Bonsai General Care

Guide to Bonsai General Care

There are three things involved in bonsai general care. Whether you have an indoor or outdoor bonsai, caring for a tree should always include soaking the tree completely one to three times a week, daily misting and exposing it indirectly to bright sunlight. If you follow these simple steps to bonsai general care, your bonsai tree should remain healthy.

However, the time will come when the bonsai tree will require more than the abovementioned caring. You will also need to prune, feed, and possibly, repot the bonsai. Here is more information on bonsai general care that will help you in providing the needs of your bonsai tree properly.

In bonsai general care, you always need to consider these elements – water, sunlight, and food. For indoor bonsai trees, you should set the proper schedule for watering that is suitable to the tree's environment. Start each week by soaking the bonsai in a container of tap water. Do not immerse the whole tree. The water should be just at the level of the first branch. When you do this, you will notice some bubbles. If the bubbles are few it means it will be a little while before the next watering. You would know when to water the bonsai if the soil has dried just a little. Do not wait for it the soil to dry completely before you water the bonsai again.

For outdoor bonsai trees, you should also immerse the bonsai as explained above at least once every month. Daily watering, ideally in the morning, is necessary because an outdoor bonsai tree dries out quickly. Use a hose spray with moderate pressure.

The Bonsai will have new growth during the spring and during this time, continuous feeding is important. To feed the bonsai, you can insert a fertilizer stick or use a slow-release fertilizer. You can also add a week bonsai fertilizer each week when you immerse the bonsai in water.

Sunlight is essential to bonsai general care as it is for every other tree or plant. If you have an indoor bonsai, you should place it in indirect sunlight for about 5 hours. You can take it outside during warmer months but do not place the tree directly under the sun, especially during noon or afternoon. It will, however, do your indoor bonsai good to give it a few hours of direct sunlight during summer mornings. Protect outdoor bonsai trees from the day's heat. Except for large juniper and pine bonsai trees that need a half day of direct sunlight, other outdoor bonsai trees will get their ideal amount of sunlight during the morning and afternoon.