Should You Raise Your Bonsai Tree Outside And How To Do It

Bonsai trees, generally speaking, are not house plants; they are real trees that can live outdoors, it is just that they have been grown into miniatures. Growing outdoor Bonsai trees is not a problem. They look wonderful on decks and patios and can dress up a garden very nicely. As with all trees there are two different kinds; deciduous and coniferous. Deciduous have leaves that will change color in the fall and fall off. Coniferous trees are of the evergreen type and will keep their needles or leaves throughout the year.

With careful planning, you can have outdoor Bonsai trees blooming throughout your yard during the summer that will display colorful foliage in the fall. The evergreens, of course, will continue to add their color to the yard throughout the year. As with planting all trees, it is important that you purchase trees that will thrive well in the environment that you will be planting them in. Now, most outdoor Bonsai trees that are purchased have already been shaped so growing outdoor Bonsai trees is more about maintenance. You might think that outdoor Bonsai trees would not require as much maintenance, but this is not true. Growing outdoor Bonsai trees need to be watered like the indoor Bonsai trees do. The soil should never be allowed to completely dry out; instead, it needs to be kept moist.

Rain water is fine for the outdoor Bonsai tree, but you should always check the soil for moisture content as rain showers by themselves might not provide enough water, or they might flood the tree out.

It will be necessary to fertilize your outdoor Bonsai tree to make sure that the nutrients the tree needs are replenished. Some fertilizers need only be used at half strength once a month, but not during the outdoor Bonsai trees dormant period in the winter. When growing your outdoor Bonsai tree you will occasionally need to prune or trim back new growth to keep the lines of your tree within its design parameters. It is important when trimming to never take away all the new growth. Depending on what kind of outdoor Bonsai tree you are growing, you will also need to re-pot your tree in order to give it new soil and room to grow. This happens when the root system fills the pot.

Deciduous trees are, on average, done every two to three years as they are faster growers then evergreens, re-potted approximately every four to five years. You will need to check on this, however, since every growing outdoor Bonsai tree is an individual and its growth rate cannot always be measured by averages. When re-potting the outside layer of the roots (the bottom fourth) are removed. Once this is done, a thin layer of gravel has to be put in the bottom of the pot to help with drainage. New soil is put on top of that layer and pressed down just enough to leave out any air pockets.

The last issue when growing outdoor Bonsai trees is to make sure they are properly prepared for their dormancy during the winter months. Some trees can be put in the ground and will survive the winter season if properly mulched. Many outdoor Bonsai tree owners find putting their tree in an unheated garage works well for them. This is not to say that the Bonsai can be ignored during its dormant period as the tree will need to be watered about every two weeks.