Bonsai lovers who like pine and cypress bonsai must have liked juniper bonsai. The vigorous and simple stems and lush green leaves are not only evergreen in all seasons, but also soft in key branches, which are good materials for making bonsai. There are many cultivation methods, such as sowing, cutting and layering. If it is too slow, you can also pick some strange-looking and old-fashioned stumps on the mountain before germination in winter or early spring and come back for cultivation.

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Making panza

When modeling, juniper needs to be processed according to the original shape of the stump. Some self-cultivated seedlings have more room for use and can be made into different forms of bonsai, such as single stem, waterfront, attached stones and so on. Some old piles are made according to the specific shape of the stump, which mainly shows the ancient and vital side of juniper.

The common method of winding juniper is twisting, that is, twisting tendons to turn bones. These are the combination of experience and skills, and we can't just understand them. You should practice more and study more. It should also be noted that when tying the trunk, the technique should be gentle, especially when tying the trunk, it should be pressed down along the twisted direction of the wire. Without this step, the base will often crack. Panza is a slow job, and it can't be completed overnight. If the first time is not in place or not satisfied, you can continue to do it for the second time until you make a satisfactory shape.

There is a popular saying that no relic can build cypress trees. Personally, I am opposed to forcing a healthy cypress to be a relic and a holy branch. However, some conditional junipers can still create relics. You can process along the dead branches, peel off a part of the bark, polish the xylem, and then coat it with a stone-appreciating sulfur mixture. When peeling some bark, pay attention to the distorted waterline, try to be natural, and don't have artificial marks.

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Daily maintenance

The vitality of juniper comes from its developed main root system, which can be seen in dry sand, sunny hillside or rock crevices. Juniper likes warm and humid environment, with good light, but can resist shade. And the juniper after being shaped and put into the pot only needs to be kept in a sunny and well-ventilated place. Juniper is also a good hand at cold and drought resistance, and it is easy to take care of.

Maintenance at ordinary times, as long as the basin soil is kept moist. If you pour it, don't not pour it, and master the principle of thorough pouring. Be careful not to pour it halfway. In dry season and high temperature in summer, it is necessary to spray water to moisturize. Observe continuously in rainy days, and don't let the juniper basin accumulate water. The juniper in the upper pot is not fertilized in the first year, and a thin layer of organic fertilizer can be applied separately in April and September of the following year. In winter, flowerpots can be buried in the ground in the south for wintering, while juniper bonsai is the best indoor place in the north.

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Technical management

Bonsai is a living art, and a beautiful juniper bonsai needs daily maintenance and pruning, otherwise it will not see its original shape after one year. Pruning can be carried out every winter to cut off redundant branches, some branches that affect the shape, dead branches and so on. During the growth period, it is necessary to do a good job of pinching and smearing buds in time, which can promote new buds and retain useful branches.

Turning over pots and changing soil in juniper bonsai is the same as most bonsai. Small bonsai is about once every two years, and large bonsai can be once every five years. The best time to turn over pots is before germination in spring. Every time you turn over the basin, you should remove one-third to one-half of the old soil, trim off the old roots and diseased roots, and put new soil on the basin again.

It is best to use loose and fertile acid soil for juniper, and alkaline soil will cause yellowing of juniper leaves, which is a physiological iron deficiency yellowing disease of plants. If it is to be improved, it should be replaced by loose and breathable slightly acidic soil, but if it is not, ferrous sulfate solution can be used to improve the pH of the soil. Pay attention to the dosage when using ferrous sulfate solution. Too much will only poison plants, so pay attention.