Early Spring Tips From Bonsai Boy

Early Spring Tips: Patience and Perseverance

How Should You Prepare For Spring? - This time of year is fraught with danger for your bonsai trees. The deadliest of these dangers is impatience. Your bonsai has, thanks to your diligent care and attention, enjoyed a much needed rest over the winter and will soon be ready to reward you with a burst of spectacular spring growth.

What Should You Do For Outdoor Bonsai? - If you have potted outdoor bonsai in storage, be patient and keep it there until the weather is warmer. On those occasionally warm days, you should go out and check your bonsai to see if they are either dry or wet. If they are dry, go ahead and water; if they are wet, go ahead and put them on their side to aid drainage.

It is OK to open the doors on cold frames on warm days, but be absolutely sure to remember to close them at night. This will help keep the temperature more even and prevent the possibility of premature leafing.

Patience and perseverance: Remember, temperatures at this time of year fluctuate - a lot; during the day the wind can be strong and drying, and a frost at night is entirely possible and possibly deadly - both boundaries can cause irreparable damage to your bonsai.

So, please, for the sake and safety of your beloved bonsai tree, do not take them out during the day and then move them back in at night - Patience and Perseverance - it is far wiser to keep them in one place, a safe place - their winter storage; until all signs of frost have past.

What Should You Do For Indoor Bonsai? - If you have indoor bonsai it is imperative to remember that the dark and dreary days of winter have created all of the right conditions for: root rot, leaf drop and fungal concerns that can all wreak eternal havoc upon your bonsai.

The blissful nirvana that you created in your home for your bonsai trees to happily spend the winter in has, because of the lingering weakness of the sun's rays, in many cases, left them starving for light. This hunger can be evidenced by leaf drop, persistently wet soil and an overall yellowish and unhealthy appearance. If this is happening to your indoor bonsai, once again, it is crucial to be patient!

Cutting back on the amount and frequency of watering is important and to get your trees as much sunlight or artificial light, such as florescent light, as possible.

When a bonsai looses its leaves, it looses its ability to transpire, which in turn prevents the roots from being able to absorb water, which in turn creates soggy soil conditions, which in turn leads to root rot, which, if not properly addressed with - patience and perseverance - will lead to the untimely demise of your beloved indoor bonsai.

So, at this time of year it is very important to remember to give your bonsai more light, keep the soil on the dry side (if the aforementioned conditions exist), and wait for the warmer and brighter days of spring to start applying small amounts of fertilizer - Not to fear, they soon will be here!