A dry and fragile bonsai tree is experiencing trouble taking up enough water to remain healthy. The reason for deterioration of this bonsai could be under-watering or root damage that prevents water from being absorbed. By the time a tree is fragile, it may have irreversible harm, but you may attempt to improve the tree’s health by improving watering techniques, analyzing the tree root ball and repotting the tree.
Under-watering
A dry and fragile bonsai tree is likely not getting watered often enough. Bonsai soil is balanced so that it drains quickly and doesn’t hold as much water as normal gardening soil. Due to this feature, bonsai trees usually need watering more frequently than normal container plants. Check the bonsai tree soil every single day, and once the soil is dry to a depth of half an inch, it is time to water the tree. On hot summer days, it could be necessary to water a bonsai twice in a single moment.
Overwatering
Counterintuitively, overwatering could bring about a fragile tree. Overwatering causes a tree roots to drown and rot. Roots require oxygen to work, and standing water from the soil will deny the bonsai’s roots enough oxygen to stay healthy. Without a wholesome root system, the tree can’t absorb the water from the soil and it will eventually dry out and perish. Do not water the bonsai if the soil is still moist, or if just the upper layer of this soil has dried out.
Root-bound Bonsai
Bonsai root health can also be harmed by letting a tree become root-bound. The origins of a tree planted in the ground stretch freely to come across nutrients away from the actual back of this tree. Bonsai, grown in tiny containers, have to get their origins pruned every year or two to limit the size of the root ball while encouraging the growth of fresh, nice roots that better absorb water and nutrients. Pull your bonsai tree from its pot and analyze the root system to see whether the root system has packed the available region and become root-bound.
Repot Your Bonsai
If under-watering isn’t the main reason for the tree’s deterioration, then the best way to enhance the health of your root system is to repot your tree with fresh soil. Pull the tree from its old pot carefully so as to not split its fragile branches. Examine the root ball for rotted roots and big, thick origins. Cut away any rotted wood, and prune away up to one-third of the root ball, starting with thick roots, so that small, nice roots will regrow in their own place. If standing water and overwatering was a issue, remove as much of this soil as possible and replace it with a better-draining mixture.