Indoor Bonsai Care

Indoor bonsai care is one of the most difficult things to ever face the normal gardener. Virtually every bonsai grower has horror stories to tell of their prized bonsai trees dying all of a sudden, even when it seemed like the tree was being cared for properly. Today I will briefly outline the main steps that need to be taken for successful indoor bonsai care so you can avoid having your bonsai trees die!

1. Watering

Watering is the most important step in indoor bonsai care. Most of the time, bonsai trees die because they are not watered properly and start to suffer from dehydration. To ensure that you are watering your bonsai tree correctly, wait for the soil to begin dry out then water until excess water comes out of the bottom of the pot. Leave the bonsai until the soil begins to dry out again, then water again. Remember that over watering your bonsai is just as bad as allowing it to dehydrate. To help prevent dehydration try to place your bonsai tree in a reasonably humid environment.

2. Pruning

The process of pruning a bonsai tree is done two different ways. There is “branch pruning” and “root pruning”. Branch pruning should occur near the start of spring and you should select which branches you want to keep and then remove all others. Root pruning should occur once the bonsai’s roots have become bound in the container.

3. Soil and fertilizer

Seeing as up to half of a bonsai tree is covered in soil it makes sense to pick the right soil to give optimum growth. Bonsai trees should be given a water soluble fertilizer either once or twice a month during the growing season and you should remember that bonsai trees need to have their fertilizer applied when the soil is wet.

4. To sum up

In this brief article I have covered the three most basic aspects of indoor bonsai care and growing good bonsai trees. There are more advanced techniques for growing bonsai trees out there, however, it is important to start with the basics first! Only once you have mastered these and can successfully grow a great looking bonsai tree should you start practicing more advanced techniques!