Bonsai is such a special plant and a decorative item that it needs constant care during all the seasons round the year. There are different activities and care which needs to be done to these sensitive bonsai plants. Here you can see how the seasonal care differs from summer to autumn and winter seasons.

To start with we can see how these bonsai plants should be taken care in summer season. During the summer season you are advised to use coarse type of soil mix. You can try to rotate the plants by a quarter so that each and every part of the bonsai get sufficient amount of sunlight. A proper supply of sunlight and air will keep many diseases away from them. Some of the bonsai may need shade cloth during afternoon, so that they don’t get over exposed to light. During this season you can opt for high phosphate content fertilizers which are good for flowering plants. The other most important aspect of summer care is the proper watering of your bonsai from time to time.

Then comes the second season for your bonsai in the form of autumn. It is the season where some fast growers like junipers, pomegranates and elms can go out of control in their growth activity. So keep a watch on them and prune them as and when needed. The other most important thing to be kept in mind in autumn season is the water retention in the pots. Water logging will spoil the bonsai in no time. So you need to be extra careful. And finally pest control should also be taken care of.

Then comes the chilling winter season where some areas are hard freeze under frost. Some bonsai like natal plum, Ficus, bougainvillea etc needs special attention in winter season. You can move such bonsai types close to your house under some roof, so that they remain well protected in tough winter nights. You can also consider keeping an insulative material like news papers over the pots. In winter the bonsai need less amount of water and keep in mind that the bonsai needs no fertilizer in the winter season.

Finally the spring season arrives with a charming climatic change. Its the best time for growth, restyling and repotting activities. Those bonsai plants which were in the same pot for more than 2 years can be considered for repotting. You can change the shape and size of the pots if you want keeping in mind the overall growth of the bonsai. You may also need some pruning activity for those bonsai plants which are fast growing ones. In winter season you can go for NPK kind of fertilizers which maintain the over well being of the bonsai.

The other things to be kept in mind is the proper draining, repotting, pruning activities which should go on irrespective of the season in consideration. Special care is needed during the transition period of the seasons and after sometime they get adjusted soon with the climatic changes.

FICUS

When we think of an excellent Bonsai treatment we may think of the Ficus or rain forest figs which grow in number in the wild jungles of South East Asia. In a bonsai, the fruit is not a crucial factor. Ficus grow in full sun and semi moist soil. As a bonsai the leaves of Ficus or fig trees depend on the species. Ficus are of the habit of absorbing water in a fast rate. Hence while doing bonsai it must be kept in mind that watering is absolutely not a mandatory factor. If the Ficus are watered in a massive scale there is every possibility of the roots to be rotten.

HOW FICUS THRIVE

Defoliating of leaf size is done towards the end of summer. Pruning through the whole year is necessary cutting a few leaves. Enough light is never essential as Ficus prefer low light. The room temperature must be 15 degree Centigrade to 22 degree Centigrade. Sudden temperature change is not tolerated by Ficus. During spring and summer when Ficus are kept inside the room watering should be done plentifully. During winter Ficus prefer just spraying of water. Ficus look excellent in ‘Root over the Rock Style’.

OH! JUNIPER MY FRIEND

The Juniper bonsai has an edge over others for many reasons. Juniper has tremendous popularity in the North America and known there as the Juniper procumbent nana. There are so many juniper species to swell the hearts of the bonsai experts but the species known as the nana is ahead of all. This popularity is so striking that the retail stores can not meet the supply the need of supply round the year. It decorates a home quite graciously hence the demand is sky high. The garden juniper, often reputed as the mallsai, was sold in the shopping mall. It has not won much fame so to say.

A special juniper bonsai popularly known as the Sargeant Juniper or the Shipaku juniper is rather popular among the bonsai lovers. Owing to its tender foliage this kind of juniper is acclaimed by the bonsai specialists.

GALORES OF JUNIPERS

Another juniper is worthy of mention. It is the ‘rigid needle juniper ‘. It never cares for proper look-after, rather withstands different hazards and grows in every corner quite negligibly. If no one bothers for its upkeep it thrives and thrives and at last makes the owner smile.

Regarding the maintenance of the junipers the first thing that all the bonsai enthusiasts have to keep in mind is that bright sun light is absolutely necessary for the development of a juniper bonsai. The garden Juniper grows well. But the indoor ones suffer much from light and humidity. Though two much is not necessary spraying in the summer time is suffice.

HOW TO UPKEEP

A balanced acidic fertilizer is needed for the up keep of a Juniper bonsai.

Regarding Root reduction proper care is to be made. Trimming should never be done with scissors. Reporting of young Juniper is encouraged every 3 or 4 years. Spring is regarded as the best time to report the Juniper bonsai.

Juniper bonsai must be saved from spider miter, spraying of insecticidal soap is necessary to keep the miter away. Most Juniper trees used for bonsai are cultivars from the general Juniper species.