Bonsai Tree Care

You can see the Boxelder (Acer Negundo) as decorative trees in parks and gardens. Most of the trees have multiple stems. The color of the leaves is strongly influenced by sun exposure. A shadowed place gives a beautiful bright yellow color to the tree.

Soil:

Boxelders prefer a cooler soil with humus and, as a Bonsai, needs a mix of clay, sand and compost, in equal parts. Older plants need more clay: a more permeable one, Akadama being the best, in our opinion. If you put the tree in a flat pot, you should create a drainage layer of around 0.3inch/1cm in height. In very flat pots, the boxelders should be placed in a shadowed place, so that the soil would not dry too soon.

Nutrition/Sustenance:

You will use Bonsai fertilizers, but in a small quantity so that the cornice does not grows too much. You should not give the tree too much fertilizer in order to keep it from growing too much and so that isolated branches should not die, a thing that often happens with these Bonsai trees.

Winter:

The Boxelders should be protected by plastic foils or glass. If you use taller pots, this protection is not necessary. In flatter pots (1-2inches/3-6cm), the root must be buried in the soil, with sand or foliage. If the root has been wounded during summer time, you should protect it from freezing in the winter.

Wiring:

The wood of the boxelder is very strong and this makes it very difficult to bend without breaking it. This is why it is recommended to tie only the branches that are bended naturally. They should not be older than 1-2 years of age and you should use wire with paper covering. Best period of time for bending is November. And, remember, bend the branches carefully!

Cutting the branches:

In the winter, the branches may be cut without too much pith flowing from the wounds. The scars should be treated and covered before the plant suffers irreparable damage. In the summer, in the growth period - when, often, only branches in the superior part of tree will appear - the branches should be removed so that the tree grows more leaves and branches in the lower parts.

Shaping:

The leaves of the boxelder often grow bigger than planned. You should cut them constantly to keep the shape of the tree. Younger stems should be tied and cut all summer long.

Cutting the leaves:

Do not start to cut the leaves of the boxelder too early or you will have a tree with huge leaves. Cut them in the period of time between the end of June and the beginning of July (1-2 weeks). You should cut the leaves once every 2 years on younger plants and once every three years on older ones.

Placement:

Because of the big leaves and long tails, you should keep the boxelder Bonsai tree in sunny places. Younger plants in small pots should be kept in shadowed places, though.

Transferring and unburying:

In nature, the plant may be unburied from March till the end of April. The transfer of the Bonsai trees should be performed from February to April and from October till November. A radical cut of the root should make you put the plant in the pot in the spring.

Style:

It is recommended to create straight or fairly oblique shapes if you are an experienced Bonsai planter. Because it is not possible to bend the trees to the outside, the shapes that should be chosen are severe, vertical ones. The tree should not be smaller than 10inches/30cm, because the shape and size of the leaves require a bigger Bonsai tree.

Watering:

The boxelder often has a thin stem. This requires a flatter pot; hence the Bonsai trees should be often watered, because they dry quickly in the sun. The plant should be watered twice a day, during the summer. If it rains… let it rain. The rain water is perfect for these trees. As a final advice, in the autumn, when the leaves get those specific and beautiful colors, you should be careful so the root does not rot and the plant survives through the winter.

Obs.: This plant does not grow external roots.

As usual, we expect to see any of your trees so, please, send us as many pictures as possible.

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