Maintaining A Healthy Bonsai

Bonsai Gardening Secrets
Maintaining A Healthy Bonsai

After you have trained your Bonsai in the style of your choice, you cannot leave it to fend for itself. To keep their beautiful shape, Bonsai must be maintained. Although this is not difficult, it does require some general knowledge.

For instance, you will need to know where to place your Bonsai, how much to water and feed it, when, where, and how to prune, when and how to repot, techniques for wiring without damaging the Bonsai, and so on.

This chapter is dedicated to overall maintenance of your Bonsai, providing you with answers to these and many other important questions so that you have a beautiful tree and enjoy the process of keeping it that way.

BONSAI POSITIONING
Where you place, your Bonsai tree has a direct correlation in how well it will grow. For starters, the tree needs to be kept out of direct sunlight. Now, as discussed earlier, you can provide directly sunlight if it is in the early morning but not in the afternoon.

Additionally, if your tree is young, then you should keep it out of the sun altogether. Other things important in positioning your Bonsai include its location to air. Good circulation and relative humidity are crucial. Although strong, direct wind is not necessarily a good idea, positioning your tree where it has ample fresh air and can receive a nice breeze is perfect.

Another consideration that is often overlooked is the position in how it relates to accessibility. Keep in mind that you will need to water, feed, prune, and fertilize your Bonsai so you need it to be positioned where you can get to it with ease.

The last thing you want is to be reaching over or around your tree to do the simple things. One thing interesting about Bonsai is they will tell you if they like or dislike the place where you have put them. For example, if you notice burnt foliage, discoloration, or wilting, then you know the plant is stressed and unhappy with its position.

The best way to make your choice is consider the species natural growing habitat and then try to immolate it. For instance, some tree species naturally grow in partial shade with just moments throughout the day of indirect sunlight. By positioning your Bonsai in a similar environment, it will do much better than if you were trying to go against its natural preference.

GROWING AND DISPLAYING INDOORS
When it comes to Bonsai, there are two groups of plants. The first are those species designed to be grown and displayed indoors while the other group is strictly for outdoors.

For the outdoor Bonsai, many growers bring their trees indoors where they are put on display for special occasions but then afterward, they need to go back outside. A good rule to follow is that three days a month indoors is all your Bonsai, regardless of species, will handle.

For the outdoor Bonsai, they simply cannot and should not be grown inside. Bringing them in during the flowering season or to celebrate a party, is fine but if they are kept indoors too long, they will actually become stressed. If you do bring the Bonsai inside, remember that you will need to take extra care when it comes to watering, sunlight, humidity, and so on.

Providing the Bonsai with a daily misting will help, as will positioning the tree so it is not somewhere too warm. For example, if you bring your Bonsai inside during the wintertime, make sure it is not placed too close to a heater. Keep in mind that if the Bonsai need to be kept warm, you can purchase a special heater that will not dry the tree out but you would also need to use a humidifier.

Additionally, once you put the Bonsai in its position, try to leave it alone as much as possible. The more you start to touch and mess with the Bonsai, the more stressed it will be.

APPROPRIATE WATERING
For growing Bonsai, watering is a very important aspect. You need to find the perfect balance between moist, but not wet or dry. Unfortunately, trees are often subjected to harsh winds and/or excessive heat, which can dry the Bonsai out. Another problem is too much water, which can make the tree mold or mildew, or rot.

If your Bonsai is one of the outdoor species, then the only time you need to be cautious is when the weather turns hot and dry, or when there is an abundance of rain. During normal summer months, you should water your Bonsai about twice a week, and if the days are extra hot, move the trees to shade.

Some people will use a drip or mist sprinkler system that waters the Bonsai without getting them too wet. If you live in a region that is prone to long, dry spells, then using something as simple as a water sprayer will help increase the humidity level.


If you are unsure if you are providing your Bonsai enough water, you can always lift the pot and feel the weight. Amazingly, once you become accustomed to the pots you use, you can generally tell how much moisture is in the soil simply by feel. Considering that the water accountsfor about 25% of the overall weight, this is not difficult to do.

Another method is to keep a set of wooden chopsticks on hand. If you think the soil is dry, you can poke the chopsticks down into the soil. If they come out dry, then you need to water your Bonsai.

However, if you notice moisture on the chopsticks, then you are still good.

One of the most important things you can do is learn the water patterns of your specific plant or tree. Since each has different drying times, this will help you determine the right amount of watering and the best schedule. While quick drying and frequent watering is exceptionally good for Bonsai, you do want to make sure you do not over water, which could cause root
rot.

Other factors play into the drying time, such as:

• Soil Mixture – Fine mediums such as clay, peat moss, and vermiculite all hold a lot of water whereas other types of soil do not. If you find that your soil is drying out too soon, you can add some of these elements to help.
• Plant Size – This too will affect the soil. For example, if you have a Bonsai that is a leafy type of plant or tree, then it will consume more water than a smaller leafed species. Additionally, root colonized or root bound plants and trees will require more water.
• Pruning – Since pruning helps the plant or tree grow, more water will be required during the pruning times.
• Fertilizer – Since fertilizers will encourage some plants and trees to grow very fast, they could also speed up the drying time. Additionally, if you have organic matter or decomposition in the soil, then you might experience premature soil collapse, which would increase the overall drying time.
• Disease – One of the most common problems with watering isagain, too much, which then causes root rot. Additionally, you will find several diseases that can actually cause blockage to the vascular system. When this happens, water cannot be absorbed properly. Therefore, you need to watch for problems, which might present as wilting leaves. At this point, allow the Bonsai to dry out completely before watering again. If the soil is dry but the leavesare still wilted, your Bonsai could have a fungal infection.
• Wind and Temperature – These too can cause your Bonsai to dry out too quickly. If your plant or tree is exposed to one or both, you will need to keep a close eye on the water content of the soil.
• Sunlight – What happens here is that sunlight will heat up the plant and/or the pot in which it is planted, causing moisture to evaporate.
• Humidity – When it becomes humid, the water will typically last longer. In this case, if you live in a region with high humidity, make sure you do not over water. A daily misting might be best, especially if the temperatures climb.
• Size of the Pot – Obviously, a larger pot would hold more water while a smaller pot would hold less.

Bonsai Gardening Secrets