前几天转发了一篇Walter Pall有关盆景养护的帖子,因为时间关系没来得及翻译。刚好今天有空,用我蹩脚的荒废了十年的大学六级水平英语,花了四个小时,修改了数次,将这篇文章翻译了出来。肯定会有错误的地方,我已近尽了最大努力。不当之处请指正。希望对大家有所帮助。
被邀写一篇关于“如何养护针叶树(conifers)”的文章,于是我写了下面的内容。但如果简短的来回答“如何养护针叶树”这个问题,可能会引起很多误会。 基质(土壤),浇水和施肥是密不可分的。三者紧密相关形成相当复杂的关系。花园里的植物不同,比如是落叶树还是针叶树,是幼树还是老桩,是刚上盆的树还是刚下山的树,答案就会不一样。所以这个问题很难有一个统一的答案。 认真读下面的文章并照着去做,不要选择你喜欢做的一点照做而忽视其他我讲到的问题,更不能完全按照我讲到的方法去养护而不管你的基质和浇水的频率是否跟我讲的一样。 首先,我们先把有关这个题目的问题放在一边。随着科技赋予我们新的更有效的方式和产品,我们养护盆景的方式也已经与传统方式不同。有时候现在对于我们来讲是一个全新的现代化的世界,但是很多人没有看到这一点。尽管遵循传统的方式我们也能获得成功,但是将这些方式运用到现代的基质和养护方式上,可能是很危险的,有时候会是致命的。 基质:良好的基质材料必须是颗粒大小均匀,吸水和排水能力强,不富含有机物,不易分解,干燥之后质量尽可能轻,价钱不贵并且外形美观。以下几种东西具有以上提到的各种优点:火山岩,浮石,baked loam(炉渣?),朦脱石,沸石,Chabasai(沸石的一种),椰子皮,树皮,泡沫粒(不是在开玩笑),以及其他你能够找到的东西,如果你能够理解选择盆景基质的原则。注意:上面提到的一些材质在你居住的地方可能不能用。 普通的赤玉土并不是一种良好的基质,因为它最终不可避免的会分解,尤其当冬天暴露在霜冻中。当它在盆中分解的时候会堵塞土壤中水和空气的流通,这是致命的。尤其是对那些刚下山的针叶树和老桩盆景。 不能用以下物质作为基质:泥土,堆肥,石头,沙子等。当然大树在泥土中生长,花在沙子中生长,但是对于盆景来讲,却不是最佳的选择。 所有的盆景基质可以按照你的意愿相互混合,本质上没有不同。这些基质也可以回收利用,前提是加以清洗和筛除。(其实如何用土很多帖子都提到,比如清风竹影版主在《【看图说话】土王》提到,还有在一篇《发一个在国外杂志上看到的有机肥配方,大小微盆景皆适用》帖子中也提到了用土的问题,大家可以看一下) 事实上有上千种理想基质,但是没有所谓的“最理想的盆景基质”这种东西。我相信,不管你用什么做基质,或者把什么混合到里面,只要是现代的基质都没关系。 既然泥土不是现代基质,那么几乎不用它来栽种盆景。现代基质干燥很快,所以当天气炎热时一天需要浇数次水,尤其是你用纯无机的材料做基质。我自己在上面提到的基质中加了些煤炭(rough peat ),这种煤炭是在沼泽中收集到的,并且是自然成形的。(老外什么都能找到,我们在城市里只能找到砖头,郊区只能找到泥土,就是这家伙称其为不是现代基质的泥土),注意不要用小颗粒的煤炭,即使包装上标着“无粉尘”字样(跟煤炭较上真了,这就是典型的德国人)。如果你找不到合适的煤炭,那么用不带泥土的小片的树皮,或者是切好的椰子纤维。这些有机成分大概占整个基质的15-20%,如果是针叶树或者诸如橄榄树之类的就少一点,如果是小的盆景或者是杜鹃就多一点。 这些有机成分能够帮助保持基质的湿度,提供给基质中的有益菌良好的繁殖场所。研究指出,煤炭块中含有有益盆景生长的激素(这个如果是真的那我得回去试试 )。有些有机成分通常状况下跟盆景基质无关,但是却能够维持五年以上才能分解。当你制定换盆计划是需要考虑到这一点。当盆景基质需要回收再次利用时,这些有机物必须被筛除。 浇水:从三月底到十月中旬,我每天都会浇一次水,不必考虑盆土是否出现了干燥的状况,只有下大雨时我才会减少浇水的次数。假如天气干燥,或者风大,或者同时出现两种情况,我一般会一天浇水两次甚至三次。很小的盆景必须一天浇水两次。所有的树都是这样。假如你所有的盆景都是在这种排水良好的基质中,就没有必要制定单独的浇水计划。当你不在家的时候也不需要单独教你的朋友如何浇水,任何人都能胜任浇水这项工作,浇水时所有的盆景都要浇透。用什么类型的水浇水影响都不大,自来水对所有的盆景都适用,即使是硬水也没关系,我的花园里有欧洲最硬的水(硬度为23° DH)。我用这样的水给所有的盆景,包括杜鹃花浇水。我用橡胶软管浇水,不调整水速。我不会单独为哪棵盆景单独浇水,但是会单独为某个区域浇水,如同你可能会用自动喷洒装置浇水一样。 假如你用这样的方式浇水的话,就需要加强浇水的强度,这意味着所有的东西都要淋湿,整棵树从头到尾都要这样。必须见到水从盆底的洞中流出来为止。树冠每天都被淋到水,这对盆景是有好处的。 使用现代基质养盆景不会出现过度浇水的情况。如果你使用了合适的基质,就算你一连数小时浇水,水也会从盆中及时排出来不会积水。缺水的情况倒是很常见。假如用了现代的基质却按照传统的方式浇水——控水,很多盆景会挂掉。 施肥:利用现代基质和高强度的浇水方式养盆景,施肥就没有任何秘密可言了。任何为普通的植物施加的肥料都可用来为盆景施肥,不管是有机肥还是化学肥料。肥料必须富含氮,植物只有吸收了氮才能生长。 我用在折扣店中能够买到的最便宜的液体肥。在美国的话沃尔玛能够买到。用任何植物都能用的普通肥料。除此之外我会买几箱含有化学和有机肥的颗粒状固体肥。五月初和八月底,每年两次,我会在树上用些干鸡粪。我会买大袋的干鸡粪,非常便宜。对我所有的树来讲,就算是我那些世界上知名的盆景,我都会用这样的方式施肥。 施肥量是多少呢?肯定会超出你的想象。我比大部分人的施肥量多出20到60倍。从四月初到十月中旬,每隔十天我会用液体肥给盆景施肥,用量是建议用量的三到四倍。所有的树都会经常性的施肥,不管是落叶树,针叶树,大树,小树,盆栽的树,还是刚下山的树(太狠了,不知道这个地方我翻译的对不对,collected trees该怎么翻译?我觉得这样翻译好像有点问题,谁敢给下山桩施肥啊,反正我不敢,又没根)。施肥的这段时间跨度大概是200天。在这段时间里每20天都会用建议用量的3倍,在整个生长季,大概是剂量的60倍。一般人可能会每年施肥3到5次,每次用建议剂量的一半,因为他们认为“盆景不应该疯长”。假如每年再给盆景施两次鸡粪,你就能理解为什么我的施肥量是一般盆景人用肥量的20到60倍了。 亚洲的肥饼(Asian fertilizer cakes)(说的是玉肥吗?)在我们的文化里可是够奢侈的。我们不用筷子吃牛排,所以也不会喂我们的盆景吃饼干(搞笑。外国人就是这么野蛮生长所以才满身是毛的吗)。但是你坚持要用的话也不会对盆景造成伤害,只是看上去很丑。Biogold(指的可能是日本B.O肥吧)在现代基质中也经常应用,就像赤玉土一样,效果很好。假如我用这些肥料的话我会捏碎扔到盆土表面,浇一次水之后就找不着他们了。 假如每天高强度的浇水,基质中就不会存留很多盐分。我用很硬的水浇灌,用普通的煤炉渣和煤炭块作为基质,像对待其他的盆景一样高强度的施肥,即使这样,杜鹃花也活的很好。 大概十年前,“超级养护”( superfeeding)(不知道怎么翻译,十年前我还不知道盆景是什么呢)被提出,但是后来很快就被抛弃了,因为这没有达到预期的效果,很多盆景后来被养的奄奄一息甚至被养死了。我做的这些跟以前提到的很相似。简直就是一模一样,除了我坚持高强度的浇水高强度施肥和利用现代基质。我不想把施肥变成一门科学。只想告诉你让你去买你能买到的任何的肥料。 施肥计划随着树的生长在变化,记住,99.8%的盆景是在“变化”的。假如你有一盆盆景不需要再做出改变,那么你就要认真的做出减少施肥的计划。你会有意控制他的生长,盆景会变得越来越小,树叶也会越来越少。这会让他适合参加展览,但是如果持续时间长,你的盆景就会走下坡路。几年之后你必须重新高强度的养护让他回复生机。 总结:以上三点要么同时去做,要么就一点都不要照做。除此之外没有选择。如果只选择一点照做,后果会很严重。假如用传统的基质,加上经常控水,却按照“超级养护”来养盆景,你的盆景将会挂掉。用了现代基质,却按照传统的方式浇水施肥,你的盆景也会挂掉。 所以,“怎么养护针叶树?”就有了答案,那就是“像养护其他的树一样,但是你必须知道其他的怎么养护”。 很多人可能不相信我所说的。医学中有一个谚语,“把病治好的人就是对的”,在园艺中同样适用,“谁的树养的又壮活的时间又长谁就是对的”。来我的花园参观一下或者看一下我的网站,你就知道我所言非虚。 所有这些都不是我发现也不是我发明的,只是我从专业的现代园艺师那学到的,他们数十年来用这种方式养护树木,而且很成功。我将现代园艺用到盆景中,只有在盆景界,我的这些做法才能称得上创新。 更多关于作者的信息,请查看Zhangzs发表的《Walter Pall 其人其作》,和左岸名松发表的《外国人的 一棵柏 造型记实》,或者登陆他的网站。
附原文: Walter Pall on ThuJun 17, 2010 9:57 am We might as wellinclude the whole article and not just the link. Feeding, Substrateand Watering Methods of WalterPall (edited by Victrinia Ridgeway) I was asked to writea paragraph on the 'feeding of conifers'. So I sat down and came up with this.But the question, “How do you feed conifers?”when given a short answer, can lead to serious misunderstandings and tofatalities. Substrate, wateringand feeding cannot be seen as separate. Each is connected to the other and soit becomes quite complex. Be it a deciduous tree, conifer, young, old, recentlypotted, or even collected, there are so many variables inside a bonsai garden.Can there be a clear answer? Well, yes. But onehas to read quite carefully and then do EVERYTHING. It is not feasible to pickone that you like and ignore the others. You cannot feed according to my methodand don't care what substrate you have or what your watering regime is. First, I set asideeverything that has been written in most bonsai literature about the subject.As technology grants us access to new and more effective methods and products,the way we care for our trees has progressed beyond the boundaries of tradition.It has been a new and modern world for some time, but many have not realizedthis. Even if some measure of success is achieved with the old methods it canbe dangerous if used with modern substrates and practices, or even deadly. Substrates: Good substratematerial must: be of equal particle size, have the ability to absorb water andrelease it back, have no fine particle organic material, must not decomposeeasily, be as lightweight as possible when dry, preferably inexpensive andshould have an aesthetically pleasing appearance. This would then be: lava,pumice, baked loam, Turface, zeolite, Chabasai (a type of zeolite), coconutpieces, bark pieces, Styrofoam pieces (no joke) and a few more which you canfind yourself if you have understood the principles. Please note: Some of thesematerials may not be available in your area. Normal akadama isquestionable as a good substrate as it inevitably decomposes, especially whenexposed to winter frost. It can become deadly loam in the pot, choking the flowof water and air into the soil. This is especially true for trees which areonly rarely repotted, like collected conifers and old bonsai in general. Substrates which arenot useful: soil, compost, stones, sand etc. Trees grow in sand and flowersoil, of course, but it is not an optimal growing medium for health in bonsaiculture. All substrates can bemixed according to your liking and it makes almost no difference. They can alsobe recycled and used again, but make certain to sift and clean any recycledmaterials as needed. There is no suchthing as an 'ideal bonsai substrate'. There are in fact thousands of idealsubstrates. I believe that IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU USE AND IN WHAT MIXTUREas long as it is a modern substrate. Since there is nosoil in modern substrates there is very little alive in them. They dry outeasily and one must water several times a day when it is hot, especially if youhave used pure inorganics. Therefore I add rough peat in addition to thepreviously mentioned substrates. This is the kind of peat that is harvested inbogs and comes in its natural coarse form. Make certain not to use fineparticle peat/sphagnum moss, even if the package says “dustfree” as the particles will be too small. If youcannot find the correct type of peat, use small bark bits without dustparticles, or cut coconut fibers. These organic components should comprise15-20 % of the overall volume, a bit less with conifers, olives and such, and abit more with small trees and azaleas. These organicmaterials are good for keeping humidity higher in the substrate and forsupporting the colonization of beneficial microbial life in the soilcomposition. Research also seems to indicate that peat moss has plant hormoneswhich are good for trees. These are organic materials which would normally haveno business being in a bonsai substrate, but the ones mentioned take five yearsto decompose. You have to consider this when planning your repotting schedules.The organic material should also be sieved out of any substrate that is beingrecycled. Watering: I have awatering schedule that runs from the end of March to middle of October EVERYday. This is regardless of whether the trees appear to be dry or not. Only whenit rains heavily will I refrain from watering the trees. When it is hot, orthere is strong wind, or a combination of the two, I water two or even threetimes in a day. Very small trees must be watered twice a day. ALL trees arewatered the same. Individual watering habits are not needed when all of yourtrees are in a consistent well draining substrate. There is also no need tocarefully train a friend how to water your trees when you are away. Any personcan water the trees; everything must only be watered thoroughly. It also doesnot matter what type of water is used. Tap water is very usable for all plants,even if it is hard water. I have some of the hardest water in Europein my garden (23° DH). I use this water foreverything, including azaleas. I water with a garden hose, full speed. I do notwater individual trees, but areas, just like you might water your garden with asprinkler system. When you water thisway, water aggressively. This means everything becomes very wet, the whole treefrom top to bottom. The water must run out of the draining holes. It is verygood for the trees if the crown gets wet every day. With modernsubstrates over-watering is almost impossible. You can water for hours and allof the excess will just run through the pot if the correct substrate is used.It is very easy to under-water though. Many bonsai die because they are sittingin modern substrate but are watered according to the old methods -under-watered in fact. Feeding: With modernsubstrates and aggressive watering, feeding is no secret anymore. ANYfertilizer that is offered for ordinary plants can be used, whether organic orchemical. Fertilizers should have LOTS of nitrogen. Only with nitrogen plantscan grow. I use mainly liquidfertilizer that I get from our cheapest general discount market. In America itwould be Walmart. Use general fertilizer that is noted as being good for allplants. In addition I buy a few dozen boxes of granular fertilizers whichcontain chemical and some organic ingredients. Two times a year, in the beginningof May and in the end of August, I throw a handful of dried chicken manure atthe trees. I buy this in large bags, which is very inexpensive. That's it. ForALL of my trees including the world famous ones I use the same fertilizer. How much? WAY MORETHAN YOU THINK! I feed from 20 to 60 times more than the average bonsai grower.From the beginning of April to the middle of October, every ten days everythingis fed with liquid fertilizer, using three to four times the suggested dose.All trees are fed equally, whether deciduous, conifers, small, large, repotted,collected or not. This is a span of about 200 days when the trees are beingfed. Since the trees are fed three times the normal dose on twenty days in thattime, it makes for 60 doses of fertilizer in the growing season. The averagebonsai grower feeds maybe three or five times at half the normal dose because'bonsai trees should not grow'. If you then add two times a year of chickenmanure being given to the trees, you can then understand why this schedule is20 to 60 times more than the average. Asian fertilizercakes are fine but superfluous in our culture. We don't eat steak with chopsticks and don't have to feed plants with cakes. But they don't hurt if youinsist of using them; they are just unattractive to look at. Biogold was madeto be used with modern substrates like akadama, and it works well. If you giveit to me I will break it into very small particles which I then throw all overthe substrate surface of the trees. After one watering it becomes invisible. Too much salt in thesubstrate is almost impossible if one waters aggressively every day. Evenazaleas don't mind my treatment. They thrive very well with very hard water,ordinary baked loam and peat as the substrate and aggressive feeding like allthe rest of the trees. About ten years ago'super feeding' was proclaimed and a while later forgotten. It did not producethe expected results and many trees suffered and even died. What I do soundssimilar. Well, it is similar, only that I insist on aggressive watering inparallel to aggressive feeding and the use of modern substrates. I also don'tmake the ingredients of fertilizing trees into a science. I tell you to buywhatever is on sale in the garden center or agricultural supply store. This feeding schemeis for trees in development. Remember that 99.8 % of all bonsai are 'indevelopment'. If you happen to have one that should really not develop anymoreyou slow down its feeding schedule considerably. You let it starve on purpose.Then it will get smaller, and fewer, leaves and needles. It will look good forshows, but your tree will go downhill if you continue to do this for too long.After a few years you have to feed it aggressively again to let it recover. Summary: Do all threeor nothing! You have no choice here. To just pick one method and refuse theothers will end in disaster. Those who do 'super feeding' using old-fashionedsoil, and insufficient watering will kill trees. Those who use modernsubstrates, aggressive watering and fertilizes like the old days will have veryweak and, in the end, dead trees. That's all there is to it. So the question, “Howdo you feed conifers?” gets the answer, “Likeall other trees, but you have to know the whole story.” I know that many willnot believe this. ‘He who heals is right’,is a saying in human medicine. In gardening 'he who has the healthiest trees inthe long run' is right. Come to see my garden or look at my gallery, they speakfor themselves. Allthis was not discovered or invented by me. I only learned from professionalmodern gardeners. They have done this for decades with great success. I haveadapted modern horticulture to bonsai. Only in the bonsai world does this seemrevolutionary.
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