FAQ About Bonsai Tree

The Ficus tolerates low humidity and can withstand quite a bit, making it a good choice for beginners. Other popular indoor bonsai include the jade tree (Crassula), privet (Ligustrum), fukien tea (Carmona), ray aralia (Schefflera arboricola) and sageretia (Sageretia theezans).

In the hot summer time, indoor bonsai love an outdoor location. Water, dip and fertilize your tree in the same way you would water outdoor trees. From autumn to spring, keep the indoor bonsai in a bright and frost-free location. Regular watering and fertilization is important in all seasons.

In principle, the soil of a bonsai must never dry out completely. It is usually essential to check every day whether the tree needs to be watered. To do this, check the soil moisture with your finger: If the surface of the root ball is completely dry, it is time for the next addition of water.

Trees can live and grow for thousands of years. Bonsai can also get very old if they are well cared for. Some of the oldest bonsai in the world are over 800 years old. They are the result of many generations that have created and maintained them with patience and hard work.

For beginners, however, it is recommended to buy trees that have already been designed by professionals and “just” keep them in shape regularly. With good care, bonsais can be many hundreds of years old and very valuable.

Caring for a bonsai is not nearly as difficult as is usually assumed. However, since bonsai are planted in small trays, a few important principles must be observed when watering, fertilizing and repotting.

Bonsai must live where they receive sun and air, where they can enjoy the rain and, above all, where the humidity at night reaches them well. A terrace, a balcony, a garden or simply a window are the ideal location for our bonsais.

The bonsai should always be watered from above, until the entire soil is soaked. The irrigation water then comes out of the bottom of the drainage hole in the bonsai pot. However, immediately pour away the excess water so that your bonsai does not get wet “feet.”

It's the right time. Deciduous bonsais are always cut outside their growing season. Larger topiary is therefore cut in domestic trees in spring before the first large sprout. Maintenance pruning follows in August at the latest to keep the tree in shape.

When a bonsai tree loses all its leaves, the reason is most often a mistake in care. A lack or excess of water, lack of light, a fertilization error or even the wrong temperature can be the cause for a bonsai in the house or garden to drop all leaves.

What is a bonsai tree worth? Bonsai are living works of art; some famous trees are hundreds of years old. These trees are priceless and when they are for sale, they are very expensive. But at the same time, you can also buy bonsai at a local garden center for little money.

The plant must grow in your home for one to two years until it is a few centimeters tall and strong enough.

A rule of thumb. Most outdoor bonsai are best placed in a bright location, around half the day in direct sunlight and protected from the wind. Indoor bonsai are also best kept bright, but some species prefer as much sun as possible, while others do better in partial shade.

Caring for bonsai It is possible and necessary during the entire growth period of the plants. With pointed, sharp bonsai scissors, only the tips of the newly grown shoots are regularly cut off individually. You can also remove whole new shoots if they don't fit into the overall picture.

Why are bonsai so expensive? Bonsai trees are living works of art and have always been considered valuable. In order to grow a particularly beautiful specimen, which can be one of the most expensive bonsai, years of experience and the right care are important.

(#1) Juniper, by Kunio Kobayashi (Shunka-en Bonsai Museum, Tokyo) This 800-year-old juniper (Juniperus) is a world-famous masterpiece. Its owner, bonsai master Kunio Kobayashi, is also known worldwide for his bonsai art.

Topiary should be carried out every 2 years as a regular cut. Conservation cut/leaf cutting: When cutting leaves, needles or leaves are cut down in summer so that small leaves form the next time they sprout.

The word “Bon-Sai” is of Japanese origin and literally means “tree in a bowl.” This art form developed from ancient Chinese gardening practice and has been further developed in part under the influence of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Bonsai art has been known for over a thousand years.

Is the bonsai poisonous? Whether your type of bonsai is poisonous to animals or humans depends entirely on the species. Ficus species, for example, are poisonous to cats and dogs and should therefore be kept out of reach of your pets at home. When buying, find out whether your plant is poisonous or not.

How often does a bonsai tree need water? This means that you should not water it when the soil is still moist, but when it feels slightly dry. You can check that with your fingers, about one centimeter deep.

You can easily use local tap water to irrigate bonsai. However, highly calcareous water leads to limescale deposits on the roots. With rainwater: whenever possible, the bonsai should be in the rain. You can also collect rainwater and use it for watering.

At the beginning of spring, bonsai with flowers before the leaves shoot (e.g. Japanese apricot - Prunus mume, blackthorn - Prunus spinosa, cherry plum - Prunus cerasifera) are a sign that winter will soon be over.

Use unglazed trays for conifers (e.g. pine trees). You can use glazed, but in some cases unglazed bowls for deciduous trees, but strikingly colorful bowls should be reserved for blooming and fruiting bonsai. The length of the bowl should be about two thirds of the height of the tree.

Although the bonsai is a very beautiful plant, it is particularly sensitive to a variety of factors such as season, soil and pot size. Avoid watering the plant during the day. The best time is early in the morning or after sunset when the ground is still cool.

It is important that the wire never stays on the tree longer than necessary. You can carefully remove it as soon as the branch no longer moves in the old direction. As a rule, you can remove the wire after about three months if the branches are thin.

Without regular pruning, a bonsai develops almost like a normal tree. Bonsai is pruned for three different reasons: The care cut reduces growth and enhances its appearance. Leaf cutting reduces the size of the leaves.

Important: Only cut leaves for deciduous tree species! To do this, cut off all large leaves in early summer — you can simply cut the stalk in half. This stimulates the tree to grow new and smaller leaves.

The following mixtures are recommended for conifers: 2:2:1 sand, clay and peat. 1:1:1 Akadama, pumice gravel and lava granulate. 1:1:2 Kiryu soil, pumice gravel and Akadama.

You should repot a bonsai approximately every two to three years. To do this, not only is the bowl filled with new soil — the root ball must also be trimmed. A bonsai also needs a new pot every two years.

Temperature not too warm, rather cool (10-20°C for e.g. ficus bonsai, thick leaf, June snow) to cold (4-10°C for e.g. livet, pepper tree). Unheated, bright rooms such as bedrooms, stairwells, corridors are usually well suited.

Bonsais can catch a virus or get sick with a fungus. You can recognize the diseases by pale, yellowish leaves or needles. The branches die off. Quarantine and hygiene are the initial measures.

The most popular plant is the Ficus benjamini. Anyone who gives a bonsai tree as a gift wishes luck or prosperity. However, care instructions should be provided as a gift.

Bonsai outside. All native and southern bonsai species need an outdoor location, just like their big role models in nature. They want to be exposed to wind and weather and need a break in growth during the cold season. These trees don't belong in the apartment — not even in winter!

The best time to repot bonsai for deciduous trees is from March to the end of April. Conifers can be repotted from September to October. Your bonsai must be repotted if the soil in the old pot is completely interspersed with roots and these are already visible at the edge of the bowl.

The only way to thicken the trunk is to let the tree grow freely in a large pot for a few years without pruning it. If you are satisfied with the thickness of the trunk, you can reshape the tree and plant it in a smaller bowl.

It is therefore recommended to turn a bonsai over and over again so that each side can absorb light evenly. Simple rules that help your bonsai feel good and can also thrive.

You should remove completely dried and dead branches and branches so that more light reaches the fresh shoots. After a few weeks, you can remove the bag and care for the bonsai again as usual.

If the bonsai is already bare To check whether the plant is still alive, you can carefully remove the top layer of bark from a small area with a sharp object. If you see a green layer underneath, the plant is still alive.

How big do bonsai trees get? Classic bonsai plants, which are grown for indoor use, usually reach a size of around 20 centimetres to 2 meters. Outdoor bonsais, on the other hand, can easily reach a size of two to 12 meters in gardens.

In principle, you can grow any tree to become a bonsai. It doesn't matter whether young or old, as does the type of tree. However, there are criteria that make bonsai construction easier. Tree species that grow quickly have the advantage that you can grow your bonsai within a few years.

If you permanently shorten roots and branches just to promote growth of small stature, I think it is torture, even though a plant is not a living being with a discernible sense of pain. Even though it is a tradition in Japan to miniaturize plants, I think it is questionable whether this is necessary.

This is because it is mold. The reason for this may be due to too frequent watering, for example. If the water cannot drain off because a drainage layer is missing, this can lead to mould. Get the plant out of the bonsai pot and remove the soil on the roots.

A bonsai grows in a small bowl and therefore does not have many reserves. If you forget to water your bonsai, the roots die off and the tree dies. While the tree slowly loses strength when waterlogged, it sheds its leaves within a few days if there is a lack of water.

Non-toxic houseplants: mountain palm. Bonsai (Polyscias' Roble ')

So if you start from a starting price of 100€ for the tree and include the right tools and work materials in the bill, then you can finally say that with 150€ — 200€, you are already well placed to get started.

How big should an optimal bonsai pot be? For bonsai that are significantly higher than wide, the length of bonsai pots (oval and rectangular) should be approx. 2/3 of the height of the tree.

The most expensive bonsai: a centuries-old pine that sold for 1.3 million dollars at the International Bonsai Convention in Takamatsu, Japan. Another expensive bonsai, which was offered for about 90,000 dollars.

Bonsais have a high ideological value for collectors as living works of art; the dwarf trees are also sold as speculative objects. At the International Bonsai Convention in Japan, a centuries-old pine tree changed hands for 1.3 million dollars.

(#1) Juniper, by Kunio Kobayashi (Shunka-en Bonsai Museum, Tokyo) This 800-year-old juniper (Juniperus) is a world-famous masterpiece. Its owner, bonsai master Kunio Kobayashi, is also known worldwide for his bonsai art.

Caring for a bonsai is not nearly as difficult as is usually assumed. However, since bonsai are planted in small trays, a few important principles must be observed when watering, fertilizing and repotting.

Topiary should be carried out every 2 years as a regular cut. Conservation cut/leaf cutting: When cutting leaves, needles or leaves are cut down in summer so that small leaves form the next time they sprout.

Spread the seeds well, cover them thinly with soil, press down and keep them evenly moist. Let the seedlings grow for another 3-4 months after germination. This makes the roots more robust and makes transplanting easier. The germination time is between 2 and 6 weeks.

The most popular plant is the Ficus benjamini. Anyone who gives a bonsai tree as a gift wishes luck or prosperity. However, care instructions should be provided as a gift.

The price of a bonsai — what you should pay attention to. Bonsai prices differ relatively significantly from retailer to retailer and from country to country. Cheap trees (around €20) are available in garden centers all over the world, but the availability of higher quality trees is more limited.

Bonsai art has been known for over a thousand years. The aim of bonsai design is a miniaturized yet realistic image of nature in the form of a tree. Bonsai are not genetically dwarf plants. In fact, any type of tree can be used to make a bonsai out of it.

It is often +20°C during the day in a foil tent and -10°C at night. Bonsai doesn't like that. When wintering by sinking into the garden - choose a shady place for winter shelter. If a bonsai has started sprouting too early due to high temperatures, it must then be protected from frosts.

How big do bonsai trees get? Classic bonsai plants, which are grown for indoor use, usually reach a size of around 20 centimetres to 2 meters. Outdoor bonsais, on the other hand, can easily reach a size of two to 12 meters in gardens.

Caring for bonsai It is possible and necessary during the entire growth period of the plants. With pointed, sharp bonsai scissors, only the tips of the newly grown shoots are regularly cut off individually. You can also remove whole new shoots if they don't fit into the overall picture.

Bonsai must live where they receive sun and air, where they can enjoy the rain and, above all, where the humidity at night reaches them well. A terrace, a balcony, a garden or simply a window are the ideal location for our bonsais.

It's the right time. Deciduous bonsais are always cut outside their growing season. Larger topiary is therefore cut in domestic trees in spring before the first large sprout. Maintenance pruning follows in August at the latest to keep the tree in shape.

Indoor bonsai also receive no rainwater and your leaves get dusty as a result. It is therefore important to spray the leaves from time to time to remove the dust and to vitalize the trees that live in a dry environment.

Is the bonsai poisonous? Whether your type of bonsai is poisonous to animals or humans depends entirely on the species. Ficus species, for example, are poisonous to cats and dogs and should therefore be kept out of reach of your pets at home. When buying, find out whether your plant is poisonous or not.

When a bonsai tree loses all its leaves, the reason is most often a mistake in care. A lack or excess of water, lack of light, a fertilization error or even the wrong temperature can be the cause for a bonsai in the house or garden to drop all leaves.

The bonsai should always be watered from above, until the entire soil is soaked. The irrigation water then comes out of the bottom of the drainage hole in the bonsai pot. However, immediately pour away the excess water so that your bonsai does not get wet “feet.”

Without regular pruning, a bonsai develops almost like a normal tree. Bonsai is pruned for three different reasons: The care cut reduces growth and enhances its appearance. Leaf cutting reduces the size of the leaves.

Bonsai outside. All native and southern bonsai species need an outdoor location, just like their big role models in nature. They want to be exposed to wind and weather and need a break in growth during the cold season. These trees don't belong in the apartment — not even in winter!

The only way to thicken the trunk is to let the tree grow freely in a large pot for a few years without pruning it. If you are satisfied with the thickness of the trunk, you can reshape the tree and plant it in a smaller bowl.

Fill the planter with a layer of coarse bonsai soil. A plant mound of fine soil is sprinkled on it. Special soil for bonsai is available in stores. Flower or container plant soil is not suitable for bonsai.

Use unglazed trays for conifers (e.g. pine trees). You can use glazed, but in some cases unglazed bowls for deciduous trees, but strikingly colorful bowls should be reserved for blooming and fruiting bonsai. The length of the bowl should be about two thirds of the height of the tree.

Origin: From Japanese: Bonsai consists of the two words (bon) → yes “bowl, bowl” and (sai) → yes “cultivate plants.” Together, the two kanji (bonsai) → yes mean 'plant in a pot'.

The money tree (Crassula ovata), also known as lucky or penny tree, helps the owner to windfall and financial success. This plant, which originates from South Africa, is often kept as a houseplant. It grows up to one meter tall and produces soft white-pink flowers after around ten years.

Important: Only cut leaves for deciduous tree species! To do this, cut off all large leaves in early summer — you can simply cut the stalk in half. This stimulates the tree to grow new and smaller leaves.

A rule of thumb. Most outdoor bonsai are best placed in a bright location, around half the day in direct sunlight and protected from the wind. Indoor bonsai are also best kept bright, but some species prefer as much sun as possible, while others do better in partial shade.

How big should an optimal bonsai pot be? For bonsai that are significantly higher than wide, the length of bonsai pots (oval and rectangular) should be approx. 2/3 of the height of the tree.

It is therefore recommended to turn a bonsai over and over again so that each side can absorb light evenly. Simple rules that help your bonsai feel good and can also thrive.