Important Information About Bonsai Tree Care

bonsai trees

When thinking about Bonsai tree care, the most important thing to think about is proper watering. This is the type of tree that can die from both over watering and under watering. If you over water this tree you can cause a fungus to grow in the soil, which will essentially cause the roots of the tree to decompose. If the tree is not watered enough, it can suffer drought which is a lack of water and the tree will once again die. While bonsai trees can be grown indoors, at some point in order for the tree to be healthy and survive for a longer period of time it must be taken outside. Bonsai trees that are grown exclusively inside do not have a high success rate.

The soil and the pots that are used when planting a bonsai tree are extremely important as well. The type of soil you use will affect how often you feed and water your tree. The recommended soil content should be as follows, 30% grit, 70 % humus for deciduous trees. However the type of soil that you use will depend greatly on which type of bonsai tree that you grow. For example the combination of grit and humus is reversed for evergreen bonsai trees. The type of pot that you plants your bonsai tree in plays an important role as well. While there are different recommendation for pots you try to select a pot that is two third to three quarters as well as the tree is tall. It should also be half as deep as the tree is tall. A general rule is to keep the pt as high as the width of the tree trunk. This will give the tree room to grow and expand in the pot. If you have selected a pot that you that you tree has outgrown or will outgrow do not rush to replant the tree. Replanting the tree can cause some damage and cause the tree to die.

Another important part of caring for your bonsai tree is called pruning. There are different ways to prune your bonsai tree.  There is branch pruning and root pruning. However, they do go hand in hand. If you are pruning the roots of you bonsai tree it is important that you also prune the branches of your tree. This will keep the tree balanced. The less foliage that you have up top means that there is less foliage that the roots have to support. If you are planning on doing some branch pruning it’s a good idea to clip the tip of the branches and the some slight pruning of the leaves. If you have branches that are crossing each other to crossing the trunk of the tree it is a good idea to cut these branches to give tree room to continue to grow. If you have twigs that are pointing straight down off the branches it is also a good idea to cut these as they will cause the branches to droop down.

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Care of Bonsai Trees – Why Location Is Important

indoor bonsai trees

When I first got my Bonsai, I just thought that it was a house plant, and so it could be kept inside with all my other pot plants. What I should have done is asked the question: What are the basis differences between the care of ordinary house plants and the care of bonsai trees?

As time went by, and I was keeping my bonsai inside, little did I know that the reason it was starting to look ill, was that the tree did not like its environment. I found out that most bonsai’s are outdoor trees by nature. I didn’t know that only a few varietals of bonsai find being inside is to their liking.

Being a new comer to the care of bonsai trees, I was aware that there were many things that I needed to know, otherwise I would be in danger of killing my bonsai.

I had been told that watering was of course crucial to the care of bonsai, and I was very careful with this but, as I was to find out, what is often overlooked for beginners is the correct location for their tree.

I was to find out that bonsai are very sensitive to their conditions and that different trees have different requirements for light and temperature. To take care of bonsai trees, you need to learn where you should position your tree to keep it as healthy as possible. I was to discover that bonsai can be grown indoors or out – but plants meant for the outdoors do not thrive well inside unless they are positioned so that they get the right amount of sunlight and do not get either too hot or to cold.

I suggest to you that one of the the first lessons that a new comer to the care of bonsai trees should learn is to identify what type of bonsai you have and from that you will have a better idea on the best location for your particular bonsai.

What I found out is that there are basically two types:

Inside and Outside Bonsai

Often you hear the words indoor bonsai and outdoor bonsai. The correct terms are: tropical (indoor) or temperate (outdoor).

Put simply,

Tropical or Indoor bonsai trees grow very well inside the house. Indoor bonsai trees are smaller varieties that do very well under inside conditions. They do not have to go through cold weather or a dormant period.

Temperate or Outdoor bonsai trees are usually larger and are intended to be placed outside. Outdoor bonsai must go through a dormant period, so they do not do very well inside the house. Plants meant for the outdoors do not do well inside unless they get the right amount of sunlight and do not get either too hot or too cold.

It is also relevant with the care of bonsai trees to know that there are Deciduous trees (which shed their leaves) and Evergreen trees (which retain their leaves all year).

This lead me to find out that my tree was a dwarf juniper which is a resilient, non-flowering evergreen conifer which I had kept inside, in a dark part of the house. I have since found out that this tree likes to get a least 2 hours of direct sunlight a day and it does not like extremes of heat or cold. It was hardly surprising that I was not succeeding with my care of bonsai trees. My tree was struggling as it did not like its location.

I still have a way to go to be a success with my care of bonsai trees, as there are many things to consider, but I have learnt whether I had an indoor (tropical) or outdoor( temperate) tree. From that, I know what is the best position for my bonsai tree and what is suited to its individual requirements.

Now I can move on to the other secrets that must be learnt to be a success in the care of bonsai trees.

Tags: Bonsai, care, Important, Location, Trees