Making of Wintersweet Bonsai

Step 1: Choose the right plant

It is usually chosen to dig up wild old root stumps and cultivate them underground, gradually nurturing them into ancient stumps. The main method is to select old tree stumps that have been cut down for many years, dig them up, prune the branches and protect the root system. Plant it in loose, well-drained soil, provide additional light, and transplant it into a pot after it takes root.

Of course, if you have a beautiful old stump at home, you can also use the grafting method to graft the branches of wintersweet onto the old stump. After it survives, it will be a beautiful wintersweet bonsai.

Step 2: Plant in a pot

Choosing a pot: It is best to use a purple clay pot for wintersweet, but a glazed pottery pot can also be used. Generally, small wintersweets are planted in round pots, square pots, hexagonal pots, etc., while old stumps are planted in medium-deep horse manure pots or crabapple pots; cliff-style bonsai are mostly planted in thousand-tube pots. The color of the pot should be dark purple or ochre red to set off the waxy yellow flowers and increase their ornamental effect.

Soil: Wintersweet is not very demanding on the soil, but well-drained sandy loam is preferred. For potted plants, try to choose well-rotted garden soil or leaf mold and mix it evenly.

Planting: Wintersweet is usually planted in pots in early March. Generally, it is planted at an angle to facilitate shaping. A shaping and pruning can be carried out before planting, and sufficient base fertilizer can be applied to the bottom of the pot when potting.

Step 3: Posture shaping

The shaping of wintersweet is mainly done by pruning and picking buds, supplemented by climbing and tying. . Its traditional modeling arts include "screen fan plum", "lump plum", "hanging branch plum", etc., especially the screen fan plum is the most popular. The following is a brief introduction to the production method of screen fan plum:

During March and April, use the "rolling knife method" and "dragon knife method" to twist the main branches into a spiral upward, then cut an oblique cut at the bend, carefully bend it so that the upper part of the cracked wood is supported on the lower part, use a vertical pole to support the newly bent trunk, and tie it with a rope. Then point all the branches tops downward. The incision should be coated with mud within one month and repaired as it falls off. After the basic skeleton is formed, pay attention to pruning and pinching in time to maintain the shape of the screen fan.

In addition to the screen fan shape, there are several other styles. You can try them yourself according to the pictures below:

Knotty Wintersweet Bonsai

Hanging branch wintersweet bonsai

Downwind style wintersweet bonsai

Dragon-shaped wintersweet bonsai

Oblique trunk wintersweet bonsai