You've spent too long a time taking care of your bonsai that loosing your plants to pests and various illnesses is utterly unacceptable. We can't even imagine how long you've spent pruning, wiring, watering, etc. It is definitely a loss if one of your plants die because of bugs or plant disease.

This article aims to educate you, especially beginner types, on the basic things to look that would help keep your bonsai plant healthy and free from insects and diseases that kills. Generally, bonsai problems can be divided into two kinds, the environment-based problems and the problems caused by organisms which more often than not are highly infectious.

Environment-based problems

Environment-based bonsai problems include sunburn, drought, nutrient deficiencies, and toxins. These problems can be avoided by keeping close attention to your plants since manifestations of the problems can be spotted through regular care.

One common damage is caused by over fertilization. Called sodium damage, this kind of problem can be observed with the tissue of the older leaves dieing around the edges and works its way to the entire leaf. Sodium damage can easily be prevent by not putting too much fertilizers and by leeching the soil to remove the salt.

On the other hand, when you observe that the leaf turns yellow and eventually dries out, you might have exposed the bonsai to too much sun. Unlike sodium damage, bonsai sunburn affects all leaves, young or old, as long as they have been exposed to too much sun. You can remedy this by putting back the bonsai to a shaded area.

Drought kills. And this can be easily avoided if you water your plant on a regular basis. This is perhaps the most negligent you can get with your plant. Not watering your bonsai until it reaches the wilting point is just too much.

You need to watch out for various nutrient deficiencies as well. Usually, nutrient deficiencies can be observed in the colors of the leaves. Washed out colored new leaves are indicative of iron deficiency, while washed out colors of older leaves can be because the plant is manganese deficient. There are a variety of nutrient topical sprays available which you can used.

Organic-based problems

It quite comforting to know that most species of shrubs or trees commonly used for bonsai growing are rarely killed by diseases with the proper care, of course. However, infectious problems caused by organisms can really affect the health of the plants.

Plant fungi are one of the culprits. Leaf spotting, peach leaf curl, and rust are just a few of the more common fungus that hits bonsai plants. Watering the plants in the morning and keeping them generally dry the whole day will help prevent the growth of fungus in the leaves. Removing the dead leaves around the bonsai area will also keep the plants fungus free.

Mildews, meanwhile, are common during warm days and cool nights. This can be prevented by controlling pruning during the summer and by applying topical fungicide to control the growth.

Black mold are caused by insects leaving sugary excretions on the stems and leaves of the plant. Molds will grow on these excretions and, although, it generally does not cause the plant harm, it does block out sunlight from reaching the leaves.

These are just a few of the problems encountered by bonsai growers.