Initial modeling and maintenance of Fraxinus bonsai
1. Botanical characteristics of Fraxinus citrifolia
Pax genus Fraxinus is a plant of the family Asteraceae and genus Fraxinus. Originating from Zhongxiang and Jingshan in Hubei Province, it is a deciduous tree with a height of more than 30 meters. The bark of young and mature trees is smooth and light gray-green, while the bark of middle and old trees has longitudinal dark gray cracks. The branches have strong germination and are resistant to pruning. The tree is resistant to drought, humidity, and high temperatures. It likes fertilizer, water, and sunlight. It can be cultivated in the open field south of Beijing. Suitable for neutral and slightly acidic soil, pH value 5-7. Propagate by sowing seeds and cuttings.
2. Treatment and propagation by cuttings of the mountain piles of P. leucophylla.
The double-jointed ash stumps purchased far away from the production area are dug by mountain people in winter and early spring. The harvesting time for local cultivation is from mid-June to mid-August. Mountain people generally have poor protection measures during excavation and transportation. Although this tree species has strong vitality, in order to achieve a higher survival rate, it is still necessary to pay attention to its varying degrees of dehydration. First of all, the fence should be cut in place at one time. This tree species is easy to take root, and fibrous roots can still emerge from the saw kerf with a root diameter of 200mm. Therefore, any roots and branches that hinder future potting and shaping must be sawed off decisively. Secondly, it is necessary to absorb enough water. If possible, it is best to put the roots upright and soak them in water dissolved with rooting agent (such as rooting powder, vitamin B12). The processing time is subject to the rooting agent instruction manual. Or the entire pile can be soaked in clean water for a day and night, and then planted in a sand bed for maintenance. The root burial depth is more than 20cm, and old piles and cut-dry piles with a dry diameter greater than 20cm should be deepened appropriately. Pile row distance: The distance between medium-sized piles should be greater than 0.5m, and the distance between large piles should be greater than 1m. This will help the branches to stretch, otherwise the branches will cover each other, which is not conducive to growth and pruning and shaping operations. Thirdly, the tree should be fully watered after planting so that the sand is in close contact with the gaps between the tree roots. The sand bed should be kept moist at ordinary times and the tree trunks should be sprinkled with water frequently. If 30%~50% sunshade net is used for protection, the effect will be better. Under normal circumstances, germination will occur in late spring and early summer. After the beginning of autumn in early August, the sunshade net can be removed to allow it to enjoy the sunshine. From the end of April to the beginning of May, if there are still ungerminated tree stumps, use a knife to scrape the bark. If the top bark is still emerald green instead of withered yellow, you can pull it out from the sand bed and soak it in clean water for a day and night. Planting in sand and maintaining it in half shade and half sun can still promote germination and survival.
In order to protect the ecological environment, sowing and cutting propagation are now advocated. Sowing is suitable for large area propagation. You can refer to garden technical information. It is easier and easier for bonsai enthusiasts to propagate by cuttings, which is done in winter and spring. Use strong annual branches, cut them to 10cm~15cm long before germination, insert them into the sand bed, provide appropriate shade, and water regularly to keep the sand bed moist. It takes more than 30 days to take root and can be transplanted to the field for cultivation in mid-May. It can also be planted in summer and autumn, but it must be shaded and the sand bed kept moist, which makes management more difficult.
3. Branch shaping of double-jointed ash tree stumps
The new shoots that sprout in the first year should be dealt with according to the strength of the sprouting branches of each stump.
For prosperous trees, generally after the beginning of autumn in early August, when most branches grow to more than 40cm, the branches will be fixed, leaving branches that conform to the direction of the shape, leaving 1-2 branches in clusters, and removing the rest. . If it is found that there are no branches in the area where branches are needed, the excess branches at the lower part of the trunk can be used to connect the missing branches. The lower modeling branches should be pulled into place with ropes or aluminum wires. At this time, it is best not to tie the modeling branches with the wrapping method. Because the ash branches at the opposite nodes thicken quickly, if you are not careful, the threads will become trapped, affecting the beauty and growth of the first-level branches. After setting the branches, apply urea fertilizer at 10g to 20g per square meter every one week according to the area of ??the planting pile to promote the thickening of new branches. Because P. leucophylla can grow when the daily average temperature is above 150C, as long as the new pile has sufficient water, fertilizer and sunlight, the diameter of the base of the flourishing branches can reach more than 20mm before frost. Therefore, for terminal branches, the tips should be pinched first to control the length (for rapid prototyping commercial piles, first-level branches can be cut, and second-level branches can be cut at the end of the year). Branches that need to be thickened at the bottom and other parts are allowed to grow. During the management process, you must observe at any time. If you find that excess branches sprout from the base of the trunk branches, they should be removed in time. Otherwise, the crazy branches will grow suddenly, consuming nutrients in vain, and affecting the growth and thickening of the established branches. After the leaves fall off due to frost, they can be potted. Dig out the pile material from the sand bed, shake off the gravel on the roots, cut off the long roots, and cut the branches into a certain shape. Plant according to the size of the pile and fill it with nutritious soil. The shallow pot should be fenced to prevent the fibrous roots from exposing the soil surface. Finally, water enough and strengthen overwintering management. If you are not in a hurry to use the sand bed, you can prune the branches in winter, and it is better to pot them in spring before germination.
For weak branches, although they have sprouted and branched, but the roots have not grown or have grown sparsely, they should continue to be planted in the sand bed for cultivation, and they will be potted after the roots and branches grow vigorously in the second year. Be careful not to rush into pruning and potting, as this will affect the survival rate.
4. The shape of the double-jointed ash branches
The double-noded ash is a fast-growing tree species with strong growth. After one year of cultivation and pruning of the basic trunk branches, except for a few deliberately left to grow thicker Except for the terminal transition branches, floating branches and leaning branches, most branches can be pruned and harvested in the second year. In the early stage, the primary and secondary branches are tied (pulled), supplemented by pruning. In the later stage, after the branches are basically formed, pruning is the main method, supplemented by pulling. Generally, the pruning technique is first up and then down, suppressing the strong and supporting the weak. to trim. First up, then down: that is, the upper branches of the tree are cut first, then the middle branches are cut after a period of time, and then the lower branches are cut after a few days. For the same branch, cut the upward branches first, and then cut the parallel branches when they are thicker than the upper branches.
Suppress the strong and support the weak: The strong and vigorous branches in the upper part should be pruned for a few days first, and then pruned when the weak branches have grown to a certain thickness. The aim is to match the thickness of the branch to its location.
For trees that are growing particularly vigorously, in addition to normal control, you can also pick leaves and cut branches.
After the frost in autumn, the tree will wither and the branches will be exposed. It is very beneficial to observe the trend of the branches (pieces), interspersed back and forth, staggered heights, and position and shape. At this time, the branch shape can be determined. A careful pruning and binding. If it can be cut in place, use scissors. If it cannot be cut in place, aluminum wire can be wrapped and bent to pull it into place. If some branches are too upward or the direction and position are not good, use aluminum wire or rope to pull them into place. Special attention should be paid to the opposite branches and frog-leg branches of the knotted white wax: the fixed branches on the trunk and the first and second-level branches should be staggered and the opposite branches should be pruned; the frog-leg branches can be grown long on one side and shortened on the other side or changed into turning branches.
5. Fertilizer, water management and pest control of Duijie ash bonsai
The management and maintenance of Duijie ash bonsai can be summarized as "big water, big fertilizer, big sun". Large water: that is, there must be sufficient water, and it is better to be wet than dry; large fertilizer: apply thin fertilizer frequently during the growing season. In order to facilitate the absorption of the tree and avoid waste of fertilizer liquid, it should be applied once every 5-7 days. The fertilization time is generally carried out in the afternoon on a sunny day when the pot soil is dry, and the leaves are watered after fertilization. On cloudy and rainy days, when the soil in the pot is wet, tree roots cannot breathe smoothly, and it is difficult for tree roots to absorb fertilizers. Strong sun: Even in the scorching hot days, as long as the water keeps up, the high temperature and strong sunlight of 380c~400c can also see its sprouting and growth, and the branch tips are very bright. The phenomenon of self-pruning is rare, which shows that its adaptability is particularly strong. The easiest way to judge whether it is short of water, fertilizer and sunlight is to observe the sprouting of its new shoots: when fertilizer, water and sunlight are sufficient, the branches from the treetop will be thick and strong. , the young branches and leaves are purple-red, gradually turning green; when insufficient, the branches are thin and weak, and the young leaves are light green.
Five to seven days before picking leaves and pruning to determine the buds, cake fertilizer and water must be applied once. During the peak growth season, new buds will sprout three days after strong pruning. After the new shoots sprout, another application of cake fertilizer and water should be applied. The ratio of water to fertilizer is 8:1. The branches will become plumper and the number of prunings can be increased appropriately.
Except for yellowing of the leaves caused by alkaline soil and long-term sprinkler irrigation of tap water, no other pathogenic invasion hazards have been reported to P. leucophylla so far. For yellowing disease, ferrous sulfate should be dissolved in water at a ratio of 1:400 and then irrigated into the roots. The root should be irrigated once every other week and cured after 3 to 5 consecutive times.
Pests that attack the white wax on the joints have not occurred in the first few years. In recent years, two main types have been found: one is the flower thrips, the larvae are about 1.5mm long, often in spring when the damage has already begun. The edges of the new leaves are curled outward, causing the newly sprouted tips to shrink into a ball and cannot be stretched, and the inner leaves gradually wither. After discovery, it should be promptly sprayed with 800 to 1500 times of dichlorvosicide, 1000 to 1500 times of dichlorvos 80% EC, or 1000 to 2000 times of minericide; or after the larvae damage period has passed, remove the rolled diseased leaves and When it is normal, it promotes new leaves and returns to normal. The other is the cotton-blowing scale and the red wax scale. For trees that are not prosperous due to lack of sunlight, the damage is mostly on the branches, sucking the sap. It can be sprayed with 20% permethrin 2000 times during the peak hatching period of larvae from May to June and September to November. It is best to use manual pest control when the pests first appear.
Pink ash is a new bonsai tree species that has been widely developed and utilized in recent years. Its modeling and maintenance methods are still being explored and tested. The climate conditions in different places are different, and the shaping directions of the works are different. Its methods and performance characteristics will also vary. no the same. If other bonsai friends have more successful experiences, they can communicate and discuss with each other. If there is anything inappropriate in this article, I hope you can enlighten me. Let us work together to improve our skills and continue to pursue innovation in order to promote the traditional bonsai art of the Chinese nation.