Taking care of a Bonsai tree involves a lot of the same activities affiliated with caring for a regular pot plant or indoor plant. Well developed and robust fibrous roots are essential for the continued well being of your Bonsai plant and repotting is an essential way to oversee this exercise. Generally a young or fast growing Bonsai will need to be repotted roughly once a year; for less prolific growers or older trees it can be done as infrequently as once every five years. You should always try to repot during late wintertime or early spring when the buds begin to swell.

How to repot a Bonsai tree?

The process of repotting a Bonsai tree is one that you should do patiently and follow these uncomplicated instructions:

First, you need to organize the tree by cautiously pruning off any not needed, lengthy branches. Also, make sure the tree is placed under cover for a few weeks if it is an outdoor Bonsai, so that the soil becomes rather dry. As soon as you take out the tree from its Bonsai pot you will see if it actually requires repotting. If you discover that it is root bound then it is recommended that you repot it, though, if you see that there are another few inches of space so the roots can expand a little longer then it is suggested that you cautiously replace the tree in its original pot and continue as normal.

You must take away surface soil from the roots either by hand or using a nylon scrubbing brush. Brush away from the trunk taking care not to break any of the roots. Removing the loose soil will give the Bonsai tree a healthier look and feel. As soon as you’ve eliminated most of the soil using this process, you can use a small, fine bristly paintbrush to take away the soil stuck in the roots or that has collected in the roots.

With a Bonsai fork, comb out the roots. You can do this by disentangling out the roots from below and then utilize scissors to prune up to around a third of the roots and consequently cut out tiny wedges around the root base to allow fresh soil to accumulate and maintain your Bonsai fit. Include a layer of grit to the base of the pot and consequently include the Bonsai compost of your choice.

Take the time to position your Bonsai tree in the pot and afterwards push a little extra soil into awkward places. Execute this as often as you need to as suggested in this article.