In the process of growing indoor bonsai, self-care requires standard care for this crop when grown at home. Bonsai care should begin at the planting stage by choosing the right pot and its installation site. After all, air temperature and lighting conditions play an important role. Bonsai care at home is described in detail in this material with recommendations and rules.
Plants require room temperature in summer and cool unheated conditions in winter. Almost all types of bonsai can be put outdoors in the summer. Garden bonsai are hardy but require frost protection.
bonsai lighting
Most indoor bonsai require bright lighting, but only a few species thrive in direct sunlight. All of them should be protected from the hot summer sun. As a rule, being outdoors in the summer is beneficial, but there should be a transitional period. Take the pots out only for a short time at first, and extend this time outdoors until the plants adapt. Garden and indoor bonsai should be shaded from the hot midday sun.
watering bonsai
Bonsai are watered when the surface is dry – touch the soil if you are unsure.
Be prepared to water frequently, perhaps every day if the container is small, the leaf area is large, the air is warm, or if the plant has not been repotted for some time. If possible, use rainwater for lime-intolerant plants. Recommend watering from a watering can equipped with a fine strainer, although sometimes the pot is immersed for a short time in a container of water. Whatever method is used, try to keep the soil constantly saturated with moisture.
You may need to water your garden bonsai even after rain if there is a dense curtain of leaves. Regular watering does not eliminate the need to maintain a moist atmosphere around the foliage. Frequent spraying of indoor bonsai leaves is useful. The most effective method is to set the pots on a pebble tray.
Top dressing bonsai
The general rules for indoor plants also apply to bonsai, although the need for regular fertilization, as a rule, they have more – there is a small amount of soil in the pot, which contains practically no nutrients. As a general rule, use a well-balanced compound fertilizer during active growth, but change to a low-nitrogen fertilizer in the fall. Feed sparingly in winter. There is a modern complex in the form of granules of prolonged action, which eliminates the need for frequent top dressing.
Pruning and trimming bonsai roots
Pruning the roots of a bonsai is to ensure a balance between the growth of the crown and the root system. The purpose of transplanting is to replace the soil with fresh soil. As a rule, in new plants, the roots are pruned annually, and in mature plants – every 2-5 years. The best time to trim a bonsai is in the spring when the buds begin to swell; evergreens are pruned in March. The exception is spring-flowering trees – the roots are cut when flowering is over.
Remove the tree, carefully remove about half of the old soil and straighten the roots with a stick or special rake. Trim the roots – about 1/2 of the root system needs to be removed.
Wash and dry the pot thoroughly, or use a slightly larger pot. Cover the drainage holes with fine bonsai netting. Insert two wires through the drainage holes and secure the mesh with them.
Cover the base of the pot with a thin layer of sand or baked clay – your pot should look like the picture. Place the plant in the desired position and secure it by twisting the wire over the base of the trunk. Now add fairly dry soil and spread it between and over the roots with your fingers, leaving no air pockets. Water gently but thoroughly. Protect from the sun and do not feed for a month or two.
Bonsai plant care
Bonsai plant care includes the basics of wire tying. The wire is wrapped around the branch, which is then bent into position. After a certain period of time, the wire is removed and the branch retains its new shape. In practice, it is not so easy – to become a specialist, you need a lot of experience. Before you start bonsai, try your hand at a branch in the garden.
Use anodized aluminum wire – start with the thickest branches. Take a piece of wire about one quarter the thickness of the branch and cut a piece one and a half times the length of the branch.
Rotate the wire counterclockwise so that it is snug around the branch but not cutting into the wood. Slowly and gently bend the branch with the wire. The most appropriate time to remove the wire depends on several factors. As a rough guide, wait 1 year for conifers and about 3 months for deciduous trees. Always remove the wire before it cuts deep into the wood. Use wire cutters and remove it piece by piece – don’t try to cut it.
Bonsai Tree Care: Pruning and Crown Shaping
Bonsai maintenance pruning is done on a mature tree in late winter or early spring. Its purpose is to maintain the basic shape and avoid thickening. When caring for a bonsai tree, some of the outer branches are removed to leave room for next year’s growth. Then they remove or shorten the branches that cross the others and spoil the overall shape of the crown.
Shoots that have started to grow upwards can ruin the cloud effect of coniferous bonsai and should therefore be removed.
Be careful with conifers. A shortened leafless branch will not produce new growth. Every few years it will be necessary to remove some of the larger branches to allow new branches to develop. Make sure your tools are sharp. Use regular scissors or branch shears – larger branches will require secateurs or wire cutters. Large cuts should be sealed with cutting paste.
Pruning is usually done in the fall and includes the removal of unwanted growths. Use a pruner, small file, or wire cutters to cut off most of the branch, leaving a small stump. Remove the stump with wire cutters, leaving a small indentation – fill it with sealant paste for trimming.
Pruning bonsai for crown formation is carried out on deciduous trees in the middle of summer. Its purpose is to stimulate the formation of new branches. Cut the trunk or thick bough to the desired length – within a short time, a mass of shoots will develop around the cut area. In autumn, they should be thinned to the desired number.
Pinching – This method is carried out during the summer months to maintain the shape of a mature tree and to reduce the size of the leaves.
The tips of the shoots are pinched with nails, although small scissors can be used. The standard procedure with deciduous trees is to remove the leaf bud at the tips of the shoots at regular intervals; in flowering trees, it is important not to remove the buds.