Maintenance and management methods of bonsai

Bonsai is a living work of art. To ensure that bonsai works can take shape as soon as possible and continue their artistic life, only good maintenance management can be achieved.

As the saying goes: medium rare, medium rare.

This cultivation is the daily maintenance management, including watering, fertilizing, pruning, turning pots and changing soil, pest control and so on.

1. Water is indispensable for watering natural plants, and water is the first factor for growth.

In daily maintenance management, watering is the most important link, and water shortage or water accumulation will directly affect the growth of trees.

Excessive drying of basin soil will cause water loss, which is characterized by curly or drooping leaves, yellowing leaves and falling leaves, and some roots die before Xu; If the basin soil is too wet for a long time, it will lead to lack of oxygen, dim leaf color, yellow tip, fallen leaves, stuffy roots and rotten roots, branches falling off and even death.

There is a saying in bonsai called watering every three years, which means it takes three years to learn to water, indicating that watering is actually not as simple as imagined.

There are many fans who have cultivated bonsai for many years, and they often have big problems in watering.

According to tree species, growth characteristics, seasonal climate, basin size and depth, and basin soil, etc. In a dialectical and rigorous attitude, treat it carefully, sum up experience in practice and explore a set of watering methods.

Different tree species have different watering time.

Trees with loose wood, large leaves, rough leaves, large leaves, or shade and moisture tolerance should be watered more; Potted trees with small leaves, leathery leaves and few leaves can be watered less in new pots or weak trees.

Different seasons, different growth periods, different watering time.

Except in rainy days, water should be poured once a day in spring (germination stage) and dry autumn; In summer (vigorous growth period), when the temperature is high, the trees grow fast, and the evaporation of the basin soil is large, water should be poured once in the morning and evening (avoid watering at noon when the temperature is the highest); Keep the soil dry in winter (dormant period), there is no need to water it every day.

Small pots and shallow pots should be watered no matter how many times they are dried; Miniature bonsai can be placed on a wet sand bed and often sprayed with water.

Flowers and fruits trees can be watered more during the growth period and flowering and fruiting period; In the flower bud differentiation stage, it is necessary to water less or control water to promote flowers; In the early and mature stages of fruit bearing, it is necessary to be moderate and keep the soil moist. Too much water can easily cause the fruit to fall or crack.

Every time you water it, you must pay attention to it thoroughly to prevent it from being watered halfway.

The so-called half water means that the upper basin soil is only half wet and the lower basin soil is still dry.

For example, when it rains lightly for a short time, the soil in the basin only wets the surface layer, especially the potted trees with dense crowns, which cover the rain like umbrellas. The surface layer seems to be soaked, but the soil below is still dry.

In some pots, the soil is hardened, and the water quickly flows out of the drainage hole through the gap in the basin wall, and the middle of the soil is still dry.

If the soil is too dry, it will be as insoluble as dry flour. In particular, the basin surface is covered with moss, and water is sprayed to protect the moss at ordinary times, which makes the topsoil very wet, but the middle and lower layers are still dry.

If the potted soil is too dry, some roots will lose water and die, which will affect the growth of potted trees, leading to tree weakness and even branch loss.

So be careful at all times, and don't wait until the soil is completely dry before watering. Said that wet and dry is not comprehensive.

Usually, you can use bamboo or screwdriver to open the topsoil, observe the dryness, wetness and water seepage of the basin soil, and avoid semi-water or water accumulation.

In addition, if the water pipe is directly poured, the water flow will be large, and it will soon overflow from the basin surface, which will not only waste water, but also accelerate the hardening of the basin soil due to stamping.

It is best to pour the wine with a flower head and pour it back and forth more than twice.

During the high temperature period in midsummer, the water temperature in the open-air water pipe can exceed 60℃. When watering, the hot water in the water pipe should be drained first to avoid burning the roots.

As for water quality, of course, it is best to use natural water such as rainwater, spring water, river water and well water.

In fact, you can generally use tap water directly.

Some people say that tap water doesn't have to be poured for a day, but needs to be stored and pressurized.

Only in areas with hard tap water quality, if tap water is directly poured, ferrous sulfate can be added twice a month as appropriate according to the requirements of tree species on soil pH.

2. Fertilization Fertilizer is the main source of plant nutrients, and fertilizer provides nutrients for plants, just as food is as important to people.

Potted trees are limited by pot soil, and ensuring their normal growth is the key link. Besides other factors, timely and appropriate fertilization is scientific and reasonable.

If too much fertilizer is applied, the leaves will be large, the leaves will roll up, the branches and internodes will be too long, and the tree shape will be difficult to control. In severe cases, the sap will flow back and the roots will rot, leading to disability and death. Without fertilizer, the leaves will turn yellow, become smaller and thinner, the tips of tender buds will wither, the old and weak branches will shrink, the trees will be weak, and pests and diseases will take advantage of it.

The fertilizers needed by plants are mainly nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc and other medium or trace elements.

Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen can be supplemented from soil, air and water, while nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium need artificial supply.

Among them, nitrogen fertilizer is helpful to the growth of leaves and promotes the lush and colorful leaves; Phosphorus fertilizer promotes flowering and fruiting; Potassium fertilizer promotes the toughness of branches and stems, develops roots and enhances disease resistance.

Fertilizers can be divided into organic fertilizers and inorganic fertilizers.

Organic fertilizer is mainly humus, also called farmyard manure, including livestock manure, eggs, fish essence fertilizer, cake fertilizer, plant ash, compost, green manure and so on.

Organic fertilizer is the first choice because of its mild fertilizer efficiency, looseness and improvement of soil quality.

When changing soil, it can be used as base fertilizer and topdressing.

Inorganic fertilizers are mainly synthetic fertilizers, usually called chemical fertilizers, with many varieties, such as urea, calcium superphosphate, ferrous sulfate and so on.

Because of its odorless, quick-acting and convenient use, chemical fertilizer is often used in family planting, especially long-acting compound fertilizer, which is convenient and safe.

However, the acid radical and alkali produced after the decomposition of chemical fertilizer will affect the acid-base balance of soil, which is easy to harden and should not be used alone for a long time.

Fertilization should be based on organic fertilizer, and organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer should be used alternately.

Fertilization can be divided into base fertilizer and topdressing according to the application period.

Base fertilizer is a combination of changing soil and applying fertilizer on the bottom or a small amount of mixed soil.

Topdressing is the daily fertilizer supply after the pot is cooked.

Fertilization here mainly refers to topdressing.

Fertilization should adhere to the principle of thin fertilizer and diligent application, distinguish different tree species and tree potential, and be scientific and reasonable according to different seasons, climates and different soil qualities.

(1) Apply fertilizer reasonably according to the growth and ornamental needs of potted trees.

If the new pile has just been transplanted or turned over, use plain soil instead of fertilization.

If you are eager to fertilize, it will affect the root system and even lead to rotten roots.

Potted trees that are not short of fertilizer but weak in tree vigor are mostly caused by poor root development except pests and diseases. If you apply too much fertilizer rashly, it will easily lead to rotten roots; On the contrary, trees grow vigorously and have a great demand for fertilizers. Potted trees can be used more during the cultivation period.

Generally, before potted trees germinate in spring and autumn, flowers and fruits should be topdressing in time during germination and fruit setting, and flowers should be observed after flowering. This is the so-called bud-promoting fertilizer, fruit-setting fertilizer and flower fertilizer.

Flower and fruit tree species, such as pomegranate, begonia, crape myrtle, etc. In addition to the spring germination period, in order to promote its flowering and fruiting, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be given priority to; The foliage trees such as Buxus buxus, Phoebe bournei, Ulmus pumila and Cyperus esculentus are dominated by nitrogen fertilizer, supplemented by phosphorus and potassium fertilizer.

For some old tree columns with particularly long pots, special attention should be paid to the balanced supplement of fertilizers.

Some tree species sensitive to pH value, such as Rhododendron yunjin, can regularly apply ferrous sulfate during the growing period to balance the soil pH value.

(2) Fertilize scientifically according to different seasons and climates.

In late spring and early summer, potted trees grow vigorously and must be applied more, and the winter dormancy period should be stopped.

However, after autumn and before winter, appropriate amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can be applied to help accumulate nutrients, breed buds and spend the cold winter.

Fertilization should generally be carried out on cloudy days, dry soil and in the evening.

Fertilization should be suspended in rainy days for a long time, before rain is predicted, and during high temperature period in summer.

Fertilization is easy to damage the root system when it rains for a long time or the temperature is too high. Fertilization before rainstorm will cause fertilizer loss.

(3) Adhere to the principle of applying thin fertilizer frequently, and avoid applying thick fertilizer, raw fertilizer and heavy fertilizer.

In summer, the temperature is higher, evaporation is faster, and the fertilizer should be diluted more thinly than daily to prevent root damage.

(4) Matters needing attention in fertilization.

Before fertilization, remove weeds on the basin surface and loosen the topsoil.

Weeds not only compete with potted trees for nutrients, but also encourage the occurrence of pests and diseases.

Organic fertilizer must be thoroughly cooked, and raw fertilizer cannot be used.

If conditions permit, the fertilizer can be put into the fertilizer box and slowly released by watering, commonly known as fertilizer release.

Don't sprinkle it on buds or leaves when fertilizing.

If foliar spraying is carried out, foliar fertilizer should be chosen, which should be light but not thick.

On the second day after fertilization, it is necessary to water, commonly known as backwater, to prevent fertilizer from damaging the roots.

3. Pruning is an important link in the modeling of miscellaneous wood bonsai.

If it is not pruned in time and allowed to grow naturally, the branches are messy and the nutrients are scattered, and the expected branches are difficult to grow in place and cannot be formed; But if the pruning method is wrong, it is impossible to achieve the expected effect without pruning and trimming.

Only in the process of growth, according to the expected design requirements, constantly pruning and shaping, balancing the tree potential, and purposefully adjusting, can the character be improved year by year, gradually approaching the expected goal, and finally maturing.

Pruning in daily maintenance should be based on the nature of trees and the growth of tree species, combined with seasonal climate change, using pruning, picking (wiping) leaves, coring and other methods.

(1) pruning.

Pruning includes cutting off pests and diseases, weak internal branches, long branches, overlapping branches, cross branches, useless branches and other bad branches according to the original modeling scheme and the modeling requirements of the branch support.

Some branches and claws that are too dense to affect ventilation or prevent perspective effect are also removed to protect and cultivate the established branches and create a branch layout interspersed with shading.

Pruning is a regular work, which can be carried out in the vigorous growth period of potted trees.

The number of pruning depends on different tree species and growth conditions.

Some tree species can be pruned many times a year.

Fast-growing plants such as Pu Shu and bougainvillea can be pruned every month.

But we must pay attention to several points: first, the cut branches must promote prosperity.

Weak branches tend to age after being cut short. Some tree species (such as mountain oranges, banyan trees, golden marbles, etc. ) It was cut in the wrong season. Although the branches did not wither and shrink after being cut, they could not germinate after one or two years.

Second, the water evaporates too quickly during the high temperature period in midsummer, so try to prune as little as possible.

Trees that blossom and bear fruit should be pruned after flowers wither and fruits are picked, and only fine-tuning and shaping can be done before flowering and bearing fruit.

Deciduous trees, such as cypress and elm, should be pruned before germination in late winter and early spring, such as before and after defoliation in winter. Pruning will lose water because of long dormancy time, and branchlets will wither easily.

Third, the contraction of the main branch support (stem) must be patient, don't rush for success, and generally reach the expected 1/2 ~ 2/3.

For the cultivation of its lateral branches, sacrificial branches can also be used to help thicken them.

(2) Pick (wipe) buds.

Many axillary buds or adventitious buds will grow after pruning. If it is allowed to grow, there are too many branches and leaves, the nutrients are scattered, and the trees are messy, then the new buds that should have been left behind will not be protected, and even they will be too weak to shrink back.

Sometimes a node will grow multiple buds, which will make the node grow too thick and hinder the aesthetic feeling.

Therefore, all useless buds should be picked (wiped) according to the needs of modeling.

Some trees are weak, so we can strengthen fertilizer and water management first, and then pick buds.

Trees with strong germination, such as Bromus, Acer truncatum, Prunus mume, Elm, etc., should pay attention to picking (wiping) buds at any time.

(3) pick your heart.

In fact, coring is also bud picking, but it refers to removing the terminal buds at the top of branches in order to control the elongation of branches and promote the growth of branches.

The nutrient accumulation of denucleated branches can stimulate the germination of lateral buds or adventitious buds. For some branches with too few side branches, coring can promote the germination of side branches, which is the method of accelerating germination.

Longer branches are generally pruned by pruning instead of coring.

When the crown is stable, coring becomes a conformal measure, which can be carried out during the whole growth period.

(4) picking leaves.

Picking leaves is an effective method for modeling miscellaneous bonsai, especially deciduous trees.

The so-called leaf picking means picking all the leaves before and after pruning.

Picking leaves before pruning can expose branches, and the skeleton is clear, so it is easy to prune at a glance; Picking leaves after pruning is a unique way to appreciate cold branches when stripping and changing branches in Lingnan bonsai, which is often used to shape bonsai.

In addition, picking leaves can promote metabolism and promote the growth of new branches. Generally, new buds will sprout about half a month after picking leaves.

However, because it consumes a lot of nutrients, it is not advisable to pick leaves too often in a year to avoid damaging trees.

Half a month before picking leaves, fertilization should be avoided in the high temperature period in midsummer to promote prosperity.

Evergreen trees generally don't pick leaves after autumn, so as not to shrink branches.

After picking leaves, the trunk is bare. In order to prevent the cortex from being burned by the sun during the high temperature period, especially in places where large areas of bare branches are exposed, appropriate shading must be provided.

Turn the pot upside down and replace it with a tree, and the soil in the pot will be limited. After a long time, the roots will be densely interlaced at the bottom and side of the pot, winding into a blanket, and rotten roots will appear due to crowding and oppression. The flowerpot will be acidified due to watering and fertilization, and gradually harden, and the air permeability of water and fertilizer conservation will be weakened. New roots are difficult to grow, which will affect the growth of pots and trees. Therefore, it is necessary to turn over the pot in time.

If the flowerpots are not well coordinated because of the thick trees or design reasons, then the flowerpots should be replaced at the same time.

Generally, it can be done from beginning of spring to Qingming, combined with pruning and reshaping, before the potted trees wake up from their sleep and the sap surges, but we should also consider the differences of tree species and regions and treat them differently.

Water the pot less before changing the soil, and let the pot dry thoroughly.

If it is a small shallow basin, you can separate the soil and take out the basin tree directly by shaking or tapping the basin wall slightly; For large and medium-sized basins, the soil near the basin wall can be dug up to separate the soil from the basin, and the basin tree and soil can be taken out together.

Remove more than half of the old soil with bamboo chips or flat screwdriver, trim the roots at the same time, combine with pruning and shaping the branches and leaves, try to keep the corresponding balance between the branches and roots, and disinfect the roots.

Then clean pots and pans, pad the drain holes, and add new mud according to the principle of thick bottom layer, thin middle layer and thick surface layer.

When filling the soil, be sure to insert and shake it with bamboo pieces, so that the new soil is close to the root system without leaving gaps.

After the completion of the basin, water the root for two or three times continuously.

A small amount of garden mud can be added to the basin surface and covered with moss to increase the wild interest and facilitate watering.

Finally, put the potted trees in a ventilated and cool place temporarily, and then enter the routine management after the new buds germinate.

As for the time limit for soil replacement, it can be flexibly grasped according to the tree species, the growth of potted trees and the specific conditions of potted soil, such as the permeability and permeability of potted soil, the size and depth of potted plants, and the nutrient requirements of potted trees.

Generally speaking, miscellaneous wood bonsai is turned over more frequently than pine and cypress bonsai, especially flowers and fruits, once every two years.

5. Pests and Diseases Control The causes of potted plant diseases and pests are not only the lack of management, weak trees and the invasion of pests and diseases, but also the poor surrounding environment and the invasion of germs and pests.

There are many pests and diseases in miscellaneous wood bonsai, which may cause unnecessary losses if you are not careful.

The treatment of pests and diseases must be based on the principle of prevention first, early prevention and early treatment, and preventive measures should be taken regularly.

In the season when there are many pests and diseases from April to June every year, spray bactericidal and insecticidal drugs 1 time or more every month to prevent the occurrence of pests and diseases.

In the daily maintenance management, combined with watering every day, careful observation, timely find the signs of pests and diseases, eliminate them as soon as possible, and avoid spreading into harm.

The pests of potted trees are mainly invasive diseases such as fungi, bacteria and viruses, as well as parasitic pests, in addition to physiological diseases caused by improper use of soil or water and fertilizer, unsuitable tree species and unsuitable environment. We should distinguish diseases from pests and adopt different drugs to prevent and control them.

Bactericidal drugs are basically broad-spectrum drugs, such as thiophanate-methyl (thiophanate), carbendazim, chlorothalonil, Bordeaux mixture, sodium disulfonate (dixone) and so on.

Insecticides include not only broad-spectrum drugs for contact poisoning and internal inhalation poisoning, but also specific drugs for some pests.

There are four traditional broad-spectrum pesticides.

(1) trichlorfon.

High-efficiency and low-toxicity pesticides have strong stomach toxicity and contact killing effects on caterpillars, inchworms, aphids, leaf rollers and other pests.

Powder with 1000 times solution.

(2) dichlorvos.

Strong toxicity, volatile, short residue period, stomach toxicity, contact killing effect on general pests.

The dosage forms of dichlorvos are emulsifiable concentrate with different concentrations, such as 50% emulsifiable concentrate, which can be diluted by 1000 ~ 1500 times.

Can be mixed with dimethoate.

(3) dimethoate.

High efficiency and low toxicity pesticide, while omethoate has strong osmotic absorption, and its toxicity increases with the increase of temperature.

It is suitable for many kinds of pests, and has good control effect, especially for pests with suction and chewing mouthparts.

In addition to alkaline chemicals, it can be mixed with general fungicides and pesticides (4) Methylphosphine (rapid culling).

It has the functions of stomach toxicity, contact killing and osmosis, and has strong toxicity, and has obvious control effect on various sucking, biting, digging and leaf curling pests, especially scale insects.

Dilution 1500 times when used.

In addition, there are some special insecticides with strong pertinence, such as dicofol for red spider, hyperosmotic omethoate for scale insects and abamectin for liriomyza sativae.

There are many drugs to control pests and diseases. When using it, you must go to a regular pesticide store to ensure the quality, and pay attention to its shelf life and instructions.

Strictly in proportion, too thin is ineffective, too thick will cause phytotoxicity.

A variety of similar drugs should be used alternately to avoid drug resistance.