Jacaranda Bonsai Care guidelines
The Jacaranda needs a lot of light and the temperatures should not fall under 15° C / 59° F. Especially when they are planted in a bonsai pot, Jacaranda trees must be protected from lower temperatures. If the Jacaranda is kept inside the house all year it will be difficult to reduce the leaf size. Don't place it above a heating device. In winter, when there is not enough light, the tree can drop all the leaves, but new ones will grow in spring. By the end of May the blue Jacaranda can be placed outside in a sunny spot or in semi-shade.
Keep the rootball of the Jacaranda slightly moist. If it dries out the leaves shrink, turn brown and fall off. If it is overwatered, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. Continue reading about watering Bonsai trees.
Watering
Free lecture from the Beginners Course
Watch Use liquid fertilizer during the growth period every week, in winter once every two weeks.
Jacarandas grow strongly. Shorten the new shoots to one or two leaf pairs when four or five have grown. Strong pruning is done best in spring. The largest leaves can be cut off at any time during the growing season. Wiring is possible but the wires should be removed after three months at the latest. Wire young shoots when they begin to lignify. Continue reading about pruning Bonsai trees.
Repot the Jacaranda every second year in spring and use a well-draining soil mix. Continue reading about repotting Bonsai trees.
The Jacaranda tree can be propagated from seeds and softwood cuttings.
Scale sometimes attack the Jacaranda. Use a specific insecticide that contains oil in that case. For more detailed information on these techniques, check out our Bonsai tree care section.
Jacaranda bonsai tree
Leaves of the Jacaranda
Jacaranda mimosifolia bonsai
Jacaranda bonsai
General information about the Jacaranda Bonsai tree
The Jacaranda is a semi-evergreen tree from South America and can become about 50' (15m) tall and 40' (12m) wide. It also grows in the southern states of the USA, in Mediterranean countries, South Africa and Australia. The Jacaranda has compound, fern-like leaves and beautiful blue or purple flowers which are up to 2" (5cm) long and grouped in large panicles. They appear in spring and early summer, and last for up to two months. The large woody seed pods contain numerous winged seeds. The Jacaranda's bark is thin, greyish brown and becomes scaly when the tree matures. The twigs are slender and slightly zigzag. Depending on the temperatures and amount of light, the tree can keep its leaves during the winter or drop them. In most cases the leaves fall before the flowers open.
The Jacaranda is sometimes also referred to as the Brazilian rosewood, or blue jacaranda. The term 'Brazilian rosewood' actually refers to the wood of the Dalbergia genus, used to make guitars. Unfortunately, some popular 'bonsai seed kits' sold online mislabeled the Jacaranda as Brazilian rosewood bonsai, so if you purchased one of these seed kits most likely your tree seeds are actually Jacaranda seeds. If you need help identifying your tree, take a look at our Bonsai tree identification guide.
