Step 1: Placement. Place your bonsai in a well-lit area because within sufficient sunlight it will probably die. It needs to be warm enough during the day, about 60 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity, that also gets cool at night. This will help to recreate the temperature fluctuations that would normally occur in nature.
Step 2: Watering. You may think that diligently pruning your bonsai tree is the most important part of caring for your bonsai tree, but if your tree isn’t properly watered, you’ll end up with a dead, well-pruned stump. Watering technique depends on the type of tree that you’ve chosen but as a general rule you should never allow your tree to dry out. Check the soil the same way you check your muffins to see if they’re done. Insert a toothpick in the soil and if nothing sticks or the toothpick is dry, then your plant needs some water stat. Generally if the soil surface appears dry, your tree should be watered. Make sure that you add drainage holes or the roots will rot, but don’t let water sit in the saucer because, again, the roots will rot. Spray the leaves with water often, taking care not to puddle the water in the saucer.
Step 3: Pruning. The issue here is cutting versus pinching. Cutting is the typical idea that people have when they think of pruning, but it’s not ideal to cut every kind of bonsai tree. Some trees, like Evergreens, should be pinched into pleasing shapes. Pinching requires that you take a new growth or shoot between your thumb and forefinger and pinch the shoot off. Pruning should take place in the spring, the growth season of the bonsai tree. In winter and when the tree is first purchased, pruning is not necessary. Pruning will keep your plant nice and bushy and full while allowing it to stay in the shape you want.
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Step 4: Fertilize. Fertilize only in the growth season, the spring, because that’s when the plant is growing and needs its nutrients. Evergreens, for example, can be fertilized from spring until the end of fall or early winter, but not through winter and alternate between months or at most once every three weeks. If your bonsai is in bloom, don’t give it fertilizer. Mild fertilizers with trace elements are best, especially if they have a good balance or proper dilution. If you don’t dilute the fertilizer properly, you run the risk of burning the roots and killing the plant, because it sits in a shallow pot and collects the remains at the bottom.
Step 5: Repot. Every couple of years the bonsai tree needs a new pot to sit in. Be gentle when you lift the tree out of the pot and gently separate the soil from the roots. Replant in fresh soil with plenty of water and remember your drainage holes. The new pot should be the same size as the old one.
Step 6: Root trimming. This step should be completed during the repotting step, while the plant is already out of the pot. Separate the soil from the roots and, depending on the size of the roots, cut off one third of the root system. As the plant tries to grow, the root system will grow and grow, encouraging your plant to grow and grow. You want to keep your plant nice and small, so the best way to do so is to trim the roots every few years. Do this with caution, because if you cut off too much, you run the risk of killing the plant. If you cut the roots too much, the plant will be unable to take up enough water and nutrients from the soil.
Step 7: Cleanliness. When you trim or pinch your tree, don’t leave the little bits behind on the surface of the soil. Right, it’s just soil, it’s natural debris, why clean it? Well what ends up happening is that the remains decompose and that allows for plant fungi to grow and for moss to grow. Fungi will kill your plant and moss will take away the nutrients that are supposed to go to your bonsai. Some people like the moss and find it decorative, which is fine but if you want to keep it, you have to monitor it carefully and keep it away from the trunk of your tree. Moss is easy to remove very gently and you can even use a hard bristled toothbrush or something with a soft tip. Don’t use any sharp-edged objects around your trunk.
Step 8: Weeding. Weeds will find a way into the soil and they will thrive in the conditions that you keep your bonsai. Weeding has to be done gently as well. Try using a pair of tweezers to pluck the weeds out by the roots. Remember that any grass is a bad thing to have in your soil and you should remove it. It may seem innocuous, but even the smallest blade of grass will take nutrients away from your bonsai, just like the moss will.
Step 9: Disease and Pests. The ideal conditions are attractive to diseases and pests and if you don’t keep an eye on things, your plant may die. One of the worst offenders is a type of fungus called “powdery mildew”. Powdery mildew is exactly that, it leaves behind a whitish powder dusting on the leaves and trunk of your bonsai. Rust is another disease that appears in brown and orange patches on the leaves and is the result of too much potassium. This can be rectified by changing the formula of your fertilizer and repotting using different soil. Bonsai trees can also get a disease called chlorosis, which is caused by a lack of iron. Lack of iron is a soil problem, chalky soil retains iron so just change the soil and your plant should recover. A clear sign of chlorosis is a yellow tinge to the leaves or needles. The humidity can also attract ants, caterpillars, spider mites, aphids and other unwanted pests. Treat with pesticides.
Step 10: Shaping. A new plant won’t train to be the shape you want it to be right away. This will take years. Initially, some people will wrap their bonsai tree trunk in aluminum foil or copper wire to force the tree to keep its shape. In some ways it’s good for a beginner that the tree won’t stay in form right away because if you make a mistake, you can just correct it the next time you prune the tree. Start shaping from the top of the tree down and work slowly.
