Content
- The Firethorn - a pretty and beginner-light bonsai
- site conditions
- Pouring and fertilizing
- The bonsai design
- repotting
- Diseases and pests
- Wintering:
- Tips & Tricks
The Firethorn - a pretty and beginner-light bonsai
The evergreen firethorn shrubs with their strong thorns and bright orange-red fruits are popular and easy to care for bonsai. Since cut defects quickly grow together and the firethorn can be designed by its shrubby growth in a single trunk, it is ideal as a beginner's bonsai.
site conditions
For the bonsai to carry numerous berries it needs a full sun. Its natural habitat is the temperate climate and therefore it should be protected from frost and cold wind. To prevent sunburn on the leaves, it is advisable to protect the firethorn from the midday sun in the summer months.
Pouring and fertilizing
Keep the bonsai evenly moist, but avoid waterlogging as the firethorn reacts to too much wetness with root rot. During the flowering season, the bonsai pays regular fertilizer use with commercial Bonsai fertilizer with rich fruit yield. After flowering, fertilize only every 14 days.
The bonsai design
Light the bonsai at the end of March and at the end of August and remove old wood during this care cut. Fresh shoots are, if no growth in length is desired, continuously reduced to two pairs of leaves.
Mostly, the firethorn can be brought into the desired shape by the regular cut. If this is not possible, you can both wire and brace the bonsai. Since it is often difficult to wire because of the strong thorns, it is preferable to bracing. Always wear gloves when working as the thorns cause painful injuries.
repotting
In the first years you should repot the little bonsai every two years. Older bonsais only get a bigger planter when needed. Put the firethorn in bonsai soil, to which you add about one third of akadama earth (mineral granules of volcanic ash).
Diseases and pests
Many types of firethorn are very fire and scurf-prone. When choosing bonsai, look for resistant varieties.
Pest infestation with
happens frequently. Combat the plant pests with suitable insecticides as the plant can be massively damaged.
Wintering:
The firethorn bonsai should hibernate in a cool but frost-free room. Since many varieties are less hardy and can absorb too little water to supply the leaves when the bonsai shell is freezing, the winter quarters should be frost-free in every case.
Tips & Tricks
The old, woody branches of the Firethorn Bonsai are very brittle. Wire them wisely.