Growing decorative reduced trees gives the site a special, elusive charm. This art form originated in medieval Japan and then gradually spread throughout the world. The appearance of such trees is formed during cultivation, which allows you to give the plant any shape that matches the gardener’s plan. It is essential to know how to compose bonsai properly and what needs to be done in order to ensure bonsai tree care.

What is bonsai?

Bonsai is the art of growing miniature trees for ornamental purposes, as well as the tree itself. In order to create a real work of art, you need to spend a lot of time and effort. The gardener is engaged in bonsai, limiting the possibilities of growth. The result of the efforts spent will be a decorative tree that can be made part of the natural landscape.

The small size allows you to place the indoor bonsai tree in almost any convenient place. It can be located in the house, in the country, as part of the garden design. It must be remembered that we are talking about living trees, which should be in comfortable conditions for them.

How to grow bonsai?

There are several ways to grow bonsai tree types. For this, for example, seeds or plant cuttings can be used. Before you start growing, you need to choose the right breed and decide how the composition will look.

When growing from seeds, you will need to do the following:

• They need to be wrapped in sphagnum moss and placed in a small plastic container. Instead of moss, slightly damp sand can also be used.
• They need to be kept in the refrigerator for several months.
• After that, the seeds are placed in soaked sandy-peat soil. They need to be covered with a piece of glass or cellophane film.
• Containers should be stored in a dark place until sprouts appear. The temperature should be as comfortable as possible for the selected type of wood.
• When growing a plant, it is necessary to ventilate. It must be remembered that as a result of waterlogging, rot may appear.
• When sprouts appear, they are grown, providing good lighting. In this case, direct sunlight should be avoided.
• When the plant reaches 10-12 cm in height, it is transplanted. During transplantation, the root is shortened by 1/3. This will help limit further vertical growth of the plant. The wire frame will limit further development of the trunk and branches.
  Growing bonsai from cuttings will save a year in its development. To use this method, you need to take the following steps:

• For use, choose semi-woody shoots 5-10 long and 0.5 cm thick.
• The soil mixture in which the cuttings are planted must first be boiled or treated in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This is necessary for disinfection.
• For growing, it is convenient to use a narrow and deep pot. It is enough that its depth is 15 cm.
• A quarter of a pot is covered with a mixture of akadama and fine gravel, which are taken in the same proportion. The rest is filled with a soil mixture that is optimal for the selected plant.
• At the bottom of the cutting, it is necessary to separate all the branches. The cut points must be treated with a garden pitch.
• Seedlings are carefully inserted into the soil. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that there is a sufficient distance between them.
• When growing, you need to ensure regular watering. In this case, waterlogging should not be allowed.
• Plants need enough light. You need to make sure that they are not exposed to direct sunlight.
• You need to take care of the plants, waiting for germination. It usually happens in 2-3 weeks.
  Shoots will need to be planted. It will be possible to start forming a bonsai crown no earlier than a year.

How to take care of a bonsai tree?

To ensure proper bonsai cultivation, you need to prepare a suitable pot and soil mixture for the plant. To limit the growth of the plant, you will need to trim part of the roots periodically.

For such trees, a shallow container is required. Over time, the bonsai will become heavier and gradually take on the shape conceived by the gardener. The pot should be such that the plant remains stable in it. To do this, you need to use more massive forms.

When growing, it is necessary to protect the roots from infection by the fungus. This requires moderate watering. The soil should not remain dry, but it should not be made too wet. Before planting a pine bonsai tree, it is recommended to boil the pot or treat it with an antiseptic solution.

Since miniature plants have shorter roots, denser soil is required to ensure their stability. In Japan, in landscape design, a special mixture called akadama is used for this purpose. An increased content of clay substrate characterizes it. Sand is added to this mixture to obtain the desired consistency.

To provide nutrition, it is necessary to add fertile land.

For certain types of plants in landscape design, it is customary to use a different composition of the soil mixture:

If we are talking about cherry blossom bonsai tree, you can use the following composition: seven parts of soil mixed with turf, three parts of sand, and part of nutritious humus. The composition must be thoroughly mixed before use.

To grow a ficus bonsai tree, you can take a mixture of seven parts of soil with sod and three parts of coarse clean sand.

For the juniper bonsai tree, a composition of three parts of soddy soil and two parts of sand is suitable.

The sand used for plants should be coarse-grained and well-washed. Before the prepared substrate is poured into the pot, a drainage layer is made in it.

An important part of growing an ornamental plant in landscape design is crown formation. To work with a growing willow bonsai tree, thick copper wire is used. To form a beautiful crown, you need to follow these steps:

It is necessary to remove branches from the bottom of the tree. On the crown, you need to select the main branches, the growth of which will need to be controlled. Usually, three are chosen, which should be visually located similar to an equilateral triangle. The remaining branches are removed. At the request of the gardener, you can work with a different number of main branches, for example, with 2 or 4.

The bend of the trunk is formed as follows. To do this, one end of the wire is attached to the roots, the other is evenly wrapped around the bent trunk of the plant.

To change the direction of the growth of branches, they must be appropriately tied with wire. At the same time, care must be taken not to tear off the bark.

When forming a crown, it is important to ensure that the branches do not grow beyond it. If this occurs, trimming is necessary.

If dried branches or leaves are formed, they must be removed so that the vitality of the plant is not wasted on them.

If you use braided wire, this will allow you to handle the plant more carefully. Drip irrigation is recommended for humidification. It is best to take melted and settled water. In the cold season, watering should be reduced.

When caring for plants on the site, you need to remember the need for top dressing. In spring, the main part of fertilizers should be nitrogen. In summer, plants need not only them but also potash and phosphorus. At the end of August, the amount of nitrogen is reduced while maintaining the recharge of potash and phosphorus.

How to use bonsai in landscape design

Growing a real bonsai tree is acceptable on the site in a variety of ways. You can, for example, get a plant 15-20 cm tall, or you can get about a meter. With the help of such plants, you can create a landscape of wildlife with rocks, grass, and stones. Sometimes such plants are put up in the country individually or in groups on special decorative stands.

If this corresponds to the master’s intention, you can put the plant in an artistic pot on the grass or as an element of a more complex landscape composition. This tree can be grown outdoors. It will be beautiful when used in Japanese-style landscape design: among decorative rocks, next to a pond, among beautifully selected flowers.