Getting Down And Dirty With Bonsai Trees

Using special soil for Bonsai Care isn't absolutely necessary, but if you've grown an attachment to your little darling plant, then by all means go that little extra step. There isn't a single special type of soil just for growing Bonsai Trees -- it's more what you mix into the soil to ensure that water can flow to all of the roots, yet have good drainage so your Bonsai doesn't drown. In addition to potting compost or nutrient rich soil, you can add clay or bark to change the consistency of the soil. Another common strategy is to use two types of soil, one coarser than the other, so that water flows more easily through one but not the other.

These are just some general ideas; for more specific soil mixtures that are best for different types of Bonsai Trees, please see Bonsai Mastery Secrets or Bonsai Gardening Secrets.

One of the trickier things in Bonsai Care is pruning -- of the branches and of the roots. Pruning the Bonsai Tree's branches is how you can shape the tree. Before you start trimming any branches, you should have an idea of what you want the "final product" to look like. That way, you can snip off any branches that don't follow that shape you want. Also, you can thin out some of the remaining branches to encourage better growth of the rest. The best time to prune branches is in the fall, when the tree's no longer blooming.

Trimming roots is also important in keeping the size of the Bonsai Tree small. Root pruning is best done during re-potting, so we'll cover that in the section below.

To find out more about pruning branches for Bonsai Care, I suggest you get one or both of these books:
Bonsai Mastery Secrets, or
Bonsai Gardening Secrets

One important aspect of Bonsai Care is re-potting. Young Bonsai Trees will likely need to be re-potted once a year as they're still growing rapidly. The way to tell when you need to re-pot is when the roots of the Bonsai Tree are "bound" or starting to grow in on itself into a ball. Like pruning branches, the best time of the year to re-pot is in the fall or early spring, when the Bonsai isn't in bloom.

The most tedious part of re-potting is carefully removing all of the soil from the roots of the Bonsai after taking it out of its current pot. You need to brush away all of the existing soil from the roots (a small nylon brush, like a paint brush for models, is recommended). This gets even harder if the roots are already bound, so it's best to re-pot before this happens. It is also advisable to use a root comb to straighten out the roots, especially if they're bound.

Once the roots have been cleaned and combed (and pruned, as necessary), you need to prepare the pot (either the original, or a different sized one, depending on whether you want your Bonsai Tree to grow larger or smaller). Start with layer of grit at the bottom, which is covered by a thin layer of the usual soil you grow your Bonsai in. Carefully place your Bonsai into the pot, then gently cover the roots with more soil until the Bonsai stays in the position you want it to grow.

Whew! And you thought Bonsai Care was simple?! (Well, I used to, anyway.) Don't worry -- once your Bonsai Tree grows a little older, re-potting only needs to be done every five years or so.

There's a lot more you (and I!) can learn about Bonsai Care. Give these books a read to see what I mean: Bonsai Mastery Secrets and Bonsai Gardening Secrets.

The best time to prune the roots in your Bonsai Care routine is when you're re-potting. That way, you don't have to specially dig around the roots -- the tree's already out and roots are cleaned and combed. Similar to pruning branches, you want to look at how the roots are growing before snipping any. Again, some roots will need to be thinned out so the remaining ones will have an easier time getting nutrients for the tree. You also want to keep in mind what the general shape of the roots will have to be, depending on the shape of your pot as well as how it will best support the shape and weight of your Bonsai Tree.

In general, you can safely prune up to about one third of the roots, but also keep the amount of the roots about proportional to the amount of the Bonsai's branches.

For more details on the best ways to prune a Bonsai Tree's roots and many other tips and tricks on Bonsai Care, please refer to Bonsai Mastery Secrets or Bonsai Gardening Secrets.