Bonsai trees are becoming very popular as household decorations. If you are looking to add a splash of color and some plants to your house, then bonsai might just be the perfect answer. You are sure to get some color all year long and bonus color if you pick a species that flowers.
These beautiful trees got a bad reputation because people believe that they need too much care, but that is not the case at all. It takes a bit of adjustment to get used to the tree bought but it will be easy once you adjust. You only need to check it for water every day and water it when needed.
This short guide will teach you everything you need to know about how to care for a bonsai tree. Each species needs specific care, but we will teach you the basics.
Watering Your New Tree
Watering your new tree is the most important part of keeping your bonsai alive. Without water, it will dry out and die in now time. Some species need more water than others, but water is still important in all species.
The easiest way to water your bonsai is to submerge the pot in water so that the water soaks the whole thing. This ensures that your soil gets watered evenly and you do not miss anything. If you do not water evenly, then your roots will not grow evenly. Just make sure that you let all of the excess water run out before you return your pot to its location.
Finding The Perfect Spot For Your Tree
Where you put your pot will depend entirely on the type of bonsai your purchase. Each different species will have a different sun requirement than another. If you do not place your tree in the right place, you are giving it a disadvantage from the start. It will have a harder time surviving, if it survives at all.
Trees that require full sun should be put in a window that gets sun as early in the morning. It should also have the opportunity to get some direct sunlight in the middle of the day. This is when the sun is the brightest and some trees need this bright sun to survive.
Other trees might require shade and not want to receive any direct sunlight. Make sure that you shield them from the sun, especially in the middle of the day. Too much sun will kill the leaves and expose the trunk to the same deadly bright sun.
Another thing to pay attention to is whether the tree is an indoor or outdoor tree. Trees that require warm temperatures year round will need to be indoors where it is warm. Other trees may need a cold season to force them into dormancy. These trees will not survive indoors all year long.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is important in growing a bonsai because it replaces the nutrition in the soil. When growing bonsai, we are limited to how much soil we can use because of the small pots. On top of that, we have to water more than normal because of the small amount of soil. Both of these lead to a lack of nutrition in the soil and fertilizing is the best way to replace that nutrition.
Do yourself a favor and find a slow release fertilizer that you can use once a month. You simply spread it across the top of the soil once a month and every time you water, it will release more nutrients. It will save you a ton of time and make the process much easier.