Podocarpus Buddhist Pine
$129.99
10” Pot
The Podocarpus bonsai, also known as the Buddhist Pine or Chinese Yew (Podocarpus macrophyllus), is a popular evergreen conifer praised for its elegant, dark-green leathery needles and striking greyish-brown bark. Because it is a subtropical species, it uniquely functions as one of the few conifers that can thrive as an indoor bonsai year-round, making it highly versatile for beginners and experts alike.
The Podocarpus bonsai, also known as the Buddhist Pine or Chinese Yew (Podocarpus macrophyllus), is a popular evergreen conifer praised for its elegant, dark-green leathery needles and striking greyish-brown bark. Because it is a subtropical species, it uniquely functions as one of the few conifers that can thrive as an indoor bonsai year-round, making it highly versatile for beginners and experts alike.
🪴 Core Care Guidelines
- Light: Place in bright, indirect sunlight. It tolerates a few hours of morning sun, but harsh midday rays can burn the foliage. Low light causes weak, leggy branch growth.
- Watering: Keep the soil consistently moist but never soggy. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry. Overwatering triggers root rot, signalled by grey, dull needles.
- Humidity: Needs high humidity. Set the pot over a pebble tray filled with water or mist the foliage frequently to mimic its natural environment.
- Temperature: Prefers a moderate range between 15°C to 24°C. In the summer, you can move it outdoors, but bring it inside once temperatures drop below 10°C. It cannot survive prolonged freezing frost.
✂️ Styling & Maintenance
- Pruning: Allow new shoots to grow out to 7–8 nodes before cutting back to 2–3 nodes to maintain structural density.
- Wiring: The flexible wood trains beautifully into styles like Informal Upright or Cascade. Wire can be applied at any time of year, but monitor it closely so it does not scar the slow-growing bark.
- Repotting: Repot every 2 to 3 years in early spring using a highly well-draining substrate mix (such as equal parts akadama, pumice, and organic matter). Be exceptionally gentle, as the roots are fragile