How to care for young black pine and five-needle pine seedlings?
Comprehensive analysis of how to care for young black pine and five-needle pine seedlings, as well as the management methods and techniques for the maintenance of pine seedlings, let's take a look together.
There are various ways to obtain material for bonsai, some prefer to buy mature trees directly for maintenance, others cultivate using wild stakes, and some like to start from scratch, slowly nurturing a seedling into shape. Each method has its unique qualities, and each has something worth exploring and learning.
Pine species are commonly cultivated through methods such as seeding, cutting, and grafting, but Japanese five-needle pines have a low seed yield and seeds are not easily obtained, so grafting and cutting are commonly used for propagation. High-pressure methods can also be used for quicker material collection.
For two-year-old cutting seedlings, during the maintenance process, the original mother stake has undergone pruning of old leaves, but for young seedlings, both new and old leaves are allowed to grow naturally, with only a few unsuitable needles removed.
Tips for caring for young pine bonsai seedlings
Seedling selection suggestion: For pine bonsai, it is generally not recommended to choose one-year-old seedlings from the market for cultivation, as the growth of young seedlings is not very stable, especially in the case of off-site cultivation. Long-distance transportation and sudden changes in the environment can make it difficult even for mature trees to adapt, and the resistance of young seedlings is too weak, making them very prone to death. Therefore, proper consideration should be given when purchasing seedlings online.
Five-needle pine cutting seedlings
Cutting propagation of five-needle pines is much more difficult than high-pressure methods, but if you want to further understand the growth and environmental control of five-leaf pine seedlings, this is a good attempt. The photo above shows about 8 Xiangrui five-needle pine seedlings cut in September of the previous year, and 10 more were cut this April. The overall survival rate is not very high, with only a few survivors.
Maintenance environment, lighting: For these three two-year-old Xiangrui five-needle pine cutting seedlings, the cutting time is in late autumn. As the temperature drops after winter begins, it is necessary to consider the plant's protection from cold and wind. The initial lighting is limited, and the overall leaf color is pale, but the plants are all in good condition.
For 1-2-year-old seedlings, during daily maintenance, it is necessary to consider the plant's growth habits. In high summer temperatures, half-daylight maintenance is recommended, preferably with sunlight in the morning, and avoiding strong sunlight between 2 to 4 PM when the temperature is highest, which is beneficial for the growth of young seedlings. Trees over three years old can be maintained under full sunlight.
Cultivation medium: Pine tree seedlings themselves do not require high soil fertility, but it is necessary to ensure good drainage of the soil medium. Saline-alkaline and calcareous soils are not suitable for survival. The medium used for planting several young seedlings is a mixture of red jade soil, hard diabase soil, Kusonozan sand, and vermiculite (all fine-grained, about 2-3mm in size) as the seedling medium, which basically meets the needs of looseness, breathability, and water permeability. If the soil medium does not drain well, it can easily lead to root rot and death of the plant.
Based on the cost of red jade soil, the potting soil medium can also be mixed with decomposed leaf soil, acidic mountain soil, or river sand soil in proportion.
Water and fertilizer management: The two seedlings above are one-year-old black pine seedlings, and their root systems are not very strong. However, the potting soil is a bit excessive. Normally, the potting soil should not be too full, the soil surface should be about half a centimeter lower than the pot edge, and the top 2-3 centimeters of the pot surface should be removed and covered with fine red jade soil. This makes it easier to water during daily maintenance, ensuring sufficient water retention and making it more convenient for routine management.
When maintaining trees, it is necessary to keep the potting soil moist. Don't believe the myth that pines do not like moisture. The saying "dry pines, wet cypresses" refers to the use of fine media such as field soil and mountain soil. If the soil is too wet, the fine media does not have enough air between particles, and the roots cannot breathe properly, so it should not be too wet. If the particle size of the granular soil is large enough, even when watered through, there is still sufficient space between the particles to hold air for the plant roots to breathe.
Fertilizing techniques: When fertilizing young seedlings, a small amount of slow-release fertilizer is sufficient. During the seedling cultivation period, the root system is not well developed, and if the fertilizer is too strong, the plant may not absorb enough nutrients, which may burn the roots and be harmful to the growth of the young seedlings. The amount of fertilizer can be gradually increased, generally by placing a few small slow-release fertilizers in the early summer, then observing the plant's growth. If the plant is healthy, a slightly larger amount of fertilizer can be applied after the fall.
How to care for young black pine and five-needle pine seedlings?
Selection of seedling pots
Clay pots
Porosity (clay pots): White spots (mineral crystals from fertilizers) or mosses may adhere to old clay pots, which can be removed with a melon skin brush or a bristle brush. This will improve the porosity of the pot. Generally, before planting, the pot can be soaked in water to dissolve any remaining fertilizer crystals, allowing the clay pot to exhibit its excellent porosity. Additionally, the color change of the clay pot can also indicate the moisture content of the potting soil.
Priority of applicability: During the seedling cultivation stage, the selection of pots is less about the appearance and more about the applicability. If the bottom of the pot is not flat but round, most will have ventilation holes. If not, a notch can be filed in the bottom edge with a round file to ensure that the air in the potting soil is easily expelled during watering, which is beneficial for watering.
This design is the orthodox clay pot, but many clay pots on the market today may have omitted many of the expected shapes due to cost issues. There are many so-called root control pots that are simply a return to the old shapes, similar to the earlier red plastic pots, which are also this shape. If the bottom of the pot is flat and not placed on a grid, only three or four feet can be placed on the bottom (flat bottom design is the worst and not practical, but it saves labor in manufacturing).
In the process of cultivating seedlings, many enthusiasts have tried various methods based on soil aeration and drainage considerations, resulting in the technique of using screen baskets for seedling cultivation.
Using screen baskets as pots has obvious advantages and disadvantages and is not suitable for all situations. If using media such as field soil or mountain soil with poor drainage and aeration, the advantages of using screen baskets to enhance drainage and aeration are evident; the disadvantage is that water is not easily absorbed (drains quickly, and some areas may not be watered), and the potting soil is easily lost. Over time exposed to sunlight, the screen basket may become brittle and break, which cannot be avoided.
Medium conditions (screen basket): If using granular soil, the basic drainage and aeration requirements for the pot tree are generally sufficient, and using a screen basket only speeds up the drying of the potting soil (equivalent to reducing the time for the potting soil to cool down through evaporation of water) and increases the risk of water loss, especially in summer or in locations with high humidity, wind speed, and exposure to the elements.
There is another situation to note: if using a screen basket with gravel to plant, the difficulty of maintaining moisture is very high unless there is a water tray underneath, like a semi-hydroponic form, which has certain demands and challenges for tree species.
Finally, let's talk about the most common plastic pots
Such as this black plastic pot for planting orchids, which is quite good for cultivating seedlings. The worst drainage and aeration position is usually in the center of the pot, where there are the fewest roots. Most plastic orchid pots have a convex bottom design, effectively improving the drainage and aeration in the center of the pot, maximizing the utilization of potting soil. This is very suitable for plants that prefer drainage and aeration, such as the young seedlings of pine bonsai we mentioned today.
The above sharing on how to care for young black pine and five-needle pine seedlings and the management methods and techniques for the maintenance of pine seedlings is for your reference.