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Natural Vibes
Natural Vibes
GROW PURE BEAUTY
Nature is the teacher
Nature is the teacher
Sakura - Japanese cherry bonsai
Awaken your ancestral connection with nature
Awaken your ancestral connection with nature
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Sakura - Japanese cherry bonsai
Outdoor Bonsai
The message of Pure Beauty
As soon as the sun brings the first warm days of April, the Japanese cherry tree begins its abundant bloom.
In Japan, this holiday is celebrated with numerous festivals, as the cherry tree is deeply linked to cultural symbolism.
The tradition of growing Japanese cherry trees in gardens has been common in Japan for over 1,500 years. However, they only arrived in Europe in the early 19th century. This deciduous tree grows broad and funnel-shaped. In autumn, its leaves turn from orange to yellow.
The message of Pure Beauty
What is Pure Beauty?
It is not geometric perfection, nor its immutability.
The beauty we seek is a purified beauty: freed from the superfluous, restored to its original nature.
It is the beauty of the ephemeral, which finds its ultimate expression in the Sakura ritual. The cherry tree does not bloom to last, but to teach us the enchantment of the moment. In that fragility lies its most authentic strength.
We embrace the philosophy of Wabi-Sabi: the art of finding the sublime in imperfection and the natural cycle of life. Wabi is rustic simplicity, the elegance of the small, the silence of a bud unfolding. Sabi is the value of the passing of time, imprinted in the wrinkled bark of a bonsai tree and the wisdom of its roots.
Growing a Japanese cherry tree does not mean dominating nature, but placing oneself at its service. It means accepting that beauty is asymmetrical, modest, and, precisely for this reason, absolute.
"Pure Beauty is not possessed: it is observed as it happens."
Instructions
Seed characteristics:
It contains a supply of nutrients that, after germination, ensures that the young plant can develop its basic organs—roots, stems, and leaves—before it is able to photosynthesize and grow with its nourished green leafy organs (autotrophy).
Nutrient reserves are usually created in the cotyledons (first embryonic leaves), and in some species also in a special nutrient-rich tissue (endosperm) found within the seed.
The seedling initially grows thanks to the nutrients stored in the seed, which are transported to the growing parts and used there as building materials. A large seed contains many nutrients. The seedling is correspondingly large from the start. When the cotyledons are open, light for photosynthesis, temperature, and water supply play an important role in growth.
Even if the seedling suddenly appears to stop growing, there will be increased root growth in the soil as a basis for optimal care, which your seedling needs for vigorous above-ground growth.
Growing medium:
Ordinary potting soil is not particularly suitable for sowing. It contains too many fertilizer salts. This means that the seeds can rot in it, or the germinated plants will die because the fertilizer salts damage their delicate roots. The provided substrate is low in nutrients, germ-free, and water-permeable. At the beginning of growth, the seedling substrate is used primarily to anchor the seedling and provide uniform moisture. Minerals (fertilizers) are not initially necessary, as the seeds "bring" them with them.
There is another advantage to a seedling substrate with only a low fertilizer content: the plant then forms more root mass (main and lateral roots, nourished by the seed's nutritive tissue) and thus, to put it anthropomorphically, increasingly "seeks" minerals, which allows for vigorous growth after the start of photosynthetic activity.
Plants grown in well-fertilized soil (e.g., potting soil from gardening stores) invest more in shoot and leaf growth and less in root growth, which often leads to less plant stability after planting.
Water and Proper Irrigation
Water should have as little limescale as possible. In most cities, water is unfortunately hard and calcareous.
Rainwater is ideal, or you can boil tap water and water your plants. It's best if the irrigation water is at room temperature.
After moistening the entire growing medium once at the beginning, it's best to prepare the water in a spray bottle and spray the growing medium daily. This way, the moisture is applied more evenly and prevents the seeds from washing away.
Air
Plants need water. However, the fact that plant roots also need air and breathe oxygen is often overlooked. Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that the soil is not compacted, that the pots are not directly in water, and that air can return to the roots after watering.
Protection:
Most pests, such as whiteflies, spider mites, red spiders, aphids, and scale insects, appear when the room air is too dry. In this case, ventilate more frequently or spray the plant leaves with water as low in lime as possible to increase humidity. This method is very successful.
Spray the leaves and soil surface with a vegetable broth, for example. To do this, add 100 g of fresh herbs to 1 liter of water and let it steep for 24 hours.
Then boil for half an hour, let it cool, and pass it through a sieve. Dilute this broth with 2 liters of water and pour it into a spray bottle.
A green thumb requires time and experience:
In nature, only a small fraction germinate successfully and/or subsequently become strong plants.
With an optimal growing environment and a few helpful tips, we try to significantly increase the success rate, but even then, 100 percent success is not guaranteed, and sometimes no seeds germinate at all.
We know firsthand that there are many failures on the road to becoming a green thumb, but we've never let this discourage us; on the contrary, every failure has always given us new energy to try again and again, even better.
Let's learn from the obstacles:
- If the growing medium is too moist, the seed can mold.
- If the growing medium is too dry, even briefly, the germination process can be interrupted, and many seeds will not resume the process later, even if there is sufficient moisture.
- The temperature ranges we specify during cultivation are based on experience, but seeds react individually and are sensitive to temperature changes.
- Germination time is also an empirical average and should not be interpreted too restrictively. Even in nature, there are sometimes significant delays, so much so that germination can occur very, very late.
Sowing Instructions:
Indoor cultivation is possible year-round.
Revival: Days 1 - 7
Seed must first be stratified: this means stimulating germination through a seed activation process.
Stratification:
Place the seed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week.
Then, soak it in a container of room-temperature water for a day. This will allow it to swell and further improve their germination rate.
Only then should you sow the seed about a centimeter deep in moist soil, using the container's glass.
Patience, perseverance, and patience:
Cover the container with plastic wrap (which you will need to pierce) or with the container's lid, which you will also need to pierce. This will protect the soil from drying out.
Every two or three days, remove the plastic wrap for two hours. This prevents mold from forming on the soil.
Week 4: The first shoot
Place the container in a bright, warm location at 15-20°C (59-68°F) and keep the soil moist, but not wet. The seedling should appear after four to ten weeks.
When the plant is about 10 cm tall, it's time to transfer it to the flat bonsai pot:
Using a cutter, make a vertical cut in the bamboo fiber cup that has served as the container until now, taking care not to cut or damage the sakura's roots.
Without disturbing the root ball, transfer the plant to the new pot and cover with bonsai soil.
Position:
The Japanese cherry tree has no particular soil requirements and tolerates any good bonsai soil, but requires a sunny and preferably moist location.
Care:
Water adequately, but avoid waterlogging. The soil should not dry out during the hot summer weeks.
From March to September, it's best to fertilize the tree once a month with liquid bonsai fertilizer. Prune new shoots to two or three pairs of leaves only after flowering. Avoid using wire when shaping the tree, as the bark is delicate and will still show signs of the wire even years later. Plant your bonsai.
Winter:
With the arrival of the first night frosts, the plant should be protected or moved to a cold greenhouse to overwinter. A period of cold is necessary for the bonsai to flower abundantly in spring.
FAQ
Where should I place my cherry bonsai?
The Japanese cherry tree prefers a sunny, bright location to flower properly. In spring and autumn, it should be kept in full sun, while in summer, during the hottest hours of the day, it's best to move it to partial shade to avoid burning the foliage.
Can Japanese cherry trees be kept indoors?
No, it requires the natural change of seasons and the cold winter to go into dormancy. Keeping it indoors would quickly cause it to deteriorate.
How should I regulate watering?
The cherry tree tolerates waterlogging but dislikes completely dry soil. Water abundantly when the surface soil appears dry. Caution: during flowering, avoid wetting the flowers to prevent them from wilting prematurely.
Why isn't my cherry tree blooming?
The lack of flowers may be due to excessively drastic winter pruning (which removes already formed flower buds) or insufficient sunlight. Fertilizing too much nitrogen also favors foliage at the expense of flowers.
How do I protect my bonsai from winter frost?
Although it tolerates cold well, the roots are exposed in a bonsai pot. If temperatures drop below freezing for extended periods, protect the pot with non-woven fabric (TNT) or place it in a cold greenhouse, but avoid heated areas.
The cherry tree is frost- and winter-hardy from its first year, but protect the root ball from severe frosts.
Can I use wire on cherry tree branches?
Yes, but with great care. Cherry bark is delicate and easily scarred. Wire should be applied preferably during the growing season, when the branches are more flexible, and removed as soon as it begins to tighten to avoid permanent scarring.
If after a few months I don't see any sprouting, what can I do?
Check the seed by digging it up slightly to make sure it is still there, that it hasn't rotted, and above all, that the substrate is moist.
How can I keep the soil moist during germination?
Spray daily or every other day.
Remove the film for half an hour approximately every three days to prevent mold growth.
Advantages of bonsai pots?
Shallow bonsai pots encourage more compact growth than small trees found in nature.
Can I fertilize my bonsai?
Yes, with organic bonsai fertilizer from March to June and from September to October.
How can I proceed with pruning?
After flowering, cut back the new shoots to two pairs of leaves. If pruning for shape, be sure not to remove too many new flower buds.