Carmona Bonsai
Know Before You Grow: The Carmona Bonsai
The Carmona bonsai, or the Fukien Tea tree, is a brilliant species for bonsai growth; however it can be difficult to locate this tree. This species of tree is most popular for growing as an indoor bonsai tree; however it can survive outdoors if the climate is just right. The tree is nicknamed the Fukien Tea tree because it hails from the Chinese province of Fujian. It has dark green leaves that are glossy to the touch. As the tree grows, its bark will take on an aged appearance by producing slight cracks that give it a vaguely gnarled appearance. Don't let this put you off--the aged effect looks brilliant on bonsai trees and helps them twist into all sorts of wonderful shapes! In the late spring or early summer the Carmona bonsai produces dainty little flowers, followed by tiny black berries.
Before you spend a great deal of effort (and money) into hunting down and purchasing a Carmona bonsai tree, it's best that you understand exactly what kind of care will be require to sustain a tree like this. It's kind of like committing to a pet--you want to make sure you can give it the kind of care and environment it needs before actually bringing it home. In order to give you a better idea as to the type of care this tree requires, we are going to delve into the basic needs of the lovely Fukien Tea tree.
First off, you should know that the Carmona is pretty finicky about temperature. The best range of temperature is between 60 and 75 degrees F, which must be maintained all year long. This is why it can be extremely difficult to grow a Carmona bonsai outdoors, as very few regions actually provide this temperature range on a year-round basis. Central heat and air certainly play to the advantage of successfully growing your bonsai indoors.
There is also a pretty specific lighting requirement with this tree. This particular bonsai needs at least an hour of direct outdoor light every day in the spring and summer months. The best sort of sunlight would be in the early morning or in the evening when the sunlight is much softer. Harsh summer sun can in fact burn the leaves of this delicate tree. When the tree is being kept indoors, it needs to be in a spot that has access to plenty of bright but indirect sunlight. When we say indirect sunlight, we mean filtered--like what you would get from treetops in the forest. If you have a window that gets tons of sunlight, you can put a thin curtain up and place the Carmona bonsai nearby. The gauziness of the curtain will help to filter out most of the harshness of the light, yet still allow enough through that the bonsai can soak up the rays it needs to remain healthy.
Watering can sometimes be a little tricky with any bonsai tree because most people take for granted the fact that bonsai's like humid environments. Humidity and watering are very different things. Your bonsai should actually be allowed a short period of dryness between waterings. To water your Carmona, pour a decent amount of water over the soil and allow it five or ten minutes to soak in. After the short wait, go back and add a bit more water to the soil. This will ensure that the water reaches the roots of the plant rather than simply soaking the topmost portion of the soil. You will know when the tree is ready to be watered because the soil will be dry to the touch. Simply stick your finger about half an inch into the soil. If the soil is dry to the touch then you should water your bonsai right away. You can also purchase a humidity tray to give your bonsai that nice humid atmosphere it loves so much, but it isn't 100% necessary.
Perhaps one of the best things about the Carmona bonsai is that it doesn't really require that you train it using the wire method. Because it responds so incredibly well to pruning, you can easily gain the desired shape by pruning the tree regularly.
Although the Carmona is not necessarily the easiest bonsai tree to maintain, it is definitely possible to succeed in growing this species if you know how to do so. Just remember that your bonsai will need to remain in temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees F, and it needs to remain in filtered sunlight except for one hour of morning or evening sunlight each day during the growth season. Remember to water your bonsai when the soil is dry to the touch, but you can also mist the leaves with a water bottle to keep the leaves from collecting dust. Best of luck and thanks for reading!