Fertilizing Your Bonsai Plant

What is Bonsai

While the way they are grown, or how they are trained or presented maybe unique, the bonsai tree requires the same kinds of feeding and fertilization as other trees and plants.

When the bonsai is grown in nature, it receives all of the water and fertilizer it needs from the contents of the soil it grown in, however when moved into our homes, we must replace or supplement the food and fertilization.

There is a strong misconception amongst many non professional growers that the act of feeding your bonsai and the act of fertilization are the same, not true. Real food for the bonsai come in the forms of water and carbon dioxide. The plants convert these two elements into sugar and carbohydrates. Both of these help the plant to prosper.

Fertilizer on the other hand is more like vitamins for the plant. A quality fertilizer for your bonsai will have three components, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium. Each of these separate elements will help you plant in different ways. The Nitrogen is responsible for the green colorization of the leaves of the bonsai tree, the phosphorous is responsible for the actual cell building within the plant, and finally the potassium which is also aids in healthy cell regeneration.

Fertilizer is primarily absorbed into the bonsai tree through its root system, although some fertilizers are absorbed via the foliage of the tree. This absorption by the root action takes place both in trees grown in nature and also in those grown in our homes and nurseries. Trees grown in nature however do not receive any artificial fertilization, because nature provides all that is needed for the growth of the tree. When we attempt to grow the bonsai in our artificial environment, we must replace or augment the fertilizer.

Each manufacturer of commercially available fertilizer will have some directions printed on the container with recommendations on how often and at what concentrations the fertilizer should be applied. The best advice is to follow these instructions. Over fertilization is not only a waste of the product , but may actually be very harmful to the bonsai tree. Those fertilizers that are applied to the foliage, instead of being added directly to the soil are somewhat less harmful when over applied because the excess is simply shed by the foliage, dropping it into the soil, where it is later absorbed into the roots of the tree. A good indication of the need for added fertilization would be to observe the color of the foliage of the tree. When your tree is suffering from a deficiency of fertilization, the leaves will begin to lose its natural luster.

Another consideration in the amount or frequency of fertilization will depend on the material selected for planting of your bonsai tree. Soils that are rich in organic components and clay tend to bind the nutrients that are added to the soil, which translates to a less frequent fertilization. Typical bonsai soil, however, is typically devoid of these organic components, which would indicate a need for more frequent fertilzation.

All the esentials for Fertilizing Your Bonsai

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 By Justin Lee