How To Re-Pot Your Bonsai Tree

By: Andrew Kozlowski


One of the most important elements of bonsai care is re-potting. Because a bonsai tree grows in a container, its root system, which grows right along with the plant, will eventually outgrow the pot. When this happens, the root system of the bonsai fills the container, the tree becomes “pot-bound,” and the feeder roots that absorb water and nutrients then have no room to grow. 


To keep your bonsai healthy, you’ll need to re-pot with fresh soil. And while re-potting, you’ll have a chance to trim the root ball to allow it to become denser. A smaller but denser root ball is better for the tree because the emerging fine feeder roots act more efficiently than larger roots. 


How do you know when it’s time to re-pot? You will know your tree is pot-bound if roots are circling the bottom of the pot or growing out of the drainage holes at the container’s base, and water is taking a long time to filter into the soil. Depending on the species, the size of the container, and the age of the tree, most bonsai need to be re-potted every two-to-five years. Faster growing and younger trees require re-potting more frequently than older bonsai. 


The best time to re-pot most bonsai trees is at the end of the plant’s dormant period in the early spring. The re-potting process will stress the tree less at this time as it is only providing minimal nutrients to its leaves. Re-potting in early spring will also all the roots time to repair themselves by the time the tree starts growing again. 


The following are tips on how to re-pot your bonsai: 


Pick out a new container for your bonsai. It should be slightly larger than the original pot and of a shape and color that complement the growing tree. 


Tilt your bonsai tree’s current pot to one side and tap the bottom to loosen the soil so you can lift out the plant. If it’s stuck, use a knife to cut away any caked soil. Do not tug on the plant! 


Gently shake the tree to get rid of loose soil, and then using a root hook, root rake, knitting needles, or chopsticks, untangle the roots. 


Using a sharp, clean pair of gardening scissors, trim the thickest, longest brown roots. (You can buy special bonsai root-pruning scissors.) Also remove any rotten or dried-out roots. Then trim the thinner roots that hang below the depth of the pot. 


Cover the drainage holes of the new pot with a layer of plastic mesh attached with copper wire, and cover with a layer of grit or gravel for the best drainage. 


Cover the gravel with a light base of nutrient-rich potting soil. 


Place the tree near the center of the pot and fill the container with more soil, up to the base of the trunk. Pat the soil down so there are no air pockets between the roots. 


Water gently but thoroughly, but do not add fertilizer for at least two weeks after re-potting because it can burn the roots. Make sure the re-potted tree is not exposed to direct sunlight or freezing temperatures.


About The Author
Andrew Kozlowski is a naturalist, amateur botanist, and author of articles and books on topics ranging from plant care and gardening to home downsizing. For more than 20 years Andrew has managed environmental programs in the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Latin America. He resides in San Francisco.
The author invites you to visit: http://www.bonsaitreeanswers.com

Beginner Bonsai Trees Simple Tips

Photo : Home and Gardening

Story : Herb Daniels

Bonsai trees are diminutive and exquisite examples of larger trees. To keep them small, they spend their lives in shallow containers. Just about any type of tree can be a bonsai. Nurseries and some stores carry beginner bonsai trees, which are just waiting for you to train them into a lovely design. Prior to training a bonsai, it is essential that you understand what is about to take place.

Pointers on Beginner Bonsai Trees

To further develop beginner bonsai trees, some parts of the plants will need to be removed in order to create fine-looking presentations. Beginner bonsai trees have no planned shape when you first get them. Therefore, their future motifs will be entirely up to the whims of their new owners.

It is possible to choose from many bonsai styles. Some of the more popular and less complicated ones include the windswept, cascade, slanting, formal upright, informal upright and the bunjin designs. Hobbyists about to grow beginner bonsai trees are able to select any style they will be happy with. While making the purchase, notice if a certain bonsai tree already has a tendency toward a specific shape. Does it have a crooked trunk or branches that suit a particular form? Carefully taking the time to observe the features of a new bonsai can be greatly rewarding, as well as inspiring.

Invest time in learning how to prune both the crown and the roots of your beginner bonsai trees. Pruning implies cutting off specific parts to encourage more growth or to engender a hearty plant. Repotting and pruning of the beginner Bonsai trees also encourage them to grow faster. Further, you will need to replace the container of your bonsai repeatedly every one or two years to stimulate continued health and in order to access the roots for pruning. This will also encourage faster growth, which can mean more pruning will be needed.

Since many varities of bonsai trees which have been shipped from tropical or subtropical regions, are not able to withstand cold and the shallow bonsai containers can freeze when left outside in winter snow and cold, it is recommended that you bring your beginner bonsai trees inside during the cold season in your area.

To prevent the soil from drying out too quickly, it is best to place beginner bonsai trees away from inside heat sources such as radiators. The container can also be placed on top of some pebbles in a shallow water dish to keep the humidity up around the plant. The container should not be directly in the water, just above it. Also, make sure the bonsai plants are not left too close to windows, because excess cold can stress a tree to the point of death. The more research you do to duplicate the conditions of a bonsai tree's origins, the easier it will be to promote its healthy survival for many years to come.

This is all you'll need to remember to care for your beginner bonsai trees, trim the plant regularly, provide water and high humidty, warmth, and occasional feeding, for best growth. Following this plan will bring you many years of satisfying bonsai gardening time.

About Author Herb Daniels :

Herb Daniels is an amateur gardener living on the East Coast of Florida puttering around in his garden as time and weather allows. Herb has a web site where he posts a few articles and other information about Beginner Bonsai Trees http://www.bonsaiplantingtips.com

Article Source: http://www.BharatBhasha.com

Article Url: http://www.bharatbhasha.com/gardening.php/71119

6 Important Tips for Beginner Bonsai Tree Caretakers

By Jon Weaver

Bonsai trees are a wonderful hobby to enjoy for a lifetime. However, when most people start out, most of their bonsai trees fall sick and die within a few weeks. Bonsai trees are extremely sensitive to their conditions and the caretaker needs to learn how to properly take care of these wonderful and attractive plants. Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about caring for bonsai trees, and their answers.

Q: What about selecting the proper containers, and should they have drain holes?

A: All containers have one or more drain holes; otherwise the trees will not be healthy, they will soon look sickly and finally die.

Q: What proportion between tree and container do you advise?

A: What is generally considered the ideal or artistic proportion is the tree 80% and the container 20%; or for dwarfer shrubs or low spreading trees, the plant 60% and the container 40%. In general, the smaller containers are better.

In a shallow oblong or elliptical container, the tree should be planted at a point 70% of the distance from the right or the left end, according to the spread and shape of the branches, so that the bulk of the tree greenery is centered in relation to the container. In a square or round container, the plant is placed in the center, except cascade forms; these are planted toward the edge.

Q: I need information on pruning, both theory and practice.

A: Both root pruning and proper pruning of branches are important elements in caring for bonsai. The constant renewal or re-growth of the root system is essential to the proper health of the trunk and branches above ground. The root system will itself remain healthy only if properly pruned. This operation is associated with transplanting, and detailed directions of that can be found for free at http://www.BonsaiTreeGuide.com -- the fundamental rule in root pruning is to keep the root system "happily" within the limited dimensions of the container.

Q: Suppose I find a tree 3 feet tall at a commercial nursery that has healthy low-growing limbs and other qualities that would make a good bonsai. Shall I buy it?

A: Yes. But understand that it will need special culturing. When you get home with it (assuming that it was balled and bur-lapped at the nursery), here are the main steps to take:

1) Pot it in a container large enough not to disturb the root ball. This may be a large commercial clay pot or a small wooden tub. Better yet, make a square or rectangular container, 6 to 8 inches high and just wide enough to accommodate the root ball. Fill in with additional soil around the root ball, and press firmly. Leave an inch at the top of the container to facilitate adequate watering.

2) A tree 3 feet high is too tall for a good bonsai. Cut off the terminal 1.5 feet (approximately). Make the cut just above a side branch that can then be wired into the terminal position.

3) After 2 years in the container, with appropriate and continuous pruning and wiring of side branches, as needed, the tree should be transplanted to a container of smaller dimensions, both shallower and smaller in diameter. After a year or two in the smaller container, transplant to a still smaller authentic bonsai pot, and you are on your way!

Q: Should one deprive the little trees of as much water as possible?

A: Bonsai should be kept drier than ordinary ornamental plants in pots; but if the object is to dwarf the trees or to keep them dwarfed, it is no use to make them bone-dry. Want of water only makes them stunted or unhealthy.

If there is such a thing as a fundamental principle in watering bonsai, it is this: water liberally but be sure that the soil drains amply. In most cases, it does not matter how many times a day bonsai are watered if the soil has perfect drainage and does not hold the slightest excess of water.

This fundamental principle may be modified to suit the individual case, according to the kind of soil obtainable, the climate, the kinds of trees grown, the containers used, and the amount of time one can spare each day for bonsai.

Q: What do I need to know about winter care?

A: Winter care differs for hardy and non-hardy or tender plants.

Hardy plants are those that can live outdoors in the coldest weather without danger of winterkilling. They are not house plants but are real outdoor plants. Hardy species growing in bonsai containers present a special problem if left outdoors in below-freezing winter weather. Soil in the containers will freeze, and the containers will break. Moreover, it is impossible to properly water bonsai growing in firmly frozen soil.

If a sun porch or cold but light room is available where the night temperature never falls below about 36 degrees F, this would provide a good place for wintering hardy or semi-hardy bonsai.

Here is another suggestion for wintering hardy or semi-hardy bonsai in a freezing climate: keep them in an insulated deep cold-frame. It should be shaded by a lath house. The soil in bonsai pots, with such protection, should never freeze if the night temperatures do not go much below 0 degrees F. The bonsai should be watered as needed, and on warmer non-freezing winter days, it is well to remove the protective covering and give the plants full air. Be sure to replace the covering sash before sunset!

Many non-hardy or tender species trained as bonsai should be treated as house plants and never left out in the cold.

Just follow these few tips to help ensure that your bonsai trees stay healthy and attractive for decades to come. However, as with most hobbies and skills, experience will be the ultimate teacher.

FREE information on how to grow, train and care for Bonsai Trees. Advice, tips and tricks for beginners and advanced growers alike. It's FREE! Click here: http://www.BonsaiTreeGuide.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Weaver

Bonsai Tree Care

by: Rob Mellor

If you are considering a Bonsai tree for that special person, there are a few things you should know to ensure that you end up with a nice healthy tree. First and foremost think about the conditions the tree will be in. Indoor Bonsai will generally need to be close to a window or be supplemented with artificial light. A small tray with gravel and a little bit of water under the tree will add humidity around the tree. It may not need to be watered every day but it should be checked daily as the small pots can dry out rather quickly.

Steps in bonsai care

Watering

Watering is the most important part in bonsai care. This is the crux of the art of bonsai. Most Bonsai tree that die are lost due to dehydration, either from lack of watering or from being kept in a low humidity environment (indoors) for too long. How often you should water is a common question people ask about bonsai trees. There is no hard and fast rule prescribed for the same. When the soil begins to dry out water your plant thoroughly until the excess water runs out of the bottom of the pot, signifying you're done. Remember, over-watering is as bad as under-watering, thus all the fuss about getting it just right.

Pots and soil

The soil you use affects rooting, feeding, watering and transpiration, it is where half your tree lives so this is the second biggest consideration in maintaining your bonsai. While the needs of individual species vary greatly a good rule of thumb is 30% grit, 70% humus for deciduous trees, and 70% grit with 30% humus for evergreen-needled plants. Bonsai trees should be fertilized with a water-soluble fertilizer once or twice per month during the growing season. However the choice of fertilizer may vary depending on the species you've chosen to miniaturize. Always apply fertilizer when the soil is wet. Bonsai trees are intentionally allowed to become root-bound in their containers, and the roots too, are pruned.

Pruning

A bonsai plant is pruned in two ways viz. branch pruning and root pruning. Pruning of branches is performed in spring. Much, but not all of the new growth is removed. Branches are selected early on as the only branches to be allowed to prosper, while the excess branches are mercilessly pruned off. The main factor in maintaining bonsai is the removal of all but the most important parts of the plant. Bonsai is all about the reduction of everything just to the essential elements. Also Bonsai trees are intentionally allowed to become root-bound in their containers, and the roots too, are pruned. But root-bound plants won't thrive forever in that condition and, indeed, bonsai trees must be re-potted every two or three years to furnish the roots with fresh soil.

Changing the shape of the tree

Bonsai tree wiring is an advanced skill to grow the bonsai into an art form. Desirable branches are wired to control the direction in which they grow. Wiring can do a great deal to change the shape of the plant, but it can also do a great deal of damage to the plant if done incorrectly.

To sum up

This may seem like a lot to do to just to buy a little tree, but it's no different than any other informed purchase, just as you wouldn't buy a fish without having a special home for it you should have a special home for your Bonsai tree.

About The Author Rob Mellor owns www.lost-bonsai-secrets.com. This website helps people find out more about the bonsai tree. Please visit the site for more information on bonsai tree care