General Bonsai Care

Bonsai Tree Care

The care and maintenance of bonsai is not as difficult as most people think, and with just a basic understanding of the needs of a bonsai tree, most enthusiasts can keep a tree alive long enough to then learn more about this wonderful Japanese art.

Step 1: Keep Your Tree Alive
It might sound pretty simple but if you can keep a bonsai alive you are 90 percent on the way to mastering this art.

There are 4 main areas to look at to keep your tree alive and 2 areas that help to keep it healthy and looking like a bonsai.

Watering
The biggest thing that will kill bonsai is too much water, or in most cases not enough water.

These tiny trees that have been placed in small containers need a constant supply of water to the roots, but do not do well if their roots are constantly wet, which will cause root rot.

The happy balance is to keep the soil moist but not wet. The position of your tree can make a big difference to how often a tree will need water, a tree in full sun will need to be watered a lot more than a tree that only gets a small amount of morning sun.

Checking your trees for water at around the same time each day will give you an idea of an individual trees needs. Scratch the surface of the soil to reveal half a centimeter below, and if the soil is dry, water it, if it is still moist then check it again at the same tomorrow.

Position
A lot of people put too much thought into this sometimes and forget the biggest element, BONSAI ARE NOT INDOOR PLANTS!

Leaving a tree inside for too long is a sure way to kill it. Keep them inside and admire them for no longer than a week, and then gradually move them back to their original position outside, for at least 3 weeks before bringing in again.

For most trees a position outside that gets several hours of morning sun is good. How much of this is direct sun will depend on the variety of tree and how often you can water it if it needs it.

Just because a tree can tolerate full sun, does not mean that they grow at their best in full sun, and keeping the water up to them will usually be the biggest challenge in the summer months.

Pests
I like watering all my trees by hand each day which gives me a chance to look them over foe any signs of pest or disease.

Most pests if caught early enough can be treated with natural sprays like white oil and pyrethrum.

Being vigilant and catching pests before they become a problem, and preventative measures such as spraying with lime sulphur in the winter, are the best ways to keep your trees free from pest.

Food
All plants need sources of food, one way a tree gets it’s nutrients is by making food using their leaves and the sun (photosynthesis), the rest of it they get out of the soil via their roots.

Feeding regularly during the growing season helps to keep a plant healthy as well as root pruning and repotting to avoid the tree becoming root bound, and the soil from being depleted of nutrients.

Feed with an organic fertilizer like fish emulsion or a seaweed based fertilizer fortnightly in the growing season.

Shaping
You have just finished reading about how to keep a tree alive and healthy, problem is now the tree just won’t stop growing and has started to resemble the plant version of Cousin It, rather than Japanese art!

Keeping your tree alive is 90 percent of bonsai tree care, the other 10 percent is keeping it looking good.

Regular pruning to keep a compact shape and pads of healthy foliage can be a little scary for most growers, but with a few simple steps you can learn to keep your tree looking its best.

Click Here to Learn Bonsai Pruning Secrets

Root pruning
The last of the jobs you will need to master is root pruning. For a tree to stay healthy it is constantly sending out roots in search of food. As our trees are in small containers these roots have nowhere to go and eventually will need to be placed in a larger pot (this could make the tree out of proportion), or we need to prune the roots by a third and replace in the pot with fresh soil.

The job of root pruning is done once a year usually in Spring and is vital to the long term health of our trees.

Bonsai Pruning Secrets

There is one thing that seems to be a regular issue when customers finally decide to bring their bonsai in to the nursery for us to prune and re-pot them; they leave it way too late!

A quality, healthy bonsai needs regular pruning to create compact pads of foliage, and to assist in reducing leaf size.

Most trees such as figs etc.  If left to grow un-attended, will produce long leggy branches that will have an increase in distance between the pairs of leaves the longer they are allowed to grow.

As these branches grow (vigorously at first) they will also be producing vigorous root growth as they search for nutrients to feed this vigorous top growth, over time this causes the bonsai to become pot bound.

The vigorous root growth compacts the soil in the pot, and this makes it more difficult for the tree to get nutrients and water, which then causes it to begin to get sick, it will then start to drop any old leaves from the branches (the ones closest to the trunk!) leaving only the large leaves at the tips of long leggy branches!

This alone makes it very difficult to get a tree back to being a bonsai!

Best Pruning Practices

The best pruning practice is regular attention; major pruning can be done at the time of re potting and in the middle of the growing season if necessary, but compact healthy foliage and fine ramification of branches is achieved by regular consistent attention.

Follow the Triangle for Basic Pruning

If you are following one of the 5 basic styles of Japanese bonsai, then your tree should resemble a triangular shape (scalene triangle).

For very basic pruning your branches or foliage that have grown outside of this shape can be the first areas to prune back, to reveal the outline of a triangle again.

Remove any un-wanted growth from above or below a branch, and rub off, or pinch any growth out appearing at the base of the trunk, or on old wood where a branch is not wanted.

Pinching back Junipers

The best way to keep a juniper in shape and to create clouds of foliage is to pinch the tips of the new growth out by using your thumb and forefinger and twisting.

This removes the growing tip from inside the needles, without causing browning or die back that can occur if cut back with scissors.

Keep juniper growth thinned out to avoid pests hiding among the fine needles.

Alternate or leaf Pairs

To improve branch ramification on trees that grow pairs of leaves or alternate leaves along a branch, can be done by cutting lateral growth back to a pair of leaves, or to a single leaf pointing in the direction of the next shoot you want to grow.

Bonsai pruning Secrets

You don’t have to be a bonsai master to keep a tree healthy and looking good, it just takes a little bit of regular attention.

As you learn more about how to bonsai you will feel more confident in the amount of pruning you do.

The secret is not to leave it till it is stressed and over grown before you do something about it, as this is when it is more likely you will kill a tree, or have a large amount of die back leaving a tree that no longer resembles a bonsai and will take years to, or never recover.  

KEEP BONSAI ALIVE WITH THESE SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS

Being given a bonsai or asked to care for one can sometimes cause panic for those un-sure of the needs of these sometimes expensive little treasures.

If you have found yourself in this situation you will be happy to know that keeping bonsai alive is not as hard as you might think.

SIMPLE BONSAI INSTRUCTIONS

Bonsai is becoming more and more popular as an art form, a hobby, and as a novel gift to give as a house warming present, as a wedding gift or for just about any special occasion. Whether you are giving or receiving this gift, keeping it alive and healthy can be done by following these simple bonsai instructions.

Every variety of bonsai differs slightly in its needs for optimum health and well being, but in most cases keeping them alive and well is the same or similar for all of them.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE SIMPLE BONSAI INSTRUCTIONS!

learn more here about CARING FOR BONSAI

DON'T BUY BONSAI

Bonsai can be expensive to purchase and to replace if you regularly kill them off.

Bonsai are not that hard to grow or to look after so invest your money in learning the right way to grow and care for a bonsai tree, then you will have the skills to create your own works of art and be able to keep them alive for years to come.

Learn how to bonsai, take a bonsai course

Spring is here, everything is starting to burst with colour and new growth and it is a perfect time to learn how to bonsai by taking a bonsai course.

The ancient art of bonsai has been around for over 1000 years and has captured the imagination of enthusiasts of all ages, all over the world.

Bonsai, although was thought to have originated in China, Japanese style bonsai seems to be what most people recognise when they think of miniature trees.

As our living spaces get smaller and finding time to look after a large garden gets harder, a great alternative is to grow bonsai, not only are they relatively easy to maintain, they look great and you will be the envy of your friends and neighbours.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE Learn How to Bonsai Take a Bonsai Course

For more on how to bonsai check out http://www.balconybonsai.com.au/

TRAINING BONSAI IS A REWARDING HOBBY

Not everyone has the urge, knowledge or space to want to grow bonsai as a business, although it is a great way to make a little extra money on the side at times like Christmas or Mothers day when people are looking for a gift that is a little bit different, as a hobby it would have to be one of the most rewarding!

TRAINING BONSAI
Learning the ancient art of transforming trees over many years to resemble something hundreds of years old, is a combination of understanding horticulture, art and having a healthy respect for Mother Nature’s own magic.

A well trained bonsai should inspire the viewer to imagine being able set a blanket out and have a picnic underneath it.

Although simple in its translation “BON”, meaning tray or dish, and “SAI” meaning plant or tree, there are many elements that require understanding and ongoing attention to create and keep true bonsai trees alive.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE TRAINING BONSAI!

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BONSAI AS A HOBBY AT http://www.balconybonsai.com.au/

BONSAI ON A BUDGET

When first learning the basics of bonsai a lot of people aren’t prepared to spend too much money in case they are unable to keep their new purchase alive.
One way of increasing the number of bonsai in your collection without the upfront cost is to create trees of your own from cheaper bonsai starters, cuttings or even something you already have growing around the house.

Make Bonsai Trees of your own
Buying a ready made bonsai from a nursery or at a local market can be not only more expensive than it needs to be, but also not as rewarding as learning to make bonsai trees for yourself.

Bonsai is a Japanese word made up of 2 separate words, “bon” meaning tray or dish, and “sai” meaning tree or plant. It is the combination of these 2 elements that make up a true bonsai.

Putting any old tree into any old pot will usually not create the desired effect of bonsai, so choosing these 2 elements carefully will help create a better looking tree sooner.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE Make bonsai trees of your own!
OR LEARN STEP BY STEP How to bonsai



Create your own Bonsai at balconybonsai.com

FIG BONSAI

Fig or Ficus bonsai would have to be one of the most popular varieties the world over. Figs are so easy to train, handle harsh pruning and in the right climate and season, can grow at an alarming rate.
If you don’t already have a fig bonsai , I suggest you get one, they are a great tree for the bonsai beginner to the advanced grower and really are easy to care for.

HOW TO CARE FOR FIG BONSAI
Here is a general outline of how to care for fig bonsai.

DESCRIPTION:
There is literally thousands of ficus varieties, so it would take more than just one page to cover them all, but in general when it comes to fig bonsai the care is usually similar for all varieties.

From what I have discovered so far figs in general make great bonsai because of their natural tendency to be very forgiving when it comes to care so this makes growing fig bonsai easy.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE HOW TO CARE FOR FIG BONSAI

GO TO MY WEBSITE FOR MORE ON BONSAI CARE INSTRUCTIONS