How To Take Proper Care Of Your Indoor Bonsai Tree
PLACEMENT SPRING, SUMMER, & FALL
The Elephant Ear Tree will do very well indoors in full light and prefers being kept outdoors during the warmer months. When nighttime temperatures drop below the 45-degree F mark, you should place the tree on a windowsill or on a table near one.
PLACEMENT WINTER
Once nighttime temperatures reach the 40-degree F mark, it’s time to bring your bonsai inside. The best location is on a window ledge facing south. An east or west-facing window is second best. A north-facing window might work but will probably require the assistance of a grow light for the best development. Four to six hours of sun each day should do the trick. If you give the plant more, that more the better.
WATERING
Watering your bonsai should never be forgotten. Never allow the soil to become completely dry! Water your bonsai tree before this happens and keep the soil from drying out all the way. Your tree should be watered until it begins running out of the holes in the bottom of your pot. It doesn’t matter “how” you water your tree, whether it’s with a watering can, cup full of water, faucet. All that matters is that the tree is well watered. You can use a water meter on your trees to provide the most accurate reading of how much water your tree needs.
HUMIDITY
During the colder months, when your bonsai is inside, we recommend placing it in a humidity tray filled with a layer of small rocks and water. This provides extra moisture around the tree as the water evaporates. This also reduces the amount of moisture lost to modern heating and cooling systems. It is a good idea to have a humidity tray under all your plants so that they all get extra humidity.
FERTILIZING
Fertilizing is also necessary for your bonsai to continue new growth. Since your bonsai is growing in a small pot and a small amount of soil, it is a great idea to replenish the soil’s nutrients every so often. Any general-purpose liquid fertilizer will do just fine. You should follow the diluting instructions on each liquid fertilizer to ensure you do not burn the roots of your trees. Fertilizer should be applied at least once a month except during winter. You can also use slow-release fertilizer pellets. These are very easy to use and last several months depending on which brand you get.
TRAINING
Once your trees get to a nice medium size you can start training them to shape them however you desire. This is the art of bonsai and can be as simple or complex as you desire. You can use wire to shape the trunk and branches of the tree as the tree grows. You can use techniques to develop nebari and jin to create stunning trees.
PRUNING
You should prune new growth on your bonsai tree to keep it miniature. Ideally, you should do most of your trimming on your tree during the warmer months while the tree is doing most of its growing. You can prune leaves or branches off the tree to expose different parts of the tree, promote smaller leaf growth, maintain healthy canopy development, and get the exact design of the tree you desire. You can also prune the tree’s roots while you are repotting to allow new growth.
RE-POTTING
Repotting is something that you must do every so often when your tree’s roots have exceeded the size of its pot. You repot your tree to give it fresh soil, and to encourage a more compact root system. As a rule, most deciduous trees should be repotted every two to three years. Evergreens need to be repotted every four to five years. Trees grow at different rates, so this schedule will not always hold true. So you should keep an eye on your tree’s root system and make sure it does not become root bound in order to avoid stunted tree growth.
The repotting process is easy if performed the correct way and at the right time of year. Repotting should be completed during mid-summer. The tree and all of its soil should be removed from the pot. Depending on the tree, different amounts of the root ball can be cut off. Tropical trees can tolerate quite a bit of root pruning, while other species of trees cannot tolerate as much root pruning. To do this start by raking the soil away, then pruning back the roots. After this, the tree can be placed into the desired pot and filled with dirt. The pot should have a screen placed over the drainage holes so that dirt and loose gravel does not fall out of the pot later when you are watering it. Then a thin layer of gravel is placed in the bottom of the pot to promote drainage. This loose gravel mix can be a premade mix or a mix you made yourself. The loose gravel helps with the drainage of water through the pot and provides some nutrients for the tree. Next, place a new fresh layer of soil in the pot and fill in every nook and cranny in the pot. Ensure that there are no air pockets anywhere in the pot or else this could damage your plant’s growth. During this entire process make sure that the trees root ball never dries out. You should spray the tree’s roots throughout this process to maintain the health of your tree. Once you have all the new soil in the pot, water the plant thoroughly and ensure that all the new soil has been soaked in water. Sometimes, at this point, the soil you put in the pot sinks down and is not covering the tree’s roots or does not look like how you want it to. Just add more soil and wet it again and see how you like the look now. You should not fertilize your tree for two to four weeks after you repot it. Repotting causes a lot of stress on the tree and you should give the tree a few weeks to settle into its new soil before adding more stress of fertilization.
INSECTS & DISEASES
Your bonsai is a tree in miniature, but it is just like any other tree outside. It can be treated for insects and diseases the same as any other tree. If you discover any insects or diseases, research to find the exact insect on your plants and treat it accordingly.