Raising rosemary as a bonsai

Expectations

Rosemary grows in a soil mixture that consists of 40 percent standard soil for bonsai and acada soil. The remaining 20 percent make gravel or Grit(€ 49.99 at Amazon *) the end. You are welcome to mix some lime into the substrate. Every two to three years the bonsai looks forward to a substrate exchange.

Location

Rosmarinus officinalis is a warmth-loving plant, because it is adapted to mild weather conditions all year round in the Mediterranean region. Therefore, it is placed in the garden only after the last frosts have passed. A sunny place is recommended outdoors. The shrub spends the winter in a cool and bright room with temperatures between five and ten degrees.

Watering and fertilizing

The water requirement is not particularly high. However, you should not let the root ball dry out completely. Check the soil daily during the summer months and water sparingly if necessary. Since the tree is evergreen, you must always keep the pot ball slightly moist, even in winter.

Nutrient supply:

• Fertilization takes place from April to September
• Mix liquid fertilizer into the irrigation water and administer it every two to three weeks
• alternatively, place solid fertilizer balls on the substrate every six weeks

Design options

Since the species grows extremely slowly, you will need a lot of patience when designing a bonsai. Good source material saves you a lot of time. If you dare to approach this object, you have bizarre growth forms such as semi-cascades, broom shapes or a windswept shape at your disposal.

Cut

The rosemary requires continuous pruning in order for it to develop dense cushions. Shorten the fresh shoots continuously as soon as they have reached a length of five centimeters. You can be generous with the cut and leave about an inch. Cutting back into the old wood is not a problem, because the Mediterranean plant sprouts reliably and in this way develops beautiful knots. Let the first shoot stand to encourage flowering. Do not prune this until the flowers have wilted.

Wires

The shrub forms a dark-colored bark that flakes off with age and can easily be destroyed by wire. You should therefore forego this design option. Since the branches grow upright without shaping, a correction of the branch position is necessary. The branches can be brought into an almost horizontal shape by tensioning. Branch clamps are used to shape bends. Shoots that are not yet too thick and slightly woody can be carefully bent with aluminum wire.