"Bon Sai" is a Japanese word which means "put in a container." The purpose of bonsai breeding is to grow a dwarf plant similar to the real one. Genetically, bonsai trees are not miniature plants; in fact, any kind of tree can be grown in this way. The most popular dwarf trees are ficuses. They are quite unpretentious in care, grow quickly, have branched roots, a beautiful unusual bark, small leaves and an impressive trunk. Ficus Benjamin Bonsai and Ficus Ginseng Bonsai are especially appreciated.
Shapes and styles of ficus bonsai
Before you start growing ficus bonsai, you need to determine the shape of the tree. Depending on the choice, there will be a certain type of trim and garter. Each style has its own characteristics and growing requirements. For beginners, it is better to choose the directions of Hokidachi and Chokkan.
Ficus bonsai
Hokidachi Broom Style
This style is used for broad-leaved deciduous trees.
Hokidachi
Inclined Shakan Type
In this style of bonsai, the trunk of the tree is tilted in one direction, and the roots on the other side are turned out.
Vertical view of Chokkan
The external characteristics of trees grown in this style are thick roots, a vertical trunk, and a crown in the form of a triangle.
Chokkan
Cascading and semi-cascading styles (Kengai)
This is an artificial imitation of a tree grown on a cliff. The difference between these two forms is that in a cascade plant the crown is located below the upper edge of the pot, and in a semi-cascade plant it is higher, while the subsequent branching of the tree is below the edge of the container.
Curved Moyogi Shape
The stem of bonsai plants belonging to this style is slightly bent in one or more places. The general position of the tree remains vertical.
Moyogi
Forest construction Yose-ue
The composition consists of several trees (at least five), and not one with several trunks. The effect of a forest or grove is created.
Double-barreled type Sokan
To get a tree in this style, a single-rooted trunk is divided almost at the base into two thick branches.
Sokan
Choosing a Bonsai Soil and Container
Using the right soil mixture for bonsai trees is crucial. Soil is important for providing trees with nutrients, but it must be properly drained, provide sufficient aeration and retain water. When planting deciduous species, such as ficus Microcarp bonsai, the soil should consist of 50% of a mixture of river sand with clay and plant compost. You can add pumice and lava.
Important! Soil needs to be prepared with clay in the form of balls!
To make the bonsai tree look like a work of art and grow well, it’s important to choose the right pot for it. Ceramic vessels equipped with drainage holes should be bought. The value of such a material is that it has a porous surface and retains moisture. To make the composition look organic, it is important to correlate the dimensions and proportions of the vessel with the dimensions of the tree. Mismatch in size can lead to the appearance of mold at the root and even its decay.
Landing
Ficus bonsai can be grown from seeds, cuttings and processes.
Reproduction of ficus seeds
A step-by-step method for planting ficus seeds for bonsai:
- Soak the seeds in the growth stimulator (Heteroauxin, Humate or Epine) the day before planting.
- Pour the soil into the container 4 cm below the edge of the pot. Humidify it from the spray bottle and compact it.
- Place seeds evenly on the surface of the earth and sprinkle them with a thin layer of soil (no more than 0.5 cm).
- Humidify using a spray bottle, or through a napkin, so as not to damage the seeds.
- Cover the container with polyethylene or glass.
- Remove coating daily for 20 minutes to check the soil and reduce waterlogging. Water if necessary.
- After seed germination, remove polyethylene.
- Provide sprouts with bright lighting during the day, but protect them from direct sunlight. The optimum temperature is + 23 ... +25 degrees.
- After the appearance of the first sheet, make a pick and transplant into separate containers.
Note! In new pots, it is necessary to make a drainage layer of pebbles, perlite, expanded clay.
Reproduction of ficus shoots
Breeding plants using shoots can be carried out in water or land. There is also a method of propagation by air layering.
In water:
- Cut a piece of stem with two leaves.
- Place the stalk in a dark bowl with water. To accelerate the formation of his root, add activated or charcoal to the same place.
- When the root appears, the plant can be planted in the ground.
Additional Information! Direct sunlight should not fall on the flower.
Scion in the ground:
- Cut the stalk from the plant.
- Plant in a pot of soil. Cover with a plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect.
- When the first leaves appear, you need to periodically remove the package.
By air layering:
- Make an incision at the top of the main trunk of the ficus.
- Insert a small stick or match into it and wrap this place first with moss and then cellophane.
- Wet the moss periodically with water.
- When the roots appear, cut the stalk and plant it in the ground.
Attention! As the seedling grows, it is required several times to change the pot to a larger one. In order for the ficus not to be sick, the transplant should be done no more than once a year.
Crown formation and trimming
When the trunk has the required thickness, transplanting is no longer necessary. Now you only need to trim and form the crown. Pruning is done only in the spring. In autumn and winter they don’t do it, because the plant’s life processes slow down, and it is preparing for a dormant period. Fast-growing varieties of ficus are cut to two to four leaves after 6 to 8 new ones grow on the shoot. Pruning begins from the bottom, gradually moving up to the top of the head.
How to form ficus like bonsai
There are various ways of forming a bonsai-style plant: garter, wire wrapping and splicing trunks.
Ficus tying
Garter is used if you need to make an inclined trunk or change the position of the branches. The branches or the top of the trunk should be tied to the base, and when the plant gets used to this position, remove the ropes.
When wrapped with wire, it is wound from the bottom up to give a certain position to the branches or trunk. The wire should be thin and insulated.
Ficus wrapping
The trunk splicing method is best for Ginseng bonsai ficus. To do this, remove a piece of bark at the place of contact of the trunks, and pull them off. In the future, you will get an amazing composition.
On a note! Of the many varieties, it is easiest to make Benjamin Bonsai ficus with your own hands. It is more malleable for rework.
Care
The main procedures for caring for ficus bonsai at home are maintaining the temperature, choosing a pot and soil, watering, fertilizing and protecting against pests. There are a number of conditions that must be observed:
- The temperature in the room should be + 18-25 degrees, without sudden changes. Hypothermia and drafts are fatal to ficus.
- A tree needs a lot of light, in shaded conditions it feels uncomfortable.
- The pot should be wide and shallow, ceramic and with drainage holes.
- The soil requires loose, light, well-permeable water and oxygen. Peat, sand, vermiculite, expanded clay are used as a cultivator.
It is difficult to say clearly how often you need to water ficus bonsai. It is necessary to control the condition of the soil. You can not water abundantly so that the roots do not decay, but also the drying out of the soil should also not be allowed.
Fertilize in the summer 1-2 times a week, in the winter - once a month (if the dwarf is still growing). Apply mineral and organic dressing.
Why ficus bonsai drops leaves
If the ficus leaves the leaves too intensely, this indicates insufficient watering or a small pot. If the leaves turn yellow and fall in the summer, the reason is the lack of nutrients. It is urgent to apply fertilizer.
Diseases and Pests
Ficus is susceptible to various diseases. Some develop due to improper care (brown, brown spots, yellow edges). The reasons are severe watering or drought, sunburn. Other diseases result from infection with fungal spores.
Scaffold on ficus bonsai
Great damage to the plant is caused by pests that feed on plant sap and gnaw passages in the veins of the leaf and stems. Especially dangerous scale shield. It starts up in pallets where water remains. The insect sucks the juice from the leaves, depriving it of vitality. The presence of "swollen" brown spots is the result of the appearance of a scale insect. To get rid of it, you need to wash the leaves with soap and water, wipe them with a rag, and then treat them with chemicals: Colorado, Spark or Admiral.
If you follow the correct care at home for ficus, for example, Microcarp bonsai, then he will repay the rich foliage and become the original decoration of the interior.
