Bonsai summer care (Part 2)

At this time of the summer (end of July, beginning of August) we all, people, animals and bonsai, are feeling the prolonged effect of the heat and the rising temperatures. The good advice would be to protect ourselves as much as possible from this heat and to be properly prepared for it. In the second part of Bonsai care in summer, we will tell you how to take care of your mini trees in the hottest period of the year.

Do you want to revise concepts from the first part of this blog? Find it here: Bonsai summer care (Part 1).

Summer stages. Highest temperatures

In this second blog, we will deal with the maximum summer heat period and how to adapt and help bonsai to overcome it.

During summer months, it may seem that bonsai care slows down, but in reality, at this stage, we are going through a critical period. Bonsai management in summer will affect the year’s growth. Flower bud preparation, fruit production and leaf colouring are involved!

This stage is known as summer dormancy, a period when, due to the heat, the bonsai closes their stoma so as not to lose water, the circulation of sap stops and the work of the roots decreases.

Which tasks can and cannot be carried out on our bonsai during this part of the summer?

In this part of the summer, it is very important what we do and what we do not do to our bonsai.

Watering and location of the bonsai in summer

As always, watering and location are the most important care factors for our mini trees.

As we mentioned in the first part of this series of three blogs about the care of our bonsai in summer, the way to know when to water will be the usual, checking the state of the substrate below the first layer, either with your finger or with the help of Aqua meter.

TIP for the smallest bonsai: As they live with little soil, they are more prone to drying out, so you can place a layer of artificial grass under their pot to help keep them moist for a longer period of time.

Concerning the location, the most noticeable changes will be found in outdoor bonsai. It is highly recommended to protect them with a shade net to avoid the effect of the sun on the bonsai.

TIP for deciduous bonsai: If you avoid the hours of maximum sunlight, your bonsai will delay the dehydration of its leaves, prolonging its autumn colouring.

Fertilising

Due to the mentioned summer dormancy, we will reduce the fertilisation of our bonsai. Bonsai are not as active now and therefore do not consume as much energy.

Remember to use a fertiliser rich in nitrogen, either liquid like Nutribonsai or solid like the Hiryo Gold range, which offers, in addition to the maintenance fertiliser valid for all bonsai, specific organo-mineral fertilisers for different types of bonsai, such as the special one for flowers and fruits, for prebonsai and growth, or the special one for conifers.

TIP for fertilising at the height of the heatwave: Make sure you choose a high-quality fertiliser, as some solid fertilisers dry out with the heat and do not work properly.

Phytosanitary products, as prevention and everything is solved!

The heat can increase the appearance of unwanted visitors in our trees, so we recommend a preventive treatment to avoid their presence. In our online shop, you can find the Triple Action insecticide Afidor Flower.

TIP for prevention: avoid over-watering, as with the heat, the excess of water increases the appearance of pests.

Pruning, pinching, wiring and repotting

It is time to take a break. Just as we don’t like to do much physical exertion in summer, our little trees deserve a rest. Also, remember that we are in a critical period where our actions will have consequences next season.
If we force our bonsai to recover from this work, they will consume the energy they are storing up for their dormancy period and could be damaged in winter.

Cleared the pine trees

This is the ideal time to remove the old leaves from the pine trees. With your hands, you can remove the needles that have dried out, allowing light to penetrate into the centre of the bonsai. At the same time, you will improve the air circulation between the inner branches.

Are you going on holiday?

You deserve it! Only two things to take into consideration, the watering and the location.

Water your bonsai properly before you leave, once watered, install one of the watering systems that you can find in our online shop: Hydrobonsai System, Drip irrigation or Automatic watering.

Another option, highly recommended, but not always possible, is that someone keeps an eye on your trees while you are away.

Do not change the location of your bonsai. Changing its usual watering will already be an important change for it, and it will have to get used to it, do not add more challenges such as adapting to a new location.

Until here is the second part of three about the bonsai summer care, we hope you find it useful and that your bonsai look beautiful during these weeks.

As a curiosity, we recommend you this blog that will surely be of your interest:

The 8 most heat-resistant bonsai species