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Juniper bonsai have gained popularity in recent years. However, not everyone knows that you can grow it yourself. To do this, you just need to choose the right plant variety, capacity and learn the intricacies of juniper care.
How to make juniper bonsai
You can grow juniper bonsai in a natural environment or at home. However, a miniature tree needs to be accustomed to living conditions from an early age.
In order for the plant to feel good, young juniper seedlings are chosen to form bonsai at home. They lend themselves best to pruning, quickly take root in the room. Fresh cuttings of the plant from which the tree is grown are also suitable.
For garden bonsai, young seedlings are selected, not older than 2-3 years. They can be obtained by branching from an adult bush to ensure that all the maternal qualities of the plant are preserved.
Once planted, juniper grows rapidly. The natural form of the plant is columnar or bushy. It will take 2-3 years to create a bonsai. During this time, the tree will survive more than one pruning:
- First, they set the shape of the trunk based on their own desires and the characteristics of the seedling. The lower branches are removed, the trunk is wrapped with copper wire.
- The crown and skeletal branches are formed before the plant becomes an adult. So, it will more easily transfer all procedures. Shoots are fixed with wire or twine.
- Secondary shoots are formed last. Their direction can always be adjusted. Leaves should look in different directions to give volume to the tree.
It is easy to create a bonsai from juniper. There are many options that are easy to implement. The shoots of the plant bend easily, it is not a problem to set them in the right direction.
To make it easier for themselves to create bonsai, craftsmen use soft and hard wire, which fixes the trunk and shoots for a while.
Juniper Bonsai Care
To grow juniper bonsai, as in the photo, you need to choose the right container for planting the plant, the soil and create the right conditions. In the room and on the street, caring for a miniature tree will be different.
Juniper bonsai care at home
To grow a bonsai-style tree from juniper at home, the seedling is placed in a special bowl or low container. It must necessarily contain drainage holes for water flow. The bowl can be placed on a pallet with expanded clay or moss, which will help control the level of humidity.
Not too nutritious substrates are chosen as soil for a tree, it is desirable that the organic content in them be minimal. Most of it should be sand, peat, brick chips, bark. You can use purchased soil for cacti and succulent plants.
Have a pot with bonsai in a well-lit place, as juniper prefers light. However, direct sunlight is not allowed. In winter, the plant is removed away from the central heating. Dry air and heat will only harm the crown.
The room temperature must be stable. During the period of active growth – up to + 22 ° C, in winter – not higher than + 7 … + 10 ° C. In spring and autumn, the plant can be taken out to fresh air, but in the heat it is better to keep it cool.
Watering a miniature tree should be regular. In spring and summer – at least 3 times a week. In winter, the frequency can be reduced to 1 time in 15 days. Juniper is greatly benefited by crown spraying, which is done 2 times a day throughout the summer.
A young plant is transplanted annually as it grows. An adult juniper bonsai is transplanted every 4 years.
Juniper Outdoor Bonsai Care
To plant a garden juniper seedling and further form it in the bonsai style, choose a place with good lighting, but shaded at noon. It is better to place the plant along a wall or fence so that in winter it does not suffer from drying winds, and in spring the needles do not burn. The garden bonsai overwinters well, however, it is better to insulate the near-stem circle of a young plant additionally.
Water the garden tree abundantly, especially during the period of active growth. At the end of summer, watering is stopped so that the wood has time to mature before the onset of frost. In extreme heat, it is useful to spray the crown in the morning and evening.
What species are suitable for creating juniper bonsai
Not all varieties of juniper take root equally well on the street and at home. There are shrubs that are not intended for apartment growing. You need to know about these features of the species in advance.
Juniper bonsai
This type of juniper is quite unpretentious. A creeping shrub, its height does not exceed 1,5 m. Cossack juniper is the most suitable plant for creating bonsai with your own hands. Both a beginner and a professional can work with it.
To create bonsai in the garden, the branches are arranged in tiers. The crown is thinned out, and so that the shoots do not intertwine, they are fixed with a bamboo spacer and twine.
Juniper Bonsai
Do-it-yourself Meyeri juniper bonsai looks spectacular in the garden. From the beginning of spring to summer, the shrub grows actively, the tips of its shoots acquire a silver-blue hue. Later, berries appear, painted in dark blue, covered with a wax coating.
Common juniper bonsai
Common juniper is well suited for growing bonsai with your own hands. The shrub can grow in the shade, does not require special care, and is resistant to frost. The annual increase is small, even a beginner can form a bonsai.
Rock Juniper Bonsai
Juniper rocky creeping shape allows you to create bonsai without much effort on the part of a person. The shrub is compact, the crown does not need strong changes.
Juniper Virginia Bonsai
At a dacha in the southern part of Our Country, you can grow bonsai from virgin juniper with your own hands. The shrub tolerates drought well, its needles do not fall off and do not turn yellow. However, during a period of extreme heat, the plant must be sprayed by sprinkling, the soil should be kept moist.
Juniper Bonsai Expert Tips
A favorable time for pruning juniper bonsai is spring and early summer. To form a beautiful tree, you need to follow certain rules:
- Shoots that are not needed for formation are cut out when their length reaches 2 cm.
- Do not remove more than 40% of the crown at a time. Growing foliage gives strength to the tree.
- Inner foliage that is no longer growing is periodically removed to continue bonsai formation.
- The shoots are cut so that there is a replacement bud nearby, otherwise their growth will stop.
It is necessary to shape the trunk and shoots with wire from October to March. At this time, the structure of the shrub, its bends, strong branches are clearly visible. For growing bonsai, you need to choose only a healthy plant so that it recovers faster after the procedures.
Indoor bonsai needs mandatory wintering. It must be kept in a cool room, preferably on a glass loggia or in a winter garden. In the heat, the tree will not live all winter, it will definitely get sick.
Diseases and pests of juniper bonsai
The shrub rarely gets sick, but no matter how well it is looked after, the risk still remains. Particular attention during the care of a container plant should be given to its foliage.
Of the pests, the most dangerous for bonsai are:
- thrips;
- aphid;
- scale insects;
- spider mite;
- mealybug.
At the first sign of damage, the root is cleaned and sprayed with special protective equipment. If there are few pests, then you can fight them with folk remedies, for example, wash the needles with soapy water. However, a single procedure will not give anything, it will have to be repeated every 7 days until the pests completely disappear.
Chemical remedies can also be used, but the dosage must be accurately calculated. If it is increased, then crown burns cannot be avoided. Spray insecticides at a distance of 40 cm.
In addition, bonsai can get sick. The most common cause is maintenance errors, such as overwatering the plant. The roots of the shrub suffer from this, they are affected by powdery mildew or gray rot. To combat diseases, antifungal drugs are used and the irrigation regime is necessarily adjusted.
Conclusion
Juniper bonsai does not require special attention. Everyone can grow it, most importantly, learn the principles of formation and properly care for the shrub. A miniature tree will decorate any home or garden.
