Description of Spruce (Picea). Garden bonsai: Japanese motifs in the Central Russian garden Bonsai blue spruce
For the Japanese, growing bonsai is a whole philosophy that combines the spiritual and physical side of the process. An ordinary person needs to treat this matter with love and patience in order to achieve success. You need to have some knowledge about how to make pine bonsai. It takes a lot of time and effort to grow bonsai on your own. As a result, an amazing plant will give joy and beauty for many years.
Traditional bonsai must meet the following characteristics:
- Trunk. It should be powerful and strong, with a pronounced base and protruding roots.
- Branches. There are few branches, their lines should be harmonious and clearly visible. The trunk and branches of bonsai give the tree that very unique bizarre image.
- The form. The Japanese bonsai pine must meet one of 15 classifications. To help a novice or experienced gardener, drawings, diagrams, photographs or your own fantasies and wishes.
- Pine in miniature should look like a tree growing in natural conditions.
The main task when creating a bonsai is to achieve a slow growth of the plant. This is achieved in several ways: frequent pruning of tree roots and shoots, artificial restraint of growth, use special types soil, special ways of caring for and watering trees.
How to grow pine bonsai outdoors
AT landscape design bonsai pine takes pride of place. Its obvious advantages are the original form, unpretentiousness to growing conditions, resistance to low temperatures, high level of adaptation.
Observing certain conditions, you can grow this miracle tree right in the ground:
A real bonsai is a visually old tree. The effect of aging is achieved by artificially bending and landing branches with the help of weights and wire. For the impression of a long-growing pine tree, the bark is specially cut in several places with a knife edge.
Formation of bonsai from Scots pine
Scotch pine can be an excellent basis for self-growing bonsai. Conifers differ from deciduous trees in two stages of growth per year, which should be considered when creating pine as a bonsai. The first wave of growth occurs in late spring and is expressed in the lengthening of the branches. The second wave occurs at the end of August and is characterized by thickening of the branches.
In a few years, you can grow a bonsai from Scotch pine with your own hands in a pot:
Scotch pine bonsai should have a strong and developed surface root structure (nebari). Root growth is achieved by several growing seasons, as a result, the tree should firmly and confidently hold on to the ground.
If you plant young trees from pots in open ground, then you can get garden bonsai from Scotch pine. This is done in the fifth or sixth year of the plant's life. The advantages of growing in the garden are the rapid growth of the power of the trunk and the sufficient height of the tree. Before transplanting, the crown and trunk of the bonsai must be fully formed, that is, its proportions by this moment already fully correspond to the desired ones.
The formation of pine bonsai is a balance between the creation of nature and man. In order not to disturb the harmony, several bonsai can be planted in the garden from different types trees, surrounding them with objects and plants similar in style and mood. The transformation of an ordinary tree into a beautiful dwarf counterpart is a fascinating and interesting activity. Bonsai pine will become a real decoration of the garden with individual outlines and lines inherent only to it.
Video about planting pine bonsai
Spruce is quite difficult to grow in the bonsai style, as it is necessary to constantly do a lot of small work on care and shaping. Shaping a spruce trunk is easy enough because of its flexibility.
Some species of Common Spruce (Picea abies) - "Nidiformis", "Pumila glass" and Spruce with gray (Picea glauca) - "Conica" are used as bonsai.
The soil:
Spruce is tolerant of nutrient-poor soil. Use the ratio of clay soil to peat.
Lighting:
Light-loving plant. Grown outdoors all year round.
Temperature:
Grown at outdoor temperature, but in winter should be protected from extreme cold.
Watering:
Water spruce regularly in spring and summer, do not let the soil dry out in winter.
Top dressing:
Feed the spruce during the entire period of active growth, from early spring to autumn.
Formation:
Unlike others coniferous plants pinch spruce when young shoots grow a little. Prune old branches in January and February, during this period resin production is minimal. When applying the wire, make sure that it does not grow into the bark.
Buying a plant:
You can take a young plant in nature, but rooting is very rare, so get spruce in nurseries or specialized stores.
Pests and diseases:
Spruce is susceptible to all ailments of coniferous plants. In case of yellowing of the needles, it is possible to be affected by spruce-fir hermes. Pests are usually located on the underside of the needles and resemble cotton wool, to destroy it, treat the spruce with an antio or rogor solution.
Branches are treated with colloidal gray or Bordeaux liquid from rust (yellowing of needles, orange spots, swelling on the branches). If the disease does not go away, it is advisable to prune the affected branches, as a last resort, uproot the plant to stop the spread of the disease.
Do-it-yourself is a complex and lengthy procedure that requires experience and attention. The success of the project - right choice plants. This is carried out taking into account climatic features and maintenance requirements. Gardeners with experience choose coniferous and deciduous varieties as a basis - pine and maple, which require minimal maintenance. The main thing is to ensure the minimum required temperature.
Those who want to create a beautiful composition with their own hands can use the following green spaces as a basis:
- Sprouts of common lilac.
- Siberian larch.
- Pine.
- Siberian spruce.
- Juniper sprout.
- Kalina.
- Azalea on the cob.
- Bobovnik.
- Almond low.
- Ussuri pear.
- Purple barberry.
- Varietal mock orange and others.
Garden ficus, low almonds, and topinaria have also proven themselves well. You need to start by choosing a suitable container with humus. An ordinary flower pot will do. When choosing a soil, it is worth studying its becoming. It is recommended that it provide drainage and retain the minimum amount of moisture required.
According to these criteria, sand, clay and humus are taken in equal parts. To plant a tree, you will need a pruner, which forms a crown line, a spatula, sticks, a sieve, a watering can. Spraying is carried out with a spray gun. If there is a specialized store in the village, then the seedling is bought there.
Do-it-yourself pine bonsai
It is recommended to place a pine composition in an irregularly shaped container, the bottom of which is decorated with snags. If the lightness of forms is at the forefront, then in this case a pot or pallet of light shades and grass are used as a decorative element. After that, you need to carefully separate the smallest scales from the pine trunk. In order for the needles to look aesthetically pleasing, they need to be grouped into small bundles.
Further production of a green pine composition proceeds step by step according to the following scheme:
- It is recommended to buy a slightly twisted seedling.
- Before planting, you need to check the tap root.
- For planting, it is desirable to use the same land in which the seedling grew.
- Supplement it with a substrate that allows moisture to pass through.
- A thematic video will help you choose a style.
- Pruning and crown formation begins in the spring.
- The formation of curved shapes is best done with strong threads that do not damage the structure of the tree.
- The weakening of the density of the frame is made as the thickening of the trunk.
- All branches are cut at a pre-selected angle.
- Lightly prune the roots every 3-4 months.
The shape of the crown is adjusted with sharp scissors, allowing you to quickly get rid of the excess. Placement of crafts is carried out with an orientation to the sun. As it develops, a coniferous tree requires a large number of natural lighting.
How to make a money tree bonsai
There are many ways in which a bonsai can be made from a fat woman, also called the "money tree". The key to success is hidden in the control of growth and the formation of the crown of the money tree. You can stop further growth by pinching, carried out as the plant reaches the required size.
If you plan to go all the way on your own, you can buy seeds in the store. At the same time, strictly 1 seed is planted in 1 pot. Step by step then it needs to be watered, but not too much.
The seed takes root well, so additional care is not needed, however, some recommendations are required:
- The depth of the pot exceeds by 1/3 the maximum length of the root system.
- You can grow it in an aquarium, but then the shape will be curved.
- The splendor of the composition is formed by creating at least 2 sprouts from 1 bud.
- Extra kidneys are removed with tweezers.
- Pruning is carried out according to a pre-planned plan.
- You can decorate the composition decorative elements made from foamiran.
- If it's coming main holiday year, then the New Year mood will be formed by white foamiran.
How to make a bonsai with your own hands (video)
Miniature bonsai compositions decorate offices and living quarters. At proper care and timely pruning bonsai is formed in 2-3 years. After that, the gardener must carefully monitor the composition, maintaining the splendor of the crown and the shape of the branches. For these purposes, wire or thread is used. Pruning is carried out no more than 1 time every 4-5 months. The specific time depends on the type of tree.
Original options for a beautiful bonsai (photo)
The very first specimen, from which it all started, was a sprout of cherries, which my mother brought from the dacha, - recalls the thirty-two-year-old candidate of chemical sciences. - I read somewhere about bonsai, and I wanted to do it. But at first I thought it must be something exotic. But it turned out that bonsai can be grown from ordinary cherries.
Lena planted a small twisted sprout in the ground and began to take care of it according to all the rules: she regularly cut branches and roots, watered, “bathed”. When the cherry grew up, the girl washed the large roots with water and took them to the surface of the earth in order to visually age the plant. The result is a pretty dwarf tree.
Bonsai can be grown from anything, even from an ordinary poplar, if, of course, you try very hard, the ulan-uden woman is sure. In support of her words, Elena Valerievna demonstrates oak, maple, spruce and other trees growing on her windowsill.
The Italian pine pine is grown from a walnut that Lena brought from Italy. Now she is four years old. In five years, it will be possible to begin to form a crown. Something like a dwarf tree, according to the calculations of the hostess, will turn out in twenty years, not earlier.
The dwarf pomegranate was grown from the seed of a fruit, which was once treated to Lena by acquaintances from Novosibirsk. The girl brought maple and oak from Kazan, she dug up tree shoots right on the street.
Experts say: “When looking at a bonsai, the effect should be created that you see an adult tree, you just look at it through a telescope in reverse.” It takes a lot of time and patience to grow all this beauty. First you need to choose the right branch. As it grows, it needs to be cut. Moreover, not only the branch itself is reduced in size, but also the leaves. And in order to reduce the growth of a tree, you need to regularly shorten the roots.
Dwarf trees at home bloom and even bear fruit, but this is not the main thing in the art of bonsai. The process of tree formation is important. Moreover, when growing a plant, you need to mentally imagine what the future tree will be like. Although bonsai masters note that the original idea, as a rule, is transformed. After all, no one will guarantee that the branch will begin to develop in this way and not otherwise, will reach the desired thickness, and so on. As the tree grows, sometimes you have to give up some of your ideas.
The ancient art of growing bonsai flower pots, which originated in China, then developed in Japan, from where it began its march through the rest of the world. Ornamental trees were presented as expensive gifts, became collectibles and increasingly gained popularity among flower growers. Despite the fact that indoor trees whimsical to care for and difficult to grow, thousands of amateurs in the world study the art of bonsai.
Features and types
You can grow bonsai from trees of any kind, but conifers look especially beautiful. The best views spruce, thuja, pine and juniper are recognized to create coniferous bonsai. There are more than 10 main styles of tree formation, each of which has its own meaning. But no matter how beautiful the bonsai from conifers tree, it is difficult to grow and care for it, so it is not recommended for a beginner to create such a work of art.
To create bonsai from spruce, these species are used.
- Spruce ordinary. A cone-shaped tree, often used as a Christmas decoration at home.
- Blue spruce (gray or Colorado). Known for its bluish-green or blue needles, spruce is narrowly conical when young and cylindrical when mature.
- Spruce Glauka Konika. The miniature spruce is famous for its beautiful conical shape of the crown and dense small needles.
- Canadian spruce. Beautiful blue-green above and blue-white below, the spruce is the progenitor of the Glauka Konik spruce.
Creating a spruce bonsai
You can grow a dwarf tree from a seedling of an ordinary spruce, taken in wild nature or bought in specialized nurseries. But to find desired view suitable age is very difficult, so bonsai masters create their compositions from trees grown from seeds. Before planting, the seeds undergo a special treatment that disinfects and accelerates the germination process. To do this, you need to place the seeds of spruce for 24 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Soak the next day in clean water.
In a peat-sand mixture with the addition of coniferous humus, plant seeds to a depth of 15 mm, moisten well and cover with a film. The distance between sown seeds should be at least 4 cm. Optimum temperature for germination does not exceed 20°C. After a couple of weeks, the first shoots may appear. When all seeds have germinated, select and leave the strongest seedlings at least 75 mm apart.
When caring for seedlings, you must:
- withstand temperatures in the range of 13-15°C;
- watering should be replaced by spraying seedlings with water 2 times a day;
- keep away from direct sunlight.
Tender shoots of spruce are not resistant to diseases, especially root rot, so it is important to treat the plant with fungicides. When the plant reaches a height of 0.1 m, they begin to form a crown. The form of an adult plant is planned in advance and corresponds to the desire of the author of the idea. To form a tree, pinching points of growth, pruning and pulling branches with copper or aluminum wire are used, setting the direction of growth.
A year later, the seedlings are transplanted for the first time. It's best to transplant in early spring before the start of active sap flow. Young seedlings are carefully removed from the soil, trying not to damage the roots, the spoiled ones are removed and transplanted into separate pots. It is desirable to add soil from under coniferous trees to the soil for transplantation. Water seedlings once a week summer time. Mineral dressing is applied once a year in the spring.
When the seedlings reach the age of three, they are transplanted into a special bowl - bonsai. Such a flowerpot is selected taking into account appearance mature plant and colors, as it is an important component of the future composition. The bowl should be shallow, with holes for draining excess water, covered with shards, and easy to care for. The soil for planting is selected in accordance with the type of plant, and moss is often laid out around the planted sprout, imitating grass and preserving required humidity soil.
Mature plants are transplanted every 2 years.
Care
When the bonsai takes root in the selected pot, it is necessary to continue the formation of the crown. This will have to be done throughout the life of the dwarf tree, since the growth process of the plant never stops. In addition to pruning extra branches, young soft branches are pulled back, pinching the apical bud and peeling the bark to age the tree.
In order for the bonsai to retain its decorative effect and please with a neat look, once a year in the spring they do a thorough pruning of the tree, removing excess and dried branches. Places of cut of thick branches must be treated with garden pitch to prevent the disease. The rest of the time, you need to remove only those branches that violate the structure of the composition.
When removing branches, it is important to remember the rule: if you remove too many branches and needles, the tree may die.
Watering mature plant needed as needed, checking the dryness of the soil inside the pot. Since the capacity for tree life is small and there is relatively little soil in it, it is necessary to feed regularly for good growth and development of bonsai. special fertilizers, which may differ in composition for different species.
Proper lighting has great importance to preserve the decorative effect of the composition. Spruces prefer diffused sunlight during most of the daytime year-round. With improper lighting, noble blue spruce bonsai can lose their unusual color and lose their uniqueness.
Dwarf conifers, like their full-fledged counterparts, in winter period go into "hibernation", reducing vital activity. Such specimens prefer to winter in the cold, since they are hot in the apartment and lack humidity in the air. The owners of dwarf firs put pots with a tree on the balcony or arrange in the garden. If this is not done, the bonsai may die.
For information on how to plant pine bonsai, see the video below.