How to Grow Bonsai at Home in India

If you love trees but don’t have much space, then keeping a Bonsai is the best option. Let’s have a look at How to Grow Bonsai at Home in India!

Bonsai is the best way to cultivate large plants or trees in a limited space, which makes them perfect for someone living in an apartment or a studio. If you too want to have it, then here’s all the information on How to Grow Bonsai at Home in India!

Learn how to make is a Banyan Bonsai here

---

What is Bonsai?

The word “Bonsai” means a pot (bon) that grows in a plant or plantings (sai). Bonsai is one of the oldest horticultural pursuits, originating in China during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD).

It requires specific techniques like shallow planting, pruning, defoliation, grafting, and root reduction, along with the support of the trunks and branches to get the desired shapes.

Here are the best bonsai fruit plants to grow

---

How to Grow Bonsai at Home in India?

These plants grow best in shallow pots. Following are some of the simple steps to grow Bonsai in India.

1. Prepping the Plant

If you want a beautiful bonsai specimen, then we would suggest you go for either azalea or wisteria. To ensure it fits in a shallow pot, take the plant and cut the bottom 2/3 of its root ball. Moisten it evenly with a spray bottle.

2. Planting

Take a shallow container and the plant. Make sure you have removed all the rotten parts of the stems and roots. While planting, make sure that you have covered the roots evenly with soil. Here’s a good video you can watch to learn more.

3. Shaping the Tree

To give the plant your desired shape, use the help of wires to shape the stem from a young age. Get a bonsai kit from a garden store or online. When the plant takes the shape, do not forget to remove the wire. Watch this video for more details.

Have a look at the most stunning bonsai flowers here

---

Best Plants to Make a Bonsai

• Ficus (many species)
• Crassula (jade plant)
• Carmona (tea plant)
• Schefflera
• Calamondin
• Sand pear
• Bougainvillea
• Gardenia
• Jacaranda
• Jasmine
• Pomegranate
• Chinese elm
• Olive
• Rosemary

---

How to Take Care of a Bonsai?

Sunlight

Depending on the variety, it is essential that you locate the plant where it gets plenty of bright but indirect light. 2-3 hours of mild morning sun exposure will do wonders for its growth.

Watering

As bonsais grow in a shallow container, you will have to ensure that the soil stays a little on the moist side all the time. Water the plant when the top layer of the growing medium feels a little dry to the touch.

Soil

Bonsais grow best in the combination of Akadama (hard-baked clay), pumice, lava rock, and regular garden soil. Avoid using a compact growing medium.

Fertilizing

As these plants grow slowly, avoid feeding them too much. Use a balanced liquid fertilizer, dilute it to 1/4 of its strength, and use it once in 8-10 weeks.

Learn how to make a peepal bonsai here