Bonsai Ilex Crenata Small Leaf

Bonsai is an ancient art form in which ornamental plants, shrubs and trees are grown in containers and trained to a smaller, but still realistic natural form. Techniques such as careful pruning of bonsai and wiring branches are used to limit their height.

PLANT CARE

Watering:

Bonsai trees live in small pots and their world dries out much quicker than plants in the ground or in bigger pots, so close attention should be paid to watering. Check and water your bonsai every day. Striking a balance between insufficient and too much water can be tricky but is very important. Water thoroughly and deeply when it needs water and let it catch its breath before watering again. An old bonsai watering trick is to place the entire pot in a sink of water an inch or two deep and let the water absorb from the holes in the bottom of the pot. Another favourite way to know if it needs watering is to lift it. You can get a sense of whether it needs watering by its weight.

Light:

Bright direct sunlight.

Pruning:

Ficus is a very fast grower. Prune back to 2-4 leaves after 6-10 leaves have grown. Ideally, do the heavy pruning in the spring but it can be done year-round. Keep the new growth trimmed back during the growing season. When you trim a Ficus, it will bleed a milky, white sap—actually latex. This latex dries quickly and makes a great sealant. When pruning back smaller branches leave a short stub that will dry out over the following days, then just take the dry branch off and it will heal with less of a scar.

Not edible. Toxic if accidentally ingested. Sap can cause skin irritation.