A Beginner's Guide to Bonsai Trees
So, you are awestruck by the cuteness and beauty of Bonsai trees and want to have one in your home. That’s Good! But do you know what it makes you? A Bonsai beginner. And growing Bonsai trees for beginners is not easy at all.
Now, you may be thinking that we are frightening you, but we are making you aware of the road ahead.
This piece of writing is an all-round guide on Bonsai for beginners.
Questions like How to grow Bonsai and How to take care of the Bonsai tree will be answered here.
Let’s benign with basics!
What is Bonsai Tree?
Bonsai trees are small trees that look like a miniature of big trees and are kept in containers. They can be placed both indoors and outdoors.
What is the meaning of Bonsai?
The word Bonsai means the art of growing ornamental, artificially dwarfed varieties of trees and shrubs in pots. It is an East Asian art form using cultivation techniques to produce, in containers, small trees that mimic the shape and scale of full-size trees.
Where does the word Bonsai come from?
The word Bonsai is a Japanese term derived from an ancient Chinese horticultural practice. The art of Bonsai was spread by Buddhist monks who wished to bring the “outdoors” inside their temples.
Things to consider before you start growing a Bonsai tree
- Select the species of the tree as per the climate you live in.
- Be decisive about where you want to keep the tree, indoor or outdoor.
- Don’t forget to select the perfect pot for your bonsai tree.
Benefits of Bonsai Tree
- Helps in curing sore throats
- Counters Cough
- Eliminated Fatigue and Tiredness
- Helps in Maintaining Humidity Levels
How to Grow a Bonsai Tree?
Once again, just to bring in your notice and not to demotivate you, growing a bonsai tree from seeds or cutting can take up to 3 years. But, it gives you full control, right from the start, and you will also feel good.
To grow Bonsai, the first thing you need is seeds. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as special “Bonsai tree seeds”, as Bonsai are created from normal trees.
After you get the seeds, it is advisable to keep the seeds in a cold spot for a few weeks. It will increase the germination rate of the seeds that will be good for growing Bonsai and the quality of your Bonsai tree. Generally, you might need to keep the seed in a cold spot for at least a month or two. It will also be good if you soak the seeds before putting them in cold storing.
On the next step after a quiet wait, you first need to put good-quality soil in the pot. It will be better to add natural fertilizer to a decent amount in the soil.
Now, it’s time to sow seeds.
It is always recommended to sow the seeds in autumn as the seedling will have a full summer to grow after germinating in early spring. Now all the way afterwards, you need to take care every day. Keep the hard work going, and you will have your Bonsai tree fully grown one day.
That’s for those who want to grow bonsai trees right from the start. But, if you don’t want to wait for that much, you should go buy a plant from the market. And if you want to plant it in the pot that you have purchased, here is how to:
How To Plant a Bonsai Tree?
First, you need to remove the tree from the container it is already in or just the soil if it’s not in a container. After removing it, consider cleaning the roots thoroughly so that there will be no particles of the previous soil. While removing the tree, you should be very careful not to damage it and if you notice that the growth of roots is uncontrolled, make sure to prune them a bit. Now before placing your Bonsai tree in a new pot, make sure to have a firm base of quality soil in it, and the base must be a layer of coarse-grained soil. After that, place the tree the way you want it to look and then cover it with the soil.
How to Take Care of a Bonsai Tree?
Bonsai Plant Care is a very crucial part, and if done nicely, you will surely have a beautiful bonsai tree adding beauty to your home decor.
Pruning: For aesthetic purpose, cut back any large branch having ugly twists. And for daily maintenance, keep removing the dead leaves, wood, and unwanted weeds from the soil.
Fertilizer: In the starting, add fertilizer to your bonsai tree on a weekly basis, and as the growth starts to slow down, reduce the fertilizing schedule to once a month.
Watering: Consider watering your bonsai tree when the soil gets slightly dry. Water in a way that it reaches the end of roots.
Sunlight: Most of the Bonsai trees need at least five hours of direct or indirect sunlight. But don’t expose the tree to the sunlight of the afternoon for most.
Well, mates, we hope this beginner guide for Bonsai will help you reach the expert level. One day you will write a thesis on your Bonsai growing experience.
And if you want to upgrade your plant love and to uplift the beauty of your home decor, you can look for air purifying plants online.
BONSAI BYE!