Some believe that bonsai is a variety of dwarf tree-like plants that are grown in standard pots. Others believe that bonsai is an art form or direction in Eastern philosophy, which, as it were, complements a tiny Japanese tree. In fact, bonsai are really tiny trees that are the most exact copy of their tall relatives. They get them - having comprehended all the subtleties of a special kind of art, and for years they successfully keep them in their home - only by understanding all the subtleties of Eastern philosophy, based on contemplation, admiration and reflection. Previously, a unique Japanese tree as tall as an ordinary indoor flower could only be seen at exhibitions. Now bonsai has become incredibly popular and has spread throughout the world. Many Russians also began to master the technique of its cultivation. It is simple only at first glance, but it holds many secrets and features.
Where to start
If you have firmly decided that you need a tiny tree in a pot, the question arises how to get it. To facilitate the task, you can buy ready-made bonsai in the store. Then the duration of his life inapartment will depend on the knowledge and compliance with the rules of care. But many adherents of oriental culture certainly want to grow an exotic plant from scratch on their own.
There are different types of bonsai, depending on the type of plant that will be dwarfed. Almost any tree from the garden or from the nearest forest belt can become a candidate. The art of bonsai became famous in Japan, but was born in China during the Tang Dynasty, when one of its rulers wanted to create a miniature copy of his empire. It was then that the smart ancient Chinese came up with the idea of making exactly the same trees out of ordinary trees, only reduced tenfold. They called the new agricultural technique "cultivated on a tray" or bonsai. Thus, following certain techniques, any plant can be turned into a dwarf. But in practice, success often comes with trees that can withstand extreme conditions of existence, namely, to develop in a miniature volume of soil, not to get sick from changes in natural lighting conditions, changes in annual temperatures and watering. Therefore, whatever types of bonsai you choose, it is important to take into account the natural conditions of your pets and strive to get as close to them as possible.
Where to get planting material
As mentioned above, different plants are suitable for bonsai, both coniferous and deciduous. When choosing, you need to pay attention to the size of their leaf blade. Since the potted plant will be miniature, it is desirable that the leaf blades of its prototype are not too large. Otherwisea small trunk simply cannot hold them on itself. The second condition is that the species of plants from which different types of bonsai are created should have a genetic tendency to form a dense crown. Having decided on a candidate, it is necessary to take into account in what soil your future bonsai grows in the wild, with what illumination, at what humidity. All this exactly will need to be recreated at home in a pot. In practice, success is achieved with fruit trees, citrus, myrtle, maple, rhododendron, ficus and many others.
Yamadori
There are not only different types of bonsai, but different technologies for its reproduction, or, more correctly, the starting operation of cultivation. Yamadori is considered the simplest technology. It consists in the fact that in the natural habitat the right young tree is being looked at. It is dug in a circle, too powerful roots (if any), truncated and left alone for three months. Then it is removed with a clod of earth and placed in a selected flower pot (bonsainik). For speedy adaptation, the plant is shaded, sprayed, and a temperature regime similar to the natural one is created.
Toriki
This technology in Russian means trivial cuttings. It is important to respect the timing of this process. For example, in Russia, it is desirable to cut hardwoods at the end of spring, and conifers, on the contrary, at its beginning. Plants from which cuttings are harvested should be at the age of five to ten years. If you strictly follow the rules for harvesting planting material for your bonsai,caring for him in the future will not bring disappointment. Cuttings need to be cut only in cloudy weather, cutting off shoots that are not yet stiff. Their length can vary depending on the number of internodes. They should not be less than three and it is not desirable that there be more than five. The upper edge of the handle is made even, and the lower edge is beveled, placed in water, covered with a damp cloth. Another practiced method of toriki is to carefully remove a strip of bark no more than 2 cm wide on a vending branch, or make an incision on a branch into which a pebble is inserted. This place is abundantly moistened with epin, wrapped with sphagnum, polyethylene on top, fixed and wrapped on both sides to stop the air supply. Moisture is regularly supplied to this compress with a syringe. The twig should take root in about 60 days.
Misho
This method is ideal for beginners and means seed propagation. Maples, oaks, myrtle, pomegranate, citrus fruits are suitable for this. You can collect ripe seeds from selected trees, from which bonsai should turn out without any problems. Only for this, the seeds must go through all phases of stratification. To facilitate the task, you can carefully remove already germinated seeds from the ground in the spring and place ready-made sprouts for the future bonsai in prepared bowls.
Classified according to size
There are not only different types, but also styles of bonsai that differ in size. It's amazing that the world of miniature plants has its own tiny giants and midgets. In the international classification, there are:
1. Mame. This group consists of trees up to 20 cm high. Among them:
-Keshi-tsubu (Lilliputians in the country of Lilliputians, only up to 2.5 cm high).
- Sieve (up to 7.5 cm high, maximum 8 cm).
-Gafu (up to 20 cm high).
2. Sekhin. This group consists of plants intermediate in size between very small and just small. There are also two subgroups here:
-Komono (about 20 cm tall).
-Myabi (up to 25 cm).
3. Kifu. The group is in the middle. The plants included in it can grow up to 40 cm.
4. Ty. Plants in this group are almost giants and reach a meter height. Subgroups:
-Tyukhin (up to 60 cm).
-Omono (up to 100 cm).
5. Bonju. In the world of midget plants, these are already giants, capable of stretching up to 120 cm and above.
Classification by crown shape
It turns out that the way the crown looks, there are also different styles of bonsai. Traditional include:
-Tekkan (upright trunk, thickening towards the base).
-Moyogi (the base and top of the stem are perpendicular to the ground, and the middle is curved).
-Sokan (the tree has two stems, each with its own crown, forming something whole).
-Syakan (trunk without curvature, but growing towards the ground at an angle).
-Kengai (trees resemble classic weeping trees, that is, they grow with stems tilted below the pot, as if falling).
- Khan Kengai (the trunk of the tree is also falling, but the top is always in line with the groundbowls, and outgoing branches resemble independent plants).
-Bundzingi (the tree grows with an upright stem, but with a minimum number of branches).
-Sekijoju (there are stones in the bowl on the ground, and the roots of the tree seem to braid them).
-Ishitsuki (a composition of figured stones is created in a bowl, and plants grow in their crevices).
-Hokidachi (the stem of the plant is straight, and the branches form a beautiful spherical crown).
-Yose ue (several trees grow in a pot, not a multiple of 4, different in height and age).
-Ikadabuki (imitation of a tree, as if collapsed to the ground, from the trunk of which separate branches grow upwards).
Exclusive Styles
In addition to the classical ones, which are considered simpler, there are very complex ones in the art of bonsai, requiring high skill. This is:
-Netsuranari (a tree from one root grows several stems that are intricately intertwined with each other).
-Fukinagashi (a complex composition in which the bonsai grows not just at an angle, but in such a way that its branches and leaves are arranged as if the wind is blowing the tree).
-Sakei (an imitation of a whole corner of nature is created in a bowl - a forest or a mountainous area, and bonsai plants make this imitation more natural).
Growing Rules
It is not very difficult to keep a bonsai at home, the care of which is based on the exact observance of the rules. Those who believe that dwarf trees should grow only in the house, as an element of decor, are mistaken. Very often, bonsai compositions are placed outdoors, and inthe house is brought in only with the onset of cold weather. If the winters are not severe, bonsai can be left outside, but at the same time, the bowls should be placed in a container with a large diameter, and covered with a dense layer of moss from above to the very branches of the tree.
It is very important that deciduous bonsai in winter, as well as in natural conditions, shed their leaves and remain dormant for some time. To do this, they are taken out to a cool room. The third condition for success is the exact observance of lighting and humidity standards. If the bonsai does not have enough natural light, they additionally turn on the lamps, but at the same time take into account the heat they generate. To maintain optimal humidity, you can use an electric humidifier. If this is not available, the bowl with the plant can be placed in a tray lined with pebbles and half filled with water. The simplest, but also the most ineffective way is to spray the crown of plants.
Landing
When the planting material is prepared - cuttings or seeds - the bonsai must be placed in his house. The Japanese and Chinese use bowls and low flower pots for this, glazed or matte, but always with several drainage holes. So that the soil is not washed out of them, the holes are covered with a piece of tile. The shape of the pot can be any. The soil for indoor bonsai is best taken the same as that of its outdoor counterpart. Some masters prepare the soil separately. Everyone has their own recipes. Here are the most common:
- a mixture of equal parts of clay, fine gravel, humus,stone chips or sand;
-clay, humus and gravel in ratios (3:5:2);
-clay humus, gravel (1:5:3);
-leaf earth, coke, sand, bark, volcanic soil.
In any case, the soil should easily pass water to avoid its stagnation. In addition, experienced craftsmen advise disinfecting the pot and soil before planting. Stratified seeds are placed in the ground, covered with glass, the entire period of germination is maintained at a warm temperature and moderate humidity. Plants that have hatched and reached the stage of 2-4 leaves dive. In order for the root system to develop, the picking operation must be carried out several more times. Cuttings and seedlings are planted in the same soil as the seeds. For better rooting, the cuttings are covered with a film.
Transfer
Cultivation of bonsai is unthinkable without a transplant, which must be done every two, maximum three, years before the start of sap flow. This operation is also carried out with suspicion of rotting of the root system. Before transplanting, the plant is left without watering for a couple of days. Remove from the pot with a knife. The soil is carefully removed from the roots, all suspicious roots, and large roots are also removed. The pot is disinfected, filled with a couple of centimeters of new soil, the roots remaining after pruning are straightened with a wooden stick, laid out on the ground, sprinkled with earth, compacted and watered. You can fix the plant with a wire inserted into the drainage hole.
Bonsai (plant): how to care
Maintenance of small trees is not goodcomplex. They need to be regularly watered with non-cold water, making sure that the soil in the pot does not remain dry or too waterlogged. During the dormant period, the plants are watered less often, during the growing season more often. Feeding bonsai is a must. Do this from the beginning of the growing season every week, adding sapropel or urea. You can also use mineral fertilizers in the form of granules or solutions. Fertilizers containing a lot of nitrogen are applied after the end of the first wave of growth. With the onset of a dormant period, feeding is stopped. Coniferous bonsai are also not fed in winter. Do not fertilize diseased or newly transplanted plants.
Shaping bonsai
How to make something unusual out of an ordinary tree - this is perhaps the main question. Technologies are different. In our conditions, maple bonsai is not bad even for beginners. Having chosen the desired variety, according to the general rules, seeds or cuttings are planted, the first year the plant is allowed to get stronger. In the future, they change the appearance of the trunk, gently wrapping it with soft (copper or aluminum) wire. But with maples this does not always work. Most often they are formed by pruning. To stop the growth of the top, new shoots are regularly removed from it. Maple has a rather large leaf blade. To reduce it, grown leaves are removed around the middle of summer, leaving the petiole. The tree for this period is moved to a shady place. In order for the maple bonsai to grow lush, when pruning, you can truncate a too elongated trunk (cover the wound with an antiseptic), remove skeletal branches,pinch young shoots. To give the trunk a slope or bends, a weight can be tied to it during the period of active growth or gently bent in the right direction and secured with copper wire, placing a cloth under it. Several methods can be used to achieve the desired barrel thickness. In some plants, young stems are spliced, planted next to each other and fastened together. For maple, this method is not very successful. The thickness of the trunk in this case is achieved by its truncation.
