Surinam Powder-Puff / Pink Powder-puff
(Calliandra surinamensis / Calliandra Surinam)
Country of Origin : South America
Bonsai Styles : Informal upright, Formal upright
Zone : 9 – 11
Powder puff, also known as pink powder puff or Surinam Powder-Puff or Rose Cascade, is a low branching shrub.
It produces multiple branches which spread horizontally, giving the tree a flat top canopy.
Due to its dense foliage, abundant branches, beautiful flowers and rapid growth, the powder puff tree makes a gorgeous small to medium bonsai.
Furthermore, it can be easily grown in containers. This makes this plant even more desirable as a bonsai tree.
The evergreen leaves of the tree are oblong, pinnate and dark green in color. During the night, the leaves close up (like praying hands) and reopen in the morning.
The bright pink flowers (resembling the shape of a ‘powder puff’) peek through the dense foliage. Flowers are pink near the tip and light pink to white in color towards the bottom (powder-puff “ball”).
The fragrant puffs and the small dense size of the tree makes it a good candidate for an attractive indoor bonsai tree.
The pink flowers also attract butterflies and humming birds.
They are in full bloom from spring to fall season.
Best location to keep Powder puff Bonsai
Powder puff bonsai tree enjoys full sun.
During the summer, the bonsai container can also be kept outdoors in temperatures between 70°F and 85°F (21°C to 29°C).
The tree prefers cool winters. Temperatures between 55°F and 65°F (12°C to 18°C) are ideal for this plant during the winter (indoors).
When keeping the Powder puff bonsai tree indoors, keep the bonsai pot on a south or west facing window or windowsill for maximum sun exposure.
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 of Powder puff tree
Powder puff tree can be propagated by using seeds, air layering and cuttings.
While taking stem cuttings, use the stem tips and plant them in spring or early summer. Apply some rooting hormone and keep it in a temperature of 75°F (23°C). The stem cuttings will root quickly.
Or you can order a plant from a bonsai nursery.
Watering Powder puff Bonsai
Water regularly, making sure that the bonsai soil is not completely dry.
Water more frequently in spring and sparingly in winter season.
The powder puff plant is drought-tolerant once established. However, when grown in containers as a bonsai, keep the plant drought free.
Immersion technique can also be used watering powder puff bonsai tree.
Read watering bonsai tree for more details about immersion technique.
Wiring Powder puff Bonsai
Wiring can be performed at any time of the year for this species due to its resilience. However, spring and summer time is advisable for wire training.
Although, its trunk and limbs remain flexible for a long time, wire train younger branches which are still malleable (before they turn woody).
Older branches are brittle. Hence you run the risk of breaking them if you try to wire train them.
The bark of the tree is relatively thin. Hence take all the care needed to avoid scaring the bark with the wire.
You can use guy wire.
Pruning Powder puff Bonsai
When to prune Powder puff bonsai?
How to prune Powder puff bonsai?
Pruning of powder puff bonsai tree can be done at any time of the growing season.
Once the new branchlets develop 4-5 sets of leaves, cut them back to 2 sets of leaves.
The plant responds well to heavy pruning by producing denser foliage and more flowers.
The new branches that grow on the tree are thin and weak. Cut the spindly branch back to the node (the branch which is pointing in your preferred direction).
Now, let that branch grow and cut it back again. This is called the ‘clip-and-grow‘ pruning method. Continue this till you are satisfied with the strength and shape of the branch.
If you want to prune the trunk, do it while the plant is still young. In older trees the trunk becomes more rigid.
Repotting Powder puff Bonsai
When to repot Powder puff bonsai?
Powder puff bonsai tree can be repotted every year or every second year depending on the growing speed of the plant.
Or you can follow a general thumb rule, repot the tree when the roots are pot bound.
Late spring or early summer is a good time to repot the tree. At this time the weather is warm and nice and the plant is in active growth.
The tree also responds well to root pruning while repotting. Prune the fibrous roots but make sure that you do not remove more than 1/3 of the root system. or else the tree will start dropping leaves.
You can use a free-draining, slightly acidic bonsai soil mix.
Must Read: Bonsai Soil Recipes
Must read : Choosing the right bonsai container
Feeding Powder puff Bonsai
Fertilize the soil weekly with a half-strength balanced fertilizer.
In winter, reduce the frequency to once every two to three weeks.
A half strength acidic fertilizer formulated for azaleas or camellias can be added once a month to this feeding program.
Read more about bonsai fertilizer and its application.
Diseases and pest of Powder puff Bonsai
Powder puff bonsai tree has the potential of getting infested by aphids and mealybug. Mealybugs will cause defoliation, stunted growth of the tree and wilting of leaves.
You can remove the aphids manually by hand. You can also keep the bonsai outdoors and spray a water-jet to drop the aphids from the tree.
Use a systemic insecticide if the infestation persists.
You can also remove mealybugs by hand. Or you can spray the affected leaves with soapy water and rub the affected leaves with 70% Isopropyl alcohol using a cotton ball.
Powder puff bonsai care
It’s important to remember that powder puffs look their best when they have a dense canopy and full of flowers. So avoid over pruning.
Moreover, in most of the cases, the trunk of the power tree does not carry a lot of character and does not achieve good thickness. Hence, take care of the foliage.
As soon as the blossoms begin to fade, deadhead your Powder Puff to encourage it to bloom year-round. However, the best blooms will appear in spring and summer.
If you live in a cooler climate, this is a great container plant, and if you live in a warmer climate, it makes a gorgeous outdoor plant as well.
What to look for when buying Powder puff Bonsai
Look for a specimen which is holding tightly to the pot.
If you are going to make a formal or informal bonsai style tree, then picking a bonsai specimen is not going to be that tricky. However, powder puff bonsai trees trained as a semi or full cascade (or any other) bonsai styles will prove to be expensive.
