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Beyond the bothersome pests, your bonsai can also fall ill.  The right bonsai care will prevent diseases from forming, but you can also treat these illnesses as well.

•    Mildew – This comes in two types: Powdery White or Downey. The white mildew is found on top of the leaves, while the downy mildew is on the underside. Both mildews are caused by poor air circulation. Downy mildew can also be caused by too much wetness, either in the soil or in the air.  The right bonsai care calls for a treatment with a fungicide designed for plants and improvement in the air circulation around your bonsai.
•    Black Spot Fungus – This fungus causes your bonsai to lose its leaves, which in the long run is more damaging than the actual fungus itself. The actual fungus is an unsightly black blotch on your bonsai’s leaves. It’s more of a problem for indoor plants, as they don’t have the benefit of wind and rain to wash away the spores. This disease spreads rapidly, and thus, rapid bonsai care is needed. Remove the affected leaves and increase your air circulation around your bonsai. Treat your plant with a fungicide to ensure it doesn’t return
•    Sooty Mold – This is a telltale sign that your bonsai has aphids. It usually affects older leaves on your bonsai plant. Treat it with an insecticide for the aphids. Once you get rid of the aphids, you’ll get rid of your mold.

Bonsai care involves more than simply training the branches to grow in a beautiful direction.  Instead, bonsai care means you monitor the health of the plant, keeping pests and illnesses at bay.  When you know how to spot and treat pests and diseases, your bonsai will reward you with beautiful growth

Posted under Bonsai Care, Bonsai Diseases

Is Your Bonsai Sick? How to Treat Your Plant with Bonsai Care

When your bonsai first came into your life, it was happy, healthy, and growing well. However, whether your bonsai care or pests are to blame, your bonsai may be sick. You see black spots, drooping leaves, and perhaps mildew. How can you tell if your bonsai is sick? And what type of bonsai care will rejuvenate your ill plant?

This article will discuss common bonsai pests and diseases, how to identify which problem your bonsai has, and what type of bonsai care will bring your plant back to its normal, healthy self.

Common Bonsai Pests

Like any plant, bonsais can attract pests.  With the right bonsai care, you can keep identify these pests and keep them at bay.

• Whitefly – These tiny white, moth-like insects prefer to hide on the undersides of the leaves of your bonsai. Whiteflies leave sticky, ‘honeydew’ like substance on the leaves and then a black soot-like mold grows on the sticky substance.  The right bonsai care will prevent whiteflies, and it involves misting your bonsai daily, as the insects dislike being sprayed with water. If you already have an infestation, use an insecticide designed for this type of problem. Use it regularly, such as 3-4 times at 5-day intervals, until you get rid of the insects.

• Spider Mites – These almost-microscopic insects are so small they can be difficult to see with the naked eye.  It helps to put some white paper down on a smooth surface and then shake your plant over the white paper. If you see tiny moving dots on the paper, your bonsai has spider mites. These little bugs will suck your plant dry of all its nutrients, and therefore, the right bonsai care is to get rid of them as soon as you see them. Another clue is that your bonsai’s foliage will turn dull and yellow-green, or you might have dead patches. Spray with an insecticide designed for spider mites, once a week for 3 weeks.

• Aphids – Most people think of these little creatures as red colored, but they can come in shades of pink, green, or brown in addition to red. If you don’t like the idea of an insecticide, and your bonsai is outside, import some lady bugs to take care of the problem. Lady bugs won’t hurt your bonsai and they are nature’s aphid predator, making them a great aid in your bonsai care. Aphids cause distorted growth and can be temporarily thwarted by spraying the bonsai with a firm jet of water.  Insecticides can get rid of aphids permanently.

Posted under Bonsai Care

Bonsai care is a meditative and rewarding process, one which can be easy even for beginners.  Through bonsai care, you will enjoy an appreciation for nature and humanity’s ability to skilfully produce even more amazing artistry.

As a beginning bonsai gardener, you may have many questions about appropriate bonsai care.  By understanding the fundamentals, you can build a firm foundation upon which you can confidently grow your skills and expertise, right along with your new bonsai garden!

Trident maple bonsai tree photo credit: ragesoss

Bonsai Care: First Things First

As with any garden, the basic elements that your bonsai plant will need to thrive are the right soil, the appropriate amount of light, and the right amount of water.

However, bonsai care involves fulfilling certain needs that ordinary plants don’t have. For instance, did you know that most bonsai trees are bred to be outdoor plants like their full-sized counterparts?  If you bring a sun-loving bonsai inside, be prepared to give it 12-16 hours a day of fluorescent light. There are, however, some bonsai plants that do not need that much light, and these may be the ideal species if you want to practice bonsai care indoors.

Another important element of bonsai care is utilising the right soil. In the “wild,” trees grow tall due to their deep root systems, which dig deeply into the earth.  In contrast, your bonsai will grow in a shallow tray or container, and therefore, your tree’s root system cannot penetrate deeply downward. Instead, it will spread out shallowly, thereby reducing your tree’s growth.  For this reason, bonsai plants need a special mix of soil to ensure that their roots don’t become waterlogged and drown. Because they are grown in such shallow containers, regular potting soil is much too dense and will trap too much water, killing the tree’s roots, and eventually, the tree.

In practising proper bonsai care, you should purchase special bonsai soil, which is a mix of loam, sand, and organics, like peat moss and leaf mold. What soil you should specifically buy is determined by your local climate. Your local greenhouse or nursery, bonsai enthusiast, or Agriculture Extension office can help you determine which soil is perfect for your bonsai’s care.

Toringo crabapple bonsai tree photo credit: ragesoss

Water and Food in Bonsai Care

Of course, the one question all beginner bonsai gardeners have is “when should I water my bonsai?” The answer to this important bonsai care question depends upon what kind of bonsai you have, how humid or dry the air is around your bonsai, what time of the year it is, and other variables.

Ideally, in bonsai care, you want a balance between too much and too little. Don’t over water—but don’t underwater either. Make sure your water is at room temperature, as you don’t want to shock your plant with either cold or hot water. If you use tap water, let it sit out overnight so that the chlorine and other chemicals can oxidise out of the water.

Wet the soil first, which will increase the bonsai’s ability to take in more water.  Afterwards, soak the soil until water runs out of the drainage holes in your training tray. Make sure that the entire soil mass gets wet. Watering is best done daily in the early morning, before the plant begins its daily photosynthesis cycle.  You can also mist your bonsai on a daily basis to help it retain its necessary humidity levels.

As for fertiliser in bonsai care, use a completely balanced fertiliser (i.e., 20-20-20, which is equal parts nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium) every other week at quarter strength.  A balanced fertiliser is ideal in bonsai care because your tree is considerably smaller than the plants the fertiliser is typically used for. Never fertilise a dry tree (the shock could kill it – make sure to water first!) and don’t fertilise a sick tree; remember, fertiliser isn’t medication.

With the right amount of water and light, along with appropriate soil and fertiliser, you are well on your way to growing a beautiful bonsai collection. Bonsai care does not have to be difficult, as long as you remember to meet the fundamental needs your beautiful bonsai plant has.

Sweet gum bonsai tree photo credit: ragesoss

Posted under Bonsai Care

This is a really cool video showing the basics of shaping your bonsai tree with wire.

What you will need to shape/wire your bonsai:

1. A suitable Bonsai Tree
2. Wire Cutters
3. Pliers
4. Wire

I am still in the process of making a comprehensive guide on how to properly wire a bonsai tree.  If you want to know when I publish it, please subscribe to this blog or check back sometime soon.  In the meantime, you can learn about shaping by wiring with this video.

Posted under Bonsai Care, Bonsai Trees & Plants