Bonsai Trees are famed to be difficult to care for. In reality, if you buy a trained bonsai they are surprisingly easy little companions to care for. Here are a few things to think about when caring for your Bonsai.
A Bonsai is just a little tree, trained from a sapling and pruned to keep its miniature size. So your Bonsai will need similar care to a full-sized tree.
Water
This will depend on the species of your tree, how much water it likes. Don't water on routine but check the topsoil every week. If it's dry, water and be sure to pour around the whole root system.
Fertilisation
Living in a pot, a bonsai tree doesn't have all the nutrients available to a full root system, so they'll need regular fertilisation in the growing period. Over winter they won't need any.
Position and light
Your Bonsai can live inside or outside, depending on the species. If your plant is indoors, move it around according to the season (a great position in winter may have too much sun in the summer).
Repotting and pruning
As with any plant living in a pot, it will need to be re-potted at some point. This depends on the growth, keep an eye on the roots (are they coming out of the soil) and re-pot before it's looking really root bound.
Growing your own bonsai
From a sapling, you could have a small trained bonsai within three to four years (depending on the species of the tree. Bonsai are trained with careful pruning and using wire to train the shapes.
Technically, any tree will work, but trees with smaller leaves and flowers work best. There's lots of online information to help beginners such as Bonsai Empire, and societies such as the National Bonsai Society which run meetups in the UK.
Have you grown Bonsai? Do you have any tips? Please share them with the community using the tags #Bonsai #Tips
Here are some suitable trees...
Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
Field Maple
Acer campestre
Common Beech
Fagus sylvatica
Hornbeam
Carpinus betulus
Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna
Hawthorn 'Paul's Scarlet'
Crataegus laevigata 'Paul's Scarlet'
European Larch
Larix decidua
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris
Crab Apple
Malus sylvestris
Quince
Cydonia oblonga 'Champion'
Rowan
Sorbus aucuparia
