Watering a bonsai tree is all about finding balance. Too much, and it’ll drown in water; too little, and it’ll shrivel up in drought.
The general rule of thumb is to water your bonsai when the soil surface on top is dry, never letting it get bone-dry, either. Use your fingertip to check for moisture—if the top inch is still damp, hold off for a day or two.
For young and newly transplanted trees, the watering frequency should be high; try to maintain the soil slightly moist instead of letting it completely dry out between sessions. Once they’ve taken root properly, you can scale back and adjust depending on how fast they grow and other variables like temperature and humidity.
You should also acclimatize to the climate you’re in—check if you need more or less frequent checks depending on the weather outside. Incorporate rainfall into your schedule as well: monitor soil and do pours when needed, even if there have been showers lately!
When done right, watering will help nourish your bonsai – but mishandling can cause harm, so keep an eye out and let nature take its course most of the time. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, practice makes perfect: with experience comes an understanding of what works best for YOUR bonsai.