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Juniper bonsai has 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 type of plant, capacity and find out the intricacies of caring for a juniper.
How to make juniper bonsai
You can grow juniper bonsai in their natural environment or at home. However, a miniature tree needs to be taught to habitat from an early age.
To make the plant 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, no older than 2-3 years. They can be obtained by removing them from an adult bush in order to ensure that all the maternal qualities of the plant are preserved.
After planting, the 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 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 corrected. The leaves should be facing in different directions to give the tree volume.
It is easy to create bonsai from juniper. There are many options that are easy to implement. The shoots of the plant bend easily, giving them the right direction is not a problem.
To make it easier for themselves to create a bonsai, craftsmen use a soft and hard wire, which fixes the trunk and shoots for a while.
Juniper bonsai care
To grow a bonsai from a juniper, as in the photo, you need to choose the right container for planting the plant, the soil and create suitable conditions. In the room and outside, caring for a miniature tree will be different.
Caring for juniper bonsai 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 drainage. The dish 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 the soil for the tree, it is desirable that the organic content in them is minimal. Most should be sand, peat, brick chips, bark. You can use commercially available cacti and succulent soil.
Place the bonsai pot in a well-lit place, as the juniper prefers light. However, direct sunlight is not acceptable.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 - no higher than +7 ... + 10 ° C. In spring and autumn, the plant can be taken out into fresh air, but in the heat it is better to keep it cool.
Watering the 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. A huge benefit to juniper is spraying the crown, which is done 2 times a day throughout the summer.
The young plant is transplanted annually as it grows. An adult juniper bonsai is transplanted every 4 years.
Juniper Street Bonsai Care
For planting a garden juniper seedling and its further formation in the bonsai style, choose a place with good illumination, 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 are not burned. Garden bonsai winters well, however, it is better to insulate the trunk 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 types 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 indoor growing. You need to know about these features of the species in advance.
Bonsai from Cossack juniper
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 a bonsai with your own hands. Both a beginner and a professional can work with him.
To create bonsai in the garden, 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
In the garden, the bonsai from Meyeri juniper, grown by their own hands, looks spectacular. From the beginning of spring to summer, the shrub grows actively, the tips of its shoots acquire a silvery-blue tint. Later, berries appear, painted in dark blue, covered with a waxy bloom.
Juniper bonsai
For growing bonsai with your own hands, common juniper is well suited. The shrub can grow in the shade, does not require special care, and is frost-resistant. The annual growth is small, even a beginner can form a bonsai.
Rocky juniper bonsai
The rocky creeping juniper allows you to create a bonsai without much human effort. The shrub is compact, the crown does not need strong changes.
Juniperus Virginiana Bonsai
At a dacha in the southern part of Russia, you can grow a bonsai from Virginia 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 with the sprinkler method, the soil must be kept moist.
Specialist tips for decorating juniper bonsai
A good time for pruning juniper bonsai is spring and early summer. To form a beautiful tree, you need to adhere to certain rules:
- Shoots that are not needed for formation are cut when they are 2 cm long.
- 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.
- Shoots are cut so that there is a replacement kidney nearby, otherwise their growth will stop.
It is necessary to shape the trunk and shoots with the help of wire between October and March. At this time, the structure of the bush, its bends, and strong branches are clearly visible. To grow bonsai, you need to choose only a healthy plant so that it recovers faster after the procedures.
Indoor bonsai needs mandatory wintering. It should be kept in a cool room, best of all on a glass loggia or in a conservatory. A tree will not live in warmth 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 should be paid to its foliage when caring for a container plant.
The most dangerous pests for bonsai are:
- thrips;
- aphid;
- scabbards;
- spider mite;
- mealybug.
At the first signs 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 one-time procedure will not give anything, it will have to be repeated once every 7 days until the pests completely disappear.
Chemical remedies can also be used, but the dosage must be calculated accurately. If it is increased, then crown burns cannot be avoided. Spray insecticides at a distance of 40 cm.
In addition, bonsai can be sore. The most common cause is care errors such as overflowing the plant. The roots of the bush suffer from this, they are affected by powdery mildew or gray rot. To combat diseases, antifungal drugs are used and the irrigation regime must be adjusted.
Conclusion
Juniper bonsai do not require special attention. Everyone can grow it, the main thing is to study the principles of formation and properly care for the shrub. A miniature tree will decorate any home or garden.
