Bonsai Birch Tree – Birch (Betula) is an excellent species to use for bonsai. With small leaves and large mature bark, birch bonsai can be one of the best plants to represent nature in miniature.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to make your Betula bonsai look amazing. (And when it’s awesome, I’ll tell you how to keep it that way!)
Bonsai Birch Tree
This is a comprehensive and detailed post, so don’t forget to skip to the sections you need now and come back to read other areas if needed.
Maros Bonsai Blog: Birch No.1 In Leaf
Like other deciduous trees, birch is leafy and green through most of the year. The leaves turn yellow in the fall to provide a beautiful fall canopy and an attractive winter silhouette before finally shedding their leaves in winter.
Birch is a frost-hardy and frost-resistant tree that does well in bonsai containers. They have a reputation for random branch dieback, which can be a challenge if not trimmed properly (more on that later).
Silver birch (Betula pendula) is the most popular birch species for bonsai, but many other species are often used.
Birch gives a lot of style when trained as a bonsai. This is due to its vigorous growth habit and some unique characteristics for the species.
Pioneer Commerce 20”” Led Birch Tree Light,108l Bonsai Tree Lamp,fairy Light Tree With 8 Modes & 6 Hrs Timer,artificial Tree With Lights Usb & Battery Operated,lighted Tree Indoor For Room Decoration
Like broad-leaved trees, birches can grow as informal upright trees. They are often found in nature, as single trees with gentle movements in the trunk.
Branch angle is important when growing an informal upright birch. You can take two approaches – the more traditional Japanese model where the branches slope down, like a pine tree, or the more natural approach of leaning the branches upwards.
There are no right or wrong answers. It will depend on the taste and ingredients used. Some trees have a wild feel that suits the natural look, while others suit a lighter Japanese aesthetic.
The important thing is that you choose one and commit to it. If some branches of your tree are going up from the trunk and some are going down, this will usually confuse the design.
Lighted Birch Tree, 2 Ft 24 Leds Battery Operated Desk Tree Light, Table Centerpiece Decoration，warm White Bonsai Tree Light, Birch Twig Tree For Home, Party, Birthday, Wedding Indoor Dec (white)
Birch trees have many natural variations and one of them is weeping. Here the main branches emerging from the trunk move upwards in a natural fashion and the secondary branches hang below the main branch.
The possibility of a weeping form is one of the characteristics that make birch a good species for bonsai. This is especially noticeable in Betula pendula bonsai (silver birch).
Birches regularly sprout or ‘suck’ from the base. In nature, they will often grow into new stems or individual plants, connected by a single root base – a clump.
Like most bonsai, we need to prune the tree regularly to thin the branches and increase the spread.
Old Birch Bonsai On Japanese Table Stock Photo
The general idea is to prune long branches and shoots to two or three leaves. You can start doing this after the growth has hardened.
(If you haven’t heard the term before, ‘hardening off’ is used to describe leaves that are deep green in color and have been coated with a protective coating of wax.
As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest challenges with birch is branch dieback. Knowing how to prune a birch tree can help you avoid this.
Birches shed lower branches if they have strong apical growth. To prevent dead branches, you must control the growth at the top of the plant and always maintain a strong stem at the top of the plant.
Birch Bonsai Care
If you need to do structural pruning by removing large branches, you should do it in late winter/early spring before leaf growth, or in autumn when the leaves are gone.
When cutting larger branches, use a bonsai saw with fine teeth to make clean cuts that will heal. Cover your cut with tape to prevent air from entering the wound.
Large branches should not be cut when removing. All deciduous trees, but birch, in particular, will have a high risk of dieback along the trunk. You should leave a small stump to prevent this from happening.
This allows the tree to compartmentalize the damage and create something of an internal barrier that will prevent dieback along the trunk if the stump is removed in a year or two.
Dawht Upgraded 2ft 28 Led Lighted Birch Tree With Timer & Usb Cable Battery Operated Warm White Birch Tree With Light Tabletop Bonsai Tree Light Decor For Home/christmas/party/wedding
Partial defoliation is a technique that can be applied to deciduous bonsai to increase the spread and density of branches.
The theory is that removing most of the plant’s leaf mass will initiate a second growth. Unlike complete decomposition, parts of the leaves are left on the plant to generate energy that can generate new growth and keep the plant healthy.
After the first flush the growth has hardened, you can prune the stem and branches to two or three nodes (or the desired length of the branch if the growth is still necessary). If your birch leaves are large, you may need to cut them in half to reduce the plant’s leaf mass.
The size of the leaves depends on the genetics of the plant, fertilization, the number of good branches on the plant, and how long the plant has been in the bonsai container. Birch leaves can be very small, but early growing bonsai can have very large leaves.
Birch Bonsai Fall Stock Photo 24722530
As with all other bonsai, you will know when to bother the birch when it meets one or more of the following criteria:
The best time to restore bonsai is at the end of winter or early spring, when the shoots turn green and the leaves will start.
If you replant your bonsai after it has started to grow leaves, you run the risk of removing the roots needed to support the leaves and you may lose branches or the entire plant.
You need a few tools to bother with birch. Not all of these are necessary, and if you’re a beginner, you’ll know what you need most as you build your collection.
Silver Birch (betula Pendula)
The ideal soil for bonsai is a good mix of aggregates. For deciduous trees, most professionals will use high quality akdama.
Unfortunately, good quality aqdama can be both difficult and expensive to source, and many hobbyists rely on other clay mixes.
When in doubt, your nearest bonsai nursery (or one online) may sell pre-mixed bonsai soil that you can use. It is best not to use regular garden compost as it can get too wet and damage the plants.
If your plant is in a nursery pot, it can usually be pulled out of the pot by gently pulling on the root mass.
The 7 Oldest Bonsai Trees In The World
If you are planting an established bonsai, you should start by removing the roots from the pot wall using a root scythe. The scythe looks like a saw, but must be used with a scraping or dragging motion. The serrated sides will grab the roots and pull them away from the pot wall.
If the ends are free, you should turn the pot over and cut the wire that connects the bonsai to the pot.
Starting on top of the soil mass, tease the soil using chopsticks. Usually you will find some Neberry extensions (Root Flare) that will improve the look of your tree.
Next, use chopsticks to pierce the root mat below the root ball. You may need to use some force to do this. Removing tangled roots is important because they do not work well for the plant and can prevent water from flowing properly through the container.
Big Bonsai Trees Stock Photos
After removing the lower root forest, remove the black and damaged soil that can harm the health of the plant.
Your plant should be stable in the container. You don’t want the pot to collapse when thrown, but it’s important that the plant is immobile for root growth.
You usually have to tie the tree in two or three places to secure it. You can use large roots below the soil line, wrap the root ball (if your tree is small or light), or use bamboo stakes around the established root ball.
After deciding where you want to tie the tree, tie the mesh in the drainage hole and add some wires that will come next to the tie location.
Silver Birch Finally Wired Out
Try to keep the cables from getting messy or crossing the bottom of your container. If you’re trying to make things clean and tidy, you’re probably going to be less effective. Form and function have a strong relationship here.
Cover the bottom of the pot with a light layer of soil, then make a small mound
Silver birch bonsai for sale, birch bonsai forest, white birch bonsai, silver birch bonsai forest, silver birch bonsai tree, paper birch bonsai, birch tree bonsai, birch bonsai, white birch bonsai tree, river birch bonsai, birch bonsai for sale, silver birch bonsai
