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Basic Bonsai care.
(Remember it’s no big deal. They can be found in the garden, given, possibly bought as end of line scrubby bit & nurtured as required.)
If you have just acquired your first bonsai, you must learn how to care for it. It is impossible to give care instructions for every type of bonsai and for every climate in a short brochure like this, but this will help you to get started. In general, your bonsai will grow best if it experiences the same or similar environmental conditions as it would experience had it been growing “wild”. This means that almost all bonsai must be grown OUTDOORS. (A few varieties of tropical plants can be grown as indoor bonsai, but even these will do best if they are grown outside during the summer). Bonsai can be brought indoors for display for a day or two without suffering, but they really prefer being Sunlight Sunlight is critical for a tree”s good health, but how much is best” For most conifers – spruces, pines, junipers, tamarack, etc. – full sun is best.
If a bonsai is growing in a free draining soil mix, during the active growing period (spring to fall) they are usually watered once a day. Water your bonsai with a watering can, or with an attachment to your garden hose that will deliver a gentle spray of water. Be careful you do not blast the soil from the pot with too strong a spray. Water until water runs from the bottom of the pot. Watering is best done in the
morning so the tree and soil are fully hydrated during the hottest part of the day. It is often said that it is impossible to over-water a bonsai if it is in a good potting mix. However, outside. Bonsai need the daily temperature variations, the intensity of the sun, and seasonal variations in temperature to remain strong and vigorous. The surest way to kill a bonsai is to keep it on top of the television, or on the coffee table.
Pruning and Trimming
As your tree grows it will be necessary to trim and prune it to maintain its bonsai shape and size. Severe pruning is generally done in the spring. Lesser pruning is done throughout the growing year. Pruning is also done to equalize the vigor in different portions of the tree. The “strong” areas – usually the top of the tree and the ends of the branches, are pruned more than “weak” areas of the tree – the inner branches and the lower branches.
Fertilizing
Fertilizer is important for your tree”s health and vigor, and its ability to withstand stress. During the active growing year – spring to fall – your tree should be fertilized. You may either use time release fertilizer applied properly in the spring, or use water-soluble fertilizer and water with your watering can. During the growing year, if you do not use time-release fertilizer, fertilize “weekly weakly”. A fertilizer such as 10,10,10 applied at half or quarter strength once a week works well. Too much fertilizer creates rapid growth with large leaves – a phenomenon we want to avoid. Trees that are dormant should not be fertilized.
Wiring
Your bonsai may have pliable wire applied to the trunk and branches. This wire is to hold the branches in a particular position and is not meant to remain on the tree forever. Typically the wire remains on the tree anywhere from a few months up to a year. Do not let the wire cut into the bark of the tree as this will permanently scar your tree. Any wire that needs to be removed can be cut off with a special wire cutter designed for bonsai. Cutting the wire is preferable to unwrapping it. If when the wire is removed the branch springs back to its original position, wire will need to be re-applied.
Repotting
(Every two years)
Repotting must be done periodically to keep your bonsai healthy. Trimming the 2/3 rds of the roots prevents the tree from becoming pot bound and also stimulates the restricted new root growth that you disire. For almost all varieties of bonsai, repotting is best done in the spring just as the plant is awaking from dormancy. Most bonsai need to have this done every two or three or four years. Older trees require less frequent potting than younger trees; conifers require repotting less often than broadleaf deciduous trees. They may need a replenishing of basic soil at root level To repot a bonsai the tree is carefully removed from its pot (there may be a wire anchoring it in place. Cut this wire and remove it.). The roots are then carefully combed out with a root hook. Trim off the root ends enough so that it will fit back into the same pot. Replace the soil with new bonsai potting mix. Secure the tree in its pot with wire to anchor it in place. A tree that wiggles in its pot will have difficulty growing new roots. Newly repotted trees should not be exposed to full sun and drying winds until the roots are actively taking up water.Basic Bonsai care.