Worth knowing:
As soon as the sun in April gives us the first warm days, the sumptuous flowering of the Wild Black Cherry begins. In Japan that gives reason for numerous celebrations since the Wild Black Cherry is an important part of the culture. The tradition of cultivating Japanese cherry trees in gardens, goes in Japan more than 1500 years back. The plant only spread to Europe since the beginning of the 19th century. The deciduous tree grows wide and funnel-shaped, and the autumn foliage takes on an orange or yellow colouring.
Natural Location:
The Wild Black Cherry has its home in Asia and especially in Japan.
Cultivation:
Seed propagation indoors is possible throughout the year. It is advisable to stratify the seeds first, which means to stimulate and prepare the seed with a cold treatment. For that you have to keep it sealed in a plastic bag in the regular refrigerator for about one week. After that, place the seeds for another day in warm water for priming, so that the swelling further increases its germinability. Now you can plant the seeds about 1 cm deep into moist potting compost. Cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the earth from drying out, but don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 15°C and 20° Celsius and keep the earth moist, but not wet. Usually within four to ten weeks the first seedlings will come up.
Place:
The Wild Black Cherry can easily be cultivated with all types of good bonsai earth, but it needs a sunny and preferable also moist place.
Care:
Water the bonsai plant regularly and sufficiently, but avoid waterlogging. During the hot summer the earth should never dry out. From March untill September you may also give fluid fertilizer for bonsai plants once a month.
During the winter:
With the first night frosts you should keep the plant sheltered or in a cold house for hibernation. A cold period is necessary for the bonsai to develop a rich blossoming in spring.
Picture credits:
- © © Brooklyn Botanic Garden (bbg.org) - About © : Contact SAFLAX - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Oilstreet - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
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