Bonsai Care Guide
Architectural Plants
Bonsai Care Guide
Your Guide to Bonsai Care
At Architectural Plants, we offer a range of bonsai trees. While these miniature wonders are captivating and unique, these plants do require specific care to thrive. Below is a comprehensive guide to help you provide the best care for your bonsai.
Where Should I Place My Bonsai?
Our Bonsai are miniature versions of hardy trees so they need to be grown outdoors. They should live in a location that is in shade for at least half the day. If you place them in full sun, they will almost certainly come to a grisly end. The ideal spot for one is in the sun from sun-up to midday so that the tree warms up and shrugs off the morning dew, but is in the shade during the hottest part of the day. You can bring bonsai indoors but only for a day or two at most. It is essential that they are kept away from radiators or other heat sources, sunny south or west facing windows or conservatories.
Watering Tips
These Bonsai are in perfect balance with the number of roots supporting the number of leaves but they are in very small pots so the available water is used quickly. Yours will probably need to be watered daily for much of the year. Look at your tree every day, check the leaves, the colour and the angle at which they hang. This way you will learn what is normal and healthy and quickly judge any changes required.
Ideally, use rainwater rather than mains because these plants don’t like chlorine. It is also a good idea to dunk your bonsai every couple of weeks. Fill a bowl or bucket and submerge the pot and root ball, leave it there for a maximum of five minutes, lift out and drain. As the water runs from the pot it draws air down through the soil and that air will hugely benefit the roots.
From October to March, bonsai may only need watering once or twice a week. Less if it rains. In the summer, you’ll probably need to spend thirty to sixty seconds watering it each day. However, whatever time of year it is, always check and judge your approach to watering on a daily basis.
Shaping Your Bonsai
Shaping is by pruning and wiring (you can buy the best secateurs for the job from our shop). Only use soft wire and be careful. This still has the potential to cut into the bark so check regularly and loosen or remove the wire as needed to ensure that the bark is not being marked and damaged. Rewire as necessary but make sure that the wire follows a new path, avoiding any tracks left by the wire that was just removed.
Do I need to Feed my Bonsai?
From April to August, add a little fertiliser to the water every fortnight. Don’t waste your money on an overpriced branded bonsai fertiliser. Pretty much any standard tree or shrub garden fertiliser will do the job. Just remember to only mix it in at half strength. The idea is to keep bonsai growing gently.
When Should I repot my Bonsai?
Bonsai need repotting every couple of years into a good, free-draining soil. Do this in early spring (which is February or March in the UK). This will keep the roots healthy. If you have any doubts, please contact us to talk it through or seek advice from an expert.
How long can I leave my Bonsai?
A word of caution about holidays. Don’t abandon them. Holidays are a dangerous time for Bonsai. You will need to find a reliable Bonsai sitter. Take time to show them this advice so that they understand the importance of daily care.
Browse Our Bonsai Collection
Hebe sutherlandii
(Shrubby Veronica)
A great little blobby shrub that has been clipped and enhanced to create this wonderful mini bonsai.
Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Lohbrunner’
A cultivar of the Douglas fir, a fast-growing conifer native to western North America, valued for its timber and landscaping uses, and known for its distinctive cones and soft, flat needles.
Ilex crenata
A slow growing, compact evergreen box look-alike from Eastern Asia. It can reach 4metres in height but responds really well to clipping so is perfect for Bonsai.
Pinus nigra ‘Brepo’
Compact, slow-growing dwarf variety of the Black Pine, known for its striking dark green needles and dense, bushy form.
Pinus sylvestris ‘Niwaki’
(Scots Pine Niwaki)
Years of skilful husbandry and training have created this Japanese version of a very British tree. Ultra tough and reliable.
Pinus mugo ‘Picobello’
A small, slow-growing, compact, dense, rounded, coniferous, evergreen shrub with unique appearance.
Pinus sylvestris ‘Kelpie’
(European Redwood)
A low-growing and hardy selected form of Scots pine with short dark green needles and a dense rounded shape.
Pinus mugo ‘Grune’
A textural delight with naturally forming voluptuous clouds of deep green, and an abundance of tight needles on upright-pointing branches. Perfect, we think, for creating exciting Bonsai.
If there’s just one piece of advice we could give to help you keep your bonsai in the best possible health, it would be this: make it a habit to go out and enjoy looking at your tree every single day of the year. By taking just a few moments each day to observe your bonsai. Good luck on your bonsai journey! With care and patience, your tree will thrive and bring you joy for many years to come.
