How to Make a Prunus persica Bonsai
Bonsai Management Tips: Knowledge about making Prunus persica bonsai, how to make a Prunus persica bonsai. Corrections are welcome if there are any mistakes!
The flowering period of Prunus persica is from March to April, which is longer than that of plum blossoms. The flowers are full, colorful, and rich in variety. Common cultivated varieties include white Prunus persica, Prunus persica, red Prunus persica, and even variegated Prunus persica with pink and white colors on the same tree, the same flower, or even the same petal. There are also菊花 Prunus persica, five-color Prunus persica, pendulous Prunus persica, and red-leaf Prunus persica.
China is the native land of Prunus persica, and there has been a tradition of cultivating and欣赏ing Prunus persica since ancient times. Prunus persica has the advantages of easy survival, short time for shaping in a pot, and controllable flowering period, making it an excellent spring flowering bonsai for decorating rooms, halls, and conferences. The trunk of Prunus persica is soft and easy to shape, and it can be made into oblique, curved, waterside, cliff, double-trunk, and thicket styles, or even root-up styles. Generally, with proper care, a beautiful Prunus persica bonsai can be cultivated within 3 years.
Prunus persica prefers high temperatures, has a certain cold resistance, loves light, drought resistance, and fertile well-drained soil. It does not tolerate waterlogging and grows poorly in alkaline and heavy soil. Basic cultivation methods are as follows:
1. Flowering control: When the bonsai is initially shaped, flowering control should be carried out. Prunus persica normally blooms around Qingming Festival. If you want it to bloom during the Spring Festival, place the Prunus persica bonsai in a sheltered, sunny area outdoors for winterization and move it indoors about 60 days before the Spring Festival, maintaining a room temperature of 15°C to 20°C.
2. Daily care: Prunus persica loves light and should be placed in a sheltered area, avoiding wind gusts. During the flower bud differentiation period from July to August, water should be reduced to promote flower bud differentiation. Watering should be reduced during the winter dormancy period. Fertilization should be light, avoiding excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer to prevent excessive growth of branches and leaves, which cannot form flower buds. Generally, apply a base fertilizer once a year in winter. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizer content can be increased before flowering. No fertilization is recommended from winter or after flowering until fruit setting to prevent blossom and fruit drop. During the growing season, dense flower branches should be thinned, and 1 to 2 pinching operations can be performed during the growing season. Long branches should be trimmed appropriately before flowering and around June to promote more flower branches. Repot every 3 to 5 years, preferably before spring germination.
3. Disease and pest control: The main diseases of Prunus persica are white rust and brown rot. White rust can be treated with a 50% wettable powder of萎锈灵 at 2000 times dilution, and brown rot with a 50% wettable powder of methyl thiophanate at 500 times dilution. Insect pests include aphids and leafhoppers, which can be controlled with a 40% emulsion of omethoate at 1000 times dilution.
4. Grafting propagation: Prunus persica bonsai seedlings are usually obtained through grafting. Generally, the seedlings of peach, plum, or apricot are used as rootstocks, and芽接 is performed in August. Grafting can make a tree bloom with two or more types of flowers. To shorten the time for making bonsai, natural wild stakes can also be used as rootstocks for grafting.
5. Making method: Cut the grafted peach seedlings 1.5 to 2.0 centimeters above the grafting bud after the following year's Jingzhe period to promote the growth of the grafting bud. During this period, potting and shaping pruning can be carried out: The soil for Prunus persica can be chosen to be loose, breathable, well-draining, and fertile sandy soil. The pot should be a purple sand or glazed ceramic pot that contrasts with the flower color. Shaping pruning should be carried out according to the tree's condition, growth, and personal aesthetic, using methods such as thinning, twisting branches, pulling branches, bending, shortening, flat cutting, making marks, and thinning flowers. To create a unique and elegant masterpiece, note that branches should be sparse rather than dense, as dense branches lack rhythm.
The above shared content on how to make a Prunus persica bonsai is for reference by green plant enthusiasts, hoping to solve your problems in green plant and flower management.