Palm Tree Bonsai - Let's Start With The Basics

A fairly easy bonsai plant to care for, the Palm Tree bonsai is another tree that is great for beginners to start with. With it's interesting and colorful leaves, it will surely add a unique and beautiful touch to your home or garden.

The art of bonsai sculpting is ancient in Japan. The bonsai plant itself is not usually a dwarf plant, although it's grown in a tray or small clay pot. They are usually ordinary trees or even plants, but they have been pruned and trained for a certain effect that is pleasing to the artist.

A palm tree bonsai can be one of several varieties of palm trees. One popular variety is the sago palm. An interesting fact about the sago palm is that it is what scientists call a living fossil -- that means that the structure of the plant has not changed since prehistoric times.

How to Care For Your Palm Tree Bonsai

Palm tree bonsai are fairly easy to care for. They do need to be sheltered from cold weather, but some of the various types can be hardy. You will need to treat it as if it were a succulent or a plant from an arid region.

A palm tree bonsai does not need to be repotted that often. In fact, your bonsai can stay in the same small pot for years if fed and watered correctly. If you do repot your palm tree bonsai, do it either a month before or after its major pruning so that your palm tree bonsai doesn't suffer from too much shock.

Palm tree bonsai can tolerate anything from full sun to full shade. It will need a certain amount of sun, so just use common sense when establishing the routine care of the tree. During the hotter summer months, your palm tree bonsai will need a little more shade, just to make sure the soil does not completely dry out.

Another aspect of this bonsai that makes it appealing to bonsai enthusiasts is its unique leaves. In the wild, they can have quite large leaves. The leaves are usually a dark green, and in full-grown trees, can be up to four feet long. Of course, with your palm tree bonsai, the leaves will be tinier, but they will still have the same basic shape and look writ small. Leaves also have a tendency to be longer if the bonsai is not grown in full sun.

These are great plants for those just beginning in the art of bonsai. If you take good care of your plant, it can provide you with an interesting addition to your home, and can help you develop your bonsai pruning skills along the way. Don't forget to check with plant nurseries, books at the library, magazines, and hobbyist clubs for tips. You might find that even your next-door neighbor has a bonsai garden!