Buxus macrophylla is a typical alpine evergreen tree species, with fine and firm wood, bright leathery leaves, slow growth and low water consumption. Cold tolerance, drought tolerance and shade tolerance are its most remarkable characteristics.
Years of investigation and practical experience have proved that the main reason why wild Euonymus japonicus is difficult to survive after going down the mountain is the sudden change of its special living environment.
Like other creatures, wild Euonymus japonicus has formed its own unique growth inertia in the long ecological history. That is, in a specific natural environment, we habitually adjust the adaptive function of cells and tissues according to our own needs and ways, and absorb external nutrients to maintain their life growth. Changing this inertia will easily lead to poor growth and even death. The reason is similar to our common "altitude sickness" and "acclimatization".
Generally speaking, the branches and leaves of wild Euonymus japonicus will not change much due to the age of the tree and the degree of root damage, as long as proper watering and careful care are given within a few months or even a year or two after transplantation. The younger the tree age, the stronger the root cell vitality and the greater the possibility of survival. But even if they survive, they often turn green slowly in spring, have a long dormancy period, and are sparse and weak, and most of them are in a state of being stiff and not dying. The older the tree, the faster the root system shrinks. Although the nutrients in the trunk can keep the leaves from withering immediately, it is difficult to change the fate of death. Occasionally, new roots will appear, so we should pay attention to water control and proper illumination, protect and strengthen the roots, and avoid rushing to fertilize.
As a unique endangered and precious tree species in the world in China, Buxus macrophylla is affected by natural conditions, tree species characteristics and man-made destruction, and the distribution range and growth quality of wild population are weakened year by year. Protecting and cultivating natural resources and realizing the sustainable development of ornamental plant industry should be our common idea.
After nearly 18 years of domestication and selective cultivation, Buxus macrophylla has gone through the process from high mountains to foothills and then to plains in the region, and the cultivation mode has gone through the stage from fine to extensive, completely adopting the cultivation mode under open-air natural conditions, and has withstood the tests of severe weather such as winter ice and snow, summer scorching sun, rain and waterlogging, drought and so on, with strong adaptability. Its tree species characteristics, growth, stress resistance and cultivation techniques are obviously different from those of wild Euonymus japonicus.
Long-term and a large number of cultivation experiments under extreme conditions show that it is not difficult to maintain the normal growth of Euonymus japonicus as long as the following key points are basically similar to other tree species. First: Go to the basin-avoid exposure in summer.
Buxus macrophylla can be cultivated all year round, and the dormant period or plum rain period is the best. The soil in the upper basin is mainly humus soil, paddy soil or mountain mud, and the soil is slightly acidic, neutral or slightly alkaline. If you are not satisfied with your local soil, you can use one third of orchid soil or vermiculite and peat mixed soil. At the same time, a small amount of bean cake or bean crumbs can be properly added to the soil, and fermented and volatilized in the soil to become slow-acting nutrients, so that plants can benefit slowly. The roots of soil bulbs are very developed, so some taproots should be cut off properly when they are in the pot, and some fibrous roots can be removed too much to avoid curling up in the pot. When filling the pot, fix the net or tile at the hole at the bottom of the pot, then put in the plants, fill them with culture soil and tamp them, and finally water them.
If it is inconvenient to water the flowerpot when going out frequently, according to the size of the flowerpot, use 2-3 cotton yarns or wool, one end of which is put into the flowerpot from the bottom hole, and the other end is put into a bowl, cup or other container to supply water according to the principle of self-absorption. Water evaporation is slow in winter, only 1-2 roots can be soaked, and it can be increased appropriately in summer. It can be decided according to the climatic conditions in your area. After cooking in summer, first put it in a cool and ventilated place.
Two: water-water thoroughly if you don't do it.
Watering is the main maintenance measure of potted Euonymus japonicus. Plants should be fully watered or soaked in water after entering the pot. The principle of not watering or soaking is to thoroughly water them in the future. The so-called drying means that the soil surface begins to dry and turn white, not completely dry.
Trees are planted in pots, whether deep or shallow, the soil is always limited, and the water content is also limited. If you don't water for a long time to replenish water, trees will fall and even wither because of lack of water. Generally speaking, Buxus macrophylla does not need to be watered too often when it is placed indoors. If watering is too frequent, the basin soil will be too wet for a long time, which will easily lead to hypoxia and rot of the root system. At the same time, the number of watering depends on seasonal changes, cold and warm weather and soil permeability. Watering can be done by spraying water on leaves, irrigating roots or even soaking in pots. Be careful not to use "half water" to water the basin, which will cause the basin surface to be wet and dry. It is best to choose the watering time in summer after every evening and form a rule. Don't expose yourself to the sun after watering in the morning.
Three: fertilization-fine fertilizer and light application
The soil in bonsai basin is limited, so the nutrients are limited, so we should pay attention to the supplement of fertilizer. However, Buxus macrophylla grows slowly, so fertilization does not need too much and too frequently. It is advisable to use it twice a year in early spring and autumn. Pot fertilization of Euonymus japonicus is mainly nitrogen. Generally, plants with a diameter of 20cm can be fermented with soybean milk or soaked with bean cake, and then mixed with water and applied to the pot soil after being fully decomposed.
When applying any fertilizer, be careful not to be too thick to avoid damaging the roots. Newly planted plants should not rush to fertilize.
Four: pest control-pests will be seen and diseases will be prevented in advance.
There are few other pests except Buxus macrophylla, which occasionally appears in spring and summer. The harmful symptom is that local leaves turn yellow, as long as common pesticides such as trichlorfon are caught or sprayed in time.
Buxus macrophylla has fewer diseases. According to the disease characteristics of Euonymus japonicus, such as black spots on leaves, withered branches and other symptoms, it may be leaf spot or branch blight, which can be controlled by spraying 0. 1 ~ 0.2 ferrous sulfate or broad-spectrum bactericide solutions such as carbendazim and thiophanate.
Five: pruning-mastering the season
Euonymus japonicus is extremely tillering, and new buds may sprout everywhere. If it is allowed to grow naturally, it will inevitably affect the shape of the tree and lose its ornamental value. Therefore, timely pruning, short cutting and dense cutting are needed to maintain beautiful tree posture and appropriate proportion. But remember: pruning should be done after the plants enter the autumn dormancy period. Except for newly sprouted shoots, pruning in summer can easily lead to slight atrophy of branches or even death of the whole plant.
Picking: For branches that grow too fast, in order to inhibit their high growth and promote the development of lateral skills, young shoots can be picked.
Remove flower buds: For older plants, after August-September every year, some beaded flower buds often appear on their branches or branches. If there are too many, you should always remove the parts born on the branches and leave flowers on the branches. This can avoid consuming too much nutrients and ensure the lush foliage of plants.
Pruning: Buxus macrophylla often produces new branches at the dry base. In order to maintain its beautiful appearance, attention should be paid to proper removal. The pruning method depends on the tree shape. If it is cloud-shaped, trim the branches into a flat shape. Dead branches, parallel branches, crossing techniques, etc. It is generally not beautiful and should be cut off.
Six: Turn over the basin-timely and moderate
After pruning the old roots of Buxus macrophylla, the new roots have strong germination ability. After growing in the pot for two years, fibrous roots will densely cover the bottom of the pot, making it difficult to permeate drainage and absorb fertilizer, which will affect the normal growth of plants. At this time, it is necessary to consider turning over the pot to change the soil. Turn the flowerpot upside down, use the original flowerpot or change it to a bigger one, depending on the size of the tree. Changing soil can improve the air permeability and water permeability of soil, increase soil nutrients, be beneficial to the robust growth of plants and improve their ornamental effect.
The soil and method used for changing pots of Euonymus japonicus are basically the same as those used in the previous pots, and the time for changing pots can be determined according to the following aspects:
Generally, small bonsai is turned once every 1-2 years, medium bonsai is turned once every 2-3 years, and large bonsai is turned once every 3-5 years. Turnover can be determined according to the growth of roots. When the soil in the pot is not dry or wet, turn the pot upside down and pat the bottom of the pot with your hand, so that all the trees with soil are poured out. Check the hardening of the clods and the distribution of roots. If the clod is hardened and the bottom of the clod is densely covered with roots, it means that the pot must be turned over.
When turning the basin, it should be combined with root pruning. If the root system is too dense and too long, it should be trimmed, which can be considered according to the following conditions. If the new roots of trees are poorly developed and the roots are not densely covered at the bottom of the clods, the original pots can still be used when turning over the pots without pruning the roots. If the root system is developed and the fibrous roots are densely distributed on the bottom of the clod, the slightly larger pot should be replaced, the dense root system should be thinned, the old roots should be removed, and a small amount of new roots should be left for turning over the pot. For plants with thick roots, the roots can be lifted properly when turning over the pots to increase the ornamental value. Pot turning time can be carried out all year round, and it is best to choose plant dormancy period or plum rain period.
VII: Placement and Protection-Proper Lighting
Buxus macrophylla is a shade-tolerant tree species, so it is better to put it in a ventilated and transparent place indoors. Under the condition of high temperature and humidity in summer, it is best to choose morning and evening and rainy days, and put them outdoors or on the balcony. Don't suddenly expose yourself to the sun after being placed indoors for a long time. Long-term shading and poor ventilation can easily weaken or even wither the branches and leaves of plants. Buxus macrophylla is very cold-resistant, and can resist the cold of about MINUS 20 degrees. However, for plants that sprout new branches in late autumn or early spring, attention should be paid to heat preservation, and it is best to put them indoors before the cold wave comes to prevent freezing injury.
Eight: The leaves of Buxus macrophylla have different colors in four seasons. After autumn, more light can make the leaves turn red during dormancy, otherwise they will remain green.