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Caring for Your Bonsai Tree

By: Alan Allport

The most important thing to keep in mind when caring for a bonsai tree is watering. It is imperative that adequate water is provided to your bonsai tree. This is especially important if your bonsai tree is kept indoors most of the time. The amount of water you will need to give will depend on two main things, the type of soil and the species of bonsai tree.

A rough rule of thumb is that approximately 75% of water gets taken up via the root system and 25% via the leaves. Because the leaves are an important water absorption surface, you should ensure that you keep them soil and dust free.

You should only use gentle water pressure when watering bonsai. Using excessive water pressure can wash away the topsoil and expose the tree roots. It is recommended that you use a misting hose or spray bottle that expels water in a fine mist. It is quite OK to use water from the tap, just ensure that it's not too hot or too cold.

Soil choice is also critical to the health and longevity of your bonsai tree. You should match the soil type to the tree species. A rough and ready guide is that 30 per cent humus and 70 per cent grit should be used for needled evergreen bonsai trees and 70 per cent humus mixed with 30 per cent grit for deciduous trees. You will need to ask advice or get a good book to help you with soil choice for the rarer species.

Another important aspect of caring for bonsai trees is pruning. Leaves, branches and roots need to be pruned. This is probably the aspect of bonsai care that beginners have most trouble with and it is certainly true that skill in this area only comes with experience and knowledge.

The first thing you should do before starting to prune is consider the style that you're trying to train your bonsai tree into. You have to sort of imagine a line around your tree's foliage that represents the shape you're looking for and then prune anything that sticks out from this imaginary line. Another point to remember is that if you're trying to direct growth to one side of the tree you should prune the opposite side.

Prune leaves or buds with care. Pruning buds will encourage back-budding and cutting leaves will 'discipline' the growth of the bonsai. It is also necessary to manage the nutrients that the roots draw up from the soil. Remember that you are trying to grow a tiny tree and letting it grow on its own will result in uncontrolled size.

You're going to have to exert a lot of loving care if you're going to achieve your objective of a beautiful bonsai tree. It's going to involve a lot of work over a long period of time, but if your heart's in it, I think you'll find it well worthwhile.

Article Source: Main Articles

Alan Allport is a long-time bonsai tree enthusiast who has had a bonsai site at www.aa-bonsai.com for several years. For the best beginner bonsai tree info you should check it out today.
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