Coriander is one of the most popular spices in the world, and its greens are called cilantro or cilantro. Interestingly, cilantro leaves no one indifferent. Some people adore it and are happy to use it in any salads and sandwiches, and they love Borodino bread for the special flavor of coriander seeds. Others, referring to the smell that evokes associations with forest bugs, hate coriander and flatly refuse to approach bunches of cilantro even in the market, let alone plant it in their garden.
Watermelon and summer are inseparable concepts. However, not in every area you will find melons. And all because this African plant takes up a lot of space, is quite demanding on both heat and the sun, and also on competent watering. But still, watermelon is so loved that today not only southerners, but much more northern summer residents have learned to grow it. It turns out that you can find an approach to such a capricious plant, and if you want, you can get a decent harvest.
You can cook red gooseberry jam in 10 minutes. However, it should be borne in mind that this is the time required for cooking jam without preparing berries. It takes a lot of time to harvest and prepare berries for processing. Cruel thorns discourage any desire to harvest, but you still have to cut off your noses and tails. But the result is worth it, the jam turns out to be excellent, one of the most fragrant, in my opinion, and the taste is such that it is impossible to tear yourself away from the jar.
Monsters, anthuriums, caladiums, dieffenbachia ... Representatives of the Aroid family are considered one of the most popular categories of indoor plants. And not the last factor of their wide distribution is diversity. Aroids are represented by aquatic plants, epiphytes, semi-epiphytes, tuberous and vines. But despite such a diversity, because of which it is sometimes difficult to guess the relationship of plants, aroids are very similar to each other and require the same care.
Salad "Donskoy" for the winter - a savory appetizer of fresh vegetables in a sweet and sour marinade with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. In the original recipe, the vinegar is plain or apple, but with a combination of wine vinegar and light Balsamico, it turns out much tastier. Salad can be prepared without sterilization - bring the vegetables to a boil, put them in sterile jars and wrap them warmly. You can also pasteurize blanks at a temperature of 85 degrees, then cool quickly.
The main collected mushrooms: porcini, boletus, boletus, chanterelles, boletus, mossiness mushrooms, russula, milk mushrooms, volnushki, saffron mushrooms, honey mushrooms. Other mushrooms are collected depending on the region. And their name (other mushrooms) is legion. As well as mushroom pickers, which are becoming more and more every year. Therefore, there may not be enough for all known mushrooms. And I know for sure that among the little-known come across very worthy representatives. I will tell you about little-known, but tasty and healthy mushrooms in this article.
The word "ampel" comes from the German word "ampel", meaning a hanging container for flowers. Fashion for hanging flower beds came to us from Europe. And today it is very difficult to imagine a garden where at least one hanging basket was not found. In response to the growing popularity of container floriculture, a large number of ampelous plants have appeared on sale, whose shoots easily fall outside the pots. Let's talk about those that are valued for their beautiful flowers.
Apricots in syrup - fragrant apricot compote with cardamom from peeled fruits. These are very useful preparations for the winter - bright and beautiful halves of canned apricots can be used to make fruit salads, desserts or decorate cakes and pastries. There are many varieties of apricots, for this recipe I advise you to choose ripe, but not overripe fruits, from which it is easy to get a stone so that the peeled slices retain the correct shape.
Today, in pharmacies, you can buy a lot of all kinds of medical preparations of general strengthening, tonic action, which are used for colds. Despite this, I always harvest nettles and St. John's wort for the winter on my own, as I consider them indispensable medicinal herbs for the prevention and treatment of colds and many other diseases. What exactly these plants are valuable for, how and when to collect, dry, store and prepare healing infusions, I will tell in the article.
Among species orchids, phalaenopsis are real Spartans. And one of the most hardy species is the four-shield phalaenopsis, or Tetraspis. He is content with minimal care, is not capricious at all, easily adapts. And, unfortunately, almost completely disappeared from the windowsills. Varietal hybrids with their spectacular flowering are found at every step, but you will have to hunt for each specific specimen. But if you like the exotic, then Phalaenopsis tetraspis is worth it.
Boiled chicken stew with vegetables is a delicious hot dish that is very easy to prepare from available ingredients. Both adults and children will like this dish, it can also be included in a not very strict diet menu when you need to eat something hearty, while not fried and not greasy. The recipe for stewed boiled chicken can be categorized as "healthy recipes"! Legs or thighs are ideal for cooking, and the breast fillet will turn out dry, it is better to make cutlets out of it.
I fell in love with roses fifteen years ago. My first roses often upset me: either with multi-colored spots on the leaves, or with a white powdery coating of powdery mildew, or with some other nuisance. What I just didn’t do to treat rose bushes and prevent diseases ... For the last five years, fungal diseases in my area have happened only twice and did not have time to cause any harm to the rose garden. I will share the secrets of preventing a fungal infection in a rose garden.
Fragrant fragrant apricots with delicate velvety skin and pulp melting in the mouth are loved by adults and children. They make excellent jam, marmalade, dried fruits and juices. Not surprisingly, apricot trees are grown in almost every garden in regions with suitable climates. In this article we will tell you which varieties of apricot are best suited for central Russia. In addition, the material will discuss how to properly care for the plant.
Puff pies with sorrel from ready-made yeast-free puff pastry - crispy, ruddy, piping hot, and on your table. You don’t need a lot of sorrel for the filling, you can even mix it with fresh spinach, it will be delicious! Sorrel adds sourness to the traditional egg and onion filling for puff pastries. Remove puff pastry from the freezer 30 minutes before cooking and leave at room temperature so that it thaws a little and becomes pliable.
Among the huge community of indoor representatives of the Aroid family, syngonium is the only plant that cannot boast of an increase in popularity in the last decade. Everyone seems to have forgotten about this vine. Perhaps due to the rather capricious nature of syngoniums or their similarity with many large-leaved houseplants. But not a single indoor liana can boast of such variability. This is one of the most modest vines, but non-standard.
The tradition of growing bonsai came from Japan and China. Caring for a miniature tree is not just an old national agricultural technique, but a whole culture aimed at developing spirituality and creating miniature creations of nature. Bonsai at home requires constant attention, compliance with the temperature regime, humidity levels and regular pruning, so maximum effort and patience are required during its cultivation.
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Rules for home care
Bonsai love good lighting. It is usually grown on window sills, as well as on balconies, terraces, and gardens. Fresh air is very useful for this culture, the supply of oxygen to the roots and foliage increases its decorative qualities, improves the growth and development of shoots.
If a plant is chosen for cultivation that does not go to rest in the winter, then it should be looked after in the cold season. He needs more lighting. For this, fluorescent lamps are used, and the plant itself is tried to be placed as close to the window as possible.
Air temperature
Most plants calmly tolerate an average temperature of +10 to +18 degrees. The less light in the room, the cooler the air should be. As soon as the temperature outside is set at +10 degrees, the bonsai can be taken out into the fresh air. They start with small "walks" for 2-3 hours, and when the plant adapts, they choose a permanent place in the garden or on the balcony. Bonsai are returned back to the premises at the end of summer.
A miniature tree does not tolerate drafts - this must be taken into account when choosing a place for its growth in the garden. The plant should also be protected from direct sunlight, which can burn delicate small leaves. If the outdoor weather is unstable and there are sudden temperature changes with a difference of more than 5-7 degrees, it is better to grow bonsai indoors.
Watering
Bonsai are grown in pots or trays with a small area and depth, so the moisture from the soil evaporates very quickly. You need to water the plant often, in the summer - every day. This is best done from a small watering can with a fine sieve. Bonsai "bathing" is also welcome - a tray with a plant is placed in a wider container with water and left for 30-60 minutes. So the soil is saturated with moisture more evenly. For good tree growth, the soil must be constantly moist, but overflow should not be allowed.
You can determine that it is time to water the plant by picking up a pallet. If its weight is noticeably lighter than it was the day before, then you need to moisten the soil.
For irrigation, it is best to use rain or settled water. If the bonsai is grown in the garden under the trees, then it will need watering even after rain. In open areas, the tree is watered as soon as the topsoil dries. Like many exotic plants, bonsai is demanding on air humidity, it needs regular daily spraying, and from time to time the tray should be placed on wet pebbles or clay shards.
In winter, the irrigation regime changes in deciduous bonsai. Apples, maples, and other deciduous miniature trees are watered less often, as they go dormant and slow down, and sometimes completely stop their growth. Weekly one-time soil moisture will be enough. Coniferous plants continue to be watered as the top layer of the substrate dries up.
Fertilizer
The main feature of growing bonsai is a small amount of soil in a pallet or pot, which contains a minimum of useful substances, insufficient for normal growth and development of a miniature tree. Therefore, the plant must be regularly fed with complex fertilizers. From early spring to autumn, mineral compounds for exotic plants are used as fertilizer. Regularity of top dressing - 1 time in 2-3 weeks.
In 1 liter of water, dilute 2 g of the complex composition and place the tray with the plant in a bowl with liquid. Leave until it is completely absorbed.
In winter, bonsai also continue to be fed, but the frequency of fertilization is reduced. From the beginning of autumn, compounds containing nitrogen should be excluded. The tree takes well supplements in the form of bone meal or crushed fish bones. In cold weather, top dressing is applied 1 time per month.
It is not recommended to fertilize over the substrate. Most often, the soil layer of bonsai is covered with moss, and when mineral compounds get on it, it begins to turn yellow and loses its decorative appearance. It is most convenient to use fertilizer in the form of balls or granules. They are placed in the substrate, and useful substances are evenly delivered to the roots, dissolving during irrigation.
Formation and pruning of the crown
Bonsai care consists not only in watering and creating a comfortable microclimate, but also in pruning and shaping the crown. If this is not done, then the tree as a unique agricultural form will lose its meaning. Pruning is also necessary so that the crown does not thicken. The procedure is carried out in the fall, removing those vertical shoots that spoil the appearance of the "green cloud" towering above the stem.
To maintain the shape of the tree in the summer, it is necessary to pinch, thinning out the thick bunches of leaves that form at the ends of the shoots.
If you radically cut off the branches and shoots on one side of the crown, then the opposite will begin to actively grow and develop. This principle underlies the formation of the bonsai crown. Very carefully you need to remove the shoots located on the trunk. The more branches it has, the faster the trunk becomes stiff. You need to cut off part of the shoot above the mature bud to ensure the emergence of new shoots.
While the trunk is not stiff, you can give it an original shape and set further formation. Do this with a soft wire. Part of the trunk or branch is wrapped around it and directed - taken to the side or bent down, securing with a hairpin.
Transfer
Young bonsai are transplanted annually. When the plant reaches 4-5 years, this procedure is reduced to 1 time in 3-5 years. But even an adult plant may need an emergency transplant when the roots show signs of rotting or fill the entire pan, penetrating out through the surface of the substrate or drainage holes.
The best time to replace the soil in a container with a miniature tree is late winter - early spring. At this time, it starts to grow, new young buds appear. The exception is flowering and fruiting bonsai. For them, the best period for transplantation is the end of flowering and fruiting.
The optimal pallet for bonsai is clay, 3-6 cm high and a width equal to the diameter of the plant crown. It is important that the container has many drainage holes, and the pallet itself is attached to centimeter legs.
The tree is removed from the old pallet and the roots are cut, removing up to 1/3 of the rhizome. It is most convenient to do this with sharp scissors. All roots should be freed from soil and washed in water at room temperature. For planting, you can use the same pallet in which the bonsai grew, or take a new, larger area if the plant becomes crowded.
The composition of the soil for different types of bonsai is different:
- for deciduous - 7 parts of sod land and 3 parts of coarse sand;
- for conifers - 3 parts of sod land and 2 parts of coarse sand;
- for blooming - 3 parts of sand, 7 parts of sod land, 1 part of highly nutritious humus.
A mesh is laid at the bottom of the pallet, which is fastened with wire, drainage from expanded clay or clay shards, and a little substrate is also poured. The roots of a plant planted in a container are completely covered with a substrate, and the soil is covered with moss from above. The soil during planting must be thoroughly moistened. After 3 weeks, top dressing should be applied and dried branches and leaves should be removed.
tree types
In the form of bonsai, a variety of plants are grown and formed: fruit and coniferous, deciduous and evergreen. Often in stores when buying, you can see the inscription "bonsai mix" on the packaging. This means that the method of crossing seeds was used for cultivation. The result is original plants with a variety of colors and splendor of the crown. For beginner gardeners, it is best to choose traditional plants:
View Description Ginseng (microcarp, ginseng)
An evergreen plant from the Mulberry family. The leaves are small, oblong or rounded. At home, it grows up to one and a half meters. The trunk is thick, with a smooth bark. Does not tolerate direct sunlight ficus benjamina
It grows up to 60 cm in height, has a stem covered with bark and lignified shoots. Leaves are small, ovate. Subject to all the rules for care and the creation of an optimal microclimate, it can bloom once every few years. Forms aerial roots that are used for transplanting 
Representative of the Brachnikov family. The branches are rigid, the leaves are dark green 1-2 cm in size with small white stripes. In mature plants, cracks form on the bark. In summer it blooms with small white fragrant flowers. 
An evergreen tree with scaly bark. The needles secrete a large amount of resin, which protects the plant from diseases and pests. The needles are grouped into small bundles. Prefers well lit areas Juniper
An evergreen tree from the Cypress family. The needles are long, light green, and the bark of the plant is red-brown, thin and very vulnerable. When conditions suitable for normal growth are created, it blooms with white or yellow small flowers, which subsequently form fruits - cone berries 
The plant belongs to the Ilm family. The trunk is covered with thin brown bark. The leaves are toothed, light green. The plant is characterized by abundant branching. It can bloom and bear small fruits, which are popularly called lionfish 
It grows up to 35-40 cm high. It has small leaves, which can change color at different times of the year. The trunk is thin, lignified, easy to form a curved shape.
Bonsai is the art of growing smaller copies of nature's creations of plant origin, which first conquered Japan and then the whole world. A skillful likeness of the selected representative of the flora is formed by oneself, so this requires a lot of patience, time and knowledge. In this article, we will tell you how to grow a bonsai tree at home, and what care is required for it.
Choosing a tree for bonsai
In order to grow a beautiful bonsai tree at home without much hassle, it is best to choose one of the plants listed below for this, about which gardeners have extremely positive reviews. Photos will help you see what such a green pet will look like.
- Indoor types of citrus:, lemon,;
- Decorative varieties of apple trees;
- Barberry;
- Hawthorn;
- Maple.
These are just some of the most popular options. Growing bonsai can be done from a variety of plants that are found everywhere: in parks, forests, gardens. You can also buy seedlings from nurseries. The price will depend on the chosen type of tree and its height.
Growing bonsai from seeds
There are two types of shrub and tree seeds suitable for exotic bonsai. One type of crop can be immediately used for germination, while the other part undergoes a hibernation period, during which the sprout must wait out the cold season. Stratification at home will serve as an imitation of winter.
- For a period of 3-5 months, the seeds of the bonsai tree are placed in sphagnum moss or in wet sand, then the container is removed in the refrigerator. A positive temperature regime and a humid environment will help the seed prepare for growth. When put in a warm place, the sprout will quickly awaken;
- You can grow bonsai from seeds from spring to the very beginning of the autumn season. For seedlings grown at the end of summer, it is necessary to apply illumination, which is indispensable in the autumn-winter period;
- In order to successfully germinate seedlings and make it easier for them in the first months of life, you need to take peat tablets, soaked and absorbed moisture, or sandy-peat light substrate. Until the appearance of sprouts, the container is kept under a film in the dark. The air temperature depends on the type of tree grown;
- The greenhouse must be ventilated so that rot and condensation do not appear. When the first shoots appear, the presence of fresh air in the room is necessary, then the seedlings are transferred to the light. If necessary, they are fertilized and watered with the help of a complex composition.
The bonsai plant is transplanted when it reaches 10-12 cm in height. In this case, the main root is shortened by 1/3 so that the green pet stops its vertical growth. The future trunk is immediately formed using copper wire.
Growing bonsai from cuttings
You can grow a bonsai with your own hands from a cutting. This method allows you to speed up the growth time compared to the previous option by almost a year. First you need to collect suitable cuttings. Do it better in the spring.
- Choose semi-woody or green shoots 5-10 cm long and about 5 mm in diameter;
- It is necessary to plant cuttings in sterile soil, additionally treated with hormonal powder (if possible).
A short master class on planting a cutting:
- Fill the bottom layer of a deep pot with a diameter of 15 cm by about a quarter with a mixture of akadama and fine gravel in equal proportions;
- We fill the remaining space of the container with a soil mixture suitable for the selected plant;
- We remove all the branches at the bottom of the handle, we cut the thick branches obliquely;
- Optionally, we process the cuttings with a special hormonal powder, which can be bought at plant stores;
- We insert the seedlings into the soil, leaving a sufficient gap between them;
- Carefully water the soil;
- We remove the pot in a place inaccessible to direct sunlight so that the young leaves of the bonsai do not get burned;
- Slightly moisten the soil, but do not flood;
- It will take a few weeks before germination occurs. It will be possible to plant shoots in a year, and in a couple of years it will be possible to start forming a bonsai crown.
How to choose soil and pot for a bonsai tree
It is advisable to plant a home bonsai in a shallow and small container so that it does not grow huge. At the same time, it is necessary to form and cut off part of the roots.
The bonsai pot is chosen very carefully. This takes into account that from year to year the plant will become heavier, may become unstable, especially if it has a cascading, inclined or irregular shape. Consequently, for the "green friend", ranging in size from a few centimeters to a meter, ceramic bowls, containers or pots are made, usually massive, of various shapes and styles. Their bottom should have several drainage holes used to release excess moisture and to secure the future tree.
Scalding with boiling water or a hot solution of potassium permanganate is very suitable for processing the pot. So you protect the Japanese bonsai from the fungus of the root system.
The soil helps the tree to retain moisture and provides nutrition, and also thanks to the soil, the roots of the plant are fixed in a small pot. Therefore, in order to grow miniature copies of maples, oaks, lemons, lindens, etc., they resort to using a special substrate. This mixture, which is based on certain types of clay, is called akadama in Japan.
The granular substance is “flavored” with sand and fertile soil for good friability and nutritional value:
- For growing flowering crops, three parts of sand, seven parts of earth with turf and a part of highly nutritious humus are taken, which are mixed together;
- Deciduous species of bonsai trees grow well thanks to a substrate with three parts of washed coarse sand and seven parts of sod land;
- Conifers love loose soil, consisting of two parts of washed sand and three parts of turf soil.
Before planting a bonsai, the soil must be sorted out and everything superfluous removed, which can damage the root system. And also the substrate is sterilized and sifted, drainage is made at the bottom of the container.
Bonsai crown formation
To give a miniature tree a beautiful bizarre shape, copper wire is usually used.
- First, all branches from the lower part of the trunk and all the “dry land” are removed from the plant. Next, three main branches are selected on the crown, which visually form a triangle with equal sides, and all remaining branches between them are removed. You can also leave 2 or 4 branches - it all depends on your desire;
- To make a trunk bend, the top soil layer is removed from the roots and the trunk is carefully tilted to the desired angle. One end of the soft wire is added dropwise and fixed in the ground at the stem base from the inside of the bend. The trunk must be tightly, but carefully wrapped with wire to the base of the branches left, so as not to damage or tear off the bark;
- You can also create bends of bonsai branches using thin braided wire so as not to hurt delicate plant tissues;
- It is necessary to remove the wire from the trunk of the formed tree after a couple of years, otherwise it may return to its original state. Twigs can be released after six months;
- To maintain the aesthetic appearance of the bonsai, do not forget to regularly cut off long shoots that have crawled out of the crown perimeter and old foliage to allow new young leaves to grow.
Video: Bonsai pruning and crown formation
How to care for a tree at home
Your main goal is to successfully cope with watering a miniature crop. After all, a shallow pot filled with roots and a small amount of soil create certain difficulties. Drip irrigation or irrigation is best suited, which will allow dosed, without blurring, to moisten the substrate under the plant.
Only settled, melted or soft water is suitable for irrigation. During the growing season, green pets need a lot of moisture, and in the fall, watering is reduced and becomes less frequent.
Miniature plants are great for algae-based mineral supplements, which are carried out every 2-3 weeks. You need to take care of the trees carefully, do not leave them without "food", but most importantly - do not "overfeed":
- In the spring season, with maximum growth, 2 times more nitrogen must be applied to the fertilizer than phosphorus and potassium;
- In summer, the same proportions are used, but the concentration is reduced by 1/2;
- At the end of August, especially for deciduous crops, the content of phosphorus and potassium is increased by 2 times, and nitrogen is reduced;
- Fruiting and flowering shrubs and trees require more potassium, which goes to the formation of ovaries and buds.
In winter, the tree needs the following care:
- In mild climates, plants are kept outdoors or on unheated terraces;
- In a small pot, the roots may suffer first of all, so they are well covered, and the substrate is dried a little;
- In spring, the bonsai flower awakens. Now it again needs to be watered, fed, formed a crown and roots.
The video below will help you see the process of growing miniature plants more clearly. If you do not want to wait a long time, then you can buy an already formed tree. But its cost will be estimated at several thousand rubles. If you do not have the time and opportunity to carefully care for such a green pet, then do it, which, according to its aesthetic data, will be no worse than a living one.
Video: How to care for a bonsai tree
