How to Make and Care for Jamun Bonsai

Jamun is one of the fastest-growing plants you can grow in a pot, so you are in the right place if you are curious about what it is and how to grow it.

Do you know?

Jamun is one of the most popular indigenous fruits in India. It holds a very valuable place in Ayurvedic medicine. For diabetic patients, it is a boon.

In this article, all the essential details about Jamun Bonsai have been collected and are presented in a simple, interesting way.

Botanical Name	Syzygium cumini
Sunlight	Full to partial
Life span	100+ years
Flowering time	March to April
Fruiting time	May or June

Purchasing an outdoor bonsai tree online can be a convenient and easy way to add beauty and nature to your outdoor space. Online retailers offer a wide selection of outdoor bonsai tree species and sizes, making it easy to find the perfect one for your taste and space. However, be sure to research the specific care requirements of your chosen tree to ensure it thrives in your outdoor environment.

How to Grow Jamun Bonsai

Wash the Jamun fruit and remove the pulp completely.
Now, take out the seeds and allow them to dry.
When the seeds get dry, their color changes from white to brown.
The next step is potting mix. To prepare the mix take around 60% normal garden soil, 20% fine sand, and 20% organic compost. Mix them thoroughly.
Before planting seed, make half-inch hole in the mix and put the seed in the hole
After planting the seed, cover it with potting mix.
The trick to growing a healthy Jamun bonsai is lots of water. Pour enough water for the moisture.
Now keep the pot in partial shade.
The germination starts after 15 days.
The moisture of the soil should be maintained all the time but make sure it does not become soggy.
After 15 days, small size shoots will start to grow from the soil
A healthy long stem with a couple of leaves will be seen after 35 days.

How to Care for Jamun Bonsai

Location & Temperature

Jamun is a tropical and subtropical plant that prefers a sunny position. A young plant can tolerate moderate shade.

Temperatures between 20 and 32 degrees Celsius are ideal, but they can tolerate temperatures between 12 and 48 degrees Celsius. It is possible for Jamun bonsai to survive up to six to seven months without water.

Cover the plant with a cotton cloth to prevent sun damage in high summer temperatures. The plant may need a dry temperature while flowering and fruiting. Whereas early rain can be beneficial for the growth of the plant.

Watering

Jamun bonsai needs watering thoroughly. To prosper well during the growing season frequent watering is needed.

However, you can reduce watering as the plant grows.

Soil

Jamun bonsai can be grown in a wide variety of soil. But, loamy and well-drained soil is best for the growth of the tree. The plant thrives well under waterlogged and salinity conditions. But this plant does not like sandy soil.

The selected soil should have a good water retention capacity with a pH range of 6.5 to 7.5.

Mulching can be done with black polythene or organic matter. Mulching the soil with rice husk and rice straw maintains the moisture of the soil.

Fertilizer

Usually, the seedling Jamun bonsai starts to bear fruit at the age of 8-10 years. While grafted or budded starts to bear in 6-7 years. In pre bearing stage, well rotten farmyard manure or compost should be applied.

Fertilizer is needed for all fruting or fruit-bearing bonsai, as when the fruit is taken from the tree it takes the nutrients along with it leading to a shortage of minerals in the soil. For the healthy development of the jamun bonsai tree, you should consistently feed the plant. But remember not to put in extra that may cause the tree any issues. You should fertilize your plants when they are actively growing.

Organic fertilizer should be used just a month before flowering starts. Also, adding rotten cow dung to the fertilizer increases the nutrient capacity of the soil

Pruning

Regular pruning is not needed in the Jamun bonsai. However young plants need trimming to maintain their size.

While pruning remove diseased, dry, and crisscrossed twigs on the plant. Pruning of trees in October results in a higher yield of fruit.

Repotting

While Repotting, take the plant out of the pot and start cutting its excess roots to give it a bonsai look. Place it in another container adding soil with organic fertilizer.

Climate requirements for jamun bonsai:

Jamun is known as one of the hardy fruiting trees that are equipped to handle adverse soil and atmospheric conditions. Dry weather is ideal for jamun trees to produce fruits and flowers, even in bonsai. But in the process of providing dry weather in harsh summer, it can burn the tree down. So a shed cloth or simply covering the tree with a simple cloth will protect the tree from sun damage.

Jamun trees that produce fruits before rain are a sign of healthy development, though the tree can actively grow in tropical and subtropical regions. If you want to give an ideal temperature to your jamun bonsai, keep the temperature between 20 to 32 degrees Celsius. One fun fact about this particular bonsai is that, they can survive around 6 months without water.

Winter care for jamun bonsai tree:

Tropical trees are sensitive to cold winters and Jamun is no different. So, this hardy tree must need protection from winter, especially if your residential area has seen harsh winter conditions. Move your tree inside at night or keep it inside the whole winter, near a well-lit windowsill, that way it will receive indirect sunlight and winter protection at the same time.

Pest and Disease

Major pest found on the Jamun bonsai is leaf-eating caterpillar and whitefly.

Controlling leaf-eating Caterpillar: This caterpillar is usually found in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, to control this spray malathion or rogor 30 EC (it controls aphids and other pests)

Controlling Whitefly: Remove and destroy all the fruit affected by whitefly. And maintain cleanliness around the plant.

Other external things that damage Jamun bonsai are birds and squirrels. You can frighten them away by beating the drums or scaring them by throwing stones.

Major disease in Jamun is Fungal Disease “Anthracnose”

Anthracnose causes leaf spots and rotting of the fruit. Affected leaves show small scattered light brown spots or reddish-brown color. Whereas affected fruit shows small, water-soaked, circular, and depressed lesions(Damage or abnormal change in the plant).

Controlling Anthracnose: Spray Bordeaux mixture at 4:4:50 concentration. Or 0.2% of Dithane Z- 78.

Benefits of Jamun Plant

This plant has several benefits that will blow your mind,

The fruit consists of a high amount of vitamin C and iron content which helps to increase hemoglobin levels.
Leaves of the tree help to cure diarrhea and other digestive problems.
This fruit has antibacterial properties which help to strengthen gums and teeth.
The plant has anti-aging properties which prevent wrinkles and acne.
It also has properties that can prevent strokes and cardiac arrest.
The stem of the Jamun tree is rich in tannins that are helpful for the treatment of gastric ulcers. Apart from that Jamun fruits are a low-calorie food that keeps the gut healthy.
Intaking Jamun juice helps in keeping blood sugar levels in check.

FAQs

Can we grow a jamun tree at home?

Yes definitely. You will need to follow similar growing methods like any other bonsai. But people mostly use seeds to produce Jamun trees, it’s time-consuming but fruitful.

Is jamun tree good or bad in the house?

Those plants whose stems exude milk when split should be avoided. According to Vastu, growing such plants at home has a harmful impact on health. Besides this, mango, jamun, acacia, and banana trees should not be grown at home. But there’s no proven bad effect.

How much time does it take to create a jamun bonsai?

When cultivated from seed, a Jamun bonsai tree will need at least 8 to 9 years to carry fruit. It will take the plant 6 to 7 years to produce fruit if it is brought straight from the nursery. The Jamun bonsai fruit matures mainly in June and July.

Conclusion

Jamun belongs to the family Myrtaceae and is botanically referred to as Syzygium cumini.

Native to the Indian subcontinent, where the trees have been harvested for their wood, fruit, and shaded canopy for thousands of years, these fruits are grown on evergreen trees that can reach up to 30 meters in height.

These fruits are also known as Jaam, Jambul, Java plum, Jambolan, Nerale, and Mahaphala, and they are commonly planted throughout neighborhoods, in-home landscapes, and along city streets. Also, the tree can survive more than 100 years!