AESCULUS HIPPOCASTANUM /HORSE CHESTNUT Species Guide
Aesculus hippocastanum/Horse Chestnuts are difficult to use as bonsai and not recommended for beginners.
Ease of Cultivation 7/10 Ease and Suitablity for Bonsai Styling 3/10
Though easily grown from seed or collected, Horse Chestnuts are not commonly seen as bonsai due to their large palmate leaves that are up to 12 inches across, however root restriction and leaf-cutting will dramatically reduce them in size.
Position Full sun, out of strong winds.
Feeding Feed monthly with low nitrogen fertiliser to keep growth compact.
Repotting Must be kept pot-bound to keep growth compact, repot every 3 or 4 years in a basic soil mix.
Pruning Repeatedly prune back. Horse Chestnuts bud back easily and the resulting dense canopy will help reduce leaf-size. Remove individual leaflets to leave just 1 or 2 in place.
Defoliate in mid-summer to encourage a new crop of smaller leaves. As new sets of buds extend remove the apical bud to reduce internode length.
Propagation For best results sow seed (conkers) as soon as ripe outside or obtain heavy trunked specimens.
Pests and diseases Canker, coral spot, leaf blight and scale insects.
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