How to grow bonsai from seeds at home: step by step instructions. Planting and caring for bonsai at home

My dear lovers of the beautiful and unusual, I hasten to please you, following my not tricky advice, you can grow "bonsai", one of the most expensive and sought-after plants in the countries of near and far abroad. Recently, this exotic culture has gained the right to life in our country, but the prices for bonsai are quite high and not every consumer is ready to pay big money for aesthetic pleasure.

The idea of ​​growing this crop has long fascinated many generations of amateur flower growers and do not be afraid of difficulties. With a little effort and a bit of patience, you will be able to master this tricky technique. Before you get started, I want to warn you, bonsai requires daily attention! 10-15 minutes a day is enough for your brainchild to develop perfectly, delight the eye and amaze guests with its beauty.

What may be required. Of course, you will need a container for growing bonsai, but you can experiment with any other dishes that are at hand. The main thing to remember is that bonsai literally translates as "growing on a tray." Accordingly, the dishes should be with fairly low sides, preferably from frost-resistant materials. We also need sandy soil, copper wire, budding knife, tongs and scissors for bonsai. Well, perhaps, we have everything we need, we can begin to analyze the crops for planting.

Plant species suitable for bonsai can be divided into 2 categories.

The first is coniferous bonsai. Pine, spruce, cedar, juniper - these are tree species that are not difficult to find in our forests and nurseries. Best of all, juniper tolerates wintering in an apartment. But any coniferous culture needs low temperatures from -4 to 0 degrees. Here, greenhouses, greenhouses, greenhouses and even balconies will come to your aid. Special attention I give greenhouses "dacha 2dum" because they have the function of additional building if necessary. And when growing seedlings, they did not show themselves badly. And if you want to harvest an early harvest of cucumbers or tomatoes, then you certainly can’t do without it.

If it is not possible to provide your pet with the right temperature, remember that you can save the plant even at higher rates, but not higher than + 12-15 degrees. The main condition is frequent spraying, top dressing 2 times a month, drying out of the soil in the container is not allowed!

The second category is leafy bonsai. This category, in turn, is divided into 2 sections: evergreen deciduous bonsai and deciduous deciduous bonsai. There is already a place for fantasy to roam! But it should be borne in mind that if you opted for an evergreen deciduous plant, then it will endure wintering in an apartment well. Watering should be daily, without drying out the surface even for one day, mandatory spraying 2 times a day, 2-3 feedings per month. In the case of the deciduous variant, wintering in room conditions will require coolness and light. Water as needed, no top dressing during the winter.

For beginners, I advise you to try juniper, linden and beech. The next step may be oak, and then all the other more fastidious crops.

There are several ways to grow bonsai.

The first and longest-term program is the cultivation from seeds. The lesson is not for the impatient, it will take at least 2 years before the sprout can begin to form.

The second way is air layering. It is desirable to carry out the procedure from May to June, when the processes of sap fermentation are just beginning to wake up in the tree. On the tree you like, find a v-shaped cutting. With a budding knife, make 2 circular horizontal cuts under the mother plant. Then remove the bark between them and sprinkle the bare part with growth hormones. Wrap the treated surface with moss or peat and cover everything with foil. After 3-6 months, the root system will appear and it will be possible to separate the cutting from mother plant for a transplant.

And the third one is the easiest and fast way, for those who do not like to bother. Buy a 2-3 year old seedling from a nursery and get to work. There is a belief that inexpensive seedlings usually bring the fastest results.

Well, we have purchased suitable plant. We plant a seedling in a well-disinfected container, after cutting off the roots according to the volume of the container. side shoots should be shortened by a quarter. Wrap the docked branches with wire and give the desired shape. It is important to know that the plant does not need too fertile land, the soil should be a mixture of sand, poor soil, peat and compost. All the necessary trace elements should come from bait, this allows you to regulate the growth of your tree yourself.

After planting, the soil around the plant should be compressed and shed abundantly. Bonsai requires daily watering, during the growth period, do not forget to add to the water for irrigation liquid fertilizers every 2 weeks.

Well, the planting is over, the plant has taken root. It's time to think about how you want to see your tree in the future. I offer you several types of cupping.

1. Formation of a plentiful crown (works great with elms - photo 2). To obtain a reliable result, it is necessary to shorten long branches by 1-2 leaves several times a year. There is another version of the execution - remove the entire bough, after a couple of months, small branches will completely fill the entire volume formed at the saw cut site. It remains only to keep an eye on and cut the branches as they grow, forming the necessary look.

2. Plant grafting method. It will require some experience in administering vaccinations, but a few training sessions will fully provide the necessary skill. It is worth carrying out this operation in winter, when the tree is at rest. Let's get acquainted with the necessary terminology. The branch of the plant that they want to grow is called a "graft", into the trunk to which they are attached the new kind plants are called "rootstock".

Cut the scion diagonally and carefully insert it with a sharp end into the side cutout on the rootstock. In this case, the cut surfaces on the scion and rootstock should coincide in combi layers. Next, coat the joints with garden pitch and wrap tightly with a dark plaster or plastic tape. Do not be afraid to experiment and success will be guaranteed. The main advantage of grafting is that on one tree you get the opportunity to have several trunks. different types trees (the main thing is that the trees belong to the same family).

Let's take a look at some of the main styles used for crown development.

It does not take much effort to change the direction of the trunk. A coil of wire and your imagination is enough. In some cases, use a weight to bend the branch down.

Vertical style. To bring this style to life, they form a trunk growing straight up. First, several branches are removed, leaving the strongest lower branch, and those following to the top are thinner. Pruning buds and branches helps to minimize the plant.

The broom style is the easiest. Branches are removed by half the length. After pruning, strengthened nutrition should be carried out in order to restore the strength of the plant. The crown is shaped like a broom.

The horizontal type of crown formation involves pruning the upper parts of the tree and enhancing the growth of lateral shoots.

As you can see, it's not that difficult! The main thing is your desire and success is guaranteed! In the summer, when nature triumphs, take your plant outside and let it breathe in fresh air! I remember my mother always said: "A bonsai is a small child. If you want to drink, then you need to bring him too. If you are hot, then he is not comfortable." A living mini tree will perfectly complement the interior of your garden. I grow trees right in the apartment, I especially love citrus fruits. The only thing you need to monitor the temperature, citrus flowers like coolness during flowering. Well, perhaps the most basic thing you need to know about bonsai, we have considered. It remains only to wish you success in not an easy, but exciting business.

Bonsai is one of the most original jewelry at home (unless you're in medieval Japan, of course). This is a fusion of the familiar with the impossible: the most ordinary trees that we don’t notice on the streets suddenly appear before you as if they were brought from the country of the Lilliputians. Now you will learn how to grow bonsai at home.

What you need to grow bonsai:

• Wish
• Time
• Patience
• Inspiration

It is most important. Everything else will follow. And this is what should apply:

• Seeds of the most common (that is, normal-sized) tree;
• Small pot or peat cup;
• Pot for indoor plants;
• Sand, humus;
• Some fungicide (of your choice);
• fertilizers;
• A piece of polyethylene or glass;

As you can see, nothing supernatural.

Seed selection

Of course, you can use ready-made seedlings - it will be easier. But this is not the way of a real samurai... This will only be half your bonsai. So let's start with seeds.
When choosing them, the main criterion is your taste and capabilities. Bonsai can be grown from both deciduous trees and coniferous and even shrubs. However, the choice of seeds is very important not only for your future aesthetic pleasure from admiring a miniature tree, but also for the very work with the plant. Different trees require different conditions- some are more thermophilic, moisture-loving or cold-resistant, some are less. Before you start growing bonsai, you need to learn everything about the selected tree. It should be remembered that tropical plants it is more difficult to grow in our latitudes, so think about whether you can arrange for them the conditions of their homeland? Also, do not forget that most of the trees of our latitudes require "wintering", if you are going to grow bonsai in an apartment and you do not have a place where it is cold enough in winter, then you should forget about growing such trees. And in general, for starters, you should take a tree in a simpler way, for example, the Chinese Elm is a small-leaved tree that is not whimsical enough and is great for growing indoors.

Preparing seeds for planting

Time to plant the seeds so that they germinate by early summer (depending on the tree you choose). Only in summer can picking be carried out, because in winter it will undermine the strength of the plant too much, and it will die.

Seeds of some deciduous trees need stratification. They need to be put in a pot with wet sand, wrap it in cellophane and leave for 1-3 months (depending on the tree). A couple of days before planting, the seeds should be placed in warm water. Before planting, they must be treated with a fungicide.

Planting seeds

Seeds should be planted in small pots (or peat cups) with soil, which is a mixture of sand and humus (for example, sphagnum) in a ratio of 1:2. Such a mixture well passes the air needed by the plant. It should also be treated with a fungicide before seeds are placed there. This mixture should not reach the edges of the pot 3 cm. Then you need to make a layer of real soil 1 cm thick. Pressing it down a little with a stone or piece of wood, lay out the seeds and sprinkle them with sand (the thickness of this layer should not exceed 2 seed diameters). Then again press down the sand and water. Cover the pot with a piece of polyethylene or glass so that the plant feels like in a greenhouse, and place it in a place where the temperature is ~ 15ºС. The first step has been taken!

seedling care

Keep the soil moist while waiting for sprout. When it appears, it will be necessary to ensure the flow of air by making holes in the polyethylene or lifting the glass with something. Seedlings can be opened when the first leaves appear.

After 3-4 leaves appear, transplant the sprout into a pot for indoor plants. At the same time, cut to the main 2/3 root.
After 1.5 months after picking, feed the plant. At good growth picking can be done several times. By the end of summer, move the bonsai to a cooler place and stop fertilizing.

In the first spring, transplant the seedling again into another soil (of the same composition).
Keep your plant well lit. With a lack of light, the plants begin to grow rapidly in height (to outgrow the one who shade them), which will only harm the tree, which should be miniature.

If the bonsai is growing too fast, several horizontal cuts (but not ring cuts) can be made to moderate the transport of substances along the trunk.
Don't let the soil dry out, but don't overwater it either. High humidity is necessary for bonsai, so keep it longer on the battery and periodically spray it with water.
Protect the plant from drafts - for him these are real hurricanes.

After a few years, when the tree has grown to a suitable size, it will be possible to start shaping it. The method is simple - cutting branches. But be careful, you can't glue the cut branch back into place ... Take an example from "real" trees. Photograph them or draw them, and then try to reproduce their shape on your pet.
To give the bonsai trunk the curve you want, tie parts of it with wire to the edge of the pot or pegs specially driven in for this purpose. It is possible to form the desired bends from the moment the sprout is transplanted into a separate pot. Remember that self-grown bonsai will bring you satisfaction from the work done and will participate in creating an atmosphere of comfort in the house. But first you should be patient and devote a considerable amount of free time to it.

Not everyone can grow bonsai correctly at home, because this is a real art that requires creativity and special skill from a person.

As you know, bonsai is a copy of an ordinary tree, but only on a smaller scale. Such plants are very often used to create a unique and original interior at home or office space. Before you grow a bonsai, you will need to spend a lot of time studying the special literature on planting techniques and further care.

In order to create such an object of art at home, you need to take care of the following tools and working materials in advance:

• special ceramic bowl for bonsai;
• stalk of the future tree;
• expanded clay;
• granite chips of different colors;
• thick soft wire;
• sharp garden knife;
• secateurs;
• chernozem;
• elements for decoration (beautiful pebbles, moss, etc.).

Bonsai: cultivation

In order to learn how to grow a bonsai on your own, consider detailed instructions with which you can not only choose the right essential plant, but also to create a unique work of art that will decorate your home for a long time.

Cutting selection

For the formation of bonsai, it is necessary to acquire such a plant so that it has medium-sized but beautiful foliage, a densely woody trunk, as well as quickly blooming flowers. Some of the cheapest cuttings are trees such as orange and lemon. Of course, you are unlikely to be able to achieve fruit from them, but the bonsai of them will turn out perfect.

Choice of future style

Decide in advance on how you want to see the bonsai that you plan to grow yourself. Draw an approximate shape of the crown and trunk on a piece of paper, and also think about its future decoration. It is worth noting that you will have to keep this sketch for a long time, since growing a beautiful and stylish tree can take you more than one year.

Buying a ceramic bowl

Choosing a container for a bonsai is no less important than buying the cutting itself. After all, this is also part of the composition, which plays a huge role in decorating the room. The bonsai must be in harmony with the chosen plant, it is also recommended to give preference natural materials(clay, ceramics, etc.). In order for the tree to grow quickly and not hurt, you need to choose a bowl with a large number of drainage holes.

Proper soil preparation

In order to avoid accelerated growth of bonsai, it is not recommended to use fertile land when planting it. If you live in a city, then such raw materials can be easily found in flower shops. And in the case of living in rural areas, it is advisable to prepare a suitable soil mixture yourself. To do this, you will need ordinary garden soil and some coarse river sand. The prepared raw materials should be thoroughly mixed, and only then proceed to planting the plant.

seedling processing

Before planting a cutting in a ceramic bowl with earth, you will need long time grow it in a regular pot (about two years). In addition, in the process of such preparation, thin branches should often be removed, leaving a strong trunk and strong shoots. This procedure is necessary in order for the plant to acquire a good root system, as well as the desired thickness and size. After the trunk of your tree gets stronger and acquires special hardness, you can safely proceed to the formation of the crown.

crown processing

To create this form home plant, which would be no different from a real tree, you need to selectively remove shoots that do not match your old drawing. To give the individual branches suitable lines, you should fix them in the desired position with a thick but soft wire. This must be done carefully so as not to harm the entire plant. First you need to process the lower shoots, and only then climb up. Do not pull the wire too tight, as it will easily plunge into the trunk, and then form ugly scars on it. It is advisable to leave the fixing elements for several months, because shaping is considered complete only after removing the wire, you note the safety of the necessary lines.

Transplanting bonsai into a ceramic bowl

For such a transplant, you should remove the plant from the container, and then clean the roots from the soil and remove unnecessary elements. Lay a dense net at the bottom of the bonsai so that during watering the earth does not wash out with water. Next, you should pour expanded clay, and then a little prepared soil. After that, it is necessary to evenly put the plant, straightening all its roots, and fill up the soil, fixing the trunk well. The soil must be carefully watered, and, if desired, decorate it. decorative stones, ceramic chips, live moss, etc.

Video

To learn in detail about the art of growing bonsai at home, watch the following video:

You can plant bonsai yourself. The main thing is to choose the right plant so that it feels comfortable in environment. The cultivation technology is not at all complicated, but it requires regular monitoring of the formation, a lot of time and effort. Bonsai must be properly cared for. It is important to create favorable conditions affecting appearance and growth - light, humidity and air temperature, watering, soil.

The bonsai growing kit includes:

• Instruction;
• Pot;
• Priming;
• plant seeds;
• Fertilizer.

Some kits have a wire and a special pallet in their completion. In principle - "any whim for your money."

You can buy a ready-made set in a store or order it online. In this case, you can at the same time choose any seeds at your discretion.

How long does a bonsai tree grow from seeds

The growth period of bonsai is determined according to the type of tree. Growing such a miniature tree from a seed at home will require a lot of effort and patience.

Bonsai growth periods:

• Seed care. This process, on average, takes several years.
• Germ care. From this point on, the process becomes more interesting.

All subsequent time, bonsai grows and pleases its creator. In Japan, such plants have been grown for centuries and millennia, passing the tree by inheritance. Some bonsai trees live up to 4,000 years.

The most durable are coniferous bonsai.

Today it is available to purchase a ready-made sprout and immediately plant it. In this case, you can save several years. But you will not receive guarantees that this is actually the same tree, and not a dwarf fake. The cost of a bonsai tree directly depends on the type of plant and how old it is. Seeds are inexpensive - from a few rubles apiece. And for comparison, a maple bonsai 30 cm high costs approximately 1900 rubles, and the same plant 65 cm costs 11900 rubles.

How to transplant a bonsai yourself: a step-by-step guide

Simultaneously with the transplantation of the tree, the soil and the bowl are replaced. Bonsai should be repotted approximately every 1-2 years, as evidenced by its appearance and growth process.

Bonsai Transplant Steps, Beginner's Guide:

• Drainage holes should be reinforced;
• Carefully clean the roots of the tree from the soil;
• Place the bonsai in a new environment and spread the roots;
• Cut the roots with scissors about 1/3 or step back from the edge of the bowl by 2 cm;
• Place the plant firmly, pressing the soil with your fingers.

Plants under the age of 5 years should be transplanted every year in the spring. The soil is changed every time. First formative pruning of the tree after about 5 years. Bonsai, whose age is from 10 years old, should be transplanted once every 10-15 years.

Bonsai in new soil should not be exposed to bright sunlight for the first two weeks.

How to grow bonsai (video)

Bonsai has gained wide popularity in countries around the world. Needlework lovers could not help but notice such art. Miniature trees are made from various gem stones or beads. The process of making bonsai and stones is quite creative and difficult, requiring care with the use of imagination. Recreating the original in such a performance hides a mystery and a special energy.

) showered questions about the possibility of growing bonsai at home.

First, I will say a few words about the history of growing a decorative miracle tree. It's amazing, complex and incredible interesting art appeared in China in 200 BC. cultivation dwarf trees in small containers it was called in the Celestial Empire - pen-tsai. Now the Japanese name "bonsai" is in use.

The inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun perfected the process and instilled a love for potted trees throughout the world. There is a legend: samurai, leaving for war, took small plants with them. Their plants were a talisman of life and invincibility.

It is striking that the occupation of the local nobility, which originated in China and reached aerobatics in Japan - the cradle of oriental wisdom and deep understanding of the world - has spread throughout the world, leaving no people indifferent, even if they are completely far in their worldview from the legislators of this fashion.

At homeartbonsai is valued on a par with sculptures or paintings by famous artists and certainly has its own masters, reaching high level in this case. It also has a deep philosophical meaning. For this reason, more valued coniferous species, since it is they who symbolize eternity, in contrast to the deciduous ones, shedding dead leaves.

I can’t say that I am a very big specialist and “mini-gardener”, I cannot boast of my own garden of mini-trees, but, as far as I know, growing them is quite simple. wonder tree Bonsai is easy to grow even for a beginner grower. There is an opinion that this plant needs some special care, but it's not. For a mini tree, a small ceramic pot with good drainage and loose sandy soil is enough, and good lighting. Bonsai are watered infrequently, as the soil dries completely.

To keep your tree miniature, you should grow it in a small pot and periodically pinch the top so that it grows not in height, but in breadth. But, as always, no matter how simple this project looks, you can be sure that as it is implemented, you will stumble upon "shoals and underwater reefs." Therefore, I will give here recommendations that will allow you to avoid trouble and disappointment.

To grow bonsai indoors, initially you need to choose the right types of trees, namely from a special group - “indoor bonsai”, since there is also a group of “garden bonsai”, which are much more resistant to the vagaries of nature, but are completely unsuited to live in indoor conditions.

In addition to the needs specific to bonsai, you should always take into account the growing conditions of each particular plant from which you will create a mini-tree. I must say that it is better to take specimens whose homeland is your region of residence. But this is especially true for garden species, and then you can experiment on any hardy tree.

If the tree is not grown independently, then bonsai turns into a rather expensive pleasure. In addition, when buying, you can run into a fake - a skillfully finished seedling big tree or dwarf specimen. Therefore, it is easier, certainly and much more exciting to grow a tree yourself in a room from a seedling, a rooted cutting or a seed (citruses, coffee). Only it should be noted right away: this is not easy - painstaking and lengthy work, requiring maximum attention and time.

For bonsai, specimens that form a lignified trunk are suitable. plant species for bonsai room decorations see Attachment.

The essence of technology bonsai is to artificially slow down the growth of a full-fledged shoot from an ordinary tree. This is achieved in several ways, the main of which is the formation of a crown to give the bonsai the appearance of a naturally growing tree. This is a very artistic, fantasy work and is almost a whole science. To shape a bonsai, the following steps apply:

• planting a tree in a small container
• selection of infertile soil and application of fertilizers only in the form of a minimum
• frequent pruning of young buds and shoots
• frequent pruning of the roots, mandatory when transplanting
• cutting the bark of the trunk leading to its aging
• stopping or weakening the flow of sap in the tree - for this, incisions in the trunk are used, compression with copper or aluminum wire (for conifers for 6 months, for deciduous for 3, wire ingrowth is unacceptable)
• bending and twisting the trunk and branches with wire, which requires special care

All techniques for shaping a tree are made in the summer and only after the tree is well accepted and strengthened in its pot. Even pruning of roots and branches should balance the proportions of bonsai above and below ground in growth.

Pruning of branches is also done with meaning: when a section of a branch is removed, an impetus is given to increased growth of a shoot or bud, below the cut part. So by finding shoots sticking out in the direction you want and removing the top part, you can get the entire branch to grow where you want it to. Pruning is done without leaving a knot, close to the growing element. The remaining branches and trunk will become stronger and thicker.

According to the shape of the crown, trunk and roots, many styles of bonsai are distinguished (see APPENDIX). A certain style is characteristic of a certain type of plant.

Bonsai in the room: care

The lighting needs of bonsai are different in each case, but the tree must definitely get bright sunlight at least for a while, shading from too strong a sun, otherwise it will die. Then it is worth considering what shape the bonsai is and, based on this, turn it towards the light. Need wind protection. Indoor bonsai should be determined for the summer outside, only fresh air requires gradual getting used to.

Bonsai containers are special, necessarily unglazed inside and with a good outflow of water - clay or ceramics - shallow containers. A harmonious combination of plant and pot is appreciated, while the impression should be that the tree grows naturally and in no case should it be noticeable that it is being formed.

It makes sense to stop the choice on the ground on a special purchased mixture for bonsai - ordinary land will not suit them. It is not easy to make the mixture yourself: half of the organic mixture is leaf humus, peat, orchid substrate, crushed pine bark, plus half of the coarse-grained substrate - sand, stone chips. Adding lumps of clay will increase the moisture content of the mixture.

Plain room temperature in warm weather and somewhat cooler in winter - in general, many bonsai are quite thermophilic, with the exception of conifers. According to the conditions of maintenance, bonsai are excellent, as bathroom plants. They require constantly moist, but not waterlogged soil (good drainage holes in the container are needed for this purpose) and very high humidity. Watering - every day, with warm water by immersion or thin streams from above through a sieve. Some bonsai are best watered with rainwater due to lime intolerance. The best place this is a pallet with pebbles in addition with frequent spraying. In a word, dry air for mini-trees is detrimental.

Transplant every 2 years in the spring. Cutting the roots by 1/3 and planting in the same pot with only a new soil mixture. Shake off the old soil from the roots a little. Top dressing: in summer - complex fertilizer, in winter less often - with a low nitrogen content. It is less laborious to use long-acting fertilizers in granules.

No matter what principle you may want to grow bonsai in the room - “through the small to see the great”, the ability to see in miniature all the greatness of mother nature or pride in improving oneself in growing unique plant specimens. The main thing is that you love your pet, and every day he brings happiness, harmony, peace of mind and peace of mind to your home. And in his ability to create completely unique interior in your apartment there can be no doubt about it.

RePo - positive repair hopes that our article will be a good start for you to start growing bonsai. But besides this, special books on technology may be needed. For any gardener, the main motto here will be "There is no limit to perfection!"

APPLICATION

plant species for bonsai room decoration

Bonsai styles