Fuji Cherry - Kojo-no-mai
Fuji Cherry is an easy to maintain and very attractive specimen for bonsai cultivation. It produces an abudance of pink / white flowers in early spring and remains in leaf until late autumn. It is easy to locate as a nursery plant and an ideal beginner plant for bonsai.
It thrives in the UK and is a vigorous growing species. I have had no issues with this as a bonsai subject.
| Position | Pruning / Repot | Feeding / Water | My Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
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This tree loves the sun and has thrived well in my garden nursery. I tend to position it in an area that gets some shade through the day. I believe full sun can lead to leaf burn when the soil dries out.
In winter, protect against frosts below -10°C.
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Repot: Every 1 to 2 years once flowers have dropped (early spring), using a well draining soil mix.
Pruning: Once flowers have fallen. This buds profusely so hard prune to establish your secondary growth early. Keep on top of the growth throughout the season. |
Water: Standard regime as for other trees BUT avoid getting the flowers wet as they can rot.
Feeding: Throughout the growing season using solid pellets. If you want to increase flower bud production then continue in summer. |
Wiring: Can be carried out at any time from spring to summer. The profusion of growth can make it awkward.
Propagation: I have had reasonable success with semi-hardwood cuttings in summer. Air layers work throughout May/Jun. (I took 3 from my garden tree in 2015 - all rooted easily) |
HOW to grow Bonsai from CHEAP Nursery Plants: Fuji Cherry (Part 1)
Can I create a QUALITY Bonsai from CHEAP nursery material??? All those branches and roots can be so daunting! In this Bonsai Basics episode, I take you through my thought processes for initial root pruning and primary structure development on a 3ft Fuji Cherry. This will be fun…
HOW to grow Bonsai from CHEAP Nursery Plants: Fuji Cherry (Part 2)
This Fuji Cherry is going to be a PRIZE Bonsai. In just 7 Months, we are ready to start developing the secondary structure. Part 2 of this series is full of great advice for the beginner.
I have included a couple of pictures showing my own attempts with nursery stock. I obtained this Fuji Cherry shrub in December 2016 for £10.99. Due to the time of year (winter) I left it untouched in the greenhouse. In February it started to push out new buds and I realised I needed to work quickly. I had no clear idea of what line to take but as I chopped away growth something slowly emerged.
As I had done so much ruthless work on the tree I decided to leave the roots alone and left it in the original pot. Next time I will do it all in one go – this is a vigorous tree and should have no difficulty surviving. During the 2017 growing season it put out loads of green stuff and millions of new buds!! In early 2018 I potted the tree into a handmade oval pot and started the design process for primary /secondary branches. I am lookng forward to the early blossoms in 2019…
This is not yet a bonsai as it requires several more years of growth and refinement…but it still looks pretty good to me 🙂
External References & Links:
https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species
http://bonsai4me.com/species_guide.html
http://www.herons.co.uk
