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Thursday 16 October 2014

Care

Hi guys, this post is going to be devoted to those first timers. First of all, i would like to put these 2 websites in the spotlight. The first website being bonsai empire ( http://www.bonsaiempire.com/ ). The second being bonsai 4 me ( http://www.bonsai4me.co.uk/ ). These websites will help those of us that are beginning their journey in this beautiful art.
These little basic care tips will help those people that are starting out with bonsai:

WATERING:

This is the most important thing when you are caring for your bonsai- and plants. What you have to do if water evenly around the soil when it starts to go dry. Simple right?-well, not when it comes to actually do it on the first time. One of the things that many people get wrong, is that if you have a good free draining soil, it does not matter how much water you put in the soil, as long as water passes though the drainage holes, you are fine. Because, you see, if you really want to overwater a bonsai in good free draining soil, it does not matter how much water you pour on the soil, whether it be a bucket full or tank full, your bonsi wont get over watered. To over water your bonsai you need to water it frequently, not letting the soil dry out a bit before each watering. You HAVE to let the soil dry out a bit before you water your tree. Saying that, do not let the soil dry out completely.
Here are some methods of watering:
1) above watering: this involves watering your bonsai with, primarily, a watering can with a fine rose. Water your bonsai though roughly yet evenly on the soil untill water drains out of the drainage holes. Wait for the soil to drain anymore excess water through the drainage holes then put it back on it's stand or bench (if you have either that is).
Submersion:
This technique of watering is usually used for indoor bonsai. It involves immersing the pot in water. Leave the pot in the water until bubble cease to rise from the soil. Drainage is very important for this method. Lift the pot up slightly and move it down slightly, this assists drainage. As the water drains, because there was only water in the pot, draing water pulls in air, therefore oxygen into the soil from the soil surface.
In japan (i think) they say that it takes three years to master watering bonsai-but who knows.

FERTILIZING:

Fertilizing bonsai is basically feeding your tree. Like us, trees need water and food. There are two kinds of feed, organic and artificial. I tend to use more organic fertilizers, like "biogold" (I really would recommend to use this). Artificial fertilizers are usually in a soluble liquid form. The main thing to know about fertilizers is that they all contain an NPK value. This means the fertilizer has certain amounts of nitrogen, phosphurus and potassium. Nitrogen helps the growth of leaves, stems and branches, phosphurus helps the production of roots and potassium helps the production of fruits and flowers. In spring you might want a fertilizer that has a higher ratio of nitrogen in your fertilizer or in autumn, you might want a lesser ratio of nitrogen in your fertilizer.
Types of fertilizer and how to use them:
Organic fertilizers: organic fertilizers usually come in the form of slow release pellets. These "pellets" release nutrients slowly so there is a much lesser chance of overfeeding and they can last about 2-6 months depending on what brand. the organic fertilizer I use is biogold, as you have already heard (http://www.biogold.co.jp/english/product/bo.html). These are pellets, and can last up to 2 weeks after applied. You put the pellets around the edge of the soil and 1-2 inches apart. these will supply your tree with nutrients for around 2 months. different kinds of pellets from different brands have different methods of applying the pellets and different strengths of NPK. Also, different brands have a different amount of time until you have to place down the pellets again.

HUMIDITY:

\If your interior is rather dry, then adding "humidity trays will help improve the humidity for your plants. all you need to do is place a tray of moist gravel underneath you bonsai's pot and keep the gravel moist.

REPOTTING:

For the first timers, repotting is very daunting, many are scared of doing it, so your not the only one, on my first repot, I was shaking like a dremel drillbit! As explaining how to repot is hard, and I really don't want to risk the life of your trees, refer to either, bonsai empire or bonsai4me on how to repot ( http://www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/bonsai-care/repotting) (http://www.bonsai4me.co.uk/Basics/Basicsrepotting3barerooting.htm).

First of all, you have to know when to repot. if you know when the tree has been repotted, then repot primarily 2 years after the last repot. if you do not know when the tree was last repotted, then check this link out:  http://www.bonsai4me.co.uk/Basics/BasicsWhen%20to%20Repot%20your%20Bonsai.htm

Thank you for reading! Any comments are fine, also comment on any corrections if I did anything wrong, so i can correct them!

Thank you!

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