What Is the Right Bonsai Food?

If you are growing and maintaining a bonsai, giving it proper bonsai food is extremely important. Remember that a bonsai is potted in a small area, and as such, it cannot derive the entire nutrient that it needs from the soil itself. You will have to supplement its diet with the help of bonsai food.

As a bonsai matures, you can slow down its growth rate by changing the diet of the plant. During the growing season, the tree should be fed once every fortnight. However, once the tree stops during summer, you will just have to provide it with bonsai food once a month. In case of indoor bonsais, the tree will grow throughout the year and so you should fertilize it through the year too.

Organic or man-made food, which one you should choose?

This is a well documented and well-contested issue among all enthusiastic botanists. However, the point remains that either of the feeds are better than not providing your tree with any bonsai food at all. Organic feeds are however less likely to burn the roots of the tree if you overfeed it by mistake.

You can use pellet chicken manure and liquid fishmeal to feed your bonsai. However, unless you want your room to smell like a fish factory, you should not use these fertilizers for your indoor bonsais! Chemical bonsai food or food made out of seaweeds is better for these bonsais.

Also, make sure that you do not provide the tree with bonsai food immediately after repotting it. Leave it alone for at least a month before you begin to feed it.

What should you know about over feeding the bonsai?

Too much fertilizer, especially if it is chemical bonsai food, will end up killing your bonsai. In case you feel that you have overfed your tree by mistake, do not lose hope. You should try to wash off the fertilizer from the soil. Do this by tricking water through the soil for a few days – this should remedy the situation.

The amount of nutrient required for the tree depends upon the size of the tree and the growth phase it is in. You can try to read the instructions that came with your bonsai food. Notice your tree carefully. If you find that the flowers are droopy without any apparent case, you are probably over fertilizing it.

What should you look in a bonsai food?

The fertilizer that you provide to your bonsai supplies three major things to the tree – potassium, nitrogen and phosphorous. Nitrogen is extremely important as a bonsai food. It is what cases the color of the leaves as well as helps in its growth. It also assists in the development of the tree. Potassium on the other hand, assists healthy cell action.

Liquid bonsai food should be given preference as this helps the tree to soak up the food easily through the roots. Your bonsai also needs iron and vitamins in particular the B-complex vitamins.

Vitamin supplements

If you are unable to find this form of vitamins for your bonsai, you can make up a small mix at home that can be quite handy. Just use a weak beer and dilute it to reduce the alcohol content and water your bonsai with it. You can also use other supplementary forms of B-complex vitamins. Spraying the leaves of the tree with the vitamin is also a good idea. Remember that this should be done when the temperature is below 85°F as the pores of the leaves close above this temperature and therefore the exchange of moisture (vitamins) will be almost zero.

Yet another way of getting the vitamin supplements to the tree is by buying commercially available vitamin pills. Put these vitamins on either side of the tree trunk and water the bonsai everyday. This will make the vitamin seep into the soil, from where the roots can absorb the nutrients.

Remember that a number of bonsai beginners end up killing their precious bonsais by feeding it the wrong bonsai food during the wrong time of the year, or by feeding it too much. Therefore, you should try to maintain a balance and make sure that your tree never runs out of food and water – after all, it is a life and requires sustenance like each of us. If you take care of your tree properly, if you include proper bonsai food and if you remember to fertilize your tree at the right time, you will be able to create truly healthy and beautiful bonsais that are sure to astound everyone.