Congrats — you made a tree. Now let's keep it alive.
You spent an evening with a drink in one hand and a pair of shears in the other, and you walked out holding a living thing you shaped yourself. Or you ordered a DIY kit and spent some quality time at home crafting your tree. That's no small thing. Then there's the moment when you set your bonsai down, and think …okay, now what? How do I keep my tree happy and thriving?
Breathe. Your tree is tougher than it looks, and keeping it happy comes down to three things: sunlight, water, and the occasional power snack. The videos below walk through each in a couple of minutes or less.
Sunlight: more than you'd think
Here's the mistake almost everyone makes — treating a bonsai like a houseplant and tucking it into a cozy corner. Most of our workshop trees are unapologetic sun-worshippers. They ideally want to be outside, soaking up 16 hours of direct light a day. If you've got a sunny backyard, porch or balcony and it doesn't drop below 50 degrees at night, you're in luck. Stuck with a dim apartment? We recommend getting the Shohin --- our grow light, which is the first grow light designed just for bonsai.
Water: when it's thirsty, not when it's Tuesday
Forget watering schedules. The fastest way to kill a bonsai is loving it to death with a strict routine — too much water drowns the roots, too little dries them out. Instead, check the soil with your finger every day. When the top layer feels dry to the touch, water slowly and thoroughly until it runs out the drainage holes. Then leave it be until it's dry again. Your tree will tell you when it's thirsty; your job is just to listen.
Fertilizer: a little power up snack
Your tree makes its own food from light, but a little fertilizer during the growing season (spring through early fall) keeps it strong like an Olympic athlete.
