Last weekend I purchased two nice 20 year old azaleas in training pots. Two
inch trunks with nice growth and back-budding.

I have a hard (well) water problem here in central PA.
Should I be using an acidifier ?

I have a bag of Vigoro time released 15-7-7 that I use on my yard azaleas
with good results, and I'm wondering if I can't sprinkle some on the bonsai
soil ?
Or should I be using diluted Muracid directly in the water ?

Comments ?

I have no idea what "Vigoro" is; does it contain micronutrients? Because the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of iron uptake in azaleas, or something like that. If your bonsai is in an artificial medium like bark:turface, there are no sour
ces of micronutrients except those that you supply, and therefore you need a full-spectrum fertilizer like Miracid with chelated iron (soluble and in a form plants can utilize). Don't dilute fertilizer; use it at directed strength.

I have never heard of anyone having iron deficiency in a bonsai'ed ericaceous plant. Has anyone? It would be useful to know if this is more of a perceived problem than an actual one. Certainly it is a problem in nursery propagation, but the water used f
or irrigation is often substandard.

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