Articles Written By Members and Associates

Bonsai - Getting a Head Start

The art of growing fuchsias as Bonsai is becoming more popular and it is time to think of air layering a suitable branch of one of those small flowered F.magellanicas or something similar. All you need for this operation is a sharp knife, some plastic sheeting ( a carrier bag is fine), string, cuttings compost and some rooting compound. The rooting compound is not necessarily needed but some people swear by it! Choose a branch that has some character about it to give you a head start. Aim to slice upwards a slanting cut about ½” or so long that splints the stem lengthways with out severing it.

Keep the cut open using some strands of sphagnum moss or a piece of matchstick. Dress the wound with rooting compound. Wrap the plastic loosely round the stem and using the string tie tightly below the cut. Fill the plastic with compost and then secure the other end of the plastic around the stem. If you have some doubt about the strength of the branch then you can splint it by securing to a bamboo cane. I have rooted a branch as thick as my thumb in this manner. After about eight weeks, you can release the top tie to see if the stem has rooted!

Last November I had to prune a F.magellanica alba, the stems were finger thick. I cut the ones with some bonsai character to a suitable length and just pushed about twelve of them into pots of general purpose compost, I then put the pots under the greenhouse bench. The greenhouse was kept frost free and by the end of April nine of them had rooted. These needed to be potted up singly and then trained to your desire. There is no need to put them into a Bonsai dish until they are more mature. The shape that you need is the one in your mind’s eye – imagine a tree that birds can fly through – all in miniature, and ifthe end result pleases you then that is all that matters. I hope to see yours on the show bench!

DJL (Member)