, although it affects the shape somewhat, it should also be kept, to be planted separately when dividing in September; if the new bamboo culm is thin and the internodes are long, and it also affects the shape, then it should be cut off in time.

(5) Pest and disease prevention. Buddha belly bamboo has relatively few pests and diseases, mainly bamboo borers, aphids and scale insects, which should be removed in time.