Buy bonsai oak
Oak bonsai does not exist in garden centers like a dime a dozen, but they are available on the market. Special tree nurseries and internet shops offer finished specimens which, at several hundred euros, have a proud, if well deserved price.
also read
- Grow an oak tree as a bonsai tree
- Growing an oak for the garden
- Oak profile - types, occurrence, appearance and Co.
Grow bonsai oak yourself
A purchased bonsai already brings the desired mini-size and the typical appearance of an oak with it. However, the ongoing maintenance of this form requires constant intervention by the owner. The idea is not far to grow the Bonsai Oak yourself. This is cheaper than buying, because an acorn and a little patience are enough.
Tips
Numerous specialist books or internet forums provide information on the special cutting technique. However, there are also regular courses from experts that can be taken.
Different shapes for the crown
Oak as a bonsai usually has a height that hardly exceeds 1 m. In addition, the trunk and crown can be designed variably. A distinction is made between two basic directions:
- ornate Japanese style
- Shape that is based on the natural growth habit
The start of a bonsai life
If you walk through a forest, you will regularly spot small acorns under a large oak tree, from which small plants are already sprouting. A germinated acorn gives you a head start and the security that a plant will grow.
- Plant a young plant or acorn
- in a pot or in the garden soil
- pay attention to a sunny location
- let grow up for two years first
The beginning of education
As soon as the young oak has reached the desired size, it begins to be trained as a bonsai.
- Dig up the tree.
- Shorten its roots to about 1/3.
- Shorten the trunk to the desired height, cutting just above one eye.
- Remove any lower branches close to the trunk.
- Shorten the remaining branches.
- Plant the oak again.
Cut annually
Heavy prunings are carried out in the spring while the buds are still closed. The terminal buds are broken out before they open.
During the entire growing season, the bonsai is regularly pruned to maintain its shape.
- Cut new shoots back to two pairs of leaves
- the upper part of the crown is cut back more strongly
- Remove larger leaves continuously
- never pluck all the leaves at once
Care for the mini tree
The mini tree must be watered daily throughout the growing season, taking care not to wet the leaves. In winter it is only watered sparingly so that the earth does not dry out completely. These are further maintenance measures:
- fertilize in summer and autumn
- every 14 days with special bonsai fertilizer
- alternatively one Slow release fertilizer use
- Repot young oaks annually in spring
- Repot older specimens every 3-5 years
- provide root protection in winter