How to Shape a Sageretia Bonsai? Detailed Explanation of Styling Methods

  A good shape is an important element of an excellent bonsai, and the styling of a bonsai is not only endlessly varied and changeable, but also an important aspect that reflects its value, especially for tree bonsai. But the shape of a tree bonsai is generally formed through later processing and shaping. Sageretia is a typical tree species for making tree bonsai, so it likewise faces the problem of shaping. So, how do you shape a sageretia bonsai?

  For the shaping process of a bonsai, we first need to do a good creative design in advance, especially the design of the shape. Only after determining the style of the bonsai shape we want to create can we flexibly choose styling techniques according to the requirements and characteristics of the shape, and finally process and shape the bonsai. So, for the shaping of a sageretia bonsai, it is usually manifested in two aspects:

  1. Processing and Treatment

  For a sageretia potted plant we have just obtained, it often cannot yet become a true bonsai work, so its ornamental value is also relatively low. In order to improve the ornamental value of the potted plant and turn it into a truly excellent bonsai, we first need to process and treat the sageretia tree we have obtained to give it a preliminary shape. Then, according to the styling effect we have preset, we carry out detailed treatment until we achieve the effect we want.

  The shaping of a sageretia bonsai is mostly carried out by the method of coarse wiring and fine pruning. However, sageretia bonsai is very widely used in Lingnan bonsai, and the styling of Lingnan bonsai is usually completed using only pruning techniques, especially for old sageretia stumps dug up from the wild. The shaping and processing of a sageretia bonsai is a very meticulous technical job, especially the treatment of collected stumps, which often requires fine carving and polishing to fully display their vigorous and ancient posture, while also keeping the proportions of the trunk and side branches coordinated. And if wiring techniques need to be used, palm fiber is usually the best choice.

  2. Pruning and Styling

  Sageretia can be made into many styling effects such as slanting trunk style, curved trunk style, lying trunk style, cascade style, and so on, so it can be seen that the choice of bonsai styling styles is relatively flexible and diverse. Pruning is the most commonly used technique in the shaping process of sageretia bonsai, and it is also the main technique. First, by reasonably pruning the branches and leaves in the upper part of the plant, the trunk is kept in a natural form; of course, it can also be pruned into a steamed-bun-shaped rounded disc form.

  Moreover, sageretia is a tree species that is relatively tolerant of pruning and has strong sprouting ability. In addition to the shaping and pruning needed during the initial styling, a shaping and pruning can generally also be carried out once after autumn, cutting away over-dense branches, redundant and messy branches, leggy branches, thin and weak branches, and other branches that are unfavorable to the shape, so as to maintain a good styling posture. At the same time, through pruning, the airiness of the bonsai tree body can also be improved, which can both save nutrients and deliver more sufficient nutrients in a concentrated way to the retained branches, and also promote the sprouting of new branches and new leaves, allowing the plant to grow with lush branches and leaves while maintaining a good plant shape.