Points to consider when purchasing a bonsai from the market
This article provides an overview of bonsai creation, points to consider when purchasing a bonsai from the market, with specific details as follows:
When purchasing tree seedlings or stock for creating bonsai at the farmers' market or a flower shop, the following points should be noted:
1. Adapt to local conditions
When buying tree seedlings or stock for bonsai, one should choose suitable varieties based on their own cultivation conditions. Some beginners, unfamiliar with certain tree habits (such as whether they prefer sun or shade and their adaptability, for example, banyan trees and Melastoma have strong adaptability and can grow in both north and south China, while catalpa trees have poor adaptability and do not grow well in the north), blindly purchase them. Some have insufficient sunlight in their own cultivation area, yet they buy sun-loving trees such as black pine, Tamarisk, five-needle pine, plum, and pomegranate, resulting in the phenomenon of "green in the first year, yellow in the second, and meeting阎王 (Yan Wang, the King of Hell) in the third." Some may survive but grow poorly, with plum and pomegranate not flowering or fruiting, or flowering very little. If there is insufficient sunlight, one should purchase trees with strong adaptability and shade tolerance, such as boxwood, podocarpus macrophyllus, June snow, and bird plum. If you have a small courtyard and a small greenhouse at home, the variety of trees available for selection is much broader. There are many tree species that can be used to create bonsai, but the most popular are evergreens and flowering fruit trees. In winter, when all flowers wither, especially in the north where there is a lack of red and green, placing a few pots of evergreen bonsai with the vitality of spring in the room will add vitality to the living space.
2. Easy to survive
When purchasing a tree bonsai or seedlings, attention should be paid not only to the tree species but also to whether the tree can survive. To determine if a seedling or a piece of tree bonsai can survive, one mainly looks at the growth of the roots, branches, and leaves. Plants mainly absorb nutrients and moisture through fibrous roots, and trees with few or no fibrous roots are difficult to survive. Some trees may have many fibrous roots, but if they are severely dehydrated or dried, they are also difficult to survive.
At the same time, one should look at whether the branches and bark are full and have a normal color. If the branches and bark are shriveled or the color is not right (compared to the normal growth color of the tree), it indicates that the tree has been dug up for a long time or has lost too much water due to poor storage, making it difficult to survive. Some trees have leaves, making it easy to judge their survival rate; if the leaves are green, the survival rate is high; if the leaves are yellow and fall off when touched, the survival rate is low.
Additionally, it should be noted that trees with soil around the roots are easier to survive than those without, as the soil retains some intact fibrous roots and contains some moisture. In recent years, it is common to see some flower shops and growers selling inferior products as good ones, taking tree stock with few or no fibrous roots from the mountains and wrapping them with the lateral roots, fibrous roots, and straw of other trees to sell, and inexperienced people often fall for this.
3. Pay attention to observe the growth
Bonsai is a form of art, and the superiority of a piece of tree bonsai does not lie in its size or whether the species is rare, but mainly in its growth. Assuming it can survive, one should try to purchase plants with potential for development. Whether a tree stump or seedling has potential for development can be observed mainly from the roots, trunk, and main branches: generally, a developed root system with thick lateral roots and many fibrous roots is suitable for cultivating into a "hanging root and exposed claw" state. The trunk is the main basis for determining the style of a tree bonsai, and most of the styles are named according to the different postures of the trunk. Especially after potting, it is easy for the trunk to grow taller but difficult to thicken, and the trunk is generally thick and hard, making it difficult to change its original form. Therefore, when selecting tree stumps or seedlings, those with a short and twisted trunk are better. However, some straight-trunked stumps also have their own characteristics, and if the branches are handled properly, they can also be very beautiful. In addition to the roots and trunk, one should also observe the proportion of the main branches and the trunk; if the thickness of the main branches is almost the same as that of the trunk, the resulting bonsai will not be beautiful. Also, pay attention to the distribution of the main branches; a paired arrangement is not beautiful, while an alternating arrangement facilitates shaping. One should also guard against pests. When purchasing tree stumps or seedlings, be careful not to bring home trees with pests. Check for pests such as aphids and red spiders on the trees, branches, and leaves, as these pests often live on the backs of leaves or on tender branches and leaves. Some tree trunks are infested with brown, white, or brown scale insects, which are covered with a layer of wax and difficult to kill with pesticides. If not careful, buying a tree with pests can not only harm the purchased tree but also spread to other flowers and trees.
The above is a detailed explanation of the points to consider when purchasing a bonsai from the market, for your reference and suggestions only!