Ginkgo Bonsai
Ginkgo biloba
📖 About this plant
One of the most ancient tree species on Earth, ginkgo is a living fossil with distinctive fan-shaped leaves that turn brilliant golden-yellow in autumn. As a bonsai, it is valued for its unique leaf shape, bright fall color, and straight, angular branching pattern. It is dioecious (separate male and female trees) — male bonsai are preferred as female trees produce foul-smelling fruit. Extremely resistant to disease and pests.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full sun (6+ hrs)
Every 2-3 days
Moderate (40-60%)
5-30°C
Standard well-draining bonsai soil mix; tolerates various soil types; pH 5.0-7.0
Balanced liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks from spring through early fall; reduce feeding in late summer to avoid soft new growth before winter
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- China — a living fossil, the only surviving species of its order, dating back 270 million years
- 📏 Max height
- 20-45 cm (bonsai form); up to 35 meters in the wild
- 📐 Spread
- 20-45 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Green
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green, Yellow in Fall
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Very Slow
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Seeds (nuts) are edible when properly prepared but raw seeds contain ginkgotoxin — can cause seizures. Fruit pulp causes severe skin irritation (dermatitis). Leaves are used medicinally in supplements
- 🌱 Propagation
- Seed (remove fleshy coating — wear gloves, it causes dermatitis); softwood cuttings in spring; air layering
🛡️ Health & Safety
Seeds (nuts) are edible when properly prepared but raw seeds contain ginkgotoxin — can cause seizures. Fruit pulp causes severe skin irritation (dermatitis). Leaves are used medicinally in supplements
Common issues
- Very slow to develop bonsai characteristics, Leaves may burn in intense afternoon sun, Sparse branching requires patient clip-and-grow training, Chlorosis in alkaline soils
💡 Care tips
- Living fossil tree that is one of the oldest species on earth,Fan-shaped leaves turn brilliant golden yellow in autumn,Very hardy and tolerant of urban pollution and poor soil,Prune in winter when dormant for best results
