When caring for a bonsai tree indoors, it’s very important to first know what species of tree it is and what the needs are for that kind of plant.
The bonsai tree does not know it’s a bonsai. It only knows that it’s a tree. So if you have a Juniper bonsai, Its needs are the same as those of a juniper that’s not a bonsai. And if you have a Ficus bonsai, its needs will be the same as a ficus tree that’s not a bonsai.
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We’ve begun to have cold weather this winter in Florida. The temperature for three successive nights got low enough to do serious damage to any tropical bonsai which may have been left outdoors and unprotected.
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In the art of bonsai, it’s easy to get caught up in the mystique of the art and lose sight of the fact that our medium is a living plant. While having a beautifully developed bonsai is the artistic goal of the art form, it sure helps if the tree is still alive when we reach that goal.
As with all plants, whether in a pot, in the ground, or in the house, there are four fundamental environmental-factors which determine whether a plant grows in a robust healthy manner, or whether it withers and dies. These are light, temperature, water, and soil. When one or another of these goes out of whack a bonsai tree can begin to suffer and show symptoms of ill health. If not corrected, the tree can languish or die, so it’s important to thoroughly understand the role that each of these plays in the health of your tree and to keep them within the acceptable bounds for the particular species you’re working with.
There are two more factors that can play pivotal roles as well, but these are considered secondary to the four fundamentals mentioned above. They are pests and disease.
In this series I’ll be discussing bonsai care in detail, but today let’s take a look at just one part – temperature.
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