Spring is becoming increasingly active in South Africa, making September weekends an excellent opportunity to spend a little extra time inspecting your bonsai collection.
Start with soil moisture. Rising temperatures and active new growth can change how quickly individual trees use water. Rather than automatically watering every pot, check the growing medium and determine what each bonsai actually needs.
Next, inspect new shoots, buds and leaves. Healthy spring growth is exciting, but it can also reveal where pruning, pinching or future styling may be required. Don’t rush into cutting everything immediately—observe how the tree is developing first.
Look underneath leaves and around branch junctions for early signs of pests. Discovering a problem while it remains localised is much easier than dealing with a heavily affected bonsai later.
Existing wire also deserves attention. Spring growth can cause branches to thicken quickly, potentially allowing wire to bite into the bark and leave permanent marks.
Finally, simply step back and look at each tree.
Bonsai care isn’t always about doing something. Sometimes the best Saturday task is observing how your trees are responding to spring and deciding what they will need during the weeks ahead.