How to care for a red plum bonsai
The editor introduces how to care for a red plum bonsai and some green plant maintenance tips related to the cultivation and care of red plum bonsai, as follows:
Red plum is a type of plum blossom, belonging to the Prunus mume of the Rosaceae family, a deciduous small tree. It blooms in winter and spring, known as the harbinger of spring, blooming alone before all other flowers. Red plum can be planted alone, in clusters, or in groups in gardens, green spaces, courtyards, and scenic areas; it can also be naturally cultivated in front of houses, on slopes, among rocks, and by roadsides. Red plum can also be grown in pots for display.
Plum trees are native to the south of the Yangtze River, prefer warm climates, and have a certain degree of cold resistance. The flowering period is very sensitive to climate change, and it can still bloom at temperatures below 0°C in early spring. Plum trees prefer higher humidity in the air but dislike heavy rain during the flowering period. Plum trees can grow well in areas with annual rainfall of 1000mm or slightly more, and they are not picky about soil, being relatively tolerant to infertility. They can also grow normally in slightly alkaline soil. According to experience from the south of the Yangtze River, when planted in dense subsoil such as gritty clay and loamy soil, the branches of plum trees are full and the flowering and fruiting are abundant. They are sun-loving trees, preferring充足 sunlight and good ventilation. They are long-lived species. How to prune and care for a red plum bonsai?
I. Propagation methods of red plum: The propagation of plum trees usually involves methods such as seeding, cutting, grafting, and layering, with grafting being the main method.
1. Grafting propagation: The commonly used rootstocks for plum tree grafting include plum, apricot, cherry, peach, cherry, and wild cherry, with grafting methods such as cut grafting, split grafting, wood tongue grafting, bark grafting, adjacent grafting, patch bud grafting, tube bud grafting, and "T" shape bud grafting.
2. Cutting propagation: Hardwood cuttings are carried out after the leaves fall in autumn, using one-year-old lignified branches, cutting 8-10 cm long and inserting them into a prepared seedbed. The depth of insertion is two-thirds of the length of the cutting. After insertion, spray water, strengthen maintenance, and keep the seedbed moist for a high survival rate. To speed up the rooting of plum cuttings and increase the number of roots, plant growth hormones can be used to treat the cuttings, which has a significant effect on promoting rooting. Common growth hormones include indole butyric acid, indole acetic acid, naphthyl acetic acid, 2,4-D, and root powder, all of which have a good effect on promoting the rooting of plum trees. For example, using 50-100 ppm of indole butyric acid to treat old branches and 5-225 ppm indole butyric acid to treat young branches for greenwood cuttings. Tie the branches in bundles and soak them in the solution for 12-24 hours. Dipping the cutting ends in 1000 ppm 2,4-D powder also has a significant effect on promoting rooting. Soaking the base of branches in 0.1-0.5% potassium permanganate for 10-24 hours can also sterilize and promote rooting.
3. Layering propagation: There are low-layer and high-layer layering methods for propagating plum trees, carried out in May-June or mid-to-late October. Low-layer layering involves selecting branches close to the ground, choosing 2-3-year-old thick branches 25-30 cm long, using low-layer layering, making a 1 cm incision with a knife (the position of the incision should be buried in the soil when the branch is pressed into the ground), burying the incision part in the soil and securing it with stones, keeping the branch tip upward and preventing the branch from swaying. When it's time to plant, dig up the soil to check, cut the layered branch from the side close to the mother plant, and separate it from the mother plant to become a planting seedling. With proper care, it can root in about 20 days and can be separated from the mother plant and planted separately after 2 months.
Plum trees are shrubs, and the branches close to the ground may not necessarily be numerous. In addition to fully utilizing the low-layer branches, the high-layer layering method is usually adopted. This involves selecting 2-4-year-old branches that are growing vigorously on the crown, making a half to two-thirds ring bark removal at a distance of 20-30 cm from the base, then wrapping the wound with a mixture of fertilizer and some high-quality fertilizer such as compound fertilizer in a ball shape, and wrapping it with plastic film to keep it moist. The high-layering is usually carried out in early spring (February-March), and by August-September, white roots can be seen through the plastic film. The layered branches are then sawed off 3-5 cm below the ball and must be immediately planted in a false bed.
4. Seed propagation: The seed propagation method is not commonly used because the growth rate of seedlings is relatively slow and flowering is also late. Plum seeds can be sown in spring and autumn. Plum fruits mature in June-July, and the seeds should be collected and cleaned after the fruit changes color. If sowing in spring, the seeds should be dried and stored in wet sand, then sown in early spring. If sowing in autumn, collect the seeds in June-July, clean and dry them, and then sow them in the soil in autumn, covering them with fine soil. They will germinate the following spring. When the seedlings grow to about 10-15 cm tall, they can be transplanted.
II. Preparation of potting soil for red plum bonsai: When growing red plum at home, potting is usually adopted. For potting, it is necessary to prepare cultivation soil, which is quite important. A pot is a special small environment, and no single type of soil can meet all the needs of red plum. Therefore, artificial preparation of cultivation soil is necessary for potting red plum to replace soil and keep the plant fixed in the pot, with good water retention, drainage, looseness, fertility, and air permeability. The potting soil for red plum should be loose and fertile sandy loam mixed with an appropriate amount of decomposed cake fertilizer. It is best to消毒 the prepared cultivation soil at high temperatures (by frying in a wok or steaming) before use or can be sterilized by sunning.
III. Potting: First, place broken tiles at the bottom of the pot, then add some decomposed cake fertilizer, crushed bones, fish bones, chicken feathers, etc., as base fertilizer, then fill in the cultivation soil, with 2-3 plants per cluster and good root preservation. Trim the long lateral roots, injured roots, and excess fibrous roots, and prune the upper branches. Pay attention to the fact that the roots should be spread out, fill the soil to half the depth of the pot, then gently lift and shake the red plum plant to compact the soil. The planting should not be too deep, keeping the rootstock level with the pot opening. If too shallow, it will affect survival; if too deep, it will affect the growth of the red plum after transplanting. After planting, water thoroughly. newly planted plants should be protected from prolonged exposure to strong sunlight. After potting, water thoroughly twice, and keep the plant in a shaded environment for about a week before moving it to a sunny place for care.
IV. Pruning: Red plum has a strong germination force and easily produces long branches. Regular pruning is required to promote the growth of lateral branches, maintain a good tree shape, and promote flower bud formation. Pruning is usually done after flowering. The flower buds of red plum form on the new branches of the year. To increase the number of flowers, pruning can be used to promote more branching. Pruning of pot-grown red plum is more severe than that of ground-grown plants and should focus on thinning and shortening. Thin out the main and lateral branches that have bloomed and then shorten the lateral branches on the main branches to 2-3 buds. This can be combined with repotting for severe pruning, cutting off most of the branches, and removing some diseased and weak branches; then repot, add soil, and water thoroughly.
V. Daily management
1. Watering management: Red plum fears waterlogging. Too much water can damage the roots and cause leaf fall, affecting budding and flowering. Watering should follow the principle of wetting through in dry and hot seasons and controlling watering in low temperatures and rainy weather. In summer, water once in the afternoon, and during rainy days, turn the pot over to drain accumulated water. In autumn, reduce watering, and also water less during the flowering and leaf expansion periods.
2. Fertilizing management: In addition to applying base fertilizer when potting and repotting in spring, during the growing season in summer, fertilize with decomposed liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks to promote vigorous growth and dark green leaves. Stop applying nitrogen fertilizer during the bud formation period in autumn and increase a small amount of fast-acting phosphorus fertilizer to control plant growth and promote bud differentiation.
3. Thin out the buds before flowering.
4. Repot once after flowering in spring every year.
The above content introduces how to care for a red plum bonsai and related cultivation and maintenance tips for red plum bonsai, for your comprehensive understanding and reference!