Fall Fertilizing: Nitrogen

Fish seaweed is mild and well-balanced for fall fertilizing. Reduced nitrogen Horticulturists, bonsai teachers and others have long been advising people to reduce nitrogen fertilizing in late summer and fall. The keyword is “reduce.” Some nitrogen is necessary when you fertilize otherwise the phosphorous, potassium and other nutrients can’t do their job properly. Fall growing season in mild climates Here’s what Michael Hagedorn of Crataegus Bonsai has to say about nitrogen and the fall growing season: “We might also begin thinking about fall fertilizing. I think fall fertilizing is more important for bonsai, particularly developed ones, than spring fertilizing. In … Continue reading Fall Fertilizing: Nitrogen

A Timely Watering Tip from Michael Hagedorn

This illustration by Kyosuke Gun is from our Masters’ Series Juniper book. It is a perfect fit for this post that is borrowed from Michael Hagedorn’s  Crataegus Bonsai. Before the real summer heat hits, consider how you are watering your trees. Have you ever seen your trees grow through spring just fine, only to get fried leaves at the first onset of early summer? Ever wonder why that happens? Those trees just don’t have enough roots. Those are the trees that got overwatered, or simply never dried out, in the cool spring months. Their roots were never encouraged to hunt … Continue reading A Timely Watering Tip from Michael Hagedorn

How to fertilize for a better nebari

This very useful tip comes courtesy of from Michael Hagedorn of Crataegus Bonsai, author of Post Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. For those of you who like growing maples and other deciduous trees that might develop a marvelous fused nebari, when that tree is young, fertilize right next to the trunk of the tree. Fine fusable roots will grow right under your fertilizer cakes, the kind that develop into the solid nebari pancakes that we see on really old bonsai and trees in the wild. If we fertilize only at the outside of the root system, the … Continue reading How to fertilize for a better nebari