This month we have some very special items on feature; namely, 0-10-10 fertilizer and the Masakuni Spray Nozzle.

Let’s face it, it may be quite hot now in most of the country, but fall is fast approaching. Remember, you should be getting out your farmer’s almanac now and calculating when the first frost will be if you don’t already know. 6 weeks before the first frost, you want to be giving your bonsai the 0-10-10 fertilizer. Why? Because Nitrogen (the “0” part) encourages growth, and makes the leaves soft, tender and green. Those are the parts ‘ol Jack Frost likes best!

The 0-10-10 fertilizer will encourage your plant to move into a semi-dormancy during the fall and winter and focus its energy on the roots. Remember, strong roots equal a strong plant!

I’m always adamant about the 0-10-10 fertilizer each year at this time because – well, I made the mistake when I was first starting out of using the regular “grow” version of bonsai fertilizer and let me just say it wasn’t pretty. It didn’t kill the plants, but it reminds me of what it must look like to Florida orange growers when their trees get hit by frost – lots of brown leaf tips. The worst part is the plant starts off slowly in the spring.

Anyway, I’ll quit rambling. Make sure you have plenty of 0-10-10 fertilizer for your bonsai and start them on it 6 weeks before the first frost in your area.

Now to the Masakuni Spray Nozzle …

Of all the bonsai tools I sell, only 4 products (essentially) have a feverish following. First, there is the Fujiyama black metal concave cutter – people love the Fujiyama tools and EVERYONE needs a quality concave cutter. I sell thousands of them and get many wonderful letters and pictures from people telling me how great they are! Then the Tokoname pots that I sell are prized and adored by each owner. I get lots of letters telling me of how beautiful they are – that makes me happy! Then there is the Bonsai Conversations product I did with Michael Miller. It has received a great response from you – thank you!

Finally, there is the Masakuni Spray Nozzle. I think that people are as passionate about this spray nozzle as Harley Davidson owners are about Harley Motorcycles. I have people buying 3 and 4 of them at a time because they just HAVE to have one on every hose. I can understand. The spray nozzle produces such a fine spray that feels so good when you put your hand under it that people have written me to ask if Masakuni makes a shower head, and if not, do I think it’s possible to create one from it. All I can say is, I wish! I love this spray nozzle!

To make the best use of it, you should go to a home improvement center and get a cut off valve for the end of your hose. They cost about $1.50 and I thought about selling them, but the good brass one is heavy and it would cost $1.00 to ship it. Since most home owners are at a home improvement center almost every weekend anyway, it’s easy enough to pick one up.

Let me just say that if you use a cut off valve, you can adjust the water to be just right. At full blast with the nozzle inches from the soil, the spray is too powerful - most soils will wash away. But it is ideal to hold it up about 4 or 5 feet and broadcast it to a large area. It’s just like a drenching, soaking downpour - It’s fantastic!

Since I mentioned the Bonsai Conversations product, I want to show you just one of the nice letters we received this month from Gerard Esposito.

“I purchased the conversations with Fred Meyer.  I want to thank you for providing this information to the public.  I have spent hundreds of dollars on bonsai books over the 30 years I have spent raising bonsai. The information provided on the audio files gave me goose bumps.  As I listened, I was familiar with the information but the way a Master (Fred Meyer) answered the questions was just as if I had asked.  Your customers should be assured that Fred is answering the questions they should be asking but probably don't know enough to ask.

Thanks for the great quality products you offer, I know that the dollar to Yen is killing your pricing, but I know that I can't get these products for any less on my own.  The collection of items, especially Rainbow liquid is great for most of my plants, especially my Maples.

Your business is the reason I am successful in bonsai cultivation. THANK YOU (also thank Fred for sharing his knowledge; I'm sure he could charge hundreds of dollars for this info.)

- Gerard Esposito

Thanks again Gerard for letting us use this testimonial! Mike told me I could charge more for the Bonsai Conversations, but I wanted to price it so that everyone can get hold of the info. Now more than ever we need to make sure we are passing along the love of the hobby to as many as we can.

I know there are many of you out there who are doing just that with your children and grandchildren. It warms my heart! Bonsai is a wonderful, wholesome hobby and brings a lot of joy to our lives. Creating beautiful bonsai is not hard; it really only takes dedication. Committing to spend a couple minutes everyday watering and a couple hours in the spring is all you need. You can scale your time investment to be as big or as small as you personally wish. What you receive in return, more than makes up for the effort.