Detailed explanation of Fujian tea bonsai styling methods, easily shaping a graceful tree form

  To make a Fujian tea bonsai, you can select robust one-year-old branches or semi-lignified branches of the current year for cutting propagation in spring or the plum rain season; you can also use root cuttings from early summer to early autumn to obtain seedlings; in the south, you can also dig up wild stumps or young trees in the woods, and after cultivating the stock until it survives, process it and pot it.

  Fujian tea has extremely strong growth vigor and is extremely tolerant of pruning, making it suitable for the "grow branches and truncate trunk method" used in Lingnan bonsai, using repeated pruning and shaping to make the branches and trunk achieve a natural, twisted, vigorous and powerful effect. Common tree forms include straight trunk style, double trunk style, slanting trunk style, multi-trunk style, forest style, cascade style, rock-clinging style, and others.

  Fujian tea is an evergreen small shrub with dense branches, and there are three types: large-leaf, medium-leaf, and small-leaf. Among them, small-leaf Fujian tea grows slowly, has small leaves, is dark green, glossy and lovely, has a well-developed root system, with gnarled and intertwined roots, and an antique and elegant posture that makes it delightful.

  Fujian tea has strong sprouting ability and is tolerant of pruning, and the "grow branches and truncate trunk" method is commonly used to make natural-style large tree-form bonsai. That is, when the young tree used for bonsai grows to a certain thickness, carry out heavy pruning (cut off most of the trunk), and at an appropriate position and angle, keep 1 to 2 or 3 to 5 branches as first-level side branches; when the second-level branches on them grow to a certain thickness, keep one or two branches and shorten them to promote the growth of third-level branches; proceed in sequence, year after year, truncating the trunk and growing branches.

  When the branches and leaves are too dense, besides cutting off water sprouts at any time, prune once each in early summer and mid-autumn every year. When pruning, it should also be done according to the "grow branches and truncate trunk" method, so that after several years of pruning, a bonsai with a vigorous and antique trunk, dancing branches and leaves, and a graceful tree form will be cultivated.

  Because of its well-developed root system, it can be made into a rock-clinging style bonsai. After artistic processing such as wiring, it can also be made into various styles such as straight trunk style, slanting trunk style, double trunk style, forest style, and cascade style.

  During management, pay attention to keeping the soil moist. Fujian tea is afraid of drought, and slight water loss often causes leaves to turn yellow or fall, affecting plant growth.