Bonsai Care

Watering: One of the main reasons for a bonsai's destruction is overwatering. So we strongly recommend the proper type of watering can (or watering wand for large collections) ; one with a long neck and a very fine rosette. This will generate enough force to drive the water down through the soil, dissolving fertilizer and pushing out the old air and sucking in fresh. We do not recommend regular nursery-style watering cans. The spray from these is just too heavy for bonsai. We have a sign posted in our store for beginners: "The first thing you will need for your bonsai is the proper watering can. The second is a book for the rest of the story."  An inexpensive book for beginners is "Bonsai 101". It will put a lot of information in your hands at a minimal cost. We see a very high success rate when beginners have these two things

Outdoor bonsai generally need to be watered once a day from spring through autumn. This will vary depending upon rainfall, temperature, and humidity levels. During winter months, outdoor bonsai will be watered with less frequency.

Indoor bonsai generally need to be kept moist but never waterlogged. Each room in your home/office has its own microclimate. You will have to make the proper conditions necessary for its well being. Indoor bonsai are generally tropical trees and will like bright, diffused light, not too drafty conditions, and generally only need to be watered every few days. We recommend that indoor bonsai be placed on a tray filled with "tray rock". Tray rock is a porous material designed to absorb excess water that is the residual of watering the bonsai. To water your indoor bonsai, pick it up off the humidity tray, hold it over a sink or pot, with the proper watering can, cover the entire surface of the bonsai until there is an initial flush of water out the drainage holes, and repeat. Set the bonsai back on its tray; the few remaining drops of water out of the drainage holes will be absorbed by the tray rock. This will be released later as humidity around your tree and will also keep your bonsai from sitting in excess water which will rot the roots. If you use a non-porous rock, surface tension and capillary action will cause the water to wick back up into the bonsai pot and cause root damage. Trying to mist or pour water onto the soil surface will generally not work. Immersion of your bonsai is not recommended except for initial creation or extreme dehydration.