One of the most creative ways to grow cannabis at home is to train it as a true bonsai
The word “Bonsai” is a Japanese term which, translated word for word, means “planted in a pot”. You can grow a cannabis plant to achieve any shape you can imagine. And if you do it right, you can train your plant to look like a real bonsai tree. Besides being a fun way to grow your plant, this approach to growing marijuana has a number of benefits.
The benefits of Bonsai
It helps you grow plants which are small and manageable, but still produce lots of buds, it can help keep your plant healthy and disease free. A well-made bonsai only takes 20x20cm. When we have the chance to meet a remarkable phenotype over the years selections, it becomes unthinkable not to keep as a mother plant, to grow cuttings at leisure thereafter. A bonsai mother, if she is well nourished, produces 10 to 30 cuttings every 14 days under a discharge lamp (HPS or MH) or every 20 days under neon lights. In a space measuring 1m20 by 60cm with 18 mothers under neon lights, we can obtain more than 9500 cuttings per year ...
We are not here talking about intensive production but it shows how flexible and efficient this system can be. It allows connoisseurs to keep a good selection of strains in a relatively small space. These mother plants, if they benefit from ideal conditions, can then quickly invade the culture chamber. In order to preserve genetics without them becoming cumbersome, the grower will generally resort to bonsai.
Make a mother from a cutting
Let's start by making a mother from a cutting, and it is simple. You often find that with each round of cuttings, some stand better, are stronger, and generally look prettier than others. Take one or two of these cuttings, and especially not among the refuse. Keep in mind that this mother will provide you with cuttings, the best is needed. Place the cutting in a 6cm square pot. These pots are more practical for pruning the roots as you will see later.
Leave it growing for a few days so that it starts to take roots and then prune it to get 3 or 4 side shoots. These little branches will form your mother's main skeleton. The top two will grow faster and when it is about 12 cm. Pinch or cut their ends just above a knot. This will allow the second pair to develop right away, pinch it in the same way.
Grow a bonsai tree
Step 1. Drill holes in the pot
Use your drill to make a series of holes in the top edge of the pot. Later you will run your twine or yarn through these holes, making sure whatever you use can fit the holes you make.
Step 2. Form the formwork
The first step to really starting to make your cannabis baby (cutting) a bonsai tree is to use a small wooden stake (s) to form the trunk. This is to influence the trunk to get the shape you want. Press the small wooden stake very gently into the soil, and along the trunk of your plant. You don't want to damage the roots, so go easy. Fold or wrap the "formwork" around your plant.
Now, with a string (or thread), through any hole, loop the string or thread and tie it all together. This will keep your trunk growing in the direction you just positioned.
Step 3. Train the branches
As your cannabis plant continues to grow, you need to continue forming the individual branches in order to achieve the bonsai shape you envision. To do this, you'll basically use your twine or wire, along with the holes you drilled in the top of the pot, to form the branches to grow in the direction you need them.
Of course, it's your design. So if you want a section to start getting bigger, then don't drop it so much. If you want a section to grow more horizontally than tall, then that's where it should be attached.
Step 4. Cut branches as needed
From time to time, you can also cut new growth to keep your plant in its bonsai form. When doing this, you must be very careful not to accidentally break a main branch.
Only cut branches that are new branches come out of a primary branch. And when you pull it, do it carefully and gently. We suggest using a sharp pair of scissors. This step will help keep your plant in the desired bonsai shape. But the cut will also help improve air circulation. Better air circulation will reduce the risk that your plant will reach a top full of moisture, and therefore mold, or that the soil will be contaminated with an unwanted fungus.
Step 5. Harvest
Eventually your marijuana bonsai will enter the flowering phase. Keep your eye out for hair trichomes covering the flowers of your plant. When the trichomes turn milky white, you can cut the flowers. Hang them upside down in a well-ventilated room to dry.
When you can hang the stem with your fingers, it's time to heal the buds. To do this, place them in glass jars, seal the lid and place the jar in a dark, dry place. Check the jars daily. If it gets too wet, remove the lid. Then replace the cover. Once the buds are semi-dry but still sticky, you are ready to light up.
As you enjoy the fruits of your cultivation work, sit back and enjoy the beauty of your bonsai. Bonsai is an ancient art!
