Bonsaify | How to Safely Use Mineral Fertilizers with Bonsai Trees

[@baldyeti]

Solid knowledge drop. Here are the pros, here are the cons, make an educated choice and experiment. I sure appreciate you and all you freely share, brother.

[@waterlover]

Great video awesome knowledge to be had here

[@TheMrjoehughes]

If watering a lot of plants, is it a good idea to put the pots in trays to drain them after watering, and then reuse the drained water to water other plants and so on ?

[@bafatakisa]

The post is very informative, but now all that is missing is a video on the pH value of the water/soil, which has a major impact on the absorption of the fertilizer. Please tell us how you regulate the pH value. Thank you!

[@Bonsaify]

Hi - there is an older video in our feed about using citric acid to lower the pH of municipal water.

[@micahtayaba6847]

Awesome I appreciate the response! Also i have a older black pine and the candles are starting to get green but there sagging!! Is this normal?

[@damongreer2219]

What kind of fertilizer should i use for fukien tea tree? Npk ratio?

[@lemoncellimochiblu100]

I know that using organic fertilizers is better for the beneficial microbes in the soil, but is using synthetic fertilizers detrimental to the beneficial microbes in the soil? Can you use a mix of both or alternate, without harming the microbes in the soil? I have osmocote and biogold.

[@noreenmccarthy4956]

I'm a first time care giver to a serissa. It had blooms when I purchased it in the winter (I'm in Chester Co PA, zone 6b) and once the blooms dropped it hasn't bloomed since. With spring just weeks away I'm hopeful to see it re bloom. What is the best fertilizer to support/encourage those enchanting white blooms?

[@jeffreyhutchings561]

I have used the Miracle Gro over the past year. However, I read somewhere that the NPK has to be adjusted between the seasons. I’m in California, Ag zone 9b for reference. I believe 0-10-10 and 5-5-5 were some examples for various NPK setups. I’m working with JBP and coastal redwood. Any recommendations are welcome and appreciated. 😎🌲

[@Bonsaify]

You'd likely not see any difference in your zone. There is some caution about using higher nitrogen in fall or winter in areas with freezing - e.g. you don't want to encourage fresh growth when it's going to freeze.

[@waterlover]

Nice tutorial

[@kezzabzen9657]

Very useful. Thanks

[@emmitstewart1921]

The advice I see from really experienced gardeners is to use half the label directions per gallon of water. The biggest problem is when the label gives metric amounts, and all your containers are in gallons or quarts, or vice versa. The thing to remember is that a quart is.946 liter. For all practical uses a quart is just the same as a liter A gallon is 3.75 liters. If you go with half the label directions, the difference is unimportant. A liter works as a quart, and four liters work as a gallon. Even simpler is to get a set of metric measuring devices. A teaspoon is 5 milliliters, a table spoon is 15 milliliters.

[@yoteslaya7296]

Dan Robinson uses miracle gro. Curious how he determines how much per tree

[@Bonsaify]

The directions on the package are a good starting point. But as I mention in this video, setting the PPM at 300-500 after dilution is also a good way to go. The label directions for most fertilizers (salt-based) land you between 400-500ppm when you measure using a TDS meter (higher if your water is higher in salts). But I don't think old salts like Dan probably think about it that much, they just dilute some and sprinkle it on the trees.

[@johndoggart8513]

I've seen both your organic, and inorganic videos, everything is very knowledgeable and helpful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, and experience with everyone. Question is, do you use kelp emulsion? For enzymes, and bacteria, fish or kelp emulsions? Thank Sir, God Bless

[@Bonsaify]

I do not, although I think it is a good fertilizer.

[@johndoggart8513]

Thanks, 👍

[@andersnrregren9087]

I use a furtiliser for citrus trees 4-1-3 on all my trees i dont remember why but i have used it for years on all my plants i water using rainwater or lakewater in a 2gallon sprayer and i spray the leafs sometimes and it dont burn em and i use it on seedling and cuttings too maybe that us why i use a "weak" furtiliser and not the 20-20-20 i see alot

[@craigpritch6906]

So now for the $64k question - which do you use/prefer? I have been using miracle gro (once a week, regular dilution) for ages and haven't had a problem. Junipers are by far my favorite and have many. Some however have developed what I can describe best as "soft" or less rigid foliage. Is this fertilizer related or maybe not enough light?

[@Bonsaify]

MG x1/week is fine for most trees and cases. There are outlier cases where this can cause salt buildup, but it takes poor soil quality also. I actually use a mix of granular time-release and soluble salt-based fertilizer on nursery stock (younger trees) and I use a mix of organic solid and soluble salt-based fertilizer on my older trees.

[@micahtayaba6847]

Would Fox farms 10-7-7 organic fertilizer work well with young Japanese black pine?

[@Bonsaify]

Yes, although you'll probably want to use quite a bit of it.

[@micahtayaba6847]

Awesome I appreciate the response! Also i have a older black pine and the candles are starting to get green but there sagging!! Is this normal?

[@Bonsaify]

Early spring is the only time of year when I water black pines more frequently - even well-watered pines can sometimes have droopy candles - a little lean or sag isn't uncommon, but if it persists it's an indication that either the roots are weak, or that the tree isn't getting enough water. If the candles literally make a U-turn and droop then the tree got way too dry and you're likely to see some dieback. All this is more common on larger branches than on the smaller ones on older trees....

[@mooneagle4772]

Very informative

[@paulopacifici]

I missed the quantity regarding the period of the year

[@Bonsaify]

Sorry, if that's a question, can you rephrase it?

[@Typaradox_FPV]

I totally want that watering can

[@sabikmercuriobravo5976]

What mineral fertilizer you recomend for japanese maples and what is your opinion about super thrive!

[@Bonsaify]

Japanese maples are the most prominent example of tree species that should not be fertilized in spring, or only lightly. Fertilizer on refined trees can cause coarse growth that is not desirable. Instead, use a low Nitrogen organic, and fertilize later in summer and fall only. I like Dynagro as a soluble fertilizer as it doesn't seem to cause leaf margin burn. (which can happen anyway, but can be exacerbated by salt based fertilizer. )

[@thetruthchannel7073]

How frequent do you fertilise bonsai trees thank you

[@Bonsaify]

Usually every two weeks within the growing season. But it's different for different fertilizers. Some organics would be just once per month because they are breaking down over time. There is no single answer that is correct.

[@thetruthchannel7073]

@@Bonsaify thanks for your reply, many dont apreciate that...my is a Ficus Retusa, not sure to use bio gold pellets slow release or liquid Chrysal fertilizer....what your advise on both ferts...thanks

[@Bonsaify]

A few bioGold pellets every month and 2x/month liquid fertilizer should have your tree growing quite well....

[@thetruthchannel7073]

Thank you for advise and reply ..all the best to you..great vids

[@thetruthchannel7073]

@@Bonsaify thanks for reply

[@ronniebruce9624]

Hey Eric, I'm trying out your coco coir + perlite mix on some young material this year. Which fertilizer do you recommend for young plants in that soil mix? Thanks!

[@Bonsaify]

A fertilizer recommendation to be useful has to take into account your habits and wants. The goal is to provide a consistent source of nutrients and micronutrients. Most commercial operations use time-release granules because this reduces labor spent fertilizing. Many bonsai growers recommend organic pellets because it nurtures the soil microbiome, and I use these for older trees. For young trees, either a liquid mineral fertilizer (like this video discusses) or a time-release mineral fertilizer like Osmacote is most reliable in my experience. But adding some organics can be beneficial. If you're not working at scale, then the down-sides of organics can be negligible.

[@jessestrong7269]

I use bio gold and another Japanese organic cake for my more progressed bonsai…the last couple years I’ve been mixing a few of these granular types and putting them out in teabags on my younger or plants still in nursery cans etc. last night as I was filling teabags a thought hit me quite suddenly ….does the fertilizer in the coating release and penetrate the soil through the teabags the same as it would just sitting on or in the soil . I thought damn, I hope I haven’t just been wasting all this fertilizer the last 3 years. What are your thoughts on that? I’m sure all the stuff I’m using that’s just in particles is fine, but the osmocote or miracle grow that’s in the polymer beads is something that I just started worrying about last night.

[@Bonsaify]

Yes, the contents dissolve in water, so it would not be stopped by a tea bag.

[@bayareaspearoshorediver7535]

What's your experience on using tea bags?

[@Bonsaify]

With organic solid fertilizer they can work, but I find without a coating of moss or sphagnum on the top of the pot, they will tend to stay dry too long to decompose properly.

[@9daywonda]

I was led to believe that solid fertilizers were better, as the elements in the liquid types were washed away ?

[@Bonsaify]

Ah, the old "better" or "best". You'll notice that I did not compare efficacy between any of the fertilizers. There are too many variables. After all, if your solid fertilizer gets eaten by animals, then it doesn't last very long eh? Cost, climate, animals, soil types, plant types, seasons, human nature, all these things mean that the best type is different for different situations.

[@baldyeti]

@@Bonsaify fricken solid gold right there. Thank you, Eric. This is why your advise is so strong

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌🙂

[@DavidScheltema]

👨‍🔬🧪🪴🌳🌲🌞

[@Holla.Die.Waldfeee]

i recommend EVERYONE to get an ec-meter when using (liquid) mineral fertilizers. it is very inexpensive and you don't need to care about dosage instructions anymore in your entire life... it makes your plant life 1000000000% easier.