Like all shrubs that become woody over time, a poinsettia can also be grown as a bonsai. However, this requires a plant that is older and whose shoots have hardened at the bottom. Plants from the supermarket are not suitable because they are usually too young.
How do you grow a poinsettia as a bonsai?
To grow a poinsettia as a bonsai, you need an older, woody plant that is pruned after flowering. Care includes sparse watering, regular fertilizing, repotting and root pruning as well as a bright, frost-free location.
Grow poinsettias as bonsai
Growing a poinsettia as a bonsai is quite time-consuming. The shrub requires a lot of care and takes offense at any care mistakes.
For bonsai fans, however, it is a challenge that unfortunately does not always work.
The requirement is a poinsettia that has been grown for several years. Only this one is sufficiently woody to cut.
Cut the poinsettia correctly
A poinsettia that you would like to grow as a bonsai should be cut back after flowering so that only a few shoots remain.
A poinsettia cannot be shaped into certain shapes. The shoots are too sensitive to wire. The bonsai only appears in a compact, small form in which the leaves grow out of the woody shoots.
Wear gloves when cutting as the milky juice that comes out is poisonous. It can cause inflammation when it comes into contact with the skin.
The right location
The poinsettia as a bonsai wants to be bright and warm, but not too sunny. Poinsettias cannot tolerate frost, so they can only be left on the balcony or terrace in summer.
Poinsettia Bonsai Care
- Watering sparingly
- fertilize regularly
- repot after flowering
- Pruning roots
- regular pruning
- no leaf cutting
Caring for a poinsettia bonsai is complex. Under no circumstances should it be watered too frequently to avoid waterlogging. If it is too moist, the leaves turn yellow and fall off.
Fertilizing requires a bit of sensitivity. Special bonsai fertilizers (€4.00 on Amazon) are suitable, which should contain a lot of potassium during the growth phase and a lot of phosphorus before the flowering period.
The bonsai is repotted after flowering. The roots are shortened so that the plant becomes compact and remains small.
Tip
In order for the poinsettia bonsai to develop red, yellow, white or variegated bracts again at the desired time, it must be left in the dark for several weeks. Either make it completely dark or simulate the darkness with a paper bag.
