By now, you have learned the basics of how to water and feed your beautiful Bonsai. Don’t think you are done yet. There are still important steps you need to take to successfully realize the full beauty of your wonderful bonsai. Since the care of the bonsai’s root system is essential to ensure the survival of the bonsai tree, you need to know and understand the how and when of re-potting your bonsai. This is one of the many critical steps to proper Bonsai Care.
The young bonsai trees grow quicker and need to be re potted about once a year. The older trees not so often and eventually get to a point where re potting every 5 years is sufficient. Re potting should be done in the late winter or early spring. This is when the buds begin to swell. First, you should prune your bonsai. Take away any unwanted or long branches. If your bonsai is kept outside it should be placed undercover for a few weeks before re potting. This will help dry the soil. You need to carefully remove the tree from its original pot. Check the root carefully. If they are bound then it is definitely time to transfer it to another pot. If the roots still have some space to grow (a few inches is sufficient) then it does not need re potting. Remember, re potting at the correct time is essential for Bonsai Care.
Place it back into its original bonsai pot. Now for the fun parts. You don’t simply stick the tree straight into a larger pot. Your tree has to be almost groomed before it moves into its new home. First, the original surface soil must be removed from the roots of the tree. This can be done by hand or by using a nylon scrubbing brush. Be careful not to damage the root system while doing this. This is a sure fire way to kill your tree and make all of your previous Bonsai Care skills worthless.
Once you have completed this task you need to use a small paint brush to remove any dirt that is stuck in the roots. Soil tends to collect around the roots and using a paint brush will help insure that you do not do any root damage. This process helps the trees look and feel healthier. The next steps requires a Bonsai comb. The roots need to be combed out and due to the delicate nature of the trees it is doubtful that the use of a human comb would be advisable. You need to comb from the underneath and using scissors prune away up to 1 third of the roots. Once you have done this you need to cut small wedges out, around the base of the roots. Sounds radical, but this allows for fresh soils to collect and will keep your tree healthy.
This can sound a little daunting to the beginner, but with a little care and patients you will soon master these important steps. Now it’s time for the last bit of how to care for your bonsai. Now that your bonsai tree is happily groomed it is time to prepare the pot. You should put a layer of grit on the bottom of the pot and then what ever compost you have chosen to use. Now that your bonsai’s pot has been prepared, our little friend needs to be positioned. Once you have this sorted out begin putting in the soil. You have most likely figured this out by now but place the soil in gently. Why? You guessed it, to avoid root damage. Hopefully the information that you have learned hasn’t sent you running and your Bonsai trees to the compost heap. There is a lot to learn and a lot to do correctly to insure your tree makes it to adult hood.
Like most things, once you master the fundamentals, the rest is really just maintaining a good process. Bonsai Care is an art and it has been said that the care and maintenance of these trees is an art form in and of itself. However, the rewards can be grand. The trees are beautiful when cultivated properly and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have created your own bonsai masterpiece
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