In the winter months the trees will require less watering than in the summer time when they need to be watered more regularly, sometimes you will need to water every day. The general rule is to keep the compost damp but not saturated and the roots should never be allowed to stand in water.

Your Bonsai plant will require re-potting about once every two to five years depending on the tree you own and how old it is. Younger plants will need re-potting more frequently.  Older trees as they grow will use up all of the nutrients in the soil and will require it replacing. The tree needs to be put back in the container in the same way as it was before, the roots however may need to be thinned out and trimmed in order to stop the tree from becoming pot-bound and growing masses of roots which will use up all of the water and nutrients at a very fast rate.

It is very important that you use only dedicated bonsai potting soil or compost.

Bonsai trees are typically trained by using special wire to form and shape the branches as they are growing giving you the most pleasing shape to the eye. This is usually performed in the spring or early summer, just after the buds have opened when the foliage is new. This is when the branches are at their softest. The wire remains in place for around nine to twelve months.

Pruning is another great part of the art of bonsai growing. For flowering plants the leaf buds need to be nipped after the plant has bloomed and any unwanted twigs removed leaving only that which will benefit the form of the tree.
For pine and other cone bearing trees they should only be pruned in the spring when the buds appear. They need to be pruned back to just behind the new growth. This helps check excessive growth and will increase the branching out process. Trees of the Juniper family will continue to grow throughout most of the year and so will require pruning more often.