How to grow wintersweet? A detailed guide to wintersweet cultivation methods

Location: Wintersweet bonsai should be placed in a wind-sheltered, sunny spot and kept away from cold winds. In summer it needs slight shading, and in winter, potted plants should be moved indoors to overwinter when the temperature drops below 1°C.
Watering: Wintersweet is fairly drought-tolerant and is known as "the wintersweet that cannot be killed by drought," but it should not be left too dry. Normally the potting soil can be kept slightly dry, and watering should follow the principle of "water when dry, and when you water, water thoroughly." During the dog days, which is the flower bud formation period, it must not lack water, so water once in the morning and once in the evening. After autumn when the leaves fall, the potting soil can be kept on the drier side, watering once every 5-7 days.
Fertilizing: Wintersweet is a heavy feeder. From April to June, in the early stage of flower bud formation, it is best to apply cake fertilizer water once every 10 days. From the end of June until the start of the dog days, apply a dilute fertilizer solution combining nitrogen and phosphorus once a week to promote flower bud formation. During the dog days, apply 1-2 times, with the fertilizer kept dilute. After autumn, apply just 1 more time. When repotting, sufficient base fertilizer such as bone meal and soybean cake can be placed at the bottom of the pot.
Pruning: To keep wintersweet full of branches and flowers year after year, pruning and bud pinching are extremely important. Pruning is generally done from March to June and stops after August. After flowering each year, the old flowering branches should be cut short immediately, leaving only 15-20 cm at most per branch. After the new shoots grow 2-3 pairs of buds, pinch off the terminal bud. Soon side branches will grow again, and after they reach 10 cm, pinch the buds once more. Repeat this several times until the flower buds are basically formed. Also thin out various crossing branches, parallel branches, overlapping branches, opposite branches, leggy branches, and overly dense or weak branches that affect the tree's appearance. As the gardening saying goes, "wintersweet never lacks branches," so wintersweet can be heavily pruned.
Repotting: Wintersweet bonsai should be repotted once every 1-2 years, preferably in late winter or early spring after the flowers fade. Before repotting, the already sprouted buds can be removed first, and after about 5 days, when the latent buds begin to swell, transplant it. When repotting, remove 1B3 of the old soil, cut off rotten and dead roots, and trim away overly long old roots. Replace with frost-weathered pond mud or humus-rich leaf mold, mixed with an appropriate amount of rice husk ash and sandy soil.