How to Care for an Indoor Bonsai

Cover the surface of your bonsai lightly with moss to improve water retention and prevent root rot.

Caring for your indoor bonsai involves more than providing regular feedings and watering. For successful growth, you must provide your indoor bonsai with a balanced environment. Since every bonsai's needs are different, finding that balance requires you to pay close attention to the individual needs of your bonsai.

Things You'll Need

• Misting bottle
• Water
• Fungicidal spray (optional)
• Insecticide (optional)
• Fertilizer
• Potting container
• Potting soil

Instructions

1. Keep your bonsai outside as much as possible. Every bonsai tree benefits from the outdoor environment. Place your bonsai in a well-ventilated location when you bring it indoors. Choose a warm location that receives full, direct morning sunlight with indirect sunlight at the height of the sun to prevent sunburn. Make sure your bonsai's foliage does not touch the windowpane as the immediate temperature variation can singe the touching foliage.

2. Mist the foliage of your indoor bonsai daily during the hot summer months to maintain good humidity levels. Dust the foliage every few days to promote healthy development and reduce the potential of spore-borne diseases.

3. Irrigate your indoor bonsai according to its individual needs. Irrigate drought-tolerant trees deeply and infrequently to prevent over watering. Keep the soil of your water-loving bonsai tree moist but not saturated. Check the soil's moisture levels daily and irrigate when appropriate. Irrigate your bonsai at soil level to reduce the potential for disease and never allow your bonsai to dry out, regardless of its water tolerance.

4. Inspect your bonsai regularly to track its development. Treat signs of infection or infestation immediately. Trim away any dead or damaged areas as they appear, to redirect your bonsai's energy to sustainable areas. Use a fungicidal treatment to control and eliminate potential diseases. Use insecticides lightly to prevent infestation.

5. Feed your bonsai regularly throughout the growing season. Select water-soluble fertilizers for bonsai trees that require frequent irrigation. Choose slow-release fertilizers for bonsais requiring less frequent irrigation. Use well-balanced fertilizers, such as 8-8-8 and 10-10-10 combinations, and always apply according to the directions.

6. Re-pot your indoor bonsai about every two years, as it begins to fill the entire container and the growth begins to slow. Complete the process in the early spring before the growing season begins. Root-prune your bonsai and re-pot it in a clean, well-drained container with a fresh soil mixture.

References

• Bonsai4me: Indoor Bonsai
• Bonsai Boy of New York: How To Take Proper Care Of your Indoor Bonsai Tree
• Bonsai for Beginners: Repotting Your Bonsai