Planting a bonsai tree in the ground is the best thing you can do for a sickly tree in a pot. fact.
I have tried many many different techniques but found this to be the best option for you if you think your tree is dead or has lost all it’s leaves.
If you have been reading the previous articles on the site you would have seen that I had a hawthorn and an oak that I thought were dead. I am pleased to say they are on their way to making good recoveries and are now looking nice and green. The only part which I am concerned might not have survived is the top of each tree. The new buds are opening halfway down the tree, this is usually a sign that above that part it has died.
Buds tend to open and grow first from the top of the tree. All the nutrients seem to be sent straight to the top first of all and work their way back down the tree slowly.
Collected trees should also go straight into the ground if you have space for them. It helps them to recover from the stressful move they have just gone through. As I pointed out on goarticles the other day it is totally unnatural for a tree to move! Place your yamadori in the ground for a year before it’s pot and it should recover nicely.
When do you plant a bonsai outdoors? How old does your bonsai have to be and what makes a bonsai an indoor plant?
Hi Crissa interesting questions!
1. The best time to plant a bonsai outdoors is in the winter when the tree is dormant.
2. A bonsai can be any age. But generally the older they are the more impressive they get.
3. An indoor bonsai is basically a tropical tree which needs high temperatures to survive. Indoor bonsai are much harder to take care of than outdoor trees. To get the best effect and help keep them healthy, indoor bonsai should be kept in a greenhouse.