She finds her home in Japan. There it populates entire forests in its picturesque growth habit and simply looks good. In this country too, it has a high value among others as bonsai. Read on and find out why the sickle fir is ideal as a bonsai and what needs to be taken into account when handling it!
Why is the sickle fir ideal for bonsai?
The sickle fir is ideal as a bonsai due to its sickle-shaped needles, harmonious growth, winter hardiness, easy care and good pruning tolerance. As an outdoor bonsai, it prefers sunny to partially shaded locations and should overwinter in a cold house.
Advantages - this is what convinces you about the sickle fir as a bonsai
The sickle fir has a whole range of advantages as a bonsai. Here is a selection:
- crescent needles
- Naturally harmonious growth
- symmetrical
- slow growth
- hardy
- easy care
- easy to cut
- not susceptible to diseases and pests
What can this bonsai look like?
You can design this bonsai in a variety of ways. All kinds of styles can be implemented here. Among other things, you can keep the sickle fir strictly upright. Whether a simple trunk, a double trunk or multiple trunks, whether in upright growth, in a rock shape or designed into a forest - there are no limits to the ideas here.
Choose a location
The location for this bonsai is extremely important:
- Not suitable as indoor bonsai, but only outdoor bonsai
- stand outside all year round, if necessary put in a cold house in winter
- sunny to partially shaded locations
- the brighter, the denser the needlework is formed
- protected location
- well suited: balconies, terraces, house entrances, front gardens
What is important in care?
In addition to wiring (note: the wood of the sickle fir hardens quickly), cutting is important to get the desired shape. You should pluck the new shoots with your fingers when they are around 1 cm long. You can cut longer shoots. The best time for cutting is in summer.
From May to September, the sickle fir is supplied with a small portion of liquid fertilizer (€6.00 on Amazon) every two weeks. Conifer fertilizer, for example, works well. Casting is also important. Watering must be done every 1 to 2 days, especially in summer. Because of its fine roots, the sickle fir does not tolerate dry soil. Use lime-free water when watering to avoid limescale stains!
Tip
In harsh locations, you should rather overwinter your sickle fir in a cold house or place it outside in its shell in peat and cover it with soil - as protection against excessively severe frost.