Bonsai-Pro

[erb.75]

Foliage pro is pretty affordable in the larger sizes and is 9-3-6. I like it as it has trace elements and minerals.

good to know!

 

[erb.75]

I have switched over to slow release granular fert. I have used this in the past, but as others point out, in inorganic soil it mostly just washes out of the pot

 

[Bonsaikev1985]

Yeah there right 10-10-10 and 20-20-20 are all the same thing. There's other NPK ratios for certain trees and certain times of the season for trees, but with just starting out in Bonsai just do a balanced fert until you get more knowledge. Also like what was said any ferts that say "Bonsai" are nothing special and I bet ya pay $10+ more for the fert because of the Bonsai label. Don't be fooled! Good luck with everything!!

 

[Bonsaikev1985]

Ok thank you, is this miracle grow ok to use?

Sure that's fine to use right now, but I remember you saying in a other post that the tree just fell and got tipped over. So don't do anything except water and dappled sun because it's proubly stressed. NEVER FERTILIZE A STRESSED TREE!!!! Or a tree that dry soil, water first. But yes that miracle grow fert will do good for now since is spring and it's high in nitrogen, but I would fert with that all season specially towards the end of the summer. Use this then try to get ya hands on something balance for the rest of summer

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Some people use Jack's fertilizer. Me personally? I don't fertilize at all. I'm just too afraid of mixing too much and burning the roots and whatnot.

 

[Jeremy]

Some people use Jack's fertilizer. Me personally? I don't fertilize at all. I'm just too afraid of mixing too much and burning the roots and whatnot.

Follow the instructions, your fears are bogus

 

[Stacey]

Sure that's fine to use right now, but I remember you saying in a other post that the tree just fell and got tipped over. So don't do anything except water and dappled sun because it's proubly stressed. NEVER FERTILIZE A STRESSED TREE!!!! Or a tree that dry soil, water first. But yes that miracle grow fert will do good for now since is spring and it's high in nitrogen, but I would fert with that all season specially towards the end of the summer. Use this then try to get ya hands on something balance for the rest of summer

Ok, good to know. I really appreciate all of your help

 

[stephie8343]

I have used this, and now use Foliage Pro, (same maker, but a bit stronger and cheaper!) with good results. What I do is use it as a maintenance dosage every time I water. The idea is smaller doses, but more frequently will be just as good if not better for the tree, as it is available consistently. That works for me as I use an inorganic soil, and fertilizer tends to move out of the pot quickly. I also use a solid fert during the growing season in teabags on top of the soil.

I use bonsai pro but I just bought foliage pro that I'm going to try. I have a few tropical bonsais. Have you used the dyna gro bloom? I am new to this and I'm not sure if I should use this too to get them to bloom. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Katie0317]

I was told by the owner of Artisan's Bonsai nursery to use 14-14-14 but that whatever I use to be certain that all three of the elements are balanced. 10-10-10, 14-14-14 or whatever. Dyna-Gro isn't balanced like that but I tried to buy it anyway from another person's suggestion. It does say 'bonsai fertilizer' on it and I realize that's kind of bogus unless there are trace elements involved that I'm missing. Amazon would NOT ship Dyna-Gro to Florida! I called and the Asian woman I spoke with was immediately aware of the issue and apparently Florida is on some list. Not sure if Amazon will ship to other states or not. I'm going to buy something different. I'd also like to get time released fertilizer to use and then use liquid fertilizer in addition. I do this with our orchids and roses but not sure if that will work well with bonsai or not. When I bought pre-bonsai they all had time released fertilizer in them. Roses are heavy feeders. I could feed them every week and they'd be happy. I imagine it's based on the plant with bonsai? BTW, I read the post that someone said to water first before fertilizing....That's certainly true of roses and I suspect most plants. Also, not feeding a stressed or brand new plant.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Also, not feeding a stressed or brand new plant.

I disagree with this. It's like not feeding a sick person or a brand new baby because they still have fat on their bones. Plants can survive on water and air alone. But if it's growth and health you're after, they're going to need those building blocks they produce from fertilizer.
We humans tend to over-feed plants a lot, which hurts their root systems and can make things worse. Most of those issues however, have been caused by the grower itself and will continue to persist whether the plants are fed or not. The key is to not give a dose that'll damage the plant, and that's a general guideline that applies to even healthy plants. A light dose of fertilizer can really do no harm, if that person knows what he/she is doing.
The idea that a plant needs to recover without fertilizer always gets me a little cramped up, it's truly a (bonsai) myth. Scientists all around the world agree that plants hardly grow if they aren't supplied with nutrients. No growth = no recovery.

How is it supposed to build and add, if there's only carbon available? They need nitrogen to build their chlorophyll, enzymes and proteins, phosphorous for DNA and ATP (energy cycle), potassium for energy, signaling and producing and using proteins. A plant can recycle those that it has already taken up in the past, but this involves taking it from already existing structures by breaking those down.

I like to use the house construction analogy: If it takes 400 bricks to build a wall, you can only build two walls with 800 bricks. Or you can build four walls half the size, eight walls a quarter of their size, and so on. But if you want your house to have a roof that you don't bump into, you're going to need to add bricks, a whole lot of them. Renovating a house that has fallen apart, is extremely difficult if you use only the materials that are already there. Even stapling wall paper back to a wall requires new staples.

If weak plants have to destroy what they have built, in order to build more of the same weak structures.. They're going to have a problem that perpetuates. I have the feeling that we as caretakers should break that cycle and go for prime health.
I'm willing to debate anyone who disagrees. Because it simply isn't a debate.

 

[JudyB]

I use bonsai pro but I just bought foliage pro that I'm going to try. I have a few tropical bonsais. Have you used the dyna gro bloom? I am new to this and I'm not sure if I should use this too to get them to bloom. Any advice would be appreciated!

I have not used that one. I imagine it would be a good product like the other ones, use as directed.