Would you have thought that the otherwise huge willows are also ideal for bonsai culture? No? Then here's the proof. With a little leisure and regular pruning of the vigorous tree, you can create a very special kind of bonsai. Here you will find important tips for care.

A blooming bonsai willow is a sight to behold

Suitable willow species and their characteristics

  • the weeping willow, long drooping branches
  • the Swiss willow bears yellow catkins, grey-green foliage above and felty white below
  • the purple willow, dense, spherical growth with reddish branches
  • the creeping willow, dense growth, white-grey leaves, very small growth
  • the dwarf willow, deep green leaves on shiny red branches

maintenance

location

In summer, your willow should be placed in the semi-shade as a bonsai. In winter, on the other hand, it also tolerates direct sun, as long as it only shines for a few hours with low intensity. Bonsai willows are frost-resistant down to -3°C. Nevertheless, you should take measures against the cold.

pour

Bonsai willows need regular watering. Never let the substrate dry out completely. On very hot days, it is best to place your bonsai in a bowl of water for a few hours.

Fertilize

After the leaves have sprouted, fertilize your bonsai pasture every other week with liquid fertilizer or a fertilizer cone. From September, allow the tree a recovery phase.

To cut

  • in winter remove all shoots up to the trunk
  • Regularly cut back shoots to two or three buds
  • consistently remove new shoots

tips

The following bonsai forms are suitable for the design:

  • the free upright form
  • the double stem
  • multiple stems
  • cascades
  • semi-cascades
  • Saikei

wire

To give the bonsai a shape, you can start working with wire from June. It is important that you remove the support again in winter so that it does not grow in. Wire older branches with tension wire in the spring.

repot

Due to the rapid growth, which also includes root formation, you sometimes have to repot your bonsai willow twice a year. Spring is best when the first buds appear.

Category:

Trees