Watering in the colder months

Just a reminder that bonsai should be kept fairly moist during winter. (One of these posts that I should have made earlier…) I’ve recently seen several bonsai from students that were kept too dry in winter storage. Just because the tree is not growing does not mean we should keep it drier. It will just not need watering as often, but the moisture level should still be there.

For those that will be freezing now and then, this is especially important. Dry soil that freezes can be very damaging to roots. Water—while it might damage our pots—protects roots when it freezes. And dehydration from the drier air in some locations (continental land mass) results in branch die back when combined with dry soil. A really bad combo.