Bonsai Disease & Pest Control Guide

Bonsai is an art form built over many years of shaping. Disease and management mistakes can waste years of effort. Protect your precious bonsai through early detection and proper treatment.

Common Diseases and Problems

Root Rot - **Symptoms**: Leaves lose vigor, yellow and drop; trunk becomes wobbly - **Cause**: Poorly draining soil, overwatering, poor ventilation from root-bound conditions - **Treatment**: Remove rotted roots, repot in well-draining bonsai soil, and manage in partial shade

Leaf Blight - **Symptoms**: Leaf tips and edges turn brown and die back. Common in pine, juniper, and zelkova - **Cause**: Fungal infection, or sudden drying and strong winds - **Treatment**: Remove affected leaves and apply fungicide

Scale Insects - **Symptoms**: White cotton-like or brown granular material on trunk and branch surfaces - **Cause**: Poor air circulation at the growing location - **Treatment**: Winter dormancy-period application of horticultural oil spray is most effective

Cedar-Apple Rust - **Symptoms**: Orange-red spots appear on leaves of apple-family bonsai in spring to early summer - **Cause**: Juniper species serve as alternate hosts for the rust fungus - **Treatment**: Remove affected leaves early and apply preventive sprays

Wire Scarring - **Symptoms**: Trunk and branches thicken where wire was applied, leaving permanent grooves - **Cause**: Leaving wire on too long. Particularly rapid thickening occurs during growing season - **Treatment**: Remove immediately when wire begins to cut in. Carefully cut wire off in small sections with wire cutters

Prevention Tips

Check wire regularly during the growing season. Follow the "water thoroughly when soil surface dries" principle. Repot 1-2 times yearly to prevent root-bound conditions and soil deterioration.

Benefits of Buying on Buri-Choku

On Buri-Choku, you can purchase trees directly from experienced bonsai artisans. You can verify tree age, care history, and special considerations, making it easy even for beginners to enter the world of bonsai.