How to care for a cork oak bonsai: the main care

Large trees are almost always not possible to have in small gardens, even though they are very beautiful. But what about in miniature? Have you considered having a cork oak in bonsai? Do you know how to care for a cork oak bonsai?

If after seeing the images on Google of cork oak bonsai you have been impressed by its size and above all you would be encouraged to have one, How about we help you with care?

The most important care for cork oak bonsai

Caring for a cork oak bonsai is not difficult. They are quite resistant trees but that does not mean that they do not need some extra help to improve their health and to grow well. Therefore, here we give you the keys:

Location

If you know the cork oak tree, you will know that The ideal location for this plant is outdoors and in full sun. In the case of a cork oak bonsai, although it is best to place it outdoors and in full sun, everything will depend on how hot it can be in your area.

Do you mean you can’t put it inside? No, but if you are going to place it there, let it be in one of the sunniest windows in your house and ensure that it has several hours of direct sunlight.

Temperature

You won’t have a problem with high temperatures, because this tree tolerates them quite well. But the problem may be in the low temperatures.

If the temperature drops below -2 degrees Celsius, then you can suffer a lot, let alone the frosts.

If it goes too low, you will have to place it in a greenhouse because indoors, with the heating, it can be difficult to maintain its health.

Tierra

The cork oak bonsai substrate is a very important point because this species is quite delicate in terms of the land to use.

We recommend that you use a substrate that drains very well (with akadama) and also be very nutritious (worm humus, for example).

Keep in mind that you are not going to transplant it very frequently, because it develops few roots and until it fills the entire pot you should not change it. But you should also know that the first 15 years is when it grows the fastestwhich is why many experts recommend transplanting it every 2-3 years or so.

In this case, not only will you have the fact that the roots come out from below, but you will also notice that they push the soil up, taking it out of the pot.

Flowerpot

At this point we do want to leave you some details about the pot that you should use for the cork oak bonsai. Always use an unglazed pot. It is true that an enameled one is more beautiful, but it can harm the health of your plant.

Irrigation and humidity

The cork oak is a tree that likes water. For this reason, your soil must always be humid. Only when you see that the first layer begins to dry, do you have to water again.

In general, in summer it is watered between 4 and 5 times a week (3-4 if the warm temperature is not very high); and in winter once a week in general.

However, as we always say, everything will depend on where you live, the climate, temperature, etc.

With regard to humidity, the cork oak bonsai does not need this aspect. In fact, it is not recommended that you pour water into the cup, because it can cause pests and diseases to appear that would damage the health of the plant.

Subscriber

One of the cork oak bonsai care is for the subscriber. We recommend that you use a solid one to make it slow release. It is recommended that you make two subscribers a year, one in spring and one in autumn.

Of course, if when you go to use it in spring you see that it is already flowering, it is better not to add it because it is not recommended (in addition to the fact that it can burn the flowers).

pruning

Before it begins to sprout in spring, it is recommended that you prune it, to activate it after winter. In this way you will get it to sprout more quickly.

Wiring

The wiring is one of the typical care in bonsai because with this you can direct the branches as you like. It is convenient to use an anodized aluminum wire and you must be aware of changing it so that the tree does not absorb it (since it can damage it).

You can do the wiring throughout the year.

Pinzado

Another exclusive care for bonsai is pinching, which helps the trees not to dry out the branches completely. In the case of the cork oak, there are three types of pinching:

• Of tender shoots: It is done at the beginning of sprouting in order to have a good density (no more leaves on one side than on the other).
• From long shoots: which is practiced on the finest shoots to improve their growth and strength.
• Pinching with defoliation: It is done when the bud already has between 6-8 leaves, in such a way that the end is clamped to defoliate the rest.

Together with the wiring, these two cares are very important, and sometimes difficult to carry out without the tree suffering, especially if you are a beginner. So we recommend you watch several videos before doing anything.

Plagues and diseases

Pests are not common in the case of cork oaks. But the same is not the case with diseases. In fact, there are two that you should be very careful about as they can kill the tree in no time. We talk about the “dry oak” and root rot.

To prevent this, it’s best to keep on hand (and use occasionally) a Fosetil AI-based fungicide. We are not going to tell you that with this you avoid problems, but at least you are going to make it more complicated.

Multiplication

Like the cork oak in a normal plant, the cork oak bonsai You can only reproduce it through the acorns it has. To do this, you must germinate them before and after a few weeks a new seedling will be born.

As you can see, taking care of a cork oak bonsai is not difficult, but it does have some peculiarities that should be known so that nothing happens to your plant. Do you have any more questions? Tell us and we will help you.