Like so many office bonsai, it lived on his desk, in a corner office that had big, bright windows. He had all the right intentions for the tree, he even religiously watered the tree Monday through Friday. As it turns out, he was making 5 critical mistakes that ultimately killed his tree. Did you catch that part of the story where he was watering his tree daily throughout the work week?
Each day he would come into the office and fill a small cup with water, then gently dump the water over the surface of the soil. This technique might work well for a typical office plant, but not for a bonsai. Considering his bonsai was still in the soil that it came in likely potting soil, which retains a lot of water , he was likely overwatering the tree.
This in turn caused the roots to rot and his tree eventually died. For the most part, bonsai should be potted in a well draining soil to prevent the roots from being constantly soaked in water. Every element serves different purposes. For example, nitrogen helps in increasing the growth of leaves, branches, and stems of bonsai trees above the ground. For healthy roots, phosphorus is required, which also promoted growth and development of flowers and fruits.
Potassium promotes the overall health of bonsai trees. Different NPK ratios are used for different bonsai tree species at different times of the year. During the entire growth period of your bonsai tree, it should be fertilized from early spring until mid-autumn.
More mature or older bonsai trees are fertilized less frequently. Feeding highly depends on the bonsai tree species, time of year, the health of your bonsai tree, and the stage of development.
Indoor bonsai trees can be fertilized all year round. Never fertilize sick bonsai trees. Many bonsai growers most especially beginners, choose the wrong size of bonsai pots. Choosing a bonsai pot is one of the first activities you need to do when setting up a bonsai.
You cannot just use any pot or any container as a bonsai pot. There are also important factors to consider when choosing the right size, shape, and even color of bonsai pots for your bonsai trees. Guideline 1 : If you are choosing a bonsai pot for your bonsai tree, choose one that is large enough for the roots to also stretch a little bit.
The tips of bonsai roots play a crucial role in the proper absorption of water and nutrients, so it is important to have enough room for them to draw these from the soil quickly and easily. Established bonsai trees can retain their same pot size because you can already perform regular root pruning whenever you repot.
Guideline 4 : Bear in mind that the bigger the bonsai pot is, the longer it will go and survive between watering sessions. In times of low humidity and too much heat, you need to buy bonsai pots that are slightly larger than the average container.
Its width should be slightly narrower as compared to its spread or longest branches, which applies on both sides. At some point, you need to prune your bonsai tree to get it into its right shape. Pruning will help expose the inner branches of your bonsai tree to get extra sunlight. Pruning your bonsai tree too much may affect its ability to absorb sunlight and make nutrients. When it comes to pruning, you avoid using scissors.
You can use clippers to remove dead branches. Deciding which branches to remove will help in maintaining the desired design of your bonsai tree. Pruning a bonsai is considered as an art. If you place your bonsai tree inside the house, it will not receive an adequate amount of sunlight. The sunlight actually helps your bonsai trees to produce food via photosynthesis and grow healthily. It is important for your bonsai tree to obtain enough hours of exposure to sunlight, otherwise, it may wilt, become unhealthy, and die.
But remember that too much sunlight exposure may produce the same effects. Your bonsai tree brings a peaceful and natural feel to any living space. Because a bonsai tree is not technically an ordinary plant, but a real tree, it is a truly enchanting and unique addition to any room or your outdoor space.
Make sure it will get plenty of direct exposure to sunlight. You can place it either outdoors or indoors near your window. If you use the wrong tools when caring for your bonsai, it can actually cause severe damage to your bonsai tree.
The main tool used by bonsai growers when dealing with bonsai trees is a good pair of bonsai scissors. This is not the same as regular scissors that are sharpened with flat surfaces. Bonsai scissors are specifically made in cutting branches and wires without crushing your bonsai tree. If a regular or standard pair of scissors is used to work on your bonsai tree, it will just crush and eventually damage your bonsai tree.
The other tools required include wire cutters, wire pliers, and branch cutters. As your bonsai tree requires to have its older and sturdier branches trimmed, its branches will need trimming or cutting off using branch cutters.
Fast-growing bonsai trees also require more care and attention compared to slower tree varieties. Bonsai trees require some rootwork to live a healthy life in a shallow container.
Because of the limited water and nutrients stored in the small pot, roots will continue to grow in search of more.
If left unpruned, the container can become saturated with roots and the soil will dry out significantly quicker. The growth rate of the tree is also a consideration. Slow-growing trees may only need to have their roots pruned once a year. If you have a fast-growing tree species, you will need to prune the roots more frequently. Root pruning can shock a plant so the slow growth season helps reduce the stress on a bonsai tree.
Begin by removing the plant from its container and gently remove any excess soil from the roots. You can use your hands or a gentle brush. Inspect the bottom of the tree and begin to cut any large, thick roots that you see. Roots should be trimmed all over so the cluster of roots fit in its new container without having to fold over. Anytime you perform root pruning on a bonsai tree, the tree needs to immediately be thoroughly watered to help with the shock.
After developing a root system of many small, thin roots, the next important step of growing a encourage the growth of a thick, tapered trunk. Growing a thicker trunk can take a long time, sometimes up to five years. A bonsai tree needs to have a thick trunk because serves two purposes. First, the trunk supports the entire tree against the elements. Second, the trunk transports water and nutrients to the foliage and moves carbohydrates from the leaves to the roots.
A thick trunk will ensure the longevity of the bonsai plant. There are a couple of methods you can use to thicken a tree trunk faster.
By far, the fastest trunk thickening method is to split it. Splitting a bonsai trunk will provide instant results. With this technique, you will physically split your bonsai trunk down the middle and use wires to keep the two halves of the trunk separate as it heals. With this method, you are not using an existing bonsai tree but rather using several saplings.
This untraditional method requires you to tie together several saplings so they can eventually merge and create the illusion of becoming one tree. When paired with a fast-growing tree species, the merging can take only a few months. Thickening a bonsai tree trunk is an essential step in making a bonsai tree grow faster. It is a time-consuming process that can take many years.
By using the trunk splitting or trunk merging methods, you can speed up the growing process and focus on shaping the tree significantly sooner.
Plants need a lot of nutrients to grow and remain healthy. Because of its limited root structure, bonsai trees do not have enough space to get the nutrients and oxygen it needs. When repotting a Bonsai, due to root pruning, Bonsai start losing leaves. Repotting, in general, if very stressful for Bonsai, especially sensitive ones like Ficus. Make sure to only repot in the early spring when Bonsai is coming out of dormancy.
Temperatures should be at around 50 F 10 C , and Bonsai needs to be kept at around 64 F 18 C after repotting for a few weeks. After repotting, make sure to keep your Bonsai in a mostly shaded area for weeks. After this, choose a higher nitrogen or organic fertilizer to boost foliage growth. Organic fertilizers especially promote development of beneficial bacteria in the soil, boosting growth.
If your Bonsai is dying after repotting, you can find tips in this post. Hopefully, you are now thoroughly aware of the factors responsible for leaves shedding in your masterpiece of art — Bonsai. Here are some ways to bring your miniature tree back to life. Just avoid watering regularly and during sunlight hours.
Whenever you notice the drying of the top layer of soil, water it by using a spray bottle or garden hose with a fine spray or mist attachment. Also, allow the soil to dry between watering and only then water again. You can also use the top-down method of watering by soaking the foliage.
It will allow the plant to absorb moisture from foliage and washes away pests. This change in soil color can help you decide when to water your Bonsai tree. If water is draining through the pot too quickly, it means the soil is not absorbing water. It may be due to a tree being rootbound or due to poor quality soil. In this case, your Bonsai will require repotting and pruning of damaged roots.
There can be different soil mixes made for your Bonsai depending on species. But in general, Akadama, lava rock, pumice, some river sand and charcoal are used. The best option is to make your own soil mix using separate ingredients like this pumice. Lack of sunlight puts a great impact on the overall health of Bonsai. Indoor species should be placed on a windowsill for balanced sunlight exposure. If you live in colder climates and you have many Bonsai species, you can use fluorescent lighting that emits growth-friendly spectra.
For light-sensitive outdoor plants, you can place them on the balcony with a few hours of shade. It all depends on the light requirements of the species that you will select. If the leaves dropping issue is due to lack of light, you can fix it by changing the location of your plant. Feed your Bonsai in a balanced way to promote osmosis, in which fluid and nutrients travel from roots to tree. Balanced fertilizers are most suitable for most Bonsai species.
If you over-fertilize your plant, the salt content will increase in the soil, which will promote plasmolysis and eventually leaves dropping. Normally you can use both liquid and solid fertilizer. The liquid fertilizer should be in diluted form twice a month during the growing period of the young plant. Solid fertilizer should be used twice a year.
Both organic and synthetic fertilizer can be used. Synthetic fertilizers can be absorbed by Bonsai straight away, without the need of microorganisms. You can also control how much to feed.
However, it will be mostly washed away with next waterings. Try to avoid synthetic fertilizers because they can kill beneficial soil bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. Organic fertilizers work by slow release. But make sure to always follow package instructions. Throughout the growth season, you can fertilize as often as times a month.
Please use an organic feed with balanced ratio of elements and beneficial microorganisms like this one. Like other potted plants, Bonsai can drop leaves due to disease and pests. For any fungal infections, you will need to use fungicide.
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