Fukien tea bonsai care

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Many bonsai growers refer to this large shrub as Carmona microphylla or Carmona retusa or Ehretia microphylla, however, the correct botanical name is Ehretia buxifolia, which appears to describe its small, evergreen, box-like leaves and compact habit more precisely.

Fukien tea tree is also known as Philippine tea tree.

The Fukien tea, which takes its name from the Chinese province “Fukien“, is an evergreen shrub that has small, dark green, glossy leaves alternately arranged in fours. They have three lobes at the tips and short, stiff, light-colored hairs on the underside.

Generally, the trunk is smooth and beige to brown in color. But it gives the tree an appearance of great age after just few years.

During spring and early summer, the shiny, dark green leaves are adorned with white flowers. These flowers are followed by green berries that when ripe become red in color.

Even though they are difficult to maintain, bonsai Fukien tea make for an excellent indoor bonsai tree as well as a mini bonsai.

Two varieties of Carmona microphylla are commercially available to make a house plant:

• Small-leaved Carmona microphylla
• Large-leaved Carmona microphylla. This variety is able to develop a thicker trunk. Hence, it is more preferred to make a bonsai tree.

As an indoor bonsai, it grows well in temperate regions and makes a convincing “tree-like” tropical bonsai. You can train it in most bonsai styles, especially informal upright.

Read more about other bonsai trees species in : Types of bonsai trees

Best location keep Fukien tea Bonsai

It is essential that you provide warm, humid, and bright conditions for Fukien tree bonsai in order for it to thrive. Providing it with bright indirect sunlight (and not direct hot sunlight) is recommended.

It is also possible to keep Fukien tea indoors all year round. When keeping it indoors, place the bonsai container in a south or west facing window.

During the summer, Fukien tea trees benefit from being outdoors on warm, sunny days. Provided it is first acclimatized.

As soon as the nights begin to cool, it should be brought inside and placed in a sunny window or a windowsill.

Avoid exposing the fukien tea tree bonsai to temperatures below 50°F (10°C).

The temperature range in which fukien tree bonsai thrives is 54 – 95°F (12 – 35°C). Even in hotter temperatures, fukien trees do not suffer if there is high level of humidity in the air.

If the fukien tea tree bonsai is kept indoors all summer, make sure the afternoon sun through the glass does not burn the foliage and reposition the tree if necessary.

Move it around as little as possible since carmonas dislike extreme temperature fluctuations.

Indoor fukien tea bonsai should be placed in a tray filled with water and hygroscopic pellets in winter, when central heating reduces humidity levels indoors dramatically.

IMP: Refer sunlight requirements for indoor plants for more indoor gardening ideas. Also, refer to do bonsai trees need sunlight for more indoor and outdoor bonsai location ideas.

Propagation Fukien tea

Fukien tea tree seeds can be sown anytime in greenhouse conditions.

Spring or summer is the best time to take softwood cuttings for fukien tea tree bonsai.

Watering Fukien tea Bonsai

how often to water fukien tea bonsai?

Fukien tea tree bonsai prefer humid conditions, but water with care so that the compost does not become waterlogged.

In the winter, keep the soil moist; in the summer, water generously.

To improve flowering, mist the foliage regularly. Also, it is important to mist plants regularly to maintain humidity.

Periodically plunge the fukien tea tree bonsai pot into a bowl of water if you can.

In shallow pots, monitor the moisture in the soil as shallow pots tend to lose moisture at a quicker rate.

Read watering bonsai tree for more details.

Wiring Fukien tea Bonsai

Mostly shaping of the fukien tea tree bonsai is done via pruning.

Fukien tea bonsai training can be done with the help of wires as well at any time of the year. However, if you are opting to wire, make sure that the wires are not left on the tree for more than 8 weeks.

Pruning Fukien tea Bonsai

How to prune fukien tea bonsai?

Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring before the plant begins to grow.

Pruning should be sparing and only for maintaining shape.

Prune congested areas so light and air can penetrate and allow fresh growth to occur.

You should not prune new growth unless it is ruining the shape of the tree, since the Fukien tree produces flowers on current season’s wood.

Pinching Fukien tea Bonsai

Immediately after the laterals (secondary branches) have borne six or seven leaves, pinch the growing tips back to two or three leaves. This needs to be done throughout the growing season.

In case of need, pinch out branches that threaten to ruin the outline of the tree.

Repotting Fukien tea Bonsai

When to repot Fukien tea bonsai?

Fukien tea bonsai tree can be repotted every 2 years in early spring, when the new growth is about to begin.

You can also practice repotting the Fukien tea bonsai tree whenever you find the tree potbound.

Once you have repotted the bonsai tree, water the bonsai tree sparingly till you see new growth. This practice makes the fukien bonsai tree grow its roots in search of water. Keep the bonsai soil just moist for almost 2 weeks after repotting.

For the bonsai potting mix, you can use 80% coarse organic matter and 20% grit.

OR

You can use a basic bonsai potting mix.

OR

You can use a fertile compost consisting of two parts leaf mould, one part loam, and one part sharp sand.

Must Read: Bonsai Soil Recipes Must read : Choosing the right bonsai container

Feeding Fukien tea Bonsai

Too much nitrogen will result in lower flowering.

In spring, apply a fertilizer high in nitrogen. Late summer is the time to apply a low-nitrogen fertilizer to plants. Stop feeding in winters when the fukien tree stops to grow.

OR

When the tree is actively growing, feed it with a low-nitrogen fertilizer. In cool temperatures during winter, stop feeding if growth slows for some time

Low nitrogen feed will induce flowering.

Read more about bonsai fertilizer and its application.

Diseases and pest of Fukien tea Bonsai

Use insecticides recommended for indoor plants to combat aphid infestations.

Fukien tea bonsai tree is a favorite among aphids, spider mites, and scale insects.

To help insecticide sprays adhere to glossy leaves, add a little detergent to the mixture.

Black spots and powdery mildew may also occur in Fukien tea bonsai tree.

Fukien tea tree bonsai care

Fukien tea tree bonsai is extremely difficult to grow as an indoor bonsai in temperate countries, however it is well adapted to Mediterranean and subtropical climates.

In hot, humid kitchens and on sunny windowsills that don’t cool down at night, fukien tea bonsai thrives.

An icy drought or a hint of frost is all that is required for death of a fukien tea bonsai tree. So, maintain winter temperatures well above freezing.

You will have clusters of small, white flowers all year long if you maintain a high level of heat and humidity. To increase local humidity, place the pot in a tray of water, supported by stones, so that the drainage holes are not touching the water level.

A clear sign of over watering is yellowing of Fukien tea bonsai tree leaves. Avoid overwatering.

Fukien tree has a dense growing habit. There is a need to thin out the older foliage-bearing spurs periodically to prevent inner growth from dying from lack of light and air. As a bonus, this is an ideal time to refine the branch structure and make a more treelike framework to support the new layout.

To make the tree look more mature and older, introduce spaces between different layers of foliage.

What to look for when buying Fukien tea Bonsai

There is no need to worry about branch structure, since you can easily prune off all existing branches and grow a new set of branches very quickly.

You should make sure, however, that the leaves are dark and glossy.

When planting in groups, choose plants with interesting trunks or with a good range of thicknesses.

There should be an even distribution of flowers on the fukien tea tree. It is possible for localized flowering to occur due to stress or poor health.