Read on to learn how to grow a small tree called bonsai at home. Helpful tips on how to care for the plant, as well as a video with recommendations for care. Bonsai art is native to the ancient east. Lovers of indoor plant growing were immediately captivated by this unique opportunity - to settle at home a piece of nature itself. Born in China and cultivated in Japan, bonsai has become popular all over the world.
At home, you can grow a delightful, amazingly beautiful miniature of a tree, which will be an exact copy of a carmona (tea tree), pomegranate, myrtle, ficus, azalea or peach growing in natural conditions.
Bonsai at home gives magnificent colors of spring flowering, freshness of green foliage in summer, golden charm of autumn and winter intricacies of branches, resting and waiting for the arrival of a new spring.
Indoor bonsai requires attention to itself, careful and proper care. Indeed, the plant is based on a tree that grows in a natural subtropical or tropical climate, coniferous forest or other conditions that are not so easy to create at home. Therefore, it is better to choose the type that is most close to the conditions of a particular region. However, with proper care, beautiful copies of exotic plants can be grown.
How to choose a bonsai for your home
Saplings of the cypress family, pine, juniper, maple, elm will be difficult in indoor conditions. They are most comfortable in the garden. In the house, it is better to settle a tea tree, myrtle, hibiscus, indoor acacia, gardenia, pomegranate, Benjamin's ficus, citrus fruits, etc.
Flower shops sell plants already planted in pots. However, you can take a seedling from natural soil. At home, the tree will live in a flat container (bowl). To balance the deciduous part and the root system, it is required to prune the crown and roots annually. Usually at the end of winter, bonsai need to be replanted, preparing for this new soil and a bowl 2-3 cm wider than the previous one.
So, having bought a plant, you need to transplant it correctly. To do this, cut the roots by about 1/3 and place them in a bowl with prepared soil. The crown can begin to form after two weeks, when the tree is well adapted to new conditions.
Bonsai care at home
The soil
A bonsai container must certainly have a good drainage system. The bottom of the bowl is covered with a layer of small river pebbles or expanded clay. Next, select the soil corresponding to the given plant. If suddenly one is not available, you can stop at a universal soil for indoor plants.
Above, it is advisable to plant a vegetation cover that will protect against excessive evaporation of moisture, for example, moss. Bonsai needs mandatory feeding, for which mineral fertilizers are used, intended for indoor floriculture. Intensive nutrition is necessary from the beginning of spring until the onset of winter rest, once every 2–3 weeks. The most effective feeding method is immersion. For this, about 2 g of fertilizer is dissolved in 1 liter of water, the solution is poured into a container, after which a plate with a plant is lowered there and kept until moisture is completely absorbed. For daily watering, melt water (if there is one) or ordinary water (preferably settled) is good; in the summer you need to remember about daily spraying.
Temperature for bonsai
During the year, the tree needs to be provided with a temperature as close as possible to that which corresponds to its natural habitat. Subtropical plants are quite easy to adapt to indoor conditions. In summer, it is advisable to take them out to the front garden, to the balcony, or simply leave them on an open windowsill. In winter, the temperature should not exceed 15 degrees, for tropical plants - 18. Protect the bonsai from drafts, do not put on too cold surfaces and do not place it near heaters.
Lighting
Bonsai temperature and lighting are mutually related. The less light, the lower the temperature should be. And with intense light, the tree will respond better to high temperatures. Indoors, bonsai may lack sunlight, especially in the autumn-winter period. This disadvantage is compensated for by artificial lighting, for which it is best to use a fluorescent lamp.
Small-leaved carmona (tea tree)
An excellent option for both home and office is karmona bonsai. Various very beautiful Japanese styles can be formed from it. It is an evergreen tree with small glossy leaves. Carmona blooms with delicate white five-petalled flowers. Its fruits are bright red-orange berries of small size, but they are inedible. We have two types widespread - small-leaved and large-leaved carmona.
The plant is very thermophilic; in summer it can be outdoors, but not in direct sunlight. In winter, the karmona must live in a heated room, and she also needs to provide good air humidity. To do this, you need to install the container with the plant in another container with water, but the first one should be located on hydro balls so that there is no contact of water with the ground. Water must be added regularly.
Most of these plants come from China. They come to us in the ground with a lot of clay. During watering, the substrate becomes substantially denser and the roots are deprived of sufficient oxygen. This land needs to be replaced as soon as possible. It is best to use clay granulate, and the optimal time for the procedure is spring. Young trees need to change the substrate every two years. Adults can do it less often, provided that they are watered with settled rainwater.
Moistening the substrate requires constant attention, in no case should the plant be allowed to dry, then it is very difficult to save it. A special organic bonsai product should be used as fertilizer. In the summer, you need to feed the tree once every 2 weeks, in the winter, once a month is enough. The plant needs mandatory protection from harmful insects that "love" it very much.
You can form a crown in any Japanese bonsai style. Shoots of karmon sometimes reach 10–20 cm. Branches of 1, 5–2 years of age are easy to shape with the help of wire, thicker ones require the use of tensioning devices. The tea tree propagates by cuttings and seeds. With the right care, you can grow a magnificent karmona bonsai that will be a true evergreen masterpiece on a tray and remind by its presence of a wonderful artist called nature, whose brushes belong to the most beautiful creations on earth.
Watch a video about a miniature bonsai tree - how to grow it at home:
Sageretsia Tea - pruning:
Pictures of a small tree:
