Who among us did not look at the fanciful shapes of small houseplants known as bonsai? If you, too, were subdued by the elegant forms of this tree, then it will be useful for you to find out what care is required for the bonsai plant at home.
How to properly care for a bonsai tree?
Indoor bonsai is easy to grow at home, it is not very demanding to care and maintenance conditions. The main thing is not to forget to cut the crown in time and to comply with the requirements for soil when transplanting. It must be porous, well, about the level of acidity (each plant has its own requirements for it) should not be forgotten. A mixture of sand, peat and loam is suitable, in a ratio of 2: 4: 4. To the temperature of demand in plants are different, but usually it is 10-18 ° C. The main rule that must be observed - the more light, the better the plant reacts to the temperature increase, than the illumination below, the less temperature should be. In spring, when the temperature is set above 10 ° C, the plant can be taken to fresh air. If the plant is shade-loving, then it needs to find a suitable place, for example, in a garden under trees. At the end of summer bonsai must be brought into the house so that the plant does not experience a sharp temperature drop.
Regardless of the type of plant being grown, bonsai must be protected from drafts and located away from radiators. The bright sun also does not benefit the tree, so it is best to protect it from direct rays.
Watering the plant requires abundant, but only when the soil surface is dry. Watering is best from a watering can with a sieve nozzle, so that it is possible to gently pour the aerial part of the plant. Use cold water for irrigation is not allowed.
Care at home for a bonsai plant requires its timely pruning. If you forget about it, then from an elegant tree you risk getting a strange kind of overgrown bush. Pruning must be done in spring, in accordance with the shape of the crown. That is, you need to shorten young shoots and remove old, dry or frail branches and leaves.
Bonsai should be transplanted every year at the end of winter. In this case, the land is replaced completely, shaking and washing it from the roots. The latter are usually shortened. If you select a new pot for the transplant, then see that it was 2-3 cm wider than the previous one, the depth should not increase. If the plant is planted in an old pot, then it must be thoroughly washed. When transplanting, the roots of the plant should be placed horizontally. After the transplant, the bonsai must be watered. A special mineral fertilizer with microelements (5-10 g per bucket of water) will need to be added 20 days after the procedure. At the same time, you can remove dry leaves and branches.
As you can see, caring for bonsai is no more difficult than for another indoor plant. Just such a tree needs a little more attention when forming the crown and transplanting, but the plant does not make specific requirements for the content. Of course, a lot depends on what plant was turned into bonsai. In this case, care for bonsai should be done in the same way as for the main plant. Of course, transplanting and trimming does not apply.
Diseases and wreckers of bonsai plants
No matter how hard you try to look after a bonsai tree, the risk of pest damage still remains. Therefore, it is important to periodically inspect the plant, paying special attention to the underside of the leaves. Most often, bonsai is affected by aphids, thrips, mealybug, scab, spider mite and whitefly. In any case, the plant must be cleared of pests. In severe lesions, you can spray the tree with special preparations, but you need to be careful with the dosage. And spraying is best done from a distance of 40 cm.
Also, the plant can be affected by gray rot, false or powdery mildew. To combat such diseases, fungicides are used. But the cause of these problems is excessive watering and irregular, so its schedule will also need to be adjusted.