The blackthorn is an easy-to-care-for bonsai plant that is a lot of fun for beginners. The dark, slightly barky bark and the beautifully shaped leaves stand in attractive contrast to the bright white flowers and the black-blue berries.
Grow a sloe bonsai yourself
Unfortunately, sloes are rarely found in bonsai shops. Since the slow-growing blackthorn tolerates pruning well and willingly sprout again, you can easily grow this pretty bonsai yourself from a young plant. The sloe reproduces by means of root suckers, so that corresponding young plants can be found in the wild and in many home gardens.
Alternatively, there are vegetative propagation by cuttings or sowing. For sowing, collect the drupes of a sloe in autumn and store them in the refrigerator, free of the pulp. You can sow the stones in early spring.
location and substrate
Like its tall relatives in the wild, the sloe bonsai thrives best in full sun. The substrate should be calcareous and not too fine-grained. The hardy bonsai can be overwintered outdoors without a pot with little protection.
You should exercise caution when cutting the roots, as sloes can be sensitive to it. Repot the blackthorn once a year. Later, repotting every two years is sufficient. When finished, the repotting interval can be further extended.
Care of the bonsai
You should consider the following points when designing:
- Cut the sparsely growing branches frequently in the first few years
- shorten to one or two pairs of leaves to stimulate growth
- Wiring the branches is difficult because of the thorns, so it is better to tie them down
- cut finished plants in the spring after flowering before the leaves appear
Although the sloe tolerates drought well in the wild, the bonsai should be watered regularly. Avoid dry balls and waterlogging. Tap water is the ideal irrigation water, as the sloe prefers calcareous water. As a fruit-bearing bonsai plant, the blackthorn needs regular fertilizer. Since the plant is not sensitive to salt, you can use mineral or organic fertilizers.
tips and tricks
You can protect a sloe bonsai cultivated outdoors with a thick layer of loosely poured bark mulch. It keeps the soil moist, protects against frost and can be chopped in spring as a natural fertilizer.