Larch Bonsai Care Guide

An outdoor location with full sun will aid your Larch bonsai to grow best. This is a frost-hardy species but may require protection from heavy rain in winter. 

When the soil becomes dry be sure to water your Larch bonsai thoroughly. If in full sun during the summer Larch can become profoundly thirsty. Be sure to keep the plant and soil evenly moist. When growing in a hard water area don’t be afraid to use an acidic fertiliser to balance the alkaline. 

Once the new buds have opened, start feeding in Spring. New shoots will be aided by a nitrogen-rich feed, once grown, a more balanced feed can be used. Feeding should take place weekly with a liquid feed or a solid organic feed monthly into mid-summer. From here the tree enters a semi-dormant phase. A low-nitrogen feed should be used from late summer to vitalize the tree for winter.

Pruning your bonsai is important not only to create or maintain an aesthetic style but to also ensure optimal health. Hard pruning should take place in Autumn and the tail end of Winter. Throughout the year maintenance pruning can be done. New growth should be allowed to extend before pruning back to enable the trunk and branches to thicken. 

When the new buds are about to sprout in Spring and branches are entirely bare, your Larch is ready to be wired. Take care to not damage any new buds. Branches thicken vigorously so inspect the wiring to ensure it’s not cutting into the bark. Older branches are a challenge and may take many years and repeated wiring to precisely set. We recommend using wires with a thickness that matches the thickness of the branch: if the wire you choose is too thick you will damage the bark. If it is too thin, it won’t be effective.

Repotting your tree is an important way to provide a fresh and suitable soil mix and ensure appropriate root health. Larch is a species sensitive to repotting so take extra care. Do not bare root or wash the roots. Repotting should take place at the end of Spring before the opening of the buds or in Autumn. Larch should generally be repotted every 2-3 years. Older specimen should be repotted every three to five years. 

Trees that are ready for repotting will require root pruning, a suitable new pot and appropriate soil mix.

When repotting, do not cut back the root mass by a large amount, and choose a well-draining soil mix that has a neutral or slightly higher PH value of 5-6 but not over 7. We tend to use a mixture of different speciality bonsai soils on our trees. Every species is different so please contact us for free soil-mix advice or to take advantage of our repotting service.