How to make a persimmon bonsai? Detailed methods and steps

  The trunk of a persimmon bonsai is ancient and peculiar, sturdy and twisted; when the trunk is slanted, the strong branches stretch across the air in a natural and orderly way. A single tree with multiple trunks of uneven height, exposed roots and claws, and sparse branches and leaves, has a unique style, magnificent and deep. The curves and straightness between trunk and branches vary, stretching freely, embodying both the charm of mountain forests and a unique artistic flavor. Young branches are tender green and glossy, and mature leaves are dark green and flat; the ancients said, “the leaves are so plump and smooth that one could practice calligraphy on them.” In autumn, the red leaves are like fire, comparable to maple leaves. The flowers are peculiar in shape, small and golden yellow, with a faint fragrance. The fruits vary in size and form. The fruit color gradually changes from green to orange-yellow or orange-red, and does not fall through the winter, very much like red lanterns hanging all over the branches during festive holidays, dazzling and gorgeous, symbolizing “everything going as wished year after year”; it is truly an excellent choice for viewing leaves and admiring fruit in the home during the cold year-end days or for giving to relatives and friends.

  For making bonsai, persimmon trees can use seedlings of Date Plum (Diospyros lotus), wild persimmon, or oil persimmon as rootstock, and use persimmon varieties with high ornamental value such as Mopan persimmon, Fire persimmon, Pomegranate persimmon, and Luofu persimmon as scions, grafting in spring by the cleft grafting or cut grafting method. It is also possible, after leaf fall in autumn and before bud break in spring, to dig up old Date Plum (Diospyros lotus) trunks that have grown for many years and are quaint and sturdy in the wild; after they survive, they are “cultivated as rough stock” for one year, and grafting is carried out in the spring of the second year.

  Because the roots of Date Plum (Diospyros lotus) contain a relatively large amount of tannins, they are difficult to heal after being injured, and the tree vigor recovers slowly after transplanting; therefore, when transplanting, the root system should be retained as much as possible, and attention should be paid to preserving freshness and moisture to ensure survival. For the first potting, it is advisable to use a clay pot of appropriate size to promote root growth and speed up the shaping process.

  The persimmon tree originally belongs to a deciduous tree species and can grow to more than 20 m at most; however, because its fruit-viewing effect is excellent, it is also used as an excellent material for making bonsai. Although the persimmon tree after bonsai artistic shaping is reduced considerably in size, its own ornamental value is not lowered; on the contrary, some exquisitely crafted bonsai can even enhance the ornamental value of the persimmon tree.

  The persimmon tree not only bears sweet and delicious persimmons for people to taste, but is also a very good material for bonsai, and can be shaped into fruit-viewing bonsai to enhance the quality of the room. Let us take a detailed look below.

  1. Selecting and collecting trunks:

  For making bonsai, persimmon trees can use seedlings of Date Plum (Diospyros lotus), wild persimmon, or oil persimmon as rootstock, and use persimmon varieties with high ornamental value such as Mopan persimmon, Fire persimmon, Pomegranate persimmon, and Luofu persimmon as scions, grafting in spring by the cleft grafting or cut grafting method. It is also possible, after leaf fall in autumn and before bud break in spring, to dig up old Date Plum (Diospyros lotus) trunks that have grown for many years and are quaint and sturdy in the wild; after they survive, they are “cultivated as rough stock” for one year, and grafting is carried out in the spring of the second year.

  2. Choosing potting soil:

  The persimmon tree is native to the vast areas of China from the Yellow River basin to south of the Yangtze River basin. It likes a sunny, warm, and humid environment, but is also tolerant of drought and cold, and grows better in deep, fertile soil with good drainage. Therefore, it is advisable to plant it in a relatively deep flower pot.

  3. Styling and shaping:

  Persimmon bonsai can be processed into many different forms such as single-trunk style, double-trunk style, slanting-trunk style, waterside style, and literati tree style according to the shape of the rootstock and the variety characteristics of the scion. Because its leaves are relatively large, the crown mostly adopts a natural style; its bright fruits hang among the green leaves, very beautiful, and after leaf fall in winter, the branches are like iron, offering yet another distinctive feature. The styling method uses a combination of pruning and wiring, gradually cultivating it so that the thickness of the branches transitions naturally and the proportions are harmonious.

  4. Thinning flower buds:

  When 2 to 4 fruiting branches grow from a fruiting mother branch, keep the 3 flower buds in the middle of the first 2 fruiting mother branches, and completely thin out the flower buds on the other fruiting branches, keeping them as reserve branches. If more than 5 fruiting branches grow from a fruiting mother branch, the first 3 fruiting branches should be kept to bear fruit, with 3 flowers kept in the middle of each fruiting mother branch, and all the rest completely thinned out.

  5. Skillful fertilization and watering:

  For large trees entering the full fruiting period, fertilizer and water management should be strengthened. Apply base fertilizer early in spring and apply sufficient base fertilizer in autumn, but topdressing should not be too early. Generally, topdressing is done in May during the branch tip dieback period and in July during the fruit swelling period. These two fertilizations have an obvious promoting effect on increasing the fruit-setting rate, and can also increase the number of flower buds for the next year and improve flower bud quality. Water when the weather is dry.

  6. Chemical regulation:

  Spray once each at full bloom and young fruit stage with 500 ppm gibberellin plus 1% urea, which can improve the nutritional condition of flowers and fruits, prevent abscission layer formation between the persimmon calyx and fruit stalk, enhance the absorption function of flowers and young fruits for nutrients, stimulate ovary expansion, and increase the fruit-setting rate; during the rapid fruit swelling period, foliar spraying of 0.3% to 0.5% urea solution and trace element fertilizers such as ammonium molybdate can reduce flower and fruit drop.

  Overall, persimmon bonsai is still relatively easy to care for, because there is nothing that particularly requires special technique; generally, as long as daily care can be done, persimmon trees can bear abundant fruit in pots.