Care of Ligustrum Bonsai

Place the Ligustrum sinense indoors in a bright spot, preferably within one meter of the window, where it receives several hours of plenty of daylight. A bright location promotes compact growth and healthy leaves. Avoid dark spots in the middle of a room and keep the bonsai frost-free. In winter, the tree usually grows less vigorously and therefore needs less water and fertilizer.

A fixed amount of, for example, two or three waterings per week cannot be reliably established for this species. Therefore, check the soil regularly and water thoroughly as soon as the top layer begins to dry out. During hot summer days, the Ligustrum can use a lot of water. If you notice that the bonsai needs water several times a day, the bonsai should be placed a little farther away from a window. In winter, the bonsai needs significantly less water. The root ball should never dry out completely.

Give enough water to moisten the root ball, allowing excess water to drain through the drainage holes. Highly chalky water can eventually cause chlorosis (pale or yellowish leaves). Rainwater or other relatively soft water can therefore be a good choice when tap water is very hard

During the growing season, the fast-growing privet needs regular feeding. We recommend solid organic fertilizer approximately every four weeks or liquid bonsai fertilizer approximately once a week. Liquid fertilizer should be applied to moist soil.

Fertilize especially in spring and autumn.

Ligustrum sinensis responds very well to pruning and easily regrows after heavy pruning. For structural pruning, early spring is a suitable time.

During the growing season, you can regularly trim back the new shoots to keep the crown compact and finely branched. Mistral recommends allowing a shoot to develop about four pairs of leaves first, then pruning it back to two pairs of leaves.

If you want flowers, allow some of the new shoots to grow longer and do not continually trim them back; the flowers appear at the tips of young shoots.

For light pruning, a sharp bonsai scissors are sufficient. For thicker branches, pliers can be used.

Ligustrum tolerates wiring well and can be wired throughout the year. Young branches are relatively easy to shape.

For young and medium-sized branches, for example, use aluminum bonsai wire and wrap it evenly around the branch before carefully bending it into position. Check regularly that the wire is not beginning to grow into the bark. The bark and young branches are fairly soft and can be easily damaged.

For older or thicker branches, it is wiser to change the shape gradually rather than making a strong bend all at once.

Repot a Ligustrum approximately every two to three years. The best time is around the beginning of spring, when new growth starts to emerge.

A tree needs repotting sooner when the pot is almost completely filled with roots, water increasingly has difficulty penetrating the soil, or drainage clearly deteriorates.

Ligustrum tolerates root pruning well. During repotting, remove old or long roots where necessary, but make sure to retain enough fine roots.

After repotting, water thoroughly and allow the tree to recover before fertilizing or shaping it intensively again.

Ligustrum is not particularly demanding when it comes to soil, but with bonsai, an airy and well-draining substrate remains important. airy and well-draining substrate We recommend the following:

• 100% Akadama
• 80% Akadama + 20% Pumice (pumice stone)
• 70% Akadama and 30% Kiryuzuna (dries out slightly faster)

A similarly well-draining bonsai mix can therefore be used perfectly well, as long as it retains sufficient moisture without the roots remaining in wet soil for prolonged periods.

The ligustrum bonsai must stay indoors during winter

Ligustrum is generally strong, but it can be affected by, among other things, aphids, scale insects, whiteflies and weevils. Check the undersides of the leaves, young shoots and branch axils regularly, in particular.

For a minor infestation, you can first clean the affected parts or remove the insects by hand. For a larger infestation, a suitable insecticide for ornamental plants or bonsai may be necessary; always check that the product is suitable for the pest in question.

Also powdery mildew and wilt diseases can occur. We recommend using a suitable fungicide for fungal problems. An airy location and correct watering also help limit conditions in which fungi can develop easily.