Life Expectancy of a Bonsai Tree – Will it Outlive Me?

Since bonsai trees are very small, does it it have an equally short lifespan? Do bonsai trees have a lifespan relative to their larger cousins? To be honest, given the variable nature of bonsai trees, there are many ways to answer the life expectancy question.

The life expectancy of a bonsai tree, will probably surprise most people. The laymen would probably think that you can not keep a bonsai tree for more than a few decades. However, this is not quite the case. Of all the bonsais all over the world, there are many over 100 years old in various botanical gardens and even private collections where the owners have been prolific in their care and attention – not to mention the climate controlled condition they have been kept in. One of the oldest bonsais known to man is located in the Tokyo Imperial Palace collection and is an astonishing 500 years old! That certainly stands as quite a feat of bonsai tree cultivating and training.

Since you now know that the life expectancy of a bonsai tree could potentially be 500 years, you can certainly train your tree to outlive you, if you so wish. A bonsai tree passed down from generation to generation would certainly be something to be proud of, as much patience and character can be learned from the art of bonsai growing. Whether a deciduous bonsai or a pine, it can live for many years and still not become any larger than a typical houseplant. Proper pruning, replanting when necessary, and the right soil and fertilizer are all key factors in the lifetime of your bonsai.

So, really, regarding a bonsai tree’s life expectancy, there really is no set answer. If you care for it properly and make it your baby, the life expectancy of a bonsai tree under your watchful eye could be a lifetime, or, if not cared for at all, it could be a week.

You may or may not know that the art of bonsai started in China, and not Japan. Buddhist monks spreading their religion brought the art of growing dwarfed trees in trays to the islands of Japan. Thus, this style of tree growing is in reality thousands of years old. But, unlike the trees of the forest, which grow and grow with nobody watching over them, a bonsai tree can not survive for hundreds of years without proper care by those entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the tree.

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