Learning Basic Bonsai Care
The reason people love Bonsai is because they are Beautiful and unique and offer a sense of peace and relaxation. Bonsai is an ancient oriental art which involves making trees in miniature. Bonsai are not a specific species of tree but rather the word bonsai means tray planting, most tree species that get a woody trunk can be suitable for bonsai.
Now if you are in the market for your very own Bonsai Tree then there is some work that is going to go into it that is not just trimming and watering, i am talking about education. You will need to educate yourself on how to care for bonsai.
Caring for Bonsai
Learning proper techniques and maintenance for bonsai is probably the most important thing you will do in your bonsai journey, without knowledge of basic bonsai care your tree will suffer. Growing and styling bonsai has a learning curve but it doesn't have to be difficult and we are here to help you get comfortable with looking after you own bonsai.
Here at Bonsai-En we teach what we call the Fundamentals of bonsai which is a solid foundation of techniques that will keep a bonsai tree specifically healthy. You see bonsai is a whole different practise of horticulture so learning these techniques is vital.
So what are the basic techniques of Bonsai?
Positioning Bonsai
Making sure your bonsai is in the correct position is crucial, most species of bonsai need direct sunlight outdoors and they also need the natural environment to survive, bonsai judge what time of the year it is by the amount of light there is in a day ( daylight hours ) and the temperature. When the days are long and the weather is warm the tree knows to grow, when the days are short and the weather is cool the tree knows to rest. There are trees considered to be indoor bonsai which are mostly tropical species but if you can always try and put your trees outside they will be a lot healthier. You will also have to be aware of your trees cold tolerance and it may need protection during the winter time from frost and low temperatures.
Watering Bonsai
Bonsai require special watering needs. Because they live in a very small pot they need to be watered more regularly then a normal plant. How much you water can also come down to environmental factors such as temperature and also the species of tree and the soil mix it is in. Learning your trees watering requirements will be crucial. As you get more advanced you will start learning about water PH and how this affects your tree but for now just learning how to keep your tree alive with the correct amount of water will be sufficient.
Fertilizing Bonsai
Fertilizing bonsai is basically like vitamins for you bonsai. People often think that fertilizer is food but its actually not, food is sugars which is created by the tree using photosynthesis. Fertilizer for bonsai is nutrients, there are the main nutrients which are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which you will see mixed as a ratio on most fertilizer E.G 10-5-2 . There are also macro nutrients which are things like boron, manganese, magnesium etc etc. all these nutrients play a role in keeping your tree healthy, further down the road in your bonsai journey you will be able to use nutrients to your advantage to control the growth on the tree.
Pruning Bonsai
When it comes to pruning bonsai we have to be calculated as to why we are pruning and what we expect the result to be. Our little trees do not have an unlimited amount of resources and if we exhaust these resources by over pruning or removing important growth this can be deadly for the tree. Learning how and when to prune your trees will be an important part of your bonsai journey not just as an aesthetic practise but as a horticultural practise to help keep your trees healthy and looking great.
These are just a few of the basic foundational techniques for bonsai, if you wish to learn further about these particular techniques and more including
Bonsai Tools
Bonsai Material
Proper Bonsai Techniques ( mentioned in this article )
Bonsai Wiring
Bonsai Soils
Bonsai Potting
The 5 Basic Styles Of Bonsai
And Bonsai Pot Choice
We invite you to join our Bonsai Beginners Course over at the Bonsai Dojo.
Our Beginners Bonsai Course has over 4 hrs of video lessons which you can do in your own time at home. Click Here To Learn Bonsai Now
