All About Watering, Soil, & Fertilizing for Bonsai Beginners
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If you're a bonsai beginner, this is the video for you! Today, I'll share with you what I have found to work for me from my 50 years of doing bonsai. I've killed many trees when I was first starting out, but I stand by these principles that I've learned and refined through trial and error. Watering, soil, and fertilizing all work together as a system. Once you understand the basics of each, you will be growing healthy and beautiful bonsai trees in no time!
0:00 Introduction
0:45 Watering
2:13 Fertilizing
3:00 Soil Mixture
5:10 Watering systems
6:00 Mulch
Videos Mentioned:
- My Proven Soil Mix for Bonsai: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l7WVmLtyrMiahGQ.html
- Refining & Pruning My 25-Year-Old Trident Maple Bonsai + Progress Updates: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/odmDqMdm3pjQiIE.html
- What do GOLF & BONSAI have in common?: kzfaq.infojRMryUPmkZQ
Exciting news coming soon! Sign up to receive updates about Bonsai Heirloom at bonsaiheirloom.com.
Questions about your bonsai? Leave a comment below or you can reach out to me at hello@bonsaiheirloom.com.
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@kanishkakk4017 Жыл бұрын
Great video and thank you for conveying the subtext of bonsai. 🙏
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching! I appreciate the support :)
@renzokukenleonhart Жыл бұрын
There's not many videos on field growing bonsai. I would love to see a series of videos that follows the journey of a field grown tree compared to a pot grown tree. I want to see if there are differences in care and training of field vs pot grown.
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Yes! That is in fact what I am going to be doing--showing you the progress and journey of my bonsai. There's no difference between a field grown tree and a pot grown tree…a tree is a tree. Use the philosophy to make lemonade when you have lemons…that is--follow the natural structure of the tree on hand to optimize the design. This way, you are bound by one’s own limitation…that's why every one of my trees has a unique look. This is a good philosophy to follow.
@jeffhurst4744 Жыл бұрын
Good video covering the basics in starting out in our hobby. There are way too many takes on Bonsai soil composition - it should drain “well”; it should retain moisture; and have gaps for air (tiny gaps). I like your suggestion on its composition, and that a particular tree may need or require a little additional additive. Hmmm, basically using liquid fertilizer, and every other week, during growing season. Keep them coming my friend.
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Excellent takeaways, Jeff! I'm glad you found my video helpful and I will definitely keep the videos coming! If there's anything specific you'd like to know, I'm happy to cover it in a future video, so feel free to comment it!
@Blaydrnnnr 11 ай бұрын
Some trees need to hold moisture longer then others, so soil is usually "customized" from the basic mix for some trees, depending on your area, climate habits, rain habits etc. It's sort of a trial kind of thing. I add or reduce organic material to slow down or speed up the draining process. As for the fertilizer, again, there are the "basic" rules, but will often need to be customized to your environment. This goes for how much sun as well. Well established trees will tolerate things more then trees in development. You will learn to "understand" what your trees are telling you if you pay attention. Good advice, good video. Thanks for posting it.
@robertkelly5025 2 ай бұрын
I would love to see a video on the mycelium network and how it can effect bonsai and on the related note, soil additives that encourage micronutrient uptake by the roots. To better understand what sandy loam is, I would refer people to the soil texture triangle.
@sutaglianetti4854 Жыл бұрын
Thank you. Thank you.
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Thank you for watching!
@Blaydrnnnr 11 ай бұрын
All good advice. There are thousands of people giving THEIR way of doing things, but bonsai is a very personal journey. All the tips and methods you will see should be considered "tools in the toolbox". You will call upon a tool when it could help, or might work for you. But not all will. I have been learning for over 30 years and learn more every day. Dont follow what people say as law. Things might work for them, but not fit your environment. Learn the basics. YOU must learn to understand what your tree and plants are telling you and what the reactions to decisions are. Then you will adjust. My soil is not entirely like his, but the basics remain. Same goes for fertilizer, pruning, wiring, . There is SOME biology to this that you will learn, but bonsai is an art form, keeping the trees and plants alive and healthy is the basics. Creating the art is your taste. Good stuff. Thanks for the video. Looking forward to more.
@bonsaiheirloom 11 ай бұрын
Yes, exactly! Great takeaway! :)
@proMetronics 2 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for your creative and informative videos!! I love your decisive culture of creating a design, which you present in the videos. I see the excellent combination of experience you utilize to get to a result faster. This is of course also combined with the basics of nurture, which is offered if one has a garden or open space to grow up plants. I am living indoor in a city appartment, thus having restrained myself to indoor bonsai. So far i have only put trust in ficus, because it is a sure bet. From what i learned is, that ficus is not really growing small leaves. So the illusion is more difficult to create. I would love to see some video about starting an indoor bonsai in the same radical way, you present with older seedlings picked from the garden. Which of the species, would be available as older tree seedlings and surive indoor? I have researched chinese elm or Crassula. Thank you so much, if you could create a video for indoor advocates.
@judgetoogood1033 8 ай бұрын
Thank you
@mikec3820 Жыл бұрын
thank you for sharing your know how milton. i like the powdered fertilizers best. i use at everywatering in the growing season. but only about 1/4th strength of the labels suggested dose. unless its a tree type that likes higher doses like my portulacaria afras. i nuke them with double strong doses of fertiliers.. been using general hydroponics maxi grow and the sta green cheap stuff from the home/garden stores
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing what works for you and your trees. An important part of doing bonsai is tweaking what you learn to make it work for you and your conditions. Maybe your method will work great for others as well! Let's keep sharing and building this community!
@bonsaibob8253 8 ай бұрын
I have been using GS fertilizer for years and love this product. So do my Bonsai. Another great video. !
@ayehodgy5675 Жыл бұрын
i love your videos i just started learning how to take care of plants and growing vegetables bonsai is the end goal i will begin that journey sooner than i expected after finding you
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
I appreciate the kind words. Wishing you the best of luck on your journey!
@Nerox009 Жыл бұрын
Great video! I'd be nice if you could also explain in another video (when ever you have time) how to treat pests or illnesses and how to prevent them, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for all the effort and passion. Take care!
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Hi there! I rarely had to deal with plant disease so I'm no expert. I recommend you learn from your local nurseryman. A tree is a tree whether it is made into a bonsai or not. When it gets buggy, use a mild pesticide, like Malathion. Snails can usually be caught hiding in the bottom of bonsai pots during the day. If ants are a problem, use spray or ant bait. Most work well. Hope this helps!
@Nerox009 Жыл бұрын
@@bonsaiheirloom yeah thanks a lot! Take care friend 👍
@3did-oy7ec Жыл бұрын
Thanks! 💚This video is also very informative and useful for me.
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
@newmethodfitness4930 9 ай бұрын
As a beginner, I thank you for the help. Great information!
@bonsaiheirloom 9 ай бұрын
Thanks! Feel free to ask me any questions you may have!
@sheilachadbourne4093 10 ай бұрын
Love your videos. I need to get back into bonsi again. Its very relaxing
@bonsaiheirloom 10 ай бұрын
It is! Bonsai really helps me with my mental health and stress relief. It's a wonderful hobby.
@Fambamm-ib6pw 4 ай бұрын
This video was very helpful, educational and informative ❤. Thanks for sharing your passion with us 🙏
@bonsaiheirloom 4 ай бұрын
Thank you! I hope you're enjoying bonsai!
@JoseMindo 9 ай бұрын
Thank you sir,,, learning center,,, good offurtuity for everyone,,, pillowing basically struction for planting of bunsai 🌲,,, God bless you 💕 sir.... that's my skill,,, trully...
@obi-wan-chris-coby602 11 ай бұрын
Great advice thank you!
@bonsaiheirloom 11 ай бұрын
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.
@manaturnerbudge3503 9 ай бұрын
Thank you, great and informative video
@bonsaiheirloom 9 ай бұрын
Thank you for watching!
@sigidaqso4869 5 ай бұрын
I use organic waste that I ferment with EM4 yeast. that's a natural organic liquid fertilizer that we make. and as far as possible do not use chemical fertilizers. BONSAI GREETINGS!!! INDONESIAN BONSAI TROPICAL BONSAI
@ancientoak Жыл бұрын
Great Video! It's so useful
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Glad to hear that. Thank you very much!
@kevinthomas2470 6 ай бұрын
I think a good video would be the pros and cons of leaving bonsai trees outside for the winter.
@bonsaiheirloom 6 ай бұрын
Thanks for the idea!
@jacktaylor6190 Жыл бұрын
Living in south Florida, your soil mix would cause more problems then I need, I use pumice, lava rock and stalite.
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Hi there! I recommend you stick to a mix that works for you. Why not? Try and compare two similar bonsai side by side before rejecting what might potentially be a good/better idea.
@shuancook9005 11 ай бұрын
Hello there 👋🌳 What ever works in your area stick with it as you probably intend to👍🌲 I remember 20 years ago when I bought 6 -14Lrt bags of Akadama went home and repotted about 30 large trees in it 🌲. It was the biggest mistake I have ever made in growing bonsai. had to remove them and add some soil mixture to stop them drying up. Akadama makes a good surface cover for a show but comes strait of when I arrive home you can’t tell if the tree is dry or not as it looks so on the surface but wet underneath. Now there’s coco coir to🌲 Not going there😀 The internet is so confusing on soil mixture I think 🤔 Especially for beginners these days . I watched a video and a guy was using kitties litter in the mix It’s designed to break into a silt ,and no idea what it’s made from . Regard Shaun 👍
@jacktaylor6190 11 ай бұрын
@@shuancook9005 Thanks for your reply, I have a good media now that is great for South Florida trees, and it is working well.
@shuancook9005 11 ай бұрын
@@jacktaylor6190 all good 👍🪴
@ShaneLovesGardening Жыл бұрын
Well, time to go water my trees!
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Yes! Have fun!
@jenniferatkins3087 11 ай бұрын
@@bonsaiheirloom😮
@jenniferatkins3087 11 ай бұрын
@@bonsaiheirloom🎉
@TeBiDoWil 4 ай бұрын
I wanted to hands on all the materials to become familiar with them so I ended up making a mix of crushed lava rock, pumice, aged fir and pine bark, aged redwood, calcified rock, fine gravel, vermiculite, perlite, and sand. I also have a lot of moss available. Is there any benefit (besides aesthetic) or concern to adding this on top of my bonsai soil? Thanks! 🙏🏻
@bonsaiheirloom 4 ай бұрын
No firsthand experience…if you think more is merrier, by all means. It is good to experiment! It is pretty easy to keep trees happy by providing holding power (soil), air, water, and fertilizer….from that standpoint.
@user-ln4tz4ih5r 4 ай бұрын
dzień dobry, mieszkam w Polsce i interesuję się drzewkami bonsai od dłuższego czasu. Spodobało mi się Pana podejście do istoty tworzenia drzewek bonsai. Pozwolę sobie zatem zapytać czy zna Pan sposób na przygotowanie samodzielnie odpowiednich nawozów do bonsai z łatwo dostępnych komponentów (kompost, obornik itp) - zależy mi na samowystarczalności w tym zakresie i wykorzystanie tego co jest pod ręką. Czy uważa Pan, że takie podejście do tematu jest słuszne? Pozdrawiam serdecznie :)
@christophersherratt7299 Жыл бұрын
Your very talented 👏 how come you don't have a 200 gallon cutter collection put a pump in it and keep the grass and plants Looking good 👍 😊
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
This may be a very good idea in your area…to collect gutter water. This is not customarily done in our area…although people started to talk about that during the recent drought. I do have a 500 gallon tank to store water from my well, which produces all year round.
@bonsaibob8253 8 ай бұрын
I live in Sarasota Florida. We had a extremely hot summer, many days 108+. I watered frequently as needed but found the clay pots were reaching 140+ in full sun to the touch. I have no shade to speak of and lost 2 dozen trees. What can I do differently if next summer is as bad?
@bonsaiheirloom 8 ай бұрын
Add a lath house…ie, make up a canopy of shade cloth. Some people would mist their bonsai to keep bonsai moist and cool. Trees grow fast!
@brucedeacon28 Жыл бұрын
👍👌🙂
@katyb2793 Жыл бұрын
In my understanding I shouldn't fertilise in winter (I live in the southern part of Australia, winter temperatures are btwn -1 and 15 degrees Celsius. Sorry I don't know what that is in Fahrenheit). I've been noticing over the last couple of years some of my evergreen trees have been looking pale as if they need fertiliser in winter. This year in particular it's my mirror tree. Would you have any suggestions, and could it be that I didn't fertilise enough during spring summer and Autumn? Thank you!
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Hi Katy! I don't know your “total” environment. Trees are dormant in winter, and therefore fertilizing them at that time would be a waste. I am not familiar with mirror tree. I googled it to be Coprosma, which is borderline hardy, but I am not sure. When in doubt, fertilize from spring onward!
@katyb2793 Жыл бұрын
@@bonsaiheirloom thank you! Yes, Mirror Trees are Coprosma (or Through the Looking Glass Trees), I'm sorry I forgot they're native to New Zealand, so you probably wouldn't be familiar with them. They're everywhere here in Australia, they're classified a weed in a lot of states.. which makes them perfect for bonsai 😁 It's an evergreen and is 'resting' right now, so I imagine you're right, fertilising would be a waste. It has a huge growth spurt in Autumn (Fall) when my deciduous trees are slowing down. Perhaps I'm not fertilising enough at this time. I must say, it's a great species for bonsai, it grows like crazy, heals wounds as fast as lightening, and the leaves are super shiny in the sun, hence the name Mirror Tree. It's one of the first trees I grew from seed and I haven't killed it yet, so I think that says a lot about how good the species is 😂 Apparently the fruit is edible too although I'm not sure I would test that out!
@katyb2793 Жыл бұрын
@@bonsaiheirloom actually I have another question.. i use the slow release pellets to fertilise, but they activate with heat and water, and it seems they're not activating as early as my bonsai are waking up from dormancy. I also use fish and seaweed liquid fertiliser too, but I heard you shouldn't use the fish fertiliser in early Spring when the trees are just waking up and new growth is soft.. Do you have any thoughts on that?
@Blaydrnnnr 11 ай бұрын
@@katyb2793 Dont be in a rush to fertilize too early in spring. Give the trees time to start to break. In some cases, waiting to fertilize until early summer is preferred to shorten node length. Fertilizing early can sometimes get the tree growing so strongly, that the nodes can become elongated, causing "leggy" growth. ( tis depends on the species of course, maples, especially ) I use a high nitrogen fertilizer in early spring on many of my trees. ( depends on what I need the tree to do in spring ) I use the fish/kelp fertilizer on ALL my trees starting in early summer through the fall. The fish/kelp fertilizer can, sometimes, "burn" soft growth, just as I dont use Malathion until the new growth has hardened off as well, for the same reason.
@gustavoaguilar4496 Жыл бұрын
Do you keep your maple outside or inside in a controlled environment?
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Hi there! I keep my bonsai outdoors.
@Blaydrnnnr 11 ай бұрын
Maples need to live outdoors.
@aprilcollins5313 8 ай бұрын
Is it possible to dig a western redbud and turn it into a bonsai?
@bonsaiheirloom 8 ай бұрын
It's one of my favorite trees…almost all shades of pink to purple. I think they will be beautiful bonsai in the spring. Hard to imagine a small bonsai in scale with big leaves.
@aprilcollins5313 8 ай бұрын
I was concerned about the leaf size. Will the leaves get smaller when you stunt the growth, or stay large? I just have some that self seeded that I thought I might try. I suppose it's no loss if I don't like them as I was going to take them out anyways.
@dennissells Жыл бұрын
Can l grow juniper tree in thailand Thanks Dennis sells
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
Of course! Juniper is very forgiving. Here in the US, they are grown in massive quantities in Florida.
@user-pn8rw4zw6c 7 ай бұрын
Cutting plant
@thenaturecreater8906 Жыл бұрын
You forgot one crucial thing.Watering depends where you live in the world. The climate. And how the pot drains.
@robertscarborough68 Жыл бұрын
🙄
@bonsaiheirloom Жыл бұрын
All bonsai pots have good drainage holes. I did say, everything you do, include the environment as a “system.” Test things out and find what works best for you and your situation!
@christophersherratt7299 Жыл бұрын
Gutter soz
@beakovacs8077 Жыл бұрын
Thank you
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