First of all you must think that they have just given you a living being. Being placed in a vase, the bonsai will need your care in order to live: this thing may excite you or not, but the fact is that the small plant without you care will not be able to survive.
Starting from the primary needs of a tree in nature and from these we’ll understand what are the primary and essential care to guarantee our bonsai.
Light: without light a plant will not be able to photosynthesize and therefore will not be able to produce the food it needs to sustain itself. Let us remember to place our bonsai in a position that allows it to receive natural light! It depends on the tree species and on the seasons, but we can say that generally a position in partial shade, with moderate direct sunlight (such as those in the morning), can be fine. We must remember that our bonsai does not like excesses! Direct sunlight for a prolonged time, especially in the hottest hours of the day and in the hottest months of the year, can damage the foliage and put a lot of stress on the bonsai.
Water: without water, a plant will not be able to transport the nutrients of the soil from the roots to the leaves and vice versa the food produced by photosynthesis will not reach the root. Also in this case it depends on the tree species and the seasons, but in general, let’s remember to wet our bonsai in the morning as soon as possible: in this way it will have water available for the whole day and can therefore feed peacefully! Wet in the morning also allows the soil to dry out at nightfall and this, as we will see below, will favor the proper functioning of the roots.
Air: let us remember that the roots, in addition to taking the raw elements from the ground during the day, are the main systems that the plant uses to “digest” the food produced with photosynthesis and generate energy. During the day the plant takes advantage of the sunlight to photosynthesize and produce “food”, in particular sugars. These sugars must therefore be assimilated! The work is done in large part by the roots that, during the night, transform the sugars produced during the day into energy: to do this, however, they need oxygen. Without oxygen, the chemical reaction (reverse photosynthesis) does not take place. This is why it is good that the soil of our bonsai is not soaked in the evening (unless the plant shows signs of suffering from lack of water, in which case it is advisable to water and spray the foliage). If in the morning you still find the soil rather wet, do not give water further but let it dry. A soil soaked with water does not allow the presence of air in the soil and therefore of oxygen. Without oxygen the roots cannot work and the plant as a consequence cannot produce energy and therefore becomes weak.
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