How to care for your bonsai

We specifically choose hardy and slow-growing varieties to make bonsai as easy as possible. However, deliberate TLC is always key to keep your bonsai healthy and happy for years to come.

Watering bonsai

Bonsai soil should not remain soggy or dry for too long. A good rule of thumb is to water liberally only when the topsoil (about 1-2cm deep) gets dry. Watering frequency will vary depending on temperature, soil, sunlight exposure and rain. Watering can be required multiple times a day in peak summer sun without rain. It always pays to double check their soil before ‘leaving it until tomorrow’.

Top-Tip: submerge the pot under water for a few minutes until air bubbles stop coming out. Your bonsai will be completely watered and will stay hydrated for longer!

Light

These trees naturally live in forests and mountains and strive to get as much light as possible to produce essential sugars through photosynthesis. In bonsai form, the need for bright direct sun light remains absolutely essential. Morning sun is best as afternoon sun can be harsh and hot. Keep in mind, the more sunlight your bonsai gets, the more often they’ll need to be watered.

Feeding your bonsai

Feed your bonsai. Trees in forests have the advantage of an established ecosystem circulating nutrients. Bonsai trees need regular use of fertilisers to provide these essentail nutrients. Bonsai elixir has a perfect blend of nutrients to encourage stronger root growth, greener foliage, and overall health.

Use bonsai Elixir:

once a week during Spring, Summer & Autumn with bonsai elixir (liquid fertiliser) or,
every time you water/mist with half the recommended strength of bonsai elixir.

Training & Pruning

Art is always in the eye of the beholder, so have fun with it. Prune away or keep anything to your liking!

A general bonsai idea is to prune foliage growing underneath branches/pads and from the main trunk. On large mature trees, these spots typically don’t get enough sunlight to grow. Pruning these back will make your tree look older!

Wire biting: occurs when the trunk/branch starts to grow around the wire. If you notice the wire ‘digging’ into your bonsai, it may not need it anymore to hold its shape. Once you carefully remove the wire and your desired shape is not being held, loosely reattach the wire next to the bite mark and check on it periodically.

Re-potting your bonsai

Bonsai requires root pruning to keep their miniature figure, and new soil to replenish micronutrients. Repotting will only be required once every 1 or 2 years depending on how vigorously the roots have grown.

Repotting can be a daunting and scary process and should be approached with caution and after research has been completed. If you would like assistance to repot & prune your bonsai’s roots, we are more than happy to help.

Bonsai surviving the winter

Most bonsai trees will significantly slow their growth and require less sunlight over winter. Some bonsai enthusiasts will bring their bonsai tree indoors over winter as light requirements reduce. However, challenges of hydration and humidity become more apparent when keeping you bonsai indoors - see our indoor bonsai care sheet for more information.

Pests

The most common pests you might encounter with your bonsai tree are aphids and red spider mites – both are sap suckers. Aphids are much larger than red spider mites so they are easier to spot. To check if you have red spider mites, place a piece of white paper under your tree and gently shake the foliage. If you see lots of little dots that move on the paper, you probably have a spider mite infestation. You can easily treat you bonsai tree with insecticidal sprays. See our website for the products we use to treat our bonsai trees.

The most important thing to remember is that you have us in your back pocket. We always welcome anyone who has questions or needs help to maintain, prune, design, repot, or anything bonsai!