BONSAI TREE CARE AND MAINTENANCE
The olive bonsai tree is an outdoor plant, you can place it
on the terrace, balcony or garden.
During the Summer place the bonsai at a sunny spot. Even
if the direct sunlight doesn’t damage the tree, it can dry
out the soil too quickly.
During the Winter when the temperatures get lower, the
roots must be protected. You can wrap the pot with a
winter cover protection, or put it in a box and place it close
to the corner. You can also place it in a winter greenhouse
or close to the window in a cold room.
Watering bonsai is very important. Water when the soil
gets slightly dry. How often? It depends on the size of the tree, the position, the
season and the soil in the pot. During Spring and Summer, after winter dormancy,
the tree starts the blooming period and soil dries out faster than during Fall or
Winter. So watering will be needed quite often. During Spring, when the plant
grows the most, in order to keep the shape of the tree with new branches inside the
crown, the pruning is needed before the buds begin to swell. Concerning
fertilization, the tree must be fed during the Spring growth season (March) until Fall
(October) with specific fertilizers for bonsai. Organic and slow release fertilizers are
recommended. As all outside bonsai, during the Winter shouldn’t be fertilized as it
begins the dormancy season.
IN CASE OF:
Transplanting: Transplant at the beginning of growth season: February-March in
temperate weather regions and April for cold weather regions. One –third of root
system is removed and the tree is placed in a new pot according to height and size of
root system with special soil for bonsai able to drain enough to prevent the roots
from rooting.
Repotting: Fast growing bonsai need to be repotted every two/three years in order
to put them in wider pots suitable for proper growth. More mature trees need to be
repotted every three/four years to keep its shape and size.