Fertilizing black pine bonsai is pretty straight forward. For any given black or red pine, I first determine the tree’s stage of development. If a tree is young and I’m focusing on increasing the size of the trunk, I follow one path. If the trunk has reached the desired size and I’m focusing on increasing branch […]
Fertilizer
How to fertilize bonsai
Before jumping into the topic of fertilizing bonsai, I’ll share a tip. Bonsai can roughly be lumped into two categories – trees in development and trees in refinement. A tree is in development when: The trunk has yet to reach the desired size Primary and secondary branches have yet to reach the desired size or […]
Options for applying bonsai fertilizer
I’ve been enjoying experimenting with the new fertilizers I’m using this summer. Ten days ago I applied Omakase fertilizer cakes to a number of my trees and I’ve already noticed a few things. One of my concerns had been whether or not the cakes would break down quickly as the cakes are very hard out […]
What kind of bonsai fertilizer do you use?
I hear the question a lot – “What kind of fertilizer do you use?” The answer is a moving target. So far this year I’ve used various combinations of six different fertilizers. My go-to fertilizers remain cottonseed meal and fish emulsion. They are affordable and they keep my trees healthy. It’s not the cleanest solution nor […]
How to fill a tea bag with fertilizer
Two months ago, Felix Laughlin, President of the National Bonsai Foundation, requested tips for how to fill a tea bag with fertilizer quickly. The process does seem to take a while, but I’ve found I can fill about 9 bags per minute with the following approach. The most important thing is setting up everything within […]
