Fagus Sylvatica display

Upon return home from Australia I discovered that we did not have our typical brilliant autumn colors upstate New York is famous for. The colors were beautiful, but not like in the past years. In fact, many of my deciduous bonsai still have green leaves, even though it snowed a couple of time. Yes, I’ve had shoveled too.

There are several factors which affect the coloring of deciduous bonsai foliage in autumn. Of course the reduced daylight actually triggers the onset of dormancy. I’ve watched as it actually noticeable in late July. The daylight gets shorter each day and the foliage changes from a bright green to dull green.

In addition to the reduced daylight, I’ve learned that watering and feeding the bonsai will greatly affect the autumn coloring. If a bonsai is stressed by not providing adequate water, especially in late summer, the colors often are…