How to care for bonsai plants in winter? Key points for cold-weather management

There are many kinds of bonsai plants, with foliage, flowering, and those grown for both flowers and leaves, offering everything you could want. People today live at a very fast pace, and properly setting aside time to grow a bonsai you like is an excellent choice, as it not only helps you calm your mind, but also adds a touch of beauty to life. The weather is gradually turning colder now, so today let us take a look at how beginners should choose bonsai plants. How should bonsai plants be cared for in the cold winter?

1. How do beginners choose bonsai plants?

If beginners want to grow bonsai plants, the first thing is to learn how to choose suitable bonsai plants. Many people fall into a misconception, thinking that herbaceous plants are easy to grow, but that is not actually the case; trees, shrubs and evergreen trees are the most suitable plants for growing as bonsai. Next, choose healthy plants with emerald green leaves, relatively thick and sturdy growth, and shapes that are easy to train; you can visit a flower shop or an arts and crafts store to look around and see which ones suit you.

Generally, it is recommended that you grow them yourself through propagation methods such as cuttings and layering, because compared with sowing seeds, this makes it easier to develop the plant shape you want, and the difficulty is not as great. This is because if you do not have a good grasp of the timing and method of sowing, it is very easy to end up wasting your effort for nothing.

There is also a little trick: it is better for us to choose a plant with only a single main trunk to grow as a bonsai, because it is easy to prune and shape.

2. How should bonsai plants be cared for in the cold winter?

1. Different overwintering temperatures require different cold protection and insulation measures

Different bonsai plants have different cold tolerance temperatures. For example, bonsai plants that cannot go below 15°C include the white nerve plant (Fittonia albivenis) and the money tree (Pachira aquatica). If caring for this type of plant in winter, it is best to have indoor heating equipment, otherwise it is difficult to grow them well, because in winter there is rarely weather above 15°C. It is not recommended that you acquire this type of green plant in winter; if you already have one, you can place it in a room with heating.

There are also bonsai plants that cannot go below 5°C, such as ivy (Hedera helix), calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) and asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus). These have relatively good cold resistance and can generally overwinter safely indoors. When buying, you can choose this type of bonsai plant.

2. After winter begins, watering must follow the right techniques

After the cold winter arrives, bonsai plants grow relatively slowly, and some enter dormancy and stop growing. At this time they do not need much water, so watering must follow certain techniques. When moving them indoors, you can water thoroughly once, and then the next watering must wait until the potting soil is on the dry side. Otherwise, waterlogging and root rot are likely to occur, which will cause the plant to develop yellow leaves and drop leaves. To increase air humidity, you can spray water around the leaves, which can also clean dust off the leaves. When watering, it is best not to use raw water; it is better to let the water sit in the sun before using it. When watering, it is best to pour slowly from the edge of the pot, and be sure not to pour from above the leaves.

3. Always keep the indoor environment ventilated and airy

Many friends, in order to ensure the plants' overwintering temperature, keep them growing in a closed environment for a long time. This can very likely lead to pest and disease attacks on the bonsai plants. So it is recommended to keep bonsai plants in a ventilated environment for care; small bonsai plants can be placed in an elevated spot for care, but pay attention to safety.

4. Give light-loving plants plenty of sunlight

Some bonsai plants need plenty of sunlight to grow well, such as the rubber tree (Ficus elastica) and the dragon tree (Dracaena fragrans). If they do not get sunlight for a long time, their leaves will turn yellow and fall off.

In addition, there are also some plants that prefer partial shade, such as pothos (Epipremnum aureum), which should be moved outside appropriately to get some sun during winter care.