A bonsai tree is an extraordinary decoration of each collection of plants. These kinds of plants are a symbol of great craftsmanship and knowledge. Caring for a bonsai tree at home requires following certain rules and a lot of patience. However, the effect you can get is worth every time you spend caring for your bonsai tree. Here's how to cultivate a bonsai tree at home so that it retains its unusual appearance for years.
Bonsai tree - care at home
Basically all plants used for bonsai are trees that grow outside in their natural habitat. Some of them, however, come from warm climatic zones and in our country they can only be grown at home. However, there are also bonsai for the garden.
Plants suitable forbonsai treecan be purchased at almost every garden center. But let's only choose those in proven centers and stores, and don't buy them in supermarkets. Unfortunately, in the case of the latter, the plants are often dirty and quickly deteriorate after being taken home. It is not worth the risk, especially sincethe prices of bonsai treesare usually quite high (from several dozen to several hundred zlotys, depending on the species and age of the plant).
When buyingbonsai treesyou also need to check if there is any information about the species. Many plants require specific growing conditions and without this knowledge we will not be able to properly care for the purchased bonsai trees.
Caring for a bonsai tree at homeshould primarily be based on maintaining an elevated temperature and humidity. In summer, weather permitting, they can be put outside.This is usually even recommended and is good for the plants. Remember to carefully control indoor climate and humidity. Regularly check if the substrate is damp, spray the leaves and keep an eye on the air humidity.
How to water a bonsai tree?
The frequency and amount of watering a bonsai tree should be adapted to the requirements of a specific species. As a general rule, however, plants that require a constantly moist substrate are used for bonsai. It should also be remembered that bonsai trees, i.e. intensely cut and stunted, due to the resulting loads, are more sensitive to overdrying.
The best method to water yourbonsai treeis to dip the entire pot in water so that the water is completely covering the substrate. Then wait until the air bubbles stop rising to the surface, then remove the pot from the water and let it drain excess water.You can also water the bonsai tree with a small watering can.
Important!Always water the bonsai tree with water at room temperature, left standing for at least 24 hours.
In addition, remember to moisten the leaves. To do this, spray them regularly or place the pot on a tray covered with a layer of absorbent granules that keep moisture, such as expanded clay, for example. As a result, the evaporating water from the granules will slowly rise to the leaves and they will not dry out.
Bonsai tree
Caring for a bonsai treeat home is also fertilizing. Regularly performed at the right time of the year and with properly selected fertilizer, it has a significant impact on the proper development of plants. A certain part of the fertilizer is always rinsed out during watering, so it is necessary to repeat the treatment.
Fertilizers for bonsai treescan come in various forms - as soluble powder, granules, tablets or in the form of liquid.They can be used by spraying leaves, watering or pressing tablets into the substrate. The advantage of tablets is that they release nutrients slowly and over an extended period of time. On the other hand, liquid fertilizers and powders provide nutrients at the time of administration, so the treatment must be used more often. Never exceed the recommended fertilizer dose!
Usually,bonsai treesgrown at home are fertilized from early spring to late summer. In late autumn, you can apply a fertilizer with a low nitrogen content, this will harden this year's growth. One of the better fall fertilizers for bonsai is nitrogen-free fertilizer. However, this type of fertilizer can only be purchased at specialized bonsai stores.
Note!Bonsai trees should not be fertilized for at least 3 weeks after transplanting. They should also not be fertilized during the acclimatization period in the new position (e.g. after buying and bringing them home).
To prevent pest attack, wash the leaves and shoots of your bonsai to get rid of any pest larvae and eggs. Bosai trees have essentially the same potted plant pests as other indoor plants. One of the most popular pests of bonsai trees are:
Junkies - you can recognize them by shields that look like sticky shells with a white, fluffy and sticky mass. Control the pests by wiping the pests with a cotton swab soaked in denatured alcohol and using insecticides.
Aphids - these popular pests also do not leave bonsai trees alone. They must be combated with insecticides. You can also remove them manually from the tree, washing it under a stream of water. In home cultivation, the control of aphids can be carried out with the help of a safe preparation based on natural ingredients, called the natural preparation Agrocover.
The spider mite is a small red spider that usually appears when the air is too dry. Therefore, you should take care of air humidity and use spider mites.
Bonsai tree at home
Many failures incare for bonsai treesare related to supplying the tree with too little water. Then the plant dries out, which is manifested in the drying out of the leaves. Then they become light brown or yellow and brittle.In turn, providing too much water, i.e. overflowing, manifests itself through blackening of the leaves. Then they become dark brown or even black, and flabby and soft.
These types of symptoms are caused by fungi, which easily develop if you hydrate too much. Fungal infections can be prevented by applying the principles of hygiene when preparing trees, pots or substrate, always using clean and disinfected cutting tools. In the event of an outbreak, it may be necessary tospray the bonsai treewith one of the available fungicides.When caring for a bonsai tree at home, be careful of verticillium wilt, gray mold and rust.
It should be remembered that the art of bonsai is about displaying the structure of a tree and its skeleton in the most beautiful way possible while limiting its growth to a great extent.Bonsai treemust not have too many leaves and branches. Everything must harmonize with each other. When trimming shoots, always do it at an angle and at a distance of 3-5 mm from the pair of leaves below.
Pruning a bonsai treeis done with appropriate tools, preferably specialized for bonsai. We never pinch, twist or tear off the twigs. It should also be remembered that after cutting each element, the cut wound on the bonsai tree should be covered with wound ointment or charcoal to prevent infection.
Caring for a bonsai tree at homeis largely based on a formative or corrective cut, which is crucial for the proper growth of the tree. So let's take a closer look at this extensive topic before proceeding to the first cut.
Note!Avoid cutting forming during the acclimatization period (e.g. when placing a newly purchased plant in a new interior in our house) or when the tree is replanted . In these periods, therefore, we avoid pruning, as well as fertilization.
Katarzyna Matuszak
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