What kind of soil is best for plum blossoms? How to prepare soil for plum bonsai?

Plum blossoms have strong adaptability to soil and are not strict about soil acidity and fertility. They only require the soil to be loose and breathable. Alkaline soil and heavy clay soil are not suitable. Potted plum blossoms also require fertile soil, preferably not peat soil. Here is a soil preparation method for plum blossoms.

Soil requirements for plum blossom cultivation

1. Selection of planting materials

Plum blossoms are tolerant to barrenness, so the soil must be loose and breathable. The soil can be mixed with vermiculite and perlite to increase the looseness and breathability, as well as crushed coal slag and volcanic rock with good drainage.

Because the soil in the potting environment is limited and has poorer stability, potted plum blossoms are less adaptable to the soil than those planted in the ground. It is necessary to choose the soil preparation plan based on the growth habits and plant conditions.

Generally, plum blossoms are suitable for planting in fertile soil with good drainage . It is most suitable to use slightly acidic loam containing more particulate matter, so humus-rich garden soil, compost soil or leaf mold should also be added to the substrate.

2. Unsuitable planting materials

The water in peat soil evaporates slowly in summer, and plum blossoms are not tolerant to waterlogging, which can easily cause leaves to fall and root rot. Therefore, peat soil cannot be used , and the substrate cannot contain planting materials such as pine needles that are easy to ferment and rot .

If you use leaf humus, the humus will decompose in the rainy season, causing the temperature of the potting soil to be high and damaging the roots. Therefore, it is not suitable to use leaf humus, nor is it suitable to use soil with strong alkalinity or high clay content.

What soil is best for plum blossom potting?

1. Ordinary soil

Potted plum blossoms require soil with high fertility. If you want to use leaf mold, you must mix it with other planting materials. You can add compost soil and river sand to the leaf mold in a ratio of 2:2:1. You can also mix leaf mold with coarse river sand, garden soil and decomposed base fertilizer.

2. Soil for cuttings

The soil suitable for the cutting bed is a mixture of garden soil and compost soil in a 1:1 ratio, with 1/5 of the pot volume of sawdust placed at the bottom of the pot. A mixture of pond mud and rice husk ash can also be used to cultivate plants.

3. Soil for potting or repotting

When potting or repotting, the soil must be disinfected and sterilized, and sufficient basal fertilizer must be applied. Generally, organic fertilizer such as livestock manure can be used, and well-rotted cow dung can be used. The soil preparation plan is 5:2:2:1 loam, sandy soil, humus soil and organic fertilizer.

4. Soil for transplantation

If you want to transplant dug plum blossom stumps or mature stumps, you need to prune the branches and trim the roots before potting them. You can bury the roots with yellow sand first, and then use a mixture of loess and honeycomb coal slag as the planting medium after the wounds on the plum stump heal.