Bonsai Tree Guide

The following guide contains information on selecting a bonsai tree, how to care for it, and how to plant it correctly.

For further details an a purchasing a bonsai tree or supplies, we recommend Bonsai Boy of NY.

Selecting
When selecting a bonsai tree you should pay attention to the following points:

- The tree should look old (even if is still relatively young by bonsai standards
- It should look natural, and not as if it as been hacked by a person
- It needs to be stable in the pot
- It should look healthy, despite whether it has survived inclement weather conditions
- The tree should have a pleasant design to it (in that the branches and overall shape of it are pleasing)
- The pot should be understated and not draw attention away from the tree.

To purchase bonsai trees or supplies visit Bonsai Boy of New York.

Care
A bonsai tree is an outdoors plant and so needs to be kept outside in the sun (unless there is a very extreme climate). Keeping them indoors deprives them of the sunlight they require to keep growing.

Another important care consideration is the correct amount of watering. You need to ensure that the bonsai tree is in a sufficiently big enough pot to hold enough moisture. Your bonsai tree should never be left to completely dry out. At the other extreme, a bonsai tree can suffer if it is overwatered or left soaking in a pool of water. The best technique to correctly water your bonsai tree is to completely soak the soil, and then allow the water to drain out. The soil will then be damp throughout.

A bonsai tree may require further watering if:
- The pot is small
- Water drains away very well from the soil
- The tree is rootbound
- The plant uses a lot of water (such as when it is exposed to the sun or wind)

Planting
Or more accurately repotting. Because only new roots absorb the water and nutrients, it is necessary to prune the old roots from the pot, to make room for the new roots. Additionally, the soil needs to be replaced as its nutrient value will have diminished somewhat. So it is necessary that you do not reuse soil. Replenishing the soil will make a bonsai tree grow more vigorously.

Younger trees should be repotted annually and older bonsai trees every 3-4 years. You may also need to repot if the top of the soil begins rising in the pot (this indicates the roots are rising up). Other conditions may be if the roots begin growing through the drainage holes, thus preventing the pot from draining correctly.

To purchase bonsai trees or supplies we recommend Bonsai Boy of NY.

FFROTH