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Gardener鈥檚 world in miniature
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Xie Yulong has found his niche in the world of bonsai which he has built at the Zuibai Pond Park.
The 61-year-old gardener says the miniature trees are just like his children. 鈥淚鈥檓 the nanny and doctor; I feed and treat them. They are naughty kids, who need my attention and patience,鈥 Xie says.
Over the past 30 years, thanks to his efforts, the park鈥檚 bonsai zone has expanded from a small corner of just 30 pots to today鈥檚 signature garden boasting more than 50 breeds of nearly 300 pots with the oldest one over 100 years old.
Bonsai, or penjing, is the art of cultivation by pruning and shaping of miniature trees that mimic the shape and proportions of the fully grown species.
It鈥檚 a painstaking technique that can take years to produce the desired result.
鈥淭he youngest one in my garden is over 30 years old. So don鈥檛 expect to have a quick success because it would probably look no different in five years,鈥 Xie says.
One of the oldest bonsai is a century-old hedge sageretia, its crawling root encircling a Taihu Lake stone.
The plant was originally grown in sand. In order to relocate it into a pot, its previous carers spent about 80 years carefully dusting off the sand at the root inch by inch, year by year, until it was fully exposed.
The root was then gently tied around the stone until it naturally grew together after several years. Xie got the bonsai about 20 years ago, when its owner became too old to look after it properly.
鈥淏onsai requires time and patience. You should do it at the right moment and in the right environment,鈥 he says.
Xie once rescued a 100-year-old wisteria by grafting new branches on it, producing different colors of red, white and pink blossom on one tree.
鈥淚 got the old wisteria root from a villager who was about to burn it as firewood,鈥 Xie recalls.
He loves to talk about the practice of looking after his 鈥渘aughty kids.鈥
鈥淵ou need to know each plant鈥檚 habit of growth first,鈥 he says. Pine trees love sunshine and buxus sinica likes to stay in the shade, while podocarpus prefers an environment of half sunshine and half shadow.
Watering also requires different techniques. Xie says soil is alive with active cells, like a sponge that can absorb and release nutrients. 鈥淚f you keep watering every day, the soil cannot absorb oxygen, thus making the root rot quickly,鈥 he says. The correct way is to water the plant thoroughly every one or two weeks, and then let the soil dry a little bit to let in the oxygen.
Shanghai soil is alkaline, so when Xie relocates an alien bonsai to the park, he will spend months or even years on soil neutralization and creating an agreeable environment for the plant.
Every morning before the park is open, Xie checks the bonsai pots one by one. 鈥淚 work at the mercy of nature鈥檚 force 鈥 the daily weather,鈥 he says.
Year in, year out, he never stops. In summer, Xie waters the plants in the early morning. In scorching afternoons, he sprays water on the ground near the bonsai pots. 鈥淚t helps to lower the temperature and increase the moisture in the air,鈥 he says.
Winter is the busiest season. He prunes every tree, checks every branch and leaf, and makes sure every one is in a good shape and have enough growth space for the coming spring.
At the same time, Xie stays alert for pests and diseases. 鈥淧eople usually enjoy a bonsai at close hand, so it would be very obvious if one leaf is attacked by grubs,鈥 he says. In spring it鈥檚 the leaf-eating aphids and in summer it鈥檚 the chlorophyl killing red spider.
Xie seldom uses iron wire to shape and fix bonsai. 鈥淲e prefer cultivation techniques to make the plant grow into the shape,鈥 he says. 鈥淚ron wire is ugly for a bonsai.鈥
Changing soil is also a big task for Xie every year. 鈥淭he nutrition in the soil will slip away when it rains or I water, so the plants need new soil every three to five years,鈥 he explains. Half to two-thirds of the old soil is removed and replaced by new, nutrition-nurtured soil. Old, thick roots are cut off, while thin, young roots remain.
He keeps a notebook where the soil-change time of 300 bonsai pots are meticulously recorded.
鈥淭he job is not that hard, because it鈥檚 all about the plants, water and soil that I鈥檓 repeating all year round,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 feel relaxed and assured when I鈥檓 with my bonsai.鈥
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