Lemon tree as a bonsai »Upbringing and care

Bonsai education

In order to raise a lemon tree to become a bonsai, it should be two or three years old if possible. Beginners are best off buying a tree from a specialist dealer or a garden center, because a lemon tree bonsai to grow from a seedling is a tricky business that takes a lot of patience. In order for the bonsai to become a bonsai, it must be pruned - both above and below. As a rule, the root ball should only be cut back to a third of its volume, and the tap root in particular should be removed. As a result, the roots branch out and grow wider - after all, the bonsai should fit into the typical bowls. But before you can get down to the cut, you need to get basic Thoughts on the future shape Make your new bonsai.

Basic cut

The basic cut is also known as the maintenance cut. All shoots are removed or shortened that do not fit into the desired shape. As well as

the topiary in the conventional lemon tree the basic cut is best done in autumn.

Leaf cut

When cutting leaves, however, all the leaves of the tree are cut. This is intended to stimulate the lemon tree to branch more finely, and in addition, mostly smaller leaves now develop on the new shoots. Lemons tolerate such a radical cut quite well and sprout again quickly.

Wiring

The lemon tree bonsai only gets its actual shape through the wiring. Special wires (mostly made of aluminum) are spiraled around the trunk or wrapped around the shoots and then bent in the desired direction of growth. In this way, the bonsai artist ensures that the tree actually growing like that as planned.

Caring for the bonsai

Even a normal lemon tree in the bucket makes very demanding demands on the owner in terms of its care - but a bonsai is even more difficult. Bonsais are usually in shallow bowls with little substrateso that the roots (and thus the whole tree) do not grow so strongly. A lemon bonsai has to be fertilized much more often than a normal-growing lemon tree, although the right amount is important. A Excess of nutrients namely leads to salinisation of the soil. Also make up Failure to pour quickly noticeable due to the small volume of soil. Too much water in particular quickly leads to waterlogging and thus to root rot - therefore the watering interval and the amount must be precisely adjusted.

Tips & Tricks

A lemon tree bonsai is a must stand much brighter than a normal lemon already demands it. Otherwise long and thin shoots will form, which do not lignify properly and make a beautiful design impossible.