Lush summer foliage and impressive deadwood on an old Shimpaku juniper.The lush foliage is the result of timely feeding.* The photo is from our Masters Series Juniper book. I know the tree is from Japan, but don't know who the artist or owner is.
For some of you lucky ones, it’s already spring. For most of the rest of us, it’s time* to start enriching the soil with slow release fertilizers. This post is one of our archival favorites (July, 2015). Nothing has changed since then, except our lower fertilizer prices.
Many, if not most people underfeed their bonsai. There are many reasons why ample fertilizing is critical to developing healthy and beautiful bonsai…
1. It’s up to you. Most bonsai soils don’t contain nutrients. This means your tree’s nutritional requirements are completely dependent on you. If you do use a soil that contains nutrients** (organic matter), these will eventually get used up or leach out.
2. Healthy foliage is beautiful foliage. You want vigorous healthy foliage. The foliage on underfed trees will lack color and luster.
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You can bet that this luxurious crown is the result of generous feeding. This lush Kiohime Japanese maple belongs to Walter Pall, so I'm guessing that's his arm and hand. It (the tree not the hand) is 45 cm (18") high and more than 50 years old. It was originally imported from Japan. This photo and the one below are from Walter's blog.
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3. Rapid thickening. Fertilizing promotes rapid growth which promotes trunk and branch thickening (younger trees and older more established trees are treated differently*).
4. Ramification. Healthy growth (along with skillful trimming) promotes the development of fine branching (secondary, tertiary and so forth).
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Walter's maple after he reduced the crown and turned it around. Now the proportions are better and you can see the bones better too. This shape and crown will be maintained by proper feeding (more summer less spring on older trees*) and skillful trimming. The pot is by Petra Tomlinson.
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5. Pest resistance. Healthy well-fed trees are better able to resist pests.
6. Stress resistance. Same goes for heat, cold, wind etc.
7. Human error. Healthy well-fed trees with strong roots can better resist forgetting to water or over-watering (but only up to a point).
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This hornbeam belongs to Mario Komsta. I lifted it from an old Bark post (2010). It's an great example of a powerful trunk and an exceptional example of fine branching, the result of ample fertilizing and skillful trimming. Once the trunk and branching are well developed you can reduce or ever stop spring feeding but continue to feed in the summer.*
*With younger trees you want rapid growth so you start feeding in the early spring (or even late winter with slow release fertilzers) and keep feeding right through the summer. With older more developed trees too much growth can cause loss of shape, but you still want healthy trees with beautiful crowns. The secret here is to apply a small amount of slow release fertilizer in the early spring and then wait until the summer to start serious feeding.
**Organic matter in soil tends to inhibit aeration (aka drainage) and is not recommended by most bonsai professionals.
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