Content
- Can the magnolia be trained to bonsai?
- Star magnolia is best
- Shape or blossom? That is the question
- Cutting magnolia bonsai
- Tips & Tricks
Can the magnolia be trained to bonsai?
The art of bonsai, which has been practiced in Japan for millennia, has many supporters among us. However, if you want to educate a magnolia to bonsai, you have to make a lot of compromises.
Star magnolia is best
The most suitable species for a magnolia bonsai is the relatively short-sized and small-leaved star magnolia (Magnolia stellata). Although some experienced breeders have already bred bonsai from other magnolia species, they will always remain relatively large due to their peculiar growth habit and the fact that they should not be cut too radically.
Shape or blossom? That is the question
Magnolias have the ability to form ugly water veins in the most impossible places by cutting them too often - and the more you cut away, the more they grow afterwards. In addition, cut cuts in this type of wood only bad and form a gateway for various mushrooms. If all this does not deter you, those who want to raise a magnolia bonsai often have to choose between the shape and the blossom. A bonsai you get only by an appropriate cut in the desired shape, but there is a risk that you have to remove the flower approaches - ergo the flower falls out.
Cutting magnolia bonsai
A wiring of magnolia bonsai is basically not necessary, but for that you need to remove developing, unpase shoots immediately. Cover the tree with fresh, slightly acidic substrate every three to four years, and at the same time, rejuvenate the roots. Repotting should be done immediately after flowering. By the way, flat bonsai pots are no problem at all for magnolias, since the roots grow naturally very flat anyway. However, make sure you have good drainage, as magnolias may have moisture but no waterlogging. The regular fertilization should not be omitted.
Tips & Tricks
In addition to the star magnolia, the purple magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora) is suitable for education to bonsai, as long as it is as small as possible variety.