How can the leaves of a bonsai banyan be reduced in size to enhance its ornamental effect?
The roots and trunk of a bonsai banyan have extremely high ornamental value; it is only the leaves that are slightly too large. The leaves are about 3 cm wide and about 4 cm long, with an average area of 12.3 sq cm per leaf, roughly 4 times larger than the average leaf area of Ficus elastica (Indian rubber tree) at 3.5 sq cm. By this ratio, the leaves of the Chinese banyan are on the large side, but as a large tree-form bonsai it is still very beautiful.
For small and medium-sized bonsai, management can be used to reduce the leaf size of a finished bonsai banyan. The main measures for reducing leaf size are defoliating, pruning and pinching several times within one year, controlling water and fertilizer, and providing sufficient sunlight; in this way, dense branches, dense leaves and small leaves can be achieved.
After the banyan has been shaped through long-term wiring and pruning, repot it at the Beginning of Spring each year, apply a sufficient basal fertilizer low in nitrogen, and carry out 2 to 3 rounds of defoliation and pruning (the first at the Spring Equinox, the second at the Summer Solstice, the third at the Autumn Equinox). After pruning, water thoroughly and do not fertilize. During the bud-growing stage after pruning, sunny days with sufficient sunlight are best.
When new buds sprout, do not spray water on the leaves; simply keep the potting soil moist. After the leaves have set, apply one light fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium. After defoliation and pruning, the leaves will generally become smaller, the sprouting shoots and buds will be dense, and the first and second leaves on a branch will be the smallest. When new shoots grow to 3 leaves and 1 heart, pinch them immediately; the retained leaves form a round shape, and the leaves can be reduced by 1/2 to 2/3. Once the new leaves are relatively dark green, they have basically set and are not easy to expand, forming small leaves of high ornamental value.
How can the leaves of a bonsai banyan be reduced in size to enhance its ornamental effect?
How can the leaves of a bonsai banyan be reduced in size to enhance its ornamental effect?
The roots and trunk of a bonsai banyan have extremely high ornamental value; it is only the leaves that are slightly too large. The leaves are about 3 cm wide and about 4 cm long, with an average area of 12.3 sq cm per leaf, roughly 4 times larger than the average leaf area of Ficus elastica (Indian rubber tree) at 3.5 sq cm. By this ratio, the leaves of the Chinese banyan are on the large side, but as a large tree-form bonsai it is still very beautiful. For small and medium-sized bonsai, management can be used to reduce the leaf size of a finished bonsai banyan. The main measures for reducing leaf size are defoliating, pruning and pinching several times within one year, controlling water and fertilizer, and providing sufficient sunlight; in this way, dense branches, dense leaves and small leaves can be achieved.
After the banyan has been shaped through long-term wiring and pruning, repot it at the Beginning of Spring each year, apply a sufficient basal fertilizer low in nitrogen, and carry out 2 to 3 rounds of defoliation and pruning (the first at the Spring Equinox, the second at the Summer Solstice, the third at the Autumn Equinox). After pruning, water thoroughly and do not fertilize. During the bud-growing stage after pruning, sunny days with sufficient sunlight are best. When new buds sprout, do not spray water on the leaves; simply keep the potting soil moist. After the leaves have set, apply one light fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium. After defoliation and pruning,
the leaves will generally become smaller, the sprouting shoots and buds will be dense, and the first and second leaves on a branch will be the smallest. When new shoots grow to 3 leaves and 1 heart, pinch them immediately; the retained leaves form a round shape, and the leaves can be reduced by 1/2 to 2/3. Once the new leaves are relatively dark green, they have basically set and are not easy to expand, forming small leaves of high ornamental value.
The pruning art of bonsai
The pruning art of bonsai
In terms of shaping, both pruning and wiring are aimed at changing the bending form of branches and trunk and the space they occupy, thereby achieving the goal of tree shaping. In terms of maintenance and management, pruning serves to maintain and preserve the landscape of an already shaped tree. According to the order of shaping, it can be divided into positioning pruning, shortening pruning, thinning pruning, and so on.
I. Pruning time
1. Deciduous broadleaf bonsai can be pruned in all four seasons; pine and cypress species are best pruned during the dormant season.
2. During the plum rain season there is a lot of rain, the air humidity is high, and trees grow vigorously, so one should prune less, or not prune heavily; removing a large amount of branches and leaves will affect normal growth and, in severe cases, cause death.
3. Near the end of autumn, heavy or severe pruning must not be carried out; after heavy or severe pruning, new buds will sprout one after another, and when a cold snap comes it will freeze the tender buds to death. (The best time for heavy and severe pruning is January to February, when trees are in the dormant period; however, some cold-sensitive tree species are not suitable for pruning in winter, because the wounds are harder to heal and tend to leave scars.)
4. Generally speaking, trees with strong growth and vigorous growth can be pruned more, while weak-growing ones should be pruned less. According to the needs of tree shaping, one usually cuts away messy crossing branches, overlapping branches, parallel branches, whorled branches, opposite branches, weak branches, diseased branches, and so on. The nutrients of the retained branches are concentrated, so they can grow robustly.
5. Diagram of various undesirable branches
II. Pruning methods
The end face of the cut should avoid the large face as much as possible and be tangent to the branch at a 45-degree angle, with the leaf bud left on the upper side of the slant. During the growing season, pruning close to the leaf bud favors wound healing. Outside the growing season, pruning can be done above the leaf bud.
1. Positioning pruning
Positioning pruning, or location pruning, refers to the first pruning in bonsai shaping, determining which branches at different positions are to be retained and cutting away the excess branches. For tree stumps collected in the wild, after they are cultivated and survive, many branches sprout, and most of them must be cut away, retaining the backbone branches needed for shaping; this is called positioning pruning. After positioning pruning, the number of branches, their positions and the mutual distances between branches are determined, and this directly affects the formal beauty of the tree bonsai. Therefore, before pruning, one must carefully conceive the design and consider the form of the tree shaping; as the saying goes, "the idea comes before the cut," and at the same time one must have a clear plan in mind before making the cut. This is because the selection of branches depends on the establishment of the tree landscape form. The branches retained should be robust in growth, with coordinated thickness from top to bottom, avoiding parallel, symmetrical and overlapping arrangements as much as possible, achieving a pleasing balance of dense and sparse, spreading out around the trunk above, below, left and right, and possessing dynamic momentum.
2. Shortening pruning
Shortening pruning is a pruning method that shortens branches, and it is also an important measure for tree shaping and maintaining the tree landscape. In terms of shaping, shortening pruning makes the tree dwarfed, the branches full, with controlled thickness from top to bottom and varied curves, so three points should be noted in shaping:
1) The transition in thickness between the pruned branch and the branch segment above it should be appropriate;
2) When shortening, leave the direction and angle of the bud eye properly so as to adjust the new sprouting branches to occupy spatial positions reasonably;
3) The shortened branch segments should be short rather than long; the first segment of the branch is longer than the second segment, and the second segment is longer than the third segment. In terms of maintaining the tree landscape, for the vast majority of shaped leafy-tree bonsai, the vigorous water sprouts produced each growing season need shortening pruning to preserve a beautiful posture.
Shaped pine and cypress bonsai mainly rely on bud picking and pinching to control overlong branches and maintain their original appearance. For the shortening pruning of flowering and fruiting bonsai, different pruning methods should be adopted according to their different growth habits. For example, crape myrtle, pomegranate, crabapple and others bloom and bear fruit on the new branches of the current year, so they can be shortened during the dormant period but should not be shortened during the growing season. Early-spring bloomers such as winter jasmine, plum blossom and ornamental peach are best pruned after flowering, which can promote the formation of flower and fruit branches the following year.
Leafy-tree bonsai can be shortened twice, in early summer and early autumn, and severely pruned during the dormant period to remove various undesirable branches. Firethorn and Chinese holly bear many flowers and fruits on short branches; in addition to severe pruning during the dormant period, the long shoots of the current year can also be shortened in late spring and early summer, with frequent light fertilizing and increased light to promote the growth of short branches in summer and autumn and increase the amount of flowers and fruits. Severe pruning during the dormant period must appropriately retain short branches to ensure the flowers and fruits of the following year.
4) Diagram of positioning pruning and shortening pruning
3. Thinning pruning
Thinning pruning maintains the tree landscape and can increase ventilation and light penetration, reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases, concentrate nutrients, and promote luxuriant branches and leaves and abundant flowers and fruits.
The timing of thinning pruning varies according to whether it is severe or light pruning; during the growing season, when branches and leaves are luxuriant, light pruning can be done at any time, but severe pruning is not advisable. For tree species with strong sprouting ability, such as Chinese plum yew (Sageretia) and Chinese elm, severe pruning can be carried out while avoiding the plum rain season. After pruning, watering should be reduced, light fertilizer applied frequently, and light increased. Under normal circumstances, the amount of thinning at the upper part of the tree can be greater and at the lower part smaller, because lower branches are harder to grow. The main targets of thinning are various undesirable branches and overly dense crowns; where the upper and lower crowns are equally important, one should as far as possible leave the lower and cut the upper, so that the volume of the upper crown is smaller than that of the lower crown. After thinning pruning, the growth of the crown is suppressed and many new branches will sprout, which should be cut away promptly. Pruning methods also include bud removal, pinching and defoliation:
1) Bud removal: for tree bonsai species with strong sprouting ability, during the growing season, when buds sprout both abundantly and quickly, one should tirelessly remove all unnecessary buds in good time, including root buds, trunk buds and axillary buds. At the same time, attention should be paid to retaining the direction, position and density of the buds, so as to avoid the sprouting of forked branches, opposite branches and overlapping branches that would affect the beauty of the tree form.
2) Pinching: that is, removing the tender tips of new shoots during the growing season of the tree, to inhibit excessive elongation of new shoots, promote the growth of side branches, and shorten the internodes, so as to maintain the beauty of the tree's posture. The timing of pinching differs among tree species because their sprouting periods differ. For leafy-tree bonsai, pinching can be done once the new leaves have unfolded 2-4 leaves. For flowering and fruiting bonsai, it should be flexibly controlled according to the different flowering and fruiting periods. Pinching can stimulate the growth of side branches and increase the amount of flowering.
3) Defoliation: appropriate defoliation can make the leaves smaller and raise the ornamental value of the bonsai. Some people call this method "taking off the clothes and putting on brocade." Generally speaking, the new leaves that sprout in spring are the most attractive; as the seasons move on and with the summer sun, the leaves that were originally glossy and brightly colored slowly become dull and aged-looking. Through defoliation treatment, fresh tender new leaves can be produced once again, adding another period of the best ornamental effect. Some old stumps, with iron-like branches and gnarled trunks, show their towering strength, while the new leaves are like jade, green and dripping, full of vitality in spring. The timing of defoliation varies with tree species; leafy-tree species can be defoliated in early summer or early autumn. Evergreen trees should not be defoliated. During defoliation, water should be appropriately withheld, and the potting soil should not be too moist; in addition, well-rotted cake fertilizer water should be applied frequently, and ventilation and light should be strengthened, so as to promote the sprouting of new leaves.
4. Grafting
Grafting of tree bonsai is a shaping method. Through grafting, one can not only obtain excellent bonsai tree material but also speed up the formation of the bonsai, achieving twice the result with half the effort. For example, grafting small-leaf Buddhist pine (Podocarpus) onto large-leaf Buddhist pine, or red-flowered Chinese fringeflower onto white-flowered Chinese fringeflower, can improve the variety and enhance the ornamental effect. Grafting methods can also be used to supplement roots, supplement branches and change crowns, making the shaping of the tree bonsai more perfect. In the process of shaping tree bonsai, combining wiring, pruning and grafting techniques will have the effect of adding the finishing touch.
To increase the survival rate of grafting, the main thing is to master the grafting technique well; the cambium layers of the scion and the rootstock must match and align and be tied tightly. The closer the genetic relationship between the scion and the rootstock, the easier it is to survive. Master the grafting time well; generally a temperature of 20-25 degrees is most suitable, when the cambium cells are most active, which favors graft survival. The scion should be selected from excellent mother trees that grow robustly, are free of pests and diseases, have small leaves and strong compatibility, and are best taken from well-developed nutrient branches. For grafting flowering and fruiting species such as crabapple and pomegranate, flower and fruit branches should be selected as scions, which can make the grafted plant bloom and bear fruit earlier, with more flowers and more fruit.
Before grafting, tools should be prepared, such as a budding knife, a cleft grafting knife, a hand saw, a mallet, pruning shears, as well as the needed plastic tape, hemp fiber, and so on. During grafting, one should as far as possible meet the technical requirements of flat, accurate, fast, tight and firm, which can greatly increase the survival rate. The grafting methods commonly used are the following:
1) Branch grafting: selecting a one-year-old branch or a new shoot of the current year as the scion and grafting it onto the rootstock is called branch grafting. The commonly used branch grafting methods are cleft grafting, cut grafting, side grafting and approach grafting. The time for branch grafting is best within the half month when trees have just sprouted in early spring, choosing the morning or evening of a sunny day; cloudy and rainy days are not suitable. The method used can be decided according to specific circumstances; under normal circumstances, when the rootstock diameter is larger than the scion or the rootstock is relatively thick, the cleft grafting or cut grafting method can be used, such as for flowering trees like crabapple, flowering peach, pomegranate, wintersweet, spring plum, banyan and osmanthus; for pine and cypress species, the side grafting method can be chosen, because such species must retain branches and leaves to survive. For some precious tree species that are difficult to graft successfully, the approach grafting method is needed.
2) Branch supplementation: when a bonsai lacks a branch on its trunk, one can use the tree's own branches or trees of the same genus outside the plant, adopting the approach grafting method to supplement the branch. At the position lacking a branch, cut a transverse groove in the shape of lips, reaching deep to the xylem, and the length and depth of the cut should be suitable for fully matching the cut surface of the approach branch. Then shape the T-shaped joining face of the selected T-shaped approach branch into a form matching the cut on the rootstock, then press the T-shaped branch against the groove of the branch to be supplemented, align the cambium layers, and bind it firmly with tape.
3) Root supplementation: when a beautifully shaped tree stump is dug up in the wild, it often lacks roots, which makes it less than perfect. Where roots are missing, new roots cannot be induced, so the approach grafting method can be adopted to supplement roots. During the tree's growing season, select a sapling of the same species whose roots basically match the rootstock's missing roots in thickness, size and direction; dig it up, cut off all side roots except the main root, and prune some branches and leaves. At the approach grafting surface, retain bud points as much as possible; after the joint has healed, when cutting off the upper part of the approach sapling, keep and cultivate that bud point as a branch to promote wound healing. The approach grafting method is similar to the branch supplementation method; for example, a trident maple collected in the wild may have a good shape but an imperfect root base because roots are missing. First plant the stump; in the second year after it survives, in summer, open a groove reaching deep to the xylem at the missing root area. Select a trident maple whose root size is similar to the root needed to supplement the rootstock, dig it up, shape its approach grafting face into a form matching the groove at the root of the rootstock, then align the two cambium layers; if the root surface is uneven, after the approach grafting face has healed, cut off the upper branch of the approach plant, or use iron nails to fix the scion at the supplemented root position of the rootstock.
4) Bud grafting: bud grafting is a method of grafting using the buds of the scion. In the process of shaping tree bonsai, bud grafting can improve the crown and can also serve as a remedial measure for branch grafting. Its advantage is that several scion buds can be grafted onto a small branch of the rootstock. After they survive, according to the density requirements of the shaping, they are then trimmed and selected. For improving some tree species with thicker bark, the bud grafting method can be adopted. For example, bud grafting flowering peach onto wild peach stumps, bud grafting plum blossom onto wild plum stumps, bud grafting small-flowered floribunda rose onto old roots of wild rose, and so on. Bud grafting includes T-shaped budding, H-shaped budding, chip budding, ring budding and many other methods. The time for bud grafting is best chosen in July-August, when the sap flows vigorously and the bark and xylem are easy to peel apart; bud grafting should avoid rainy days and is best done in the morning and evening. Within 4-5 days before bud grafting, the rootstock should be loosened, fertilized and watered to promote sap flow and facilitate bark peeling. For rootstocks being crown-changed, the branches and leaves at the bud grafting position need to be cut away before grafting to facilitate the operation. The epidermis at the bud grafting position on the rootstock is required to be smooth and even; besides being an ideal variety, the scion bud must also have a plump axillary bud. Because the climate is relatively dry during bud grafting and water at the cut easily evaporates, the bud should be taken and inserted in one continuous action as far as possible, taking one bud and grafting one bud.
5) Root grafting: when digging up tree stumps in the wild or when repotting and pruning, one can often obtain relatively ideal root forms, and the root grafting method can be used to change the crown. When repotting and transplanting in March, take a well-formed root, wash it clean in water, cut away the fibrous roots and excess side roots, and according to the thickness of the root adopt the cleft grafting or cut grafting method to change the crown. Take 1-2 year old branches of the same tree species as scions, retaining 2-3 buds; after the graft survives, loosen the binding material and gradually expose the root, and a new stump bonsai is obtained.
5. Carving
In the making of tree bonsai, carving is often needed to express a kind of beauty of incompleteness that seems dead yet still alive, namely the so-called dead-trunk style and dead-top style (also called shari trunk and jin branches). This beauty of incompleteness is not a hollow trunk with decayed and fallen wood, terminally ill, but rather a trunk and branches that after carving are like clanging iron and steel, ringing when struck, rotten like iron, decayed like steel; although made by human hands, it seems formed by nature, with a kind of soul-stirring artistic charm. Bonsai artists in Japan and Taiwan, China often use true cypress, juniper and five-needle pine to make shari trunks and jin branches, condensing the landscape of coexisting life and death of trees in nature into a bonsai within reach, showing extremely high artistic attainment. The xylem of tree species used for carving should be tight, hard, resistant to decay, not prone to aging and peeling, and preserved for a long time.