Japenese Bonsai Tree Care

Now that you have had your bonsai tree for awhile its time to clean it up and have it looking its best. Spring is a good time to do this in the cooler climates or if you are in the southern states where it is warm all the time you can follow this procedure anytime.

Preparing your bonsai to display as a specimen of a healthy tree.

There are a few simple steps to follow in order to have your bonsai tree looking its best. First lets clean up the soil and roots.

1. remove a very shallow section of the top soil and old moss without hurting the roots.

2.Cut any old dead roots or thin crossing roots that are lying on top of other roots. You can either cut them off or what is best try to reset them straight into the soil.

First take away any debris, weeds or moss that has grown there. If their are weeds growing and they seem to go down fairly far you can use a thin stick like a chop stick to carefully loosen the soil around it and then pull them out so you don’t damage the small tree roots. If there is a hole left, fill it in with more bonsai soil mix. Replave the top part of the soil, only about a 1/2 to 1 inch depth with a grit, like very coarse sand. An alternative to this which I like best is to remove about an inch of soil and replace it with the same type of soil mix that your bonsai tree is growing in. Brush the excess soil away from the trunk area.

To clean the trunk I like to use a small soft wire brush. After this many growers like to cover the soil of outdoor bonsai trees with moss, to emulate small grassy mounds. Just remember to remove it in the winter months because it can hide pests. In the spring you need to keep an eye on it because birds like to take it to build nests.

Your pots that the tree is growing in is the next part that needs to be taken care of. A dirty bonsai pot looks untidy and takes away from the whole look of the tree. Wipe the pot down with a damp cloth removing dust and dirt. Apply a thin coat of olive oil or vegatabel oil to the pot with a brush being careful not to get any on the tree or into the soil. This will give your tree a neat shiny polished look.

If your outdoor or indoor bonsai tree is older you may want to re-pot it in a nicer bonsai pot and add a new soil mix with fertilizer. I never change the entire potting mix, I like to remove only 2/3 thirds of it so that the tree doesn’t think it is being replanted and go into a temporary shock.

If you need more Soil mix go here.
If you would like to see other pots that are available go here.