Grow a Ginkgo biloba bonsai at home with ease. Learn care tips, pruning tricks, and how to enjoy its golden fan-shaped leaves.
Ginkgo Biloba is a very special tree in the bonsai world. It’s known for its unique fan-shaped leaves that turn bright yellow in the fall. While it grows very slowly and doesn’t offer many options for shaping like other bonsai trees, it’s still a great addition to any collection because of its beauty and history.
Even though it loses its leaves in autumn, Ginkgo Biloba is not a typical deciduous tree. It was once thought to be a type of conifer, but scientists later gave it its own family because it’s so different.
This tree has been around for about 200 million years, living during the time of the dinosaurs. It has hardly changed since then and is believed to be the last living member of a once-large family of trees that are now extinct.
Ginkgo Biloba originally comes from China, where it grew naturally for a long time. Today, you won’t find large forests of only Ginkgo trees, but you can still see ancient ones growing near temples.
The tree was later brought to Korea and Japan around the 12th century, and it finally arrived in Europe in the 18th century.
Today, Ginkgo Biloba is seen as a sacred tree and a symbol of long life. This may be because it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine since as early as 2700 BC.
Ginkgo trees are now planted in city streets, not just in temple gardens, because they are incredibly tough. They can survive drought, diseases, insects, and even pollution. Amazingly, some even survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.
However, when landscapers first started planting them, they discovered something unusual. Ginkgo Biloba is a dioecious tree, which means there are separate male and female trees. Female trees produce small seeds (not fruits) at the ends of their branches. When these seeds fall and start to rot, they smell really bad!
Because of this, cities now mostly plant only male Ginkgo trees.
Propagating Ginkgo biloba bonsai
You can grow a ginkgo tree from seeds, cuttings, or by air-layering. Ginkgo seeds have a hard shell, so they need to be softened by stratifying (chilling) or scarifying (scratching the surface) before planting. Be patient—it can take up to two years for the seeds to sprout.
Requirements for Growing Ginkgo biloba Bonsai
Location
Keep your Ginkgo biloba bonsai outside all year. It likes a sunny spot, but young trees do better in partial shade. Ginkgo trees can handle frost, but if they’re in a bonsai pot, the roots need protection from very cold temperatures.
In spring, the new leaves come out late, usually after the danger of night frost has passed. But if the weather forecast warns of possible frost and your tree already has leaves, it’s best to protect it to prevent serious damage.
Watering
Ginkgos need plenty of water from spring to autumn, but be careful not to overwater them. In winter, just keep the soil slightly moist. Hard tap water with lime (calcium) is not a problem for ginkgo trees.
Pruning and wiring
When new shoots grow five or six leaves, trim them back to one or two. Try not to make big cuts, as they don’t heal well. If you do, use cut and paste to help. You can wire Ginkgo trees any time of the year. Their branches bend easily, but be careful not to hurt the soft bark with the wire.
Fertilizing
Start fertilizing when the buds begin to open in spring. Use a fertilizer with lots of nitrogen to help the tree grow longer shoots. Without this, especially older ginkgo bonsai might only grow leaves on short shoots, and the branching won’t get better. You can use liquid fertilizer once a week until the leaves turn yellow in autumn. You can also use solid organic fertilizer. If the tree needs an extra boost, use both liquid and solid fertilizer together.
Repotting
Young Ginkgo trees can be repotted every spring. Older ones only need it every two to five years. Don’t cut too many roots. Use regular soil, but make sure it drains well. Ginkgo trees can grow in many soil types, even if the pH is as high as 10.
Pests and diseases
The Ginkgo is a strong tree and rarely gets bugs or fungal diseases.
