starting to a bonsai from a sprig?
Three weeks ago I took a sprig from a matured bonsai and placed it in water. Now it has tiny roots and it seems healthy. Can I now transfer to soil appropriate for growing bonsai in a small ceramic container ? I have read some information about how to start growing bonsai but haven´t found the right information about sprig planting. Please help.
you need a potting media that drains quickly and doesnt hold water long. Also dont put the cutting in a ceramic pot for bonsai, you need to get the smallest container you can for the transplant, We horticulturist never put a plant in too big of a pot, it causes it to root rot from the fouled potting media. By the way you need to identify the parent plant it came from. that will help you in deciding when to transplant it. Do this, take a plastic or styrofoam cup, smallest you can get. Fill it with a potting media made of vermiculite, perlite, peatmoss and then place the transplant into the cup. to keep from damaging the roots, use your finger to make a hole in the mix after watering it down until it drains out the bottom. You need to poke a hole in the bottom for drainage. The key for a delicate transplant here is light, quick draining media. If it is doing well in the water, get as much root growth as you can before you transplant it, the more roots the better. I wouldnt transplant it at this point, let it grow until it gets a good amount of roots and you start getting new growth on the sprig. I use to collect wild bonsai out in the wild, it is neat and fun if you have the time to do so. have fun
September 16th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Yes, if the cutting is rooted, it is time to transfer it soil. The small roots are very brittle, so handle with care. Also, stay in the thought process of growing a cutting and wait to train it as a bonsai until it is well established. Moving it around after planting could damage the roots. Also you do not want to let the cutting dry out for the first couple of weeks after planting. Good luck.
References :
September 16th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
you need a potting media that drains quickly and doesnt hold water long. Also dont put the cutting in a ceramic pot for bonsai, you need to get the smallest container you can for the transplant, We horticulturist never put a plant in too big of a pot, it causes it to root rot from the fouled potting media. By the way you need to identify the parent plant it came from. that will help you in deciding when to transplant it. Do this, take a plastic or styrofoam cup, smallest you can get. Fill it with a potting media made of vermiculite, perlite, peatmoss and then place the transplant into the cup. to keep from damaging the roots, use your finger to make a hole in the mix after watering it down until it drains out the bottom. You need to poke a hole in the bottom for drainage. The key for a delicate transplant here is light, quick draining media. If it is doing well in the water, get as much root growth as you can before you transplant it, the more roots the better. I wouldnt transplant it at this point, let it grow until it gets a good amount of roots and you start getting new growth on the sprig. I use to collect wild bonsai out in the wild, it is neat and fun if you have the time to do so. have fun
References :