Primary care for Bonsai
By following these tips for the care of Bonsai you can keep this little tree for several years
Has an enigmatic Bonsai just arrived home, and you think that ancient art is just a matter of experts? We bring you the good news that with these primary bonsai care, you can keep your small tree alive with minimal effort.
There are vital techniques to care for Bonsai that you have to know, from the type of substrate they are planted in, their irrigation, and the logic as they have been designed.
What is Bonsai?
The word means "tree on a tray" in Japanese. This is because it is literally such a tiny tree that it can live on a tray. In fact, its seed and origin are the same as those of a life-sized tree. Its breeders, employing an ancient Asian technique, managed to stop its growth almost entirely, keeping the rest of its development intact.
When treating a Bonsai, you have to think about how nature treats our trees when they are in a forest, garden, or meadow. Let's play at being mother nature.
Basic Care - Bonsai
Irrigation
Bonsai always have to be wet and have enough water circulating throughout their system at all times. It is not enough to just look at the surface of the dry or wet soil, you have to check a little deeper the humidity of the ground under the small tree.
According to each type of tree, it will be necessary to water every day or every two. Observation is essential in this case, little by little, we will get to know our Bonsai and its needs.
Substratum
Our Bonsai already come in a balanced way to provide excellent drainage, proper oxygenation for the roots, and good liquid retention.
Although it may not seem like it is not a condition contrary to good drainage, there must be a balance between them.
These three conditions are achieved by mixing 4 main elements: earth, pumice, volcanic stone, and a Japanese clay called Akadama. Each offers something in favor of the three conditions mentioned above.
Fertilizer
The trays where the Bonsai are planted do not offer all the nutrients necessary for the development of a tree, even if it is a small one. For this reason, they sell mixtures of Potassium, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen already prepared to offer them once a month. It must not be fertilized in winter since Bonsai sleep during this time.
For spring, you have to add more nitrogen than the rest of the components. In summer, the three parts are perfectly balanced, and in autumn, we add much less nitrogen than the other two components.
Cambio de Bandeja
Our Bonsai, although small, is always in constant growth. Some trees require a pot change after one year of life, others can wait even 5 years and of course others in 2, 3, 4 years.
If you don't transplant it to a bigger pot when you need it, our Bonsai will die. To know if it is time to transplant it to a larger tray, we have to look at whether the roots have already taken up ¾ parts of the space. Without leaving capacity to the 4 elements of the substrate, interrupting its three fundamental conditions.
You already have all the necessary knowledge to treat that Bonsai they gave you like a king. Did you see it wasn't that difficult? It was just an unknown subject, and now you have the necessary preparation to provide that primary care to your Bonsai
