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Anon wrote~ I love bonsai and bought a little one, but I
have no clue how to grow them!
A. What follows is a general outline of the various procedures
used by the staff of the Arnold Arboretum to maintain the Larz
Anderson bonsai collection in a healthy condition.
REPOTTING: The smaller the pot, the more frequently the plant
needs repotting. This procedure is best done in early spring,
mid-to late March, before the plant shows any signs of growth.
The plant is removed from its container, and approximately two
to three centimeters (one inch, more or less) of roots, plus
their attached soil, are removed all around the sides and bottom
of the root ball. Any roots thicker than a pencil are cut away
to encourage the development of small feeder roots. This process
effectively rejuvenates the root system of the plant and prevents
lethal "girdling" roots from forming. After the root
ball is trimmed, the plant is returned to its original container
surrounded by fresh soil. The large hinokis are repotted every
four to five years, while the smaller plants are repotted every
two to three years.
SOIL MIXES: Plant roots are so intimately involved with soil
particles that it is best to think of the soil as part of the
plant itself. As such, a great deal of time and care needs to
go into its preparation. In general, the potting mix should
provide the plant with a balance of water retention and air
circulation. Our repotting mixes consist of coarse sand (particle
size 1-3 mm), peat moss or leaf mold, and screened loam in various
proportions depending upon the plant being grown. In general,
we use a mix that is one-half sand, one-quarter loam, and one-quarter
peat for the conifers; and one-third sand, one-third peat, and
one-third loam for deciduous trees. In either case, small amounts
of superphosphate and organic nitrogen fertilizer are added
to the soil mix.
PRUNING: There are no universal rules about how much to prune
a bonsai; the techniques vary according to the species being
worked with. In general the best time to prune is when the plants
are producing new growth-in early spring for deciduous plants,
such as the cherries and Japanese maples, in mid-spring for
pines and spruces, and in early to midsummer for the junipers
and the hinokis. Generally, at least 50 percent of the new growth
is removed at the time of pruning. If the plant produces a second
flush of leaves later in the growing season, these also require
pruning.
With pines, the number of candles is thinned out by one-half
to two-thirds, and those that remain are shortened.
With spruces and firs, the newly flushing shoots are pinched
back to half their length, inducing replacement buds to form
at the base of the new growth rather than at the tip.
With maples, the new shoots are pinched back to a maximum of
two pairs of leaves and sometimes only one pair. Any vertical-growing
shoots are removed or are wired into a horizontal position.
With hinokis and junipers, which produce new growth over an
extended portion of the growing season rather than in a single
flush, the new growth is pinched back several times. If the
new growth is not rigorously thinned, it becomes excessively
congested and subject to death by self-shading.
WIRING: In young vigorous bonsai, wiring the branches into pendant
or horizontal positions with copper or aluminum wire is an extremely
important part of the training process. On plants as old as
the hinoki cypresses in the Larz Anderson Collection, reorienting
their twisted branches with wire is very difficult. These branches
thicken so slowly that it may take two or three years for them
to produce enough wood to overcome their old orientation. We
have found that tying them down with nylon fishing line is
more effective than wiring. For the other plants in the collection,
we generally wire young vigorous branches into a horizontal
position in order to achieve the effect of age. It is important
to remember that wire should not be left on the tree more than
a year, since the branch can easily be girdled by the wire.
WATERING: Because the Larz Anderson Collection consists of such
large plants in such small pots, their water requirements are
quite high. During the period of spring growth, they need watering
at least once a day. During the summer, one daily watering is
a minimum on days when no rain has fallen, and often they require
more than this. Extending this need for daily watering back
into the past some two hundred years, one begins to appreciate
the magnitude of continuity and commitment that has gone into
maintaining these venerable specimens. To determine if a plant
needs water, place the palm of the hand on the soil surface.
If any feeling of moisture is detectable, the plant should not
be watered. When the root ball is dry to the touch, the plant
is watered. It is best to use the palm of the hand to make this
determination because it is less heavily calloused, and hence
more sensitive, than the fingertips. The root ball of a healthy
bonsai behaves like a sponge, that is, water is uniformly distributed
throughout its mass at all times, so the moisture content of
the surface is essentially the same as that of the base. When
the plants are watered, care is taken not to get the foliage
wet, particularly on sunny days when water drops can magnify
the energy of the sun sufficiently to produce burn spots on
the leaves. At watering time, the pot is filled to the top,
and the water is allowed to drain through; the pot is then filled
up a second time. This "double dousing" insures that
sufficient water is provided to wet the entire root ball and
to percolate out the drainage holes. If only the top part of
the root ball is moistened, the bottom part will become excessively
dry and the plant could be seriously injured. Less frequent,
thorough watering is always preferable to frequent light watering
for any containerized plant.
FERTILIZING: While the instructions provided by the Yokohama
Nursery call for
fertilizing the plants with powdered oil cake (consisting of
soybean or rapeseed, after the oil has been pressed out) or
bone meal, we use a chemical fertilizer solution diluted to
a concentration of approximately 0.01 percent nitrogen, phosphorus,
and potassium. When growth commences in the spring, we water
the plants with this dilute fertilizer every one to two weeks
until mid-July, at which point we fertilize only once every
two to three weeks
through October. From this point on, the plants are going dormant,
and we stop fertilizing them altogether.
WINTER STORAGE: In the milder parts of the United States, as
in much of Japan, bonsai can be left out-of-doors all winter
with only minimal protection from the elements. In New England,
however, with our more severe winter weather, the plants need
to be protected from the cold. A plant that is perfectly hardy
growing in the ground is not as hardy when grown in a container
above ground. This is due to the fact that the soil, which has
great insulating power, never gets as cold as the air, which
has no insulating value. The Arboretum bonsai are stored in
a concrete-block structure for the winter. The temperature in
the building is maintained between 33 and 36 degrees Fahrenheit,
and the plants are checked for water once a week. In general,
they need watering about once a month. One must be extremely
careful that the plants do not get overly dry during storage
as they can become extremely difficult to rewet come spring.
On the other hand, if the plants are kept too wet during storage,
they become susceptible to fungal infections. As long as the
temperatures remain below 36 degrees, the plants seem to survive,
even in total darkness. Such dark storage will not work at higher
temperatures. The key to successful winter storage is to make
sure that the plants are fully dormant before they go in and
that they come out before they show any signs of growth. Generally
speaking, our plants go into cold storage on Armistice day (November
11) and come out on Patriots'
Day (April 19), although a week either way makes little difference.
Adapted from: Del Tredici, Peter. Early American Bonsai: the
Larz Anderson Collection of the Arnold Arboretum. Arnoldia,
Summer 1989.
Marco writes~
Do you know a site where I can learn how to take care of my
first bonsai tree, because it is falling apart at the moment.
A. I love the first three sites for tons of great info which
is way too much for me to reprint here. The repotting, pruning,
soil watering, wiring, winter storage, and fertilizing are all
well-covered:
Bonsai Care. What follows is a general outline of the various
procedures used by the staff of the Arnold Arboretum.
www.arboretum.harvard.edu/BONSAI/maintain.htm
Bonsai Care
Bonsai (Bone-sigh): A Japanese word for `plant in a pot"
- traditionally trained to an artistic shape by special methods.
Developed by the Chinese.
www.american-bonsai.com/html
Bonsai as an art and horticultural
practice
Bonsai Maintenance. All you need to know about taking care of
your bonsai, ranging
from repotting, general bonsai knowledge and techniques. Also
examines basic techniques.
www.bonsaisite.com
Pine Garden Bonsai Co.
Home Page
Copyright 1998 Last updated 26 Mar 99 Info
Bonsai Center: bonsai,
bonsai trees, Bonsai care
A great resource for bonsai, bonsai care, bonsai trees, books,
and nursery stock.
bonsaicenter.com
Bonsai
Care Video
BASIC BONSAI CARE '1' Northern Hardy Evergreen and Deciduous
Trees. This
videotape is worth its price.
Bonsai Web: A bonsai
site featuring bonsai, seeds, tools
Devoted to the art of bonsai and Japanese gardening arts, tools,
books, seeds and more
www.bonsaiweb.com/
How to
care for your bonsai
Bonsai gardening and care websites:
md.essortment.com/bonsaicare_rwjp.htm
http://home.maine.rr.com/michaelj/bonsai/guide
http://www.mnsinc.com/michaelj/bonsai/guide
The Bonsai Guide: Bonsai
Photographs, Bonsai in Europe, Links
Erma writes~
I received a miniature Bonsai tree for Christmas and have no
idea how to keep it alive. Can you help with watering, lighting,
temperature, etc. I will need to know in order for it to survive?
A. Humidity is very important. They do not like dry air, so
place saucers of water around them and keep clean. Water the
planter only when the top soil feels dry to the touch. Under
the plant, place a saucer with pebbles where the water can drain
and sit under the rim to provide humidity.
Fertilize lightly when the weather is gloomy. As the days get
longer and the temps rise, give it light feed of a 20-20-20,
1/2 T per gallon tap water every third watering. Proper fertilization
is necessary for your Bonsai to remain healthy. Because Bonsai
trees are grown in a very small amount of soil, it is important
to periodically replenish the soil's nutrients. Time release
fertilizers work very well, releasing a measured amount with
each watering. Properly applied in early spring, most commercially
available brands will last an entire growing season. Organic
and/or water soluble fertilizers are also widely used, but have
the disadvantage of requiring several applications throughout
the growing season.
Bonsai are best displayed outside, a few feet off the ground.
Most Bonsai grow best in a location which receives morning sun
and afternoon shade. The morning sun is not as hot and dehydrating
as the afternoon sun and such placement prevents moisture stress
on the tree late in the day. However, some trees such as pines
and junipers can tolerate full sun. Tropical plants kept indoors
should be placed in a window that receives direct sun, or under
grow lights. Outside Bonsai trees can be very striking when
made the focal point of a garden, especially a Japanese-style
garden. Place your Bonsai on a pedestal in the center of your
square or circular-shaped herb bed. Or construct a projecting
shelf on your wooden fence or exterior house wall. For more
than one Bonsai, build these shelf platforms at various heights
from the ground.
Because Bonsai trees cannot tolerate 'wet feet', proper
Bonsai soil is free-draining. They are grown in much less soil
than are houseplants, and require more frequent watering. Lighting,
location, temperature, and amount of soil will determine how
often you water your tree. To check the need for watering, observe
the foliage, test the soil with your finger just below the surface,
or check the weight of the pot. The drier the soil, the less
your tree will weigh. You may also purchase moisture meters
which will tell you exactly when to water your Bonsai.
Pruning and trimming are very important to training and retaining
a Bonsai's miniature size. This basically involves the removal
of some of the new growth each spring, and every once in a while
throughout the growing season. It is important to understand
that for the health of the tree, all of the new growth should
never be removed. Wire is used on bonsai trees as a temporary
training aid to position branches, but it should never be allowed
to remain in place long enough to create scars.
After a while, the roots of bonsai trees start to take up all
the extra space in the pot they are growing in and use up the
nutrients in the soil. Repotting must then be done to supply
the root system with fresh soil. Most deciduous trees require
repotting every two to three years, while evergreens require
it only every four to five years. The time also varies according
to growing conditions, tree species, and the age of the tree.
Each tree should have its root system examined in late fall
to determine if repotting is necessary. Repotting is not difficult
and will not harm the tree if done in late winter or early spring,
before the new growth appears.
Bonsai trees can be treated with insecticides and fungicides
commonly found at nurseries and garden centers. If you find
some sort of disease or insect infestation, it is recommend
that you take the tree to a nursery capable of giving qualified
advice. Be sure to read and follow the directions of any recommended
chemical. Also, since bonsai are grown in a small pot and not
in open ground, it is important to make sure that whatever chemical
you use will not harm the root system if some of the liquid
gets into the soil. If there is a danger of harm to the roots,
you should cover the soil with plastic when applying the chemical.
Assistance from: Aaron's Bonsai Trees
James writes~
How often do I water a bonsai? How do I tell when it needs watering?
I don't know what type of tree it is. It is in a ceramic
dish with NO drainage and the surface of soil is covered with
small pebbles.
A. First off, it is very dangerous to raise any plants in pots
with no drainage holes, especially bonsai. They need both the
flow of excess water plus the removal of salts from the water
and fertilizer to drain out the bottom. Otherwise, the air pockets
in the mix fill with water thus choking to death the roots and
leading to rot and death of any bonsai tree.
I recommend that you take the plant out of the container and
drill several small holes in the base and then replant. Otherwise,
the watering with have to be absolutely perfect or the tree
will struggle and/or die.
Water the tree when the top soil feels dry to the touch, but
not dry at an inch deep. They are a limited root system in order
to keep them dwarf, so the roots must work overtime to supply
all the moisture to the branches and leaves or needles. The
top pebbles are good as they help mulch the soil and cut back
on water evaporation. But, with no drainage, they could hold
in so much water that you will lose the roots.
If you are interested in growing and learning a lot about bonsai,
purchase a care and culture book with demonstration photos through
Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.
Here are some of my favorite websites for care of bonsai. If
you have a printer, make copies of pages which are particularly
useful and store in a folder:
www.arboretum.harvard.edu/BONSAI/maintain.htm
www.bonsaicenter.com
www.poppyware.com/pgb
www.bonsaiweb.com/care/faq/faq.html
www.celestialbonsai.com/care.html
www.brusselsbonsai.com/care/index.shtml
www.emperorsbonsai.com/care.htm
www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/virtual/ bonsai/techniques.html
users.stargate.net/~rocketmn/video.htm
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