Your bonsai trees depend for survival on you watering them regularly.    A day or two of neglect and the soil and the important little root ends at the bottom of the pot, will die.    Those are the roots that take water into the main root system and up to the leaves.

There is an old Japanese saying - you should ‘water your bonsai tree three times ’水盆栽の木3回

• once for the pot,
• once for the soil,
• and once for the tree

This means going back and forth over your collection three times.   It allows the water to soak into the soil and the pot, leaving sufficient water for the tree to take in. Avoid the temptation to water your bonsai tree just to ‘cool it down’.     Wet foliage will increase the sun’s rays, each drop acting like a little magnifying glass. Besides, the water is needed via the soil, not on the leaves.     Trees do not need ‘cooling down’.

• Because you are watering so regularly during the summer months, plus the nature of your well-drained bonsai soil mix, means that nutrients stay around for a relatively short time. They literally are washed out so keep feeding regularly and often.
• Position your trees to receive a good amount of sun and some shade.    Full sun does not mean blazing, all afternoon direct July sun.    Every bonsai tree appreciates some afternoon shade.    The pot itself can rise to temperatures in the afternoon sun that will heat up the tree’s roots.
• Don’t let your plants get out of control, especially the faster growers like junipers and elms.    Keep new growth pinched back before it gets too long.    Do not lose the shape you’ve spent time working on.    Trim any tight growth to allow sufficient air circulation and light.
• If a bonsai gets wilted leaves, as happens occasionally, put it in the shade and give it a little water.    Give it a little more water later that day.    Let the roots recover slowly - don’t drown them.
• Too much sun and too little water means leaf curl and leaf browning due to the heat.    If a bonsai is not taken care of daily during this time of year, the leaves will completely die and fall off and the plant could die.    With the heat of the summer, your bonsai tree will stop producing new leaves, so preserve those that are there as they are needed to facilitate photosynthesis.