Bonsai trees are popular, for example as a special eye-catcher on the terrace. With a little skill and a lot of patience, it is possible to grow a bonsai yourself. A conifer is well suited for this.
How do you design and care for a conifer as a bonsai?
A bonsai conifer can be shaped and maintained through regular cutting, wiring and care such as watering, fertilizing and repotting. The thuja is particularly easy to cut and is well suited for bonsai formation.
Conifers as garden bonsai
The bonsai conifer is very similar to its big brother, just in small format. There are different ways to get a bonsai conifer:
- buy a finished tree in a garden store
- buy at the nursery
- Look for and collect mini specimens in nature
- Bonsai conifer from cuttings
- Bonsai conifer from seeds
No matter which bonsai you choose, the small tree must be constantly looked after and cared for. The most important aspects of bonsai care are regular cutting and wiring. Over time, the conifer becomes very bushy.
The techniques for designing a bonsai
Since the thuja is one of the most pruning-tolerant conifers, it is particularly suitable for forming into a bonsai. An important technique for design is regular cutting.
The Cutting
Pruning and corrective cuts are necessary to keep the tree small. As with the large thujas, the bonsai thuja is mainly cut in autumn or spring. This requires special tools, concave pliers for thicker branches. Cuts made with concave forceps heal better. In addition to cutting back new growth, bent or twisted branches are removed. If two branches grow next to each other at the same trunk height, one of the two can be removed.
The Wiring
This technique is used to shape branches into the desired shape. You use anodized aluminum wire and wrap it around the young branches. Wrapped with wire makes them easier to bend and shape. However, the wire must be removed again if it begins to grow in. It is best to obtain detailed information about cutting and wiring in the relevant literature or ask a specialist. It would be a shame if a bonsai conifer was damaged by improper treatment.
Care
Caring for a bonsai conifer also needs to be learned. Various factors are important here. Since bonsais are cultivated in shallow bowls, care must be taken when watering and fertilizing that only the required amount is actually administered. Too much inevitably leads to damage. In addition to watering and fertilizing, the plant must also be regularly repotted so that its root ball does not become too compacted. Here too, you should definitely seek the advice of a specialist.
