Miscellaneous bonsai also lies in its diverse shapes and complicated branches, but most of them grow rapidly and are easy to lose shape, so it is difficult to cultivate and shape. And a successful bonsai work must first have an image of natural beauty that conforms to the aesthetic law, and then it can be talked about the connotation artistic conception, that is, the image. If you don't understand the physiological characteristics and growth characteristics of different tree species, and don't understand and master the skills of modeling and branching, even if you get excellent pile head materials and have a good image conception, I believe it is difficult to accurately shape artistic scenes and make ideal masterpieces. Some murraya, Fujian tea and safflower that I saw many years ago? So far, most excellent pile materials, such as wood and ash, have not seen their works. I believe that some of them will not be finished because of improper cultivation or lack of modeling methods. The lack of scientific conservation management methods, communication, exploration and practice, and the lack of skills in modeling and branching have directly affected the development of miscellaneous wood bonsai.
The bonsai art "imitates nature", and holds that the formal bonsai such as "cloud shape" and "two songs and a half" originally originated from nature. The flaky and regularly curved tree originally existed in nature, but under certain historical conditions, it was limited by aesthetic orientation and demand, which made the modeling branch method too monotonous and craftsman, showing a pattern and becoming a tradition. Nowadays, the natural modeling and branching techniques commonly used in bonsai art are very rich in form and connotation. As long as we follow the artistic characteristics of bonsai art itself, we should seriously explore and understand various modeling forms and branch techniques, exchange and learn from each other, and constantly practice and master them. I believe that we will definitely strengthen the confidence and skills of cultivation and production, improve the creative level of miscellaneous bonsai, create more excellent miscellaneous bonsai, and promote the development of miscellaneous bonsai.
Miscellaneous bonsai has various shapes. According to the number of plants, it can be divided into single stem, double stem and multi-stem. Among them, multi-stems can be divided into multi-stems, multi-roots, multi-stems and multi-stems across the bridge. If divided by dry posture, it can be divided into straight dry, oblique dry, curved dry, lying dry, cliff, near water, holding the moon, turning around, attaching stones and so on. Others divide it into ancient banyan lattice, red cotton lattice and plain personality.
The focus of miscellaneous wood bonsai modeling is to shape the unified whole of organic combination of roots, stems, branches and leaves, that is, modeling. This "type" should be as distinct as possible, with novel composition and delicate branches, which can give people a clear visual enjoyment of natural beauty and rich connotation. It should be beautiful, durable and intriguing. Its basic requirements are: the root disc is bare or semi-bare on the basin surface, the root thickness is clear, the classification is staggered, it extends in all directions, and it is in harmony with the drought type; The base is raised with pits, the dry body is old and spicy, the transition is natural and appropriate: the crown contour is patchy and varied; The branches are reasonably prominent, and the branches at all levels are undulating and dense, which are connected with the distribution of branches and leaves in the horizontal angle; The branches are well-defined and there are chess pieces in the chess pieces; The knot is smooth, natural and vivid.
Trunk is the foundation of modeling. After the trunk type is determined, it is necessary to rely on the support of branches to create the overall effect. The shape and layout of the bracket obey the requirements of the overall shape and layout, and different shapes have different bracket forms. In painting theory, the branches of miscellaneous trees are generally "clove branches, antlers branches, mantis branches, crab claw branches" and drooping branches. The branches of miscellaneous wood bonsai are rich, including chicken feet, antlers, floating branches, falling branches, dragging branches, hanging branches, wind-blown branches, spreading branches, natural branches, crab feet, windmill branches, cloud branches, relic branches, rotating branches, embellishing branches and so on. Bad branches (taboo branches) in modeling include spinous branch, abdominal branch, latch branch, axillary branch, unilateral parallel branch, overlord branch and terminal branch.
The supporting method of supporting is the key point of miscellaneous wood bonsai modeling, and mastering the supporting skills is often the premise of creating fine products. Only skilled branch technology can practice make perfect, be handy, visualize and strive for perfection. However, the Lingnan bonsai is realistic near the tree, and the production methods and forms of "saving branches and cutting dry" are diverse, "learning from nature" and rich in connotation. It can be said that it is the most successful and representative in the production of miscellaneous wood bonsai, and it is gradually forming theoretical support and has clear operability. It belongs to both Lingnan and China. The author thinks that the influence of school ideas and geographical limitations should be excluded, and the branch method of "saving branches and cutting off stems" in Lingnan bonsai should be widely popularized as the basic branch method for making miscellaneous wood bonsai. Some people may think that due to the unique environment and climate, Lingnan area is suitable for "cutting down branches" and trees grow rapidly. The climate and environment in other places are different, but the method is good and difficult to learn. In fact, in recent years, miscellaneous wood bonsai works in many places outside Lingnan are also using the method of "saving branches and cutting them dry", and some works are quite good, but many relatively shaped works, some of which are originally made of good materials, just lack of basic skills, can not be accurately shaped and positioned, and the supporting method is not mature or effective, so it is difficult to become masterpieces. It is true that the Lingnan bonsai itself is also in the process of innovation and development, and the branch method of "saving branches and cutting off trunk" will be enriched and improved with the promotion, thus better promoting the development of Lingnan bonsai.
"One scene can make ten autumn", and the long modeling time is one of the artistic characteristics of bonsai, and it is also an aspect that reflects the artistic value of bonsai. In Lingnan area, it usually takes 10 to 15 years for a successful miscellaneous wood bonsai work to mature, and it will be longer in places with short growth period. Most of the miscellaneous wood bonsai in Japan and Taiwan Province Province are cultivated from young seedlings, and many works have earned more than several decades. If you want to create an ideal masterpiece, you must have some patience and perseverance, be eager for quick success and instant benefit, and be impetuous. If you just want to produce a work quickly, it will definitely backfire. At the same time, scientific cultivation methods can accelerate the growth of trees. For example, Acer truncatum seedlings in Taizhou may grow faster than those in Lingnan, because the cultivation method is scientific. In addition, in actual production, in addition to exploring the growth advantages of local tree species as much as possible, we can also combine the specific conditions of tree species and regions and the traditional branching method, adopt the branching method of "keeping branches and cutting them off", properly adjust the method based on cutting, pay equal attention to cutting and binding, and some branches can also be tied mainly, effectively shortening the molding time. But in general, we should seriously understand, be familiar with and master the branch technique, and set up the modeling form and supporting position from the beginning; Accurate, less detours, diligent operation practice, scientific practice and meticulous are the most effective ways to shorten the molding time of successful works.
The short artistic life of bonsai works is a problem that China bonsai must face squarely, especially miscellaneous wood bonsai. Some works are immature for a long time. Maybe they just appeared in the exhibition, but they can't leave the exhibition hall or even disappear for various reasons. The author's sense of loss can be imagined. In fact, some materials were "returned before they were finished". I have seen hundreds of successfully grafted red flowers. Although the wood leaf pile has been planted for many years, almost all the excellent pile heads have withered and aged, and there is little hope of successful works, which is a pity. This situation has troubled many miscellaneous bonsai lovers and dampened their confidence to some extent. There used to be four kinds of miscellaneous trees in Lingnan bonsai. In addition to murraya, interest in brome. And elm species. Fujian tea, which has the most characteristics of making cold branches, has been greatly reduced, and Fujian tea with beautiful tree shape has been rarely patronized. The above situation has undoubtedly had a negative impact on the development of miscellaneous wood bonsai. Apart from personal interests and the influence of market economy, the main reason is that our cultivation and maintenance management is too extensive, lacking scientific and dialectical methods and serious and rigorous attitude, which should also be a main content of our study of overseas bonsai.
There are many kinds of bonsai trees, and the physiological characteristics and growth characteristics of different trees are very different. For example, azalea likes acidic soil, pomegranate likes alkaline soil: boxwood likes cloudy days, crape myrtle likes strong yang: Runnan likes wet, and Murraya likes dry; Acacia and elm trees should be cut down again before and after the great cold, and Fujian tea and oranges should be in the Qingming period; Most trees crisscross in the sap transportation pipeline (waterway), and their roots are coordinated into a whole, but brome, safflower? Wood and other waterways go their own way longitudinally, with clear roots and stems and partial imbalance, which may cause branches to fall off; Some tree species, such as Acer truncatum, elm, etc., have strong healing ability, and the cortex of the section will rapidly proliferate to form a "horse eye" or completely heal, while some tree species, such as Bromus parviflora and Machilus australis, have poor healing ability, and if there are not enough branches and leaves at the lower end of the section, they will quickly shrink back because of poor waterway. All these problems, such as soil, water and fertilizer, pruning, turning over pots, pest control, and even improper operation in all aspects of loading and unloading and transportation, are bound to occur if the growth characteristics of different tree species are not well understood and respected, and the scientific cultivation and maintenance management is the goal, but always stay at the general and extensive management level.
I believe some people will blame the short artistic life of miscellaneous bonsai on the short natural growth life of miscellaneous trees. In fact, the natural life span of most miscellaneous trees is very long. In addition to a few tree species, there are Vitex negundo, ebony and Fujian tea. , which is considered to be the easiest branch to rot, has a natural life of more than 100 years, so it should not be a problem to maintain and manage it well. Fujian tea cultivated by the author 1975 has been kept in pots for friends in recent years. So far, no branch retreat has been found, and it grows well. Of course, from the perspective of pure collection or personal preference, it should also be wise to choose tree species with long life and stable growth or certain specific tree species: if it is for profit and foreign goods can live, it is another matter; However, as a cultivation production and an artistic pursuit, we should try our best to use different materials and adopt more varieties of materials to explore new native tree species and make the miscellaneous wood salt landscape more colorful, so as to show the true beauty of nature and get more pleasure and enjoyment from it.
The salt landscape is a living work of art. After the bonsai is formed, the production is not over. It needs more careful maintenance and management, preservation or transformation of the form, further refinement, perfection and perfection, showing the achievements year after year. Miscellaneous bonsai grows fast, can germinate many times a year, and has many adventitious buds and rapid metabolism. But trees are different, and there are many uncertain factors, which are not as stable as pine and cypress bonsai. Therefore, the maintenance and management after molding is more complicated, more difficult and more important than that of pine and cypress bonsai. If you are not careful, you will often ruin your years of hard work.
Miscellaneous bonsai has thin roots, many leaves, large leaves, and rapid evaporation, which requires a large amount of water and nutrients. However, after molding, there is little soil in the basin, and the roots are easy to squeeze into a ball, which leads to dysplasia. Fine roots are entangled and accumulated around the basin bottom and the basin wall, forming a straw mat (commonly known as "grass bottom"), and the soil in the middle of the root group is hardened, resulting in dysplasia. If we simply use less watering, less fertilization, less turning pots, less changing soil and other methods to control growth, or add improper pruning, it is bound to cause trees to continue to weaken, pests and diseases will take advantage of it, and in serious cases, branches will fall off, be disabled, and even shrink. Therefore, the maintenance and management of miscellaneous wood bonsai after molding must adopt a scientific and dialectical attitude, adopt corresponding methods according to different tree species and different situations, timely turn over pots and change soil, reasonably supply water and fertilize, timely and moderately trim shapes, and carefully handle the relationship between growth, maintenance and shape control. The first is maintenance. Only when it is well maintained can it be kept in shape and passed down from generation to generation.
For miscellaneous wood bonsai, soil with good water permeability and water retention performance must be selected, and small pots and flowers and fruits should be turned over in time for one or two years and large pots for three or four years according to tree species and growth conditions. Different from Yu Songbai, it is better to be diligent than sparse. If the tree is too weak, it must be replaced or put in a big pot in time, and it can only be rejuvenated if it is planted in a serious place. After the miscellaneous wood bonsai is formed, it is better to watch it with a glazed basin of moderate size and slightly lighter color, but if it is not necessary for exhibition or viewing, you can choose a larger basin at ordinary times, and the maintenance and management will be smoother.
Bonsai water and fertilizer are formed only to maintain the vitality of trees, not to grow and shape. It is necessary to maintain the tree's potential and avoid growth and deformation, so it must be scientific and reasonable. In general, unless the water is strictly controlled to promote flower bud differentiation, the pot soil should always be moist or dry, and it should not be too dry to affect the growth. In terms of fertilization, except Euonymus japonicus and Phoebe bournei, which are mainly foliage trees, it is generally not suitable to apply nitrogen fertilizer, so you can choose cake fertilizer, fish fertilizer or long-acting compound fertilizer with comprehensive nutrition. In spring germination period, little or no fertilization should be controlled to avoid excessive growth and deformation of internodes; Photosynthesis is vigorous in summer, and thin fertilizer can be applied occasionally to keep the tree vigorous; Trees should accumulate nutrients in autumn; Phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can be mainly used for overwintering preparation or flower bud cultivation of flowers and fruits, and more fertilization is appropriate: in winter, trees are in dormancy and their growth stops, so fertilization should be avoided to prevent root damage.
Pruning of molded miscellaneous wood bonsai should be mainly based on thinning and light pruning, except for fruit tree bonsai, which can be carried out frequently during the growth period, mainly to control the excessive growth of branches, cut off the overlord branches and weak aging inner branches, and erase adventitious buds such as cluster buds and axillary buds in time. For tree species with obvious apical advantages, special attention should also be paid to controlling the growth of apical to prevent the apical from being too high and overweight. For overlord branches or long branches that need to be shrunk and updated, the full crown treetops must be trimmed synchronously according to the shape-preserving needs, otherwise individual branches may shrink back. If it is necessary to switch to re-cutting, except for individual tree species such as Lagerstroemia indica, it can only be done before the tree species germinate or at the same time as turning over the pots and changing the soil. Growth regulators such as chlormequat can also be used to maintain the shape of miscellaneous wood bonsai, but the dosage and methods should be strictly controlled. If the concentration is too large, it will lead to growth stop and atrophy.
Watching the cold branches is the artistic expression feature of miscellaneous wood bonsai, and the most representative expression technique of Lingnan bonsai is "stripping for brocade". However, miscellaneous wood bonsai should try to show the natural personality characteristics of tree species. In addition to fruit trees and plum blossoms, Lagerstroemia indica, rhododendron and bougainvillea mainly look at flowers, while in banyan trees, besides roots and vines, it is best to look at leaves. Of course, most miscellaneous bonsai can pick leaves and watch the cold branches. Although picking leaves to watch cold branches can promote the metabolism of trees and is an effective way to preserve shapes, it also consumes too much physical strength. Therefore, picking leaves from the molded miscellaneous bonsai should not be too frequent. Even trees with strong germination, such as Bromus, Elm, Triangle Maple and Acacia, should not pick leaves more than three times a year, so as not to weaken the tree. Some excellent products frequently prune fallen leaves for exhibition, which makes potted trees excessively tired and weak, and some of them are difficult to recover for several years, and even cause disability and death. Therefore, the works should be prepared more than half a year in advance according to the state, especially those that need to pick leaves or change pots, and should not be too reluctant. In addition, experienced professionals must be invited to operate the loading, unloading and transportation to prevent accidents.
Due to the limitation of root system and insufficient regulation of ground temperature and atmosphere, the adaptability to climate is weakened, and the tree species in different regions are very different, so corresponding measures must be taken. In winter, in addition to preventing the basin soil from freezing, the temperature should be reduced below 5℃. For cold-resistant tree species in the south, such as Murraya murraya, Ficus microcarpa, Fujian tea, etc., in the south, they should be put into a greenhouse and covered with a film to prevent frostbite. In midsummer, some negative tree species, such as boxwood and rhododendron, etc. , should be moderately shaded, especially in the high temperature season, measures should be taken to prevent the pot surface wall temperature from burning the roots, and to prevent the branches with large exposed area after pruning and leaf picking from dying of local cortex due to exposure burns.
The maintenance and management of miscellaneous wood bonsai and the skills of modeling branch need to be further popularized. By holding miscellaneous wood bonsai exhibitions, live demonstrations, seminars, works reviews, newspapers and magazines, etc. We can learn from each other, earnestly explore and practice, and gradually accumulate experience so as to improve the production level. However, because the modeling method of miscellaneous wood bonsai is by no means a day's work, it may take several years to shape one by one, and the overall modeling time is longer. The most intuitive and effective on-site demonstration can only be limited to pruning, shape preservation or simple changes, unless you start from the cultivation of cutting piles, make video images and documents for each stage of modeling or the modeling process of a scaffold, arrange them after molding, and then communicate and explain the demonstration by electricity. This is not difficult for young lovers, so we should pay attention to it, advocate promotion as soon as possible, and train a certain number of young plastic arts performance professionals who can do, speak and perform as soon as possible. It is best to participate in foreign language exchange activities at home and abroad, so that the world can better interpret and recognize China's miscellaneous bonsai and make China's miscellaneous bonsai. In short, as long as we pay more attention to miscellaneous wood bonsai, I believe there will be more ways to effectively promote the innovative development of miscellaneous wood bonsai and make China miscellaneous wood bonsai more dazzling.
(Editor/Liu)