Maintenance and management of bonsai

Bonsai is a living work of art, it changes all the year round, from small to old, even in the morning, middle and evening of the day. To maintain the long-term artistry of bonsai, it is inseparable from meticulous maintenance and management, as the saying goes: "three points, seven points", indicating the importance of maintenance and management.

The maintenance management of bonsai can be divided into daily maintenance management and plant protection management.

Daily maintenance management refers to the use of watering, fertilization, pruning and other techniques to promote the good growth of trees in bonsai to achieve the purpose of maintaining the landscape. Plant protection and management refers to the use of pest control means to ensure the healthy growth of bonsai trees.

Plant protection management is divided into three aspects: turning basin, pest control and three prevention items.

First, watering

Water is the first element of plant growth. Without water, plants will die. Too much or too little water will affect the growth and development of bonsai trees, and serious ones will lead to death. Watering seems simple, but it is not easy to master watering reasonably. It is necessary to explore, find rules and learn to manage scientifically. Watering is usually the most basic work in the maintenance and management of bonsai trees, which must be mastered. The general principle of watering is: "do not dry, do not water, dry is thoroughly." In practice, the water demand should be determined according to the characteristics of bonsai trees and environmental factors.

Below, watering is introduced in detail from six aspects: water demand, dry and wet basin soil, watering time, watering method, type of water and drainage.

1. Water demand

(1) different tree species have different water requirements.

Generally speaking, if the leaf is large and soft, its water evaporates quickly and needs more watering; if the leaf is small and hard, its water loss is slow and watering needs less. Dry-tolerant trees should be watered less, while moisture-tolerant trees should be watered more.

(2) the water demand is different in different growth periods.

In the period of flower bud differentiation, the amount of water should be less, which is beneficial to the increase of flower buds. In flowering and fruiting stage, the amount of water should be increased.

When pines put leaves in new buds, the amount of water should be reduced, while cypress is on the contrary. Trees need more water at the beginning of growth than at the end of growth. The stump in the new pot should not be watered too much because of injury.

(3) the amount of water is different in different weather and seasons, usually once a day or every other day in spring and autumn, once or twice a day in summer, and not more in winter, it can be watered every few days. In the south, watering should be stopped during the rainy season.

(4) the soil quality of basin soil is different, the amount of water is different, clay is less watered, sand and peat soil are watered more.

(5) the texture, size and depth of the basin are different, and the mud basin is easy to dry with different amount of water, followed by purple sand, glaze basin and stone basin. Large and deep basins need more water and less times, while small basins and shallow basins have less water and more times. Miniature bonsai can be placed on the sand bed to maintain humidity, in addition to normal watering, but also often foliar spray.

2. The method of judging whether the basin soil is dry or wet.

The main results are as follows: (1) if the tree stump is too dry and dehydrated, the leaves will droop, turn yellow, fall leaves, and even die. If the stump is too wet, it will lack oxygen, cause rotting roots, and even die.

(2) the basin soil can be judged by the color of the soil. The color is dark, the soil is wet, on the contrary, the soil is dry.

(3) the muffled sound on the edge of the basin indicates that the basin soil is wet and the crisp sound indicates that the basin soil is dry.

(4) there is a kind of soil moisture meter on the market, which can be inserted into the basin soil to know the water content of the soil.

3. Watering time

Spring and autumn should be watered in the morning or afternoon. Summer is generally watered in the morning or evening, do not water in the hot noon, but it is appropriate to water at noon in winter.

4. Watering method

(1) the most basic method of watering is to pour water on the basin soil. strictly speaking, it should be watered with a lead pot. The kettle should not be raised too high, and try not to water it with a leather tube, so as not to wash away the basin soil.

(2) spraying is foliar spraying, which is beneficial for trees to replenish water and remove foliar dust, but water can not be sprayed frequently, otherwise it is easy to cause branches to grow too much.

(3) immersion is not suitable for small and miniature bonsai, and the immersion method can be used, as shown in the following figure.

Immersion method

5. Types of water

Rain Water, river water, well water, pond water and tap water are all available, but two aspects should be paid attention to: first, salt or alkaline water should not be used; second, the temperature difference between water temperature and soil temperature should not be too large, so the water can be stored in a tank or reservoir to adjust the water temperature.

6. Pay attention to drainage

The basin can not often accumulate water, we should try to drain water.

II. Fertilization

Bonsai trees (piles) need to be replenished because they grow in limited soil and have limited nutrients. Lack of fertilizer will cause weak branches, yellow leaves, few flowers and fruits, and easy to get sick, affecting the ornamental effect. However, in order to maintain the unique effect of the pile scene, it is necessary to apply fertilizer properly. Therefore, scientific fertilization should be advocated.

Fertilization is divided into three parts: the appearance judgment of lack of fertilizer, reasonable fertilization and matters needing attention.

1. The appearance judgment of lack of fertilizer in pile scene.

The leaf shape of fertilizer-deficient plants is smaller than normal, the leaf color tends to yellow or light green, the leaves are sparse and thin, the buds are small, the tip of the tender leaves are withered, and the lateral branches are short and stunted.

(1) the leaves of nitrogen deficiency turned yellow and the whole tree stump lost green.

(2) the old leaves with phosphorus deficiency showed dark green until they became bronzed.

(3) the edge of the old leaf with potassium deficiency turns brown at first, and necrotic spots appear upward from the leaf tip; the stem is soft and easy to lodge.

(4) the veins of the new leaves of iron deficiency are green, and the mesophyll is yellow-green to yellow. In severe cases, this situation also spreads to the lower old leaves.

(5) chlorosis between veins of old leaves with magnesium deficiency.

2. Rational fertilization

The main results are as follows: (1) the closest relationship between fertilization and climate is rainfall and temperature. Low temperature, low rainfall, slow fertilizer decomposition, should apply rotten fertilizer; high temperature, heavy rainfall, fertilization should be carried out in stages. In addition, the ability of trees to absorb nutrients is also different in different seasons, so the requirements of fertilization are also different in different seasons. Generally speaking, thin fertilizer should be applied slightly in the budding period in early spring, thin fertilizer should be applied in summer, and fertilizer should be stopped in late autumn and winter in order to make new branches lignified and free from freezing.

(2) the relationship between fertilization and the properties of basin soil in order to give better play to the role of fertilizer, attention should be paid to:

Increase the content of humus in basin soil.

Analyze the situation of various nutrients in the basin soil, what is missing and what to make up.

According to the acid-alkaline fertilization of basin soil, physiological fertilizer should be used in alkaline soil.

Pay attention to the soil. Clay should be applied shallowly to speed up decomposition; sand should be applied many times.

(3) the relationship between fertilization and tree stump is different. Due to different varieties and ornamental parts, the nature and demand of fertilizer are different. Generally speaking, trunk and leaf trees should apply more nitrogen fertilizer, several times a year, the amount of fertilizer should not be too much; flowers and fruits should be increased phosphate fertilizer, appropriate amount of potassium fertilizer, several times a year, the concentration should be low; pine and cypress mainly nitrogen fertilizer, but should be applied less, in order to keep the needles short and leaves small. Some stumps need to be dwarfed and fertilizer should be controlled in the early stage. In addition, the nutrients required are also different in different growth periods. More nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in the growth period, and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be applied in the flowering and fruiting period.

3. Matters needing attention when applying fertilizer

(1) Organic fertilizer must be fully mature before it can be used, otherwise it will cause fertilizer damage.

(2) keep the fertilizer clean, otherwise it is vulnerable to diseases and insect pests.

(3) thin fertilizer should be applied diligently.

(4) foliar fertilization can be applied except in special cases, and it is generally not suitable to pour fertilizer on the leaves.

(5) it is not suitable to apply fertilizer when new to the pot.

(6) watering every other day after fertilization.

(7) Fertilizer should be applied in the evening or cloudy days.

3. Pruning

Bonsai trees are still growing after shaping, in order to prevent the loss of the original shape, in the process of maintenance and management, regular pruning, long branches and short pruning, dense branches thinning, and make the posture more perfect.

Routine maintenance and pruning has the following measures:

1. During the growing period, some trees often sprout adventitious buds in their roots and branches, especially those tree species with strong sprouting power, such as elm, sparrow, pomegranate, June snow and so on. If they are not cut off, they will not only affect their appearance, but also consume a lot of nutrients. Therefore, it is very important to pick buds in time.

2. Pick the heart in the peak period of tree growth, often grow a lot of branches. For these tender shoots, the tips can be removed with hands and scissors to maintain a certain shape of the crown, promote the development of axillary buds and make the branches and leaves more dense. If the young shoots of true cypress and juniper are removed in May and June, the crown will be more round. Pine bonsai, removing the top buds, can make the new needles shorter.

3. The bonsai of picking leaves and viewing leaves can achieve the best ornamental effect by picking leaves. For example, if maple leaves are picked in summer, they will be more red at the end of autumn; if elm trees pick old leaves 2 or 3 times a year, the new leaves that sprout each time will always be green.

And picking leaves can turn the stump that sends leaves once a year into two or three times a year. The time of picking leaves should be in the peak period of stump growth, and fertilization should be applied immediately after picking leaves.

4, pruning trees bonsai in the growth process, will send out a lot of branches, in order to maintain the appearance of beautiful, should be often trimmed.

IV. Turning the basin

The landscape basin or soil of the bonsai will hinder the normal growth of the trees after a certain period of time, so the basin should be turned over to change the soil. The basin can be turned with the original basin or a larger basin, which should be decided according to the tree species and the size of the tree. When turning the basin, remove the tree and soil from the basin, remove 13-12 persistent soil around the soil ball (pine and cypress remove 15-13 persistent soil), at the same time, combined with pruning to remove part of the old root and rotten root, the cut should be smooth. Then fill the prepared culture soil into the basin and replant the trees. After filling, the distance between the basin soil and the basin mouth should be 2-3 cm, which should be used as a "nozzle" to facilitate watering.

It is generally appropriate to turn the basin after autumn or early spring. Miscellaneous wood, turn the basin every 1-2 years; pine and cypress, turn the basin every 3-5 years. Generally, small basins have an interval of 1-2 years, medium-sized basins have an interval of 2-3 years, and large basins have an interval of 3-5 years.

Prevention and control of diseases and insect pests

The principle of pest control is: "give priority to prevention and comprehensive control". In order to prevent the occurrence of diseases and insect pests, the fertilizer should be fully mature; the basin soil should be disinfected and should not be too wet; the site should be clean, light and ventilation should be adequate; pruning should be timely; branches and leaves should be cleaned regularly. Once diseases and insect pests are found, it is necessary to "cure them early, treat small ones, and cure them".

Six and three defenses

1. Sunscreen should be shaded. For negative tree species, such as small pots or shallow pots of trees bonsai should generally build a shed to shade.

2. According to the weather forecast, measures such as fixing and moving should be taken in advance before the gale comes to avoid loss.

3. Cold prevention in the cold winter season, in order to avoid freezing damage to bonsai trees, it is best to set up wind barriers in the northwest of the site, and you can also cover the basin with film, straw bags and so on. Especially for some cold-resistant tree species should be moved to the greenhouse.

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