Olive bonsai, perfect for beginners

Do you want to have your own bonsai but without having to complicate yourself? If so, it is highly recommended that you get a native plant from your area, which will surely give you many and great satisfactions, since it will be adapted to the climatic conditions of the place. Although of course, sometimes it can happen that you don't like these plants too much.

Fortunately, there are other trees just as resistant. Discover how to care for an olive bonsai.

The olive tree, whose scientific name is Olea europaea, is a tree native to the Mediterranean region that can withstand long periods of drought. It grows in clay soils, even those that have a tendency to compact due to lack of rainfall. The only drawback is that it is sensitive to intense frosts, but it will resist well to those of -3ºC. A lover of the sun, it is perfect for all those who wish to start in the fascinating world of bonsai, since it is also very long-lived: can live more than 300 years.

So, you will have olive bonsai for a while 🙂.

However, to keep it in good health you have to perform some tasks throughout the year, which are:

• Irrigation: Although it supports drought, if you work as bonsai you have to water about 2 times a week in summer, and once every seven days the rest of the year.
• Location: it must be located in a place where the sun shines directly.
• Substratum: highly recommended to use akadama alone, or mix it with a little (10%) kiryuzuna.
• Pruning: it must be pruned at the end of winter, when the risk of frost has passed. To do this, about 8 pairs of leaves are allowed to grow on each adult branch - that is, one that is not tender - and 2 to 4 pairs are cut.
  The root system must be trimmed only if necessary, before each transplant. If the roots are 15cm long, we will cut about 4cm.
• Transplant: every 2 years it is advisable to change the tray, and renew the substrate.
• Subscriber: for it to grow healthy and strong, it must be fertilized from spring to autumn using a specific fertilizer for bonsai, following the manufacturer's recommendations.

Enjoy your olive bonsai.