Raising the silver birch as a bonsai

Location

Silver birches love a bright, sunny location where they are exposed to wind and weather. Too much shade leads to poor growth and the lack of light can cause branches to die off.

Design options

In terms of their design options, birch trees are quite limited, as they are difficult to prune on the one hand and quickly shed twigs and branches on the other. Ergo, the bonsaian must be patient and let the design more or less be dictated by the natural growth form of the tree. Silver birch trees can be grown both as a single bonsai and in groups.

Watering and fertilizing

Silver birch trees need a lot of water and must not dry out, especially in midsummer - otherwise individual branches will die off very quickly. Waterlogging, however, is also not tolerated, which is why you should ensure good drainage. Organic fertilizer is preferred for fertilization between March and September.

Never cut your silver birch bonsai in spring or summer - the sap pressure is simply too great during the growing season and the tree is in danger of bleeding to death. Ideally, birch trees are pruned between November and January, whereby wounds always have to be treated with a wound closure agent due to the high risk of infection. Wiring is basically possible, but you shouldn't leave the wires on the tree for so long because of the very rapid growth and you have to replace them more often.

Repot

Also due to the rapid growth, we recommend repotting the silver birch every year, which is best done in autumn or early spring.

Overwinter

Since the silver birch is very hardy as a native tree, it can also overwinter outdoors as a bonsai. The best way to do this is to dig the tree and the planter into the ground so that the roots do not freeze to death at very low temperatures.