by Midge Goeth

Feeding Bonsai

Proper care & general good health for your bonsai requires regular feeding at the right time of year with the correct fertilizer. To understand exactly how your bonsai should be fertilized, you must be able to understand the basic makeup of fertilizers. Most fertilizers contain three basic elements: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K).

Nitrogen is an essential ingredient for leaf & stem growth. Too much nitrogen however, will make a tree produce long, string growth. Phosphorus encourages healthy root growth & helps the growth of new buds. It also protects against disease & unfavorable winter conditions. Potassium encourages the formation of fruit & flowers as well as help in the fight against disease. I spoke with two of our members asking about the fertilizing techniques they use. There were some similarities and some slightly different techniques. Here’s what they had to say:

He uses Osmocote 14-14-14 which is a 4-6 month release fertilizer. About 1 Tablespoon per gallon of soil is his recommendation. When you repot your trees in the spring, layer the soil & Osmocote by thirds. 1/3 soil, 1/3 Osmocote, 1/3 soil, etc. Use this combination on evergreens as well as deciduous & tropicals. The evergreens get an additional application of Hollytone sprinkled on top in May and watered in.

For the evergreens he adds a beneficial fungus called mycorrhizae. Pine trees all have this fungus on their roots (appears as a white substance). When we repot, this beneficial fungus often gets knocked off the roots. So adding this back into the soil when you repot, is a good practice.

With the hot days of summer soon upon us, Lee has one more suggestion. He uses a product called “ROOTS” which is a plant hormone & wetting agent. This helps the roots absorb water & nutrients more readily. Put this in your watering can in July when your trees are hot & dry. I believe you can find ROOTS & mycorrhizae at Buntons.

Earl Ekman —

Earl also uses Osmocote 14-14-14 or 20-20-20 on his trees. It seems we have a consensus going on here. His technique is a little different in that he will sprinkle it on top of soil if he has not repotted that year. He applies the Osmocote in the spring after the trees bud out. Earl recommends that you do not fertilize new trees for a least a month or longer after they have been repotted.

Because he was going to be out of the country during the spring (ask him about China & the beautiful pot he brought back), be tried a new technique. Early in the year, during February, he repotted some trees & placed them back in the mulch. He then took them out upon his return in April & lightly applied the Osmocote on top of the soil.

Earl wants to share another tip he has found to be successful. He has a large watering crock placed near his display tables. Letting it set 24 or more hours, releases the chlorine & makes watering, not only more convenient, but also better water for the trees. He started adding liquid fertilizer, such as Miracle-Gro or Rapid-Gro to the crock around the first of July for continuous feeding.

Remember, you want to reduce the nitrogen element of fertilizer as you enter the fall season. More on winterizing your trees in another edition.

What subject matter would you like discussed in this column? Here’s your chance to ask all the questions you have had & didn’t know whom to ask. We have a wealth of knowledge among our members & they are willing to share.