How to give your Bonsai Plant Proper Seasonal Care

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Just as with a full grown tree in nature, a miniature bonsai tree will also have a change in appearance including a change in the color of it’s leaves, the dropping of its leaves in fall, etc. The type of care that you give your bonsai will also need to be adjusted as the seasons change and the needs of your bonsai plants and trees change.

Spring Care

Spring is the season of new growth in your bonsai plant and trees. They will begin to awaken after their winter rest. Consequently springtime is one of the busiest times of the year for gardeners, including bonsai gardeners.

This is the time of year that is best for re-potting a bonsai plant, as well as pruning it’s roots, assuming that it hadn’t been re-potted during late winter. Be careful that you get all of the re-potting done before the first buds open on your bonsai plant.

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If you bonsai plant has any dead branches now is the time to prune them off. Its much easier now that to wait until later when the branches may be concealed beneath the plants leaves. New shoots should also be cut back at this time..

If you are training coniferous trees, spring is the time to apply the wires, or remove any wires that may appear to be cutting into the tree’s bark.

Be cautious of fertilizing any recently re-potted and root-pruned trees with full strength fertilizer as it may burn the tree’s roots; use a diluted mixture of fertilizer instead.

Summer Care

It is during the summer months that trees experience their maximum rates of growth. Be sure that you don’t do any more root pruning or re-potting of your plants during this period of rapid growth. You should continue to prune, pinch, and trim all of the shoots that are now growing at a rapid rate. The shoots of deciduous trees should be cut back to one or two pairs of leaves, and the buds on conifers should be gently plucked as they begin to enlargen.

You can apply training wire to most deciduous trees during the summer months. This is also the time to remove any wire that you previously applied if you are confident that the trunk or branches have become set it its desired position.

Monitor the soil of your potted bonsai regularly, making sure to never allow the soil to dry out completely. In extremely hot weather you should water everyday, and in some cases more than once a day.

Your trees should be fertilized give or take every 3 weeks during the summer with a high nitrogen blend. You will want to continue fertilizing all summer and into early fall.

Fall Care

The growth rate will start to slow down as fall approaches, and there are fewer hours of sunlight each day. Even though they are miniature trees, the leaves of most deciduous bonsai trees will change in the fall, exhibiting the same glorious colors as their larger relatives that live in the wild.

It’s OK to prune juniper and pine trees in the fall, but when you prune deciduous trees it will cause the tree to burst with new growth. This should be avoided because the new growth uses precious food supplies that the tree will need during winter.

If you had wired your tree for formative purposes in the spring and summer, and if the branches and/or trunk have set, then you should remove the wires and let your tree rest during the approaching winter.

You won’t need to water your deciduous bonsai plants as much after they have dropped their leaves in the fall and head into their dormant state. They’ll only need a little bit of water when the soil feels dry. Pine and junipers and other conifers continue to have leaves during the winter, from which water can be lost through transpiration, so you will need to continue watering them all winter long.

You can apply a nitrogen-free fertilizer to your bonsai plant at this time to harden off the current year’s new growth.

Winter Care

Deciduous bonsai trees don’t require much care during winter while they are in a hibernating stage, but as mentioned in the prior paragraph you still need to water your conifers. Aside from a very occasional and modest watering, there is very little to do, or that should be done.

This is not the time to prune or wire, but it is an excellent time to quietly contemplate your trees, get to know them better, and to visualize the resulting masterpiece that you will once again be able to work with come springtime.

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About the Author:
Mike Andrews is a gardener and author and has been a devoted enthusiast of the art of bonsai for many years. Read his additional articles relating to the seasonal care requirements of a bonsai plant on his website at www.myjapanesebonsai.com. Please visit and sign up for his FREE 7-part mini-course on how to grow and train miniature bonsai trees.
Peace.
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