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Hey!
It’s July Already! What's Up Now???
It’s
hot and we are watering and fertilizing like crazy
………. That’s what’s up!
This month’s
reminder is on why we need to fertilize this time
of year.
Yes, in
springtime you know you must support your Bonsai with
a boost of fertilizer as it has just put on a flush
of new growth.
Now, this
time of year you are providing your Bonsai with a
supporting dose to survive the onslaught of high temperatures
during this period of heat stress.
Here are
some points to remember this time of year:
A. It’s
typical for temperate climate plants to close up their
breathing pores (stomata) when temperatures inch above
85 to 90° F. your Bonsai enters into a state of
suspended animation – just trying to survive
the high temperatures and protect the moisture it
has in its leaves/needles from evaporating. The higher
temperatures will dry out the Bonsai above the ground
level. The Bonsai will then in turn pull up moisture
from the soil to replace this loss of moisture. The
extreme ending to this is a very unhappy Bonsai that
can very easily get diseases and will be unable to
ward off insect pests because of its lowered resistance.
Of course, this can cause death because of extreme
losses of moisture. To efficiently utilize this point
of natural survival, you should attempt to water early
in the morning and late in the afternoon. Give the
leaves/needles a splash of water to keep them turgid
(full of moisture). By utilizing this routine you
will increase your Bonsai’s ability to survive
this stress level brought on by the high temperatures
of summer.
B. You’re
watering twice, three, four times as much now as in
the winter. You should water until the water runs
out the drainage holes. Your soil should be kept evenly
moist, but not wet. Your potting medium should have
excellent drainage properties. One of the two problems
I am aware of in excellent drainage is that the fertilizer
that you have been giving your Bonsai will leach out
with each watering. (The other problem with excellent
drainage is that you have to water more often). So
the answer is to fertilize more often this time of
year. Again – with fertilizer – we are
just trying to keep our Bonsai in good health –
not trying to make it grow 6 feet in 6 months. The
more often you fertilize the better it is for your
Bonsai – BUT – the caveat is don’t
over fertilize. “Gosh! You just said for me
to fertilize often – but then you say don’t
over fertilize.” How do you reconcile these
two opposites? Without getting into the technicalities
– here’s what I’m saying –
it’s the strength of the fertilizer that you
are giving your Bonsai each time you apply it. It’s
better to fertilize at a lower strength more often
than it is to fertilize at a higher strength less
often. It’s better to fertilize once each week
at a lower level of strength than to fertilize at
a higher level of strength once each month. I realize
that some Bonsai people cannot fertilize too often
because of their other commitments –but if you
can fertilize more often at a lower rate then please
do. If you have excellent drainage you should not
get a buildup of the fertilizer because you are leaching
your soil at the same time you are fertilizing when
the water, along with the nutrients, is flushed out
the drainage holes.
Fertilizers
You can view our entire range of fertilizers by visiting:
http://www.dallasbonsai.com/store/fertilizers.html
Shameless Self-Promotion
When you are looking for quality fertilizers for your
Bonsai, please remember that we only carry the finest
fertilizers on the market, at a price that usually
beats the inexpensive all-purpose name brand fertilizers.
How do we do it? Simple, we are the largest Bonsai
Supply store in the world. We import boat loads of
items from Japan and pass the savings on to you. Also,
because we are the largest, we carry many items that
no one else can. We guarantee that no one has neither
better quality products, better selection, nor better
prices than us.
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