After the initial pruning and shaping, the tree is ready for planting in its container, which has been selected carefully to frame it. The drainage holes in the bottom of the pot are covered with plastic screen to prevent the soil from falling through. But before the soil is put in, several lengths of copper wire are looped U-shape through the drainage holes with both ends sticking up in the pot. They will eventually hold the plant in its place in the container. If the pot is small and has only one hole, the wire can be first looped around a stick slightly larger than the hole. Then the bottom is covered to a shallow depth with very coarse sifted soil to provide good drainage. The main potting soil, which is also sifted, is spread over this - and the container is ready for the tree.
Root pruning is necessary to compensate for the pruning in the upper parts of the plant and to encourage growth of fine, fibrous roots. Remove one third of the soil from the root ball with a blunt tool. Cut back the long, loose roots, but retain fine rootlets that grow out of large roots near the trunk; they will sustain the plant while the new roots form.
Place the tree in its container, and settle it into place with a twisting motion. Pull the wire around the root ball, and twist it tightly until the tree is held firmly in position. Cut off excess wire, and push the ends into the soil. Now fill in potting soil around the ball of roots so that no air spaces are left. After the potting soil has settled, any excess may be brushed away and sifted topsoil sprinkled over the entire surface.
A cover of moss is grown on the topsoil to imitate nature and make the tree look more aged; it also serves the very practical purpose of preventing the soil in the container from being washed out during watering. Fresh, wet mosses and lichens give the grower the chance to arrange a natural underplanting with different shades and textures which enhance the composition. However, dried, powdered moss can also be used. It is sprinkled on and then pressed down with a small trowel.
Now that the tree has been planted, it should be watered by placing the container in a basin and spraying from the top with a fine garden spray. Be sure that enough water is given so that it flows from the drainage holes. The bonsai should be placed in a protected spot away from wind and strong sun for a period of three weeks until new growth begins to appear. The tree may then be placed in the sunshine and treated as any other. |
|
 |
Growing Lawns in Shaded Areas -
Growing a lawn , Fixing shallow hard loamy clay soil in shade is often a problem. Under the most adverse circumstances it is an insoluble problem. You simply cannot grow , Bush Roses turf without some direct sunlight or in places , Moving Your Roses where other prohibiting factors exist. Strongly competing tree , How to Prolong the Life of Cut Flowers roots may occ...
What is a Ground Cover? -
Ground covers tend have one thing in common – they tend to grow , ing Mangoes and Lychees from Stones horizontally rather than vertically. Some of them hug the ground and form a dense carpet; others grow , Testing your soil in clumps or tufts; some send out trailing stems and some are bushy in h...
Summer Bulbs -
Some well-known bulbs , Choosing Your Plants From The Nursery for summer , Indoor Gardening Tips include a few varieties of Gladioli, tuberous Begonia and Montbretia. If you want to try something less familiar, look for Brodiaea uniflora (profuse, neat flowers , ing Shrubs and Trees on 6 inch stems, which remain in bloom a long time and sme...
Permaculture Core Values -
Permaculture itself is really a broad-based and holistic approach that has a multitude of applications to all aspects of life. At the heart of its design , Leaf Eating Ladybird and practice is a fundamental set of 'permaculture core values' or ethics which remain co...
The Illusion of Age in Bonsai -
Creating the illusion of age is one of the important aspects of bonsai. , Cork Flooring - Cork Floors The shape of the trunk contributes to an aged look, but surface roots , Garden Furniture add to the venerable appearance. They should radiate around the trunk on all sides and reflect a solid base on wh...
Keeping Your Plants in Happy Surroundngs -
Light: All green plants , Kitchen Improvement must have a certain amount of light , Pruning Standard Roses just to stay alive, and even more to grow. , Flowering Plants for Autumn / Winter Before you purchase a plant, , The Cabbage White Butterfly check the plant , Garden Design Light recommendation. Determine if you have those light , Propagating by Layering levels available in various areas of your home. , Lawn Repair If...
Testing your soil -
Soil-testing kits available and by and large they do a very good job of accurately testing your soil. , Cactus Grafting However, if you are only interested in knowing if your soil , Ferns is acid or otherwise, without worrying about degrees of acidity or alkalinity, here is a simp...
Geodesic Domes & Dome Homes -
Geodesic domes or dome homes , Medicinal Tea - Catnip are quite common place , Retaining Walls in the USA - In Australia though, they certainly are not. Australian building , Home Grown Tomatoes concepts are really quite conservative, although this is slowly beginning to change. , Lawn Repair With a renewed e...
Choosing Your Plants From The Nursery -
When choosing plants , Lawn Sprigging from the nursery, always look for healthy , Lawn Plugs - Plugging leaf growth, , Bulb & Spring Flower Combinations perhaps new shoots and good colour , Choosing Your Plants From The Nursery in the leaves. Plants , Growing Lawns in Shaded Areas that look pale and show no sign of new growth , Lawn Sods - Instant Lawn could be root , Link Footer bound or unhealthy and will take longer to establish in the gr...
|
|
|
|
