Things You'll Need:
- A bonsai plant or tree
- Bonsai pruning tools
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Step 1
Watering:
The first and most important part of caring for your bonsai is the watering.
The amount of water your tree requires will vary from tree to tree. Generally they will need watering often but in small amounts. It is good to try and imitate rainfall by using a small watering can with a sprinkler on the end. This moistens the compost and roots at the same time as cleaning the leaves.
In the winter plants will require less watering than in the summer when they should be watered more often, in some cases watering will be required up to twice a day. You really need to maintain the compost moist but not too much and the roots should never be left to stand in water. -
Step 2
Re=potting:
Your Bonsai plant will need to be re-potted approximately once every two to five years depending on the variety you own and how old it is. Younger plants will need re-potting more often. As the older trees grow they will use all of the goodness in the soil and will need to have it replaced. The tree needs to be replaced in the container in the same way as it was before, you may have to trim and thin out the roots so as to stop the plant from becoming pot-bound and growing a mass of roots which will use up all of the nutrients and moisture in no time at all.
It is very important that you use only special bonsai compost or potting soil. -
Step 3
Training:
Bonsai plants can be trained by using special bonsai wire to shape and form the branches as they are growing to give you the most pleasing shape to the eye. The training needs to be performed in the spring time or early summer, just after the buds have opened when the foliage is new. It is at this time when the branches are most soft and malleable. The wire remains in place for approximately nine months to a year. -
Step 4
Pruning:
Another great part of the art of bonsai growing is the pruning. In the case of plants that flower and bear fruit the leaf buds should be nipped after the plant has bloomed and any unwanted twigs removed leaving only that which will benefit the form of the tree.
In the case of pine and other cone bearing trees these should only be pruned in the spring when the buds appear. They need to be pruned back to just behind the new growth. This helps avoid excessive growth and will help the branching out process. Trees of the Juniper family will continue to grow throughout the year and as such will need pruning more often.
