The Amelanchier Canadensis grows moderately in most soil and atmospheric conditions. The Bonsai tree has multiple stems and high branches that form dense shrubs. However, for the tree to grow, you must cut or prune it correctly. The tree produces purple fruits in spring and has white flowers. During fall, though, the Amelanchier Canadensis exhibits several colors, ranging from yellow to orange and red.
You can call the tree by different names, including ‘serviceberry,’ ‘serviceberry,’ and ‘service tree.’
Similarly, other names of the Amelanchier Canadensis tree include ‘grape pear,’ ‘swamp sugar pear,’ and ‘bloody chokeberry.’
The Amelanchier Canadensis gets its name from the berries it yields. These berries taste like honey, and thus, the name.
How Long Does It Take to Grow Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai?
The Amelanchier Canadensis can grow from six to 13 feet (ca. 4 m) in full sunlight and ordinary or rich soil conditions. The deciduous shrub can grow as tall as 8 meters. It can even grow as short as 0.5 meters. The size of the leaves of the Amelanchier Canadensis ranges from 1 to 5.5 centimeters long and 1.8 to 2.8 centimeters broad. You can mostly find Serviceberry trees in Canada and other parts of North America.
The trees grow up to two inches in a year, while the leaves can take up to four days to bloom.
How to Plant and Grow Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai?
The Amelanchier Canadensis bonsai tree grows at its best in fall or spring and needs adequate sunlight and soil conditions. These bonsai trees require rich and deep, well-drained soils, although you can also grow them in garden conditions. However, you should ensure that the plants get full sunlight as the flowers need it to bloom.
As for planting the bonsai tree or shrub, you can follow these steps:
1. Dig out the soil and break it up nicely. If the soil is part of a hedge, you will need to keep a distance of at least two meters or six-and-a-half feet between each shrub. Also, when you break up the soil, make sure to do away with the bits and pieces leftover, such as rocks or wood, from the old roots.
2. Then, dig a hole of at least four to five times the size of the plant clump that you want to transfer.
3. Next, you must add the planting soil mix and a soil conditioner, preferably organic, like manure or seaweed. If you are planting on heavy soil, you can also add sand to the mix.
4. Pour the clump into a bucket containing water and let it settle down for a while. Doing so will help moisturize the soil and roots. Here, you could also use root dip to achieve better results, although the clump does a fine job.
5. Untangle the roots by running your fingers through the clump. Alternatively, you could also use a dedicated tool. However, be careful not to wind them if they are too interwoven.
6. Then, add a bit of soil conditioner or fertilizer, and mix it well to blend with the soil.
7. Locate the center of the hole and place your tree or shrub precisely at that place. When placing the tree or shrub, be sure to spread its roots out.
8. Then, take the mix containing the soil, peat, and soil conditioner, and pour it into the hole.
9. Press lightly on the soil so that the mix settles down.
10. Lastly, make sure to water the plant or shrub regularly after it has grown for about a year.
If you are planting trees or shrubs over one meter tall, you may also stake them. Staking plants protects them from bends and breaks that occur due to windy weather conditions.
How to Care for Your Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai?
You should make sure that you water your Amelanchier Canadensis regularly, as with most other plants, after the first year. Also, though the trees don’t need much pruning, it would still be a good idea to do it, especially to untangle the stems. You may have to wait until the end of the blooming season to prune the shrubs if you want to see the flowers grow.
You can follow these steps to prune the stems:
1. Be sure to remove all tangled and crossed-over branches.
2. Prune branches growing into the ground.
3. Make sure that you remove all the deadwood regularly.
Protecting Your Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai Against Pests and Diseases
Pests such as Cambium miners may cause concern regarding the Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai tree, although they don’t damage the plant. These miners extend from the twigs to the roots.
You also have leaf miners that mine leaves, creating tiny but noticeable holes in them. Leaf miners primarily mine the lower part of the leaves. So, be sure to look at the lower part of the leaf when you check for them.
Also, Cambium miners form their cocoons on the lower side of the leaves, while Leaf miners are the larvae of pear sawflies. You will notice leaf miners during summer as sawflies tend to lay eggs during that time. To avert any damage that these pests cause, make sure to water your Amelanchier Canadensis bonsai plants regularly and use a good fertilizer, especially during the summer months when you have dry weather.
Another threat to the Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai comes from spider mites. The problem with these mites is that they are so tiny that you cannot detect them easily. Spider mites and other insects can cause various diseases in the Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai, leaving the leaves drained of their color. Also, when many spider mites attack the plant, you will be able to see they’re fine webs.
You can also find different types of Aphids on the Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai. Aphids suck the juices present in the plant, causing distorted foliage growth. They also leave sticky honeydew on the foliage, especially on the lower parts, that turns into a black, sooty mold and grow on them.
Other Diseases Affecting the Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai
Besides miner and mite attacks, the Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai is also susceptible to other diseases, including ‘Witches Broom’ or ‘black mildew’ that causes many stems to form in the tree.
Another common disease that affects the plant is the growth of black fungi on the underside of its leaves. Both the ‘Witches Broom’ and black fungi do not damage the plant, and you can get rid of them by pruning the brooms. That is, you don’t need to use any chemicals or pesticides to control the disease.
Leaf blight is yet another infectious disease that strikes the Amelanchier Canadensis and causes purple spots to form on its leaves. Significant infection can also lead to the spots enlarging and becoming brown. The aftermath of the disease is the formation of black dots at the center of the spots, leading to the plant shedding its leaves.
Fire blights can cause the sudden whittling of the leaves in the Amelanchier Canadensis, where the tip of the branches die.
It also causes blisters on the barks, and at times, leads to the formation of cracks. A sticky gum-like substance oozes out from these cracks that can be hard to clean. Note that you cannot control this disease with the help of chemicals or fertilizers, and you must prune the infected areas. However, before pruning them, be sure to disinfect the tools with the use of bleach. Do this before each cut to stop further infection.
The fruits that the trees bear may rot later in the monsoon. Also, there are chances of birds eating them. So, likewise, many diseases can affect the Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai in various ways. Cedar rusts are another significant disease that affects the plant. These rusts can be a pain to remove.
Final Thoughts
The Amelanchier Canadensis or Juneberry is a hardy plant and finds several uses in medicine. For instance, its roots find several benefits in making 1A grade tea that acts as a tonic for women suffering from excessive menstrual bleeding. The remedy also helps alleviate diarrhea and worms in children.
Infused roots from the tree can also help prevent miscarriages when pregnant women suffer from an injury. Also, many concoction compounds made from the roots of the tree find several uses in disinfectants.
The Cree, a native North-American tribe, used the wood of the Amelanchier Canadensis to make arrows.
So, likewise, you have various other uses of the Amelanchier Canadensis Bonsai tree. Also, note that different parts of the tree are edible, including the fruits and seeds. The fruits have an apple-like flavor and can be used in pies or even as preservatives in raisins.
The fruits of the tree have different tastes and find varied uses. They have rich iron and copper content in them. Amelanchier Canadensis trees yield about seven to 15 tons of such fruits every year for every hectare of land.