How to make and care for a Chinese juniper bonsai? A detailed guide to the methods
Chinese juniper, also known as garden juniper, is an evergreen tree of the cypress family and an excellent material for leafy tree-stump bonsai.
I. Making a Chinese juniper bonsai
1. Obtaining material. Chinese juniper is widely distributed in China. To make bonsai, people often dig up wild tree stumps in the mountains and fields before spring budbreak, then cultivate and process them; they can also collect seeds when ripe and store them in sand for about 1 year before sowing and raising seedlings; they can also propagate by softwood cuttings in May to June or by hardwood cuttings in September to October; layering can also be done during the plum rain season.
2. Styling. Chinese juniper is usually processed and styled using the "combination of pruning and wiring method." Wiring is mostly done in late autumn and early winter, and it is best to use palm fiber, white ramie fiber, hemp rope, or plastic strips for wiring; copper wire, lead wire, iron wire, and other metal wires can also be used for wiring, and once the shape is set, the wiring material should be removed in time to prevent the wire from biting in and affecting plant growth and the beauty of the tree form. Larger branches and trunks can be "carved" according to the creative concept and design; the branches and foliage are mostly pruned into semicircular or layered forms.
3. Potting. It is best to transplant into pots in March to April in spring, choosing glazed ceramic pots or purple clay ceramic pots. The pot shape depends on the tree form: for styles such as curved-trunk and lying-trunk, use rectangular or oval pots; for the straight-trunk style, a medium-deep round pot is commonly used; for the cascade style, use a tall, deep slender cylindrical pot. Use loose, fertile, well-drained and airy sandy loam as the growing medium; garden soil, peat soil, humus soil, and the like can be used, mixed with an appropriate amount of sand and chaff ash. When transplanting into pots, the plant (tree stump) roots are required to retain some native soil; bare-root transplanting is not suitable.
II. Key points of care and management
1. Water and fertilizer management. Water in a timely manner and keep the potting soil appropriately moist at ordinary times. During the rainy season, take care to prevent water accumulation in the pot; in summer and early autumn when temperatures are relatively high, water in the morning and evening or spray the leaves to keep the potting soil and environment moist. In April to May and September to October each year, apply 2 to 3 times a diluted, fully decomposed cake fertilizer solution; in early June each year, spread an appropriate amount of high-quality organic fertilizer on the pot surface; do not fertilize in other seasons, and avoid concentrated fertilizer and "raw" fertilizer.
2. Light and temperature requirements. Chinese juniper likes light, is shade-tolerant when young, and is cold-tolerant. Bonsai should be placed in a ventilated spot with ample sunlight for care; in summer and early autumn, use shade nets, bamboo curtains, and the like for appropriate shading; in winter, it can overwinter outdoors in a wind-protected, sunny place.
3. Repotting and pruning. Repot and change the soil once every 3 to 4 years, in March to April, removing 1/2 of the old soil, cutting off some old roots, shortening overly long roots, and filling in loose, fertile new growing medium to promote new root growth. During the growing season each year, pinch out the growing tips and trim the shoots; the more pinching, the denser the crown, and the better the ornamental effect.
4. Pest and disease control. Chinese juniper bonsai has relatively few diseases and pests, but rust disease sometimes occurs. You can use a 20% wettable powder formulation at 1200 to 1500 times dilution for leaf spraying in the early stage of the disease, once every 5 to 7 days, for 2 to 3 consecutive sprays; red spider mites occasionally cause damage, and can be killed by spraying with essential balm diluted 400 to 600 times.