Cultivation of Plum Bonsai

Plums are deeply loved by people for their colorful shape and fragrant fruit. Plum bonsai is very popular because it can watch both flowers and fruits.

Selection of rootstocks and varieties

The dwarfing rootstock is selected to have a strong affinity with the grafted varieties, and the varieties with bright fruit color, high yield and weak growth potential should be selected. The variety of plum is very rich, and the traditional fine varieties in China are "madam plum, Jiaqing plum, carrying plum, Hongxiang plum, Yuhuang plum, mi plum, May plum" and so on. At present, the main domestic and imported plum varieties popularized and applied in production are: Dashi Zaosheng, Japanese King Li, Misi Li, Rose Queen, Black Gem, American Big Plum, Changle Niuxin Plum, Pioneer Plum and so on.

Preparation of basin soil

Due to the limited container, plum bonsai must contain sufficient fertility in the limited basin soil in order to maintain the needs of plum growth and fruit. generally, 4 parts of rotten leaves, rotten ring fertilizer, 2 parts of broken bones and 4 parts of garden soil are mixed, and a small amount of calcium superphosphate and diammonium phosphate are properly mixed to increase soil fertility. Mix the basin soil well, grind it fine and sift it. The culture soil should be disinfected with 1.5% formalin solution before use. When planting, let the root system stretch, cultivate the soil and compact, so as to "bury three, step on one and lift the seedling", pour through the bottom water, and place it in a cool place to slow the seedling.

Fertilizer and water management

The organic fertilizer in the soil of plum bonsai basin is far from meeting the needs of its growth and development, so fertilizer and water management must be strengthened during the growing period. Organic fertilizer should be the main fertilizer and chemical fertilizer should be applied reasonably. Add mature organic fertilizer when potting; apply available nitrogen fertilizer once before sprouting or flowering, about 1 kg of fertilizer and water per plant to promote sprouting and blooming neatly. For extra-root topdressing at the end of the peak period, 0.3% urea or 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be sprayed every 10 to 15 days for 2 to 3 times to promote the expansion of young fruits and accelerate shoot growth. The period from late June to early July is the period of flower bud differentiation. Thin fertilizer and water (such as soy bean cake, sesame sauce residue or human feces, etc.) can be applied every 10 days or so for 2 to 3 times in a row to promote flower bud differentiation and increase fruit setting rate. When the growth is exuberant from August to September, in order to control the growth of new shoots, we should stop using nitrogen fertilizer (such as urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium bicarbonate, etc.), give priority to phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate or plant ash, and apply thin fertilizer frequently. The moisture of plum bonsai should be properly controlled and must be watered once a day. Watering time should be carried out in the morning and evening to avoid high-temperature noon water. Master the principle of "no dry, no watering, watering thoroughly". Foliar spray can be carried out in high temperature season to increase air humidity and reduce leaf temperature. Apply rotten organic fertilizer after falling leaves. Watering should be strictly controlled during the dormant period, so that the basin soil is only dry.

Dump the soil and change the basin

The nutrients in the basin soil are watered frequently and washed away gradually. after 2 to 3 years, the fertility in the basin soil is insufficient and the physical structure becomes worse, so it is necessary to pour the basin in time and add new cultivated soil. Stop watering before pouring the basin and separate the dry shrinkage of the soil from the basin wall in order to pour out the basin soil. After the soil ball is deducted upside down, cut off the old roots 2 to 3 cm thick around the basin soil, mix the organic fertilizer with the soil and sift to fill the bottom. Then bring the soil mass to the basin, fill it with fertile soil around it, and pour water once. Because the root system of plum bonsai grows faster, the root curls along the basin wall after 1 to 2 years, and the old root is densely distributed, which affects the growth of new root. Therefore, when changing the basin, the curled roots are cut and the crowded and dense old roots are thinned, which is beneficial to the growth of new roots and improve the ability of absorbing water and nutrients.

Shaping and pruning

The tree shape of plum bonsai should not only be conducive to the results, but also have aesthetic effect to improve its ornamental value, usually with natural round head shape and tower shape, and can also be shaped into favorite trees according to personal preferences, such as cliff type, qu dry type and so on. After potting, we should make full use of brace, pull, and other measures to open the branch angle in 1 to 2 years, in order to bear fruit earlier.

During pruning, the annual branches were cut moderately to stimulate the branches to germinate and form a compact crown tree. Young plum trees should select and cultivate the main and side branches, complete the shaping task, balance the tree potential, maintain the principal-subordinate relationship of the backbone branches at all levels, and cut the overgrown backbone branches properly. The primary fruiting trees are mainly short fruit branches and bouquet-shaped fruit. After entering the fruit, the basal 2-3 full buds can be re-truncated according to the strength of its growth. The over-long branches can be reduced to biennial branches, so that the distribution of middle and branchlets in the whole crown is compact.

Overwintering against cold

Under the condition that frost injury does not occur in winter, it is generally not suitable to overwinter indoors and let it hibernate naturally outdoors so as to improve the ability of trees to resist various natural disasters. In order to prevent frost damage, you can choose sunny weather to pour water once before the soil is frozen, wrap the whole container with a straw bag after the water seeps, tie it tightly with a rope, or dig a ditch to bury it in the leeward direction.

Pest control

Plum diseases and insect pests are mainly heart-eating insects, red spiders, leaf rollers, diamondback moths and so on. Pests can be sprayed with 1000 times liquid of borers or 1500 times of dimethoate. The main diseases are bacterial perforation, brown spot, powdery mildew, and diseases can be sprayed with 0.5% lime Bordeaux solution in late April or early May, and then 2 to 3 times every half month. When bacterial perforation occurs, the leaves can be sprayed with 72% agricultural streptomycin soluble powder 3000 times.