How to make a Fujian tea bonsai? Detailed steps and methods shared

  Fujian tea is produced in Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, China and other provinces in southern China. It is also distributed in the tropical regions of South and Southeast Asia. Fujian tea, also known as Carmona retusa and cat tree, is an evergreen shrub of the Boraginaceae family. The leaves are small, oblong-elliptic, dark green and glossy. In spring and summer it bears small white flowers, and the drupe is spherical, initially green and later red. Its trunk is rugged and gnarled, with a graceful tree posture, and it is one of the 4 major bonsai tree species of the Lingnan style, as well as one of the 5 species of bonsai plants (namely boxwood, Fujian tea, Buddhist pine, Sageretia thea, and Serissa japonica) exported to the United States after China's entry into the WTO.

  1. Artificial propagation:

  Cutting propagation is usually used. In spring or the plum rain season, select robust one-year-old branches or semi-mature branches of the current year as cuttings, cut them into 8-12 cm lengths, with a flat cut, keep only a few leaves at the upper part and cut off the rest, and insert them to a depth of 1B2. The seedbed soil is best a loose and fertile acidic sandy loam. After inserting, press firm and water thoroughly, and set up a shade shed. In summer and autumn, management should be strengthened, with frequent watering, loosening of the soil, and weeding. The survival rate is generally fairly high. In southern China, thick-trunk cuttings or root cuttings are often used, and the survival situation is also relatively good.

  2. Collection from the wild:

  In the evergreen broad-leaved forests or shrublands of the low hills in the south, Fujian tea is scattered in distribution. Wild tree stumps or regenerated young trees can be selected. After digging them back, cultivate them in a relatively shaded place with deep, fertile, loose soil, or in sandy loam rich in organic matter. Wait until the root system has developed and the new branches and leaves are luxuriant, then pot them and process and shape them. Lingnan-style Fujian tea bonsai mostly use old tree stumps, shaped through the "branch-storing and trunk-cutting method", to make large-tree-type or forest-style bonsai.

  3. Potting process

  It is most suitable to transplant and pot in early summer. Choose glazed pottery pots or purple clay pottery pots. The pot shape is more commonly a medium-deep rectangular or oval shape; for the cliff style, a round or square tall deep cylindrical pot is suitable; for the forest style, a shallower rectangular pot is suitable. The potting soil should be loose, fertile, well-drained slightly acidic sandy loam, or made by mixing equal amounts of garden soil, farmyard manure, and river sand. Use tiles or stones to cover the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot, then put in a layer of river sand or vermiculite to facilitate air and water drainage, and then fill in the potting soil and plant. When planting, the root system needs to be spread out, with the main root slightly exposed above the soil surface. Newly potted tree stumps should be kept in a shaded place for about 15 days, then moved to a semi-shaded and well-ventilated place.

  1. Pot selection: Fujian tea can use glazed pottery pots or purple clay pottery pots. The pot shape generally uses a medium-deep rectangular or oval pot; for the cliff style, a deep round pot or a relatively tall square cylindrical pot is used; for the forest style, a relatively shallow rectangular pot is used.

  2. Soil: Fujian tea likes fertilizer and acid. When potted in the south, pond mud rich in humus is often used, weathered and dried, loose and fertile, then mixed with an appropriate amount of river sand soil to increase water permeability; leaf mold mixed with rice husk ash can also be used.

  3. Planting: Fujian tea is generally planted in early summer, and it should not be done in the cold season. When planting, the fibrous roots must be spread out, and fertile soil should be mounded up, with the main root slightly exposed above the pot surface. The bottom of the pot is best lined with river sand or vermiculite to facilitate air and water drainage.

  4. Shaping techniques

  1. Processing: Fujian tea has strong growth vigor and is extremely tolerant of pruning, and is most suitable for shaping by the "branch-storing and trunk-cutting" method. For the specific method, refer to the processing section on orange jasmine. If cultivating bonsai in the north, appropriate binding and shaping can also be carried out. To make a Fujian tea bonsai, in spring or the plum rain season, select robust one-year-old branches or semi-lignified branches of the current year for cutting propagation; seedlings can also be obtained by root cutting propagation from early summer to early autumn; in the south, wild tree stumps or young trees can also be selected and dug from the forest, and after the material is grown and survives, they are processed and potted.

  2. Tree shape: Fujian tea is suitable for making a natural large-tree shape, and is one of the commonly used tree species in Lingnan-style bonsai in China. Common forms include the straight-trunk style, double-trunk style, multi-trunk style, slanting-trunk style, cliff style, forest style, and root-on-rock style, among other tree shapes. For the making method of the root-on-rock style, refer to the shaping section on Chinese elm. Fujian tea has extremely strong growth vigor and is extremely tolerant of pruning, and is suitable for the "branch-storing and trunk-cutting method" adopted by Lingnan bonsai, so that through repeated pruning and processing the branches and trunk achieve a natural, winding, vigorous and powerful effect. Common tree shapes include the straight-trunk style, double-trunk style, slanting-trunk style, multi-trunk style, forest style, cliff style, root-on-rock style, and so on.