When is the best time to start fertilizing? The buds on all my
bonsai are
beginning to swell up. Would a 16-16-16 do the job for a first
fertilizer of
the year? or would a low nitrogen based fertilizer be better?
Thanks. -
Colin Horn San Francisco Bay Area, CA

In SF, now would be OK. As far as which mixture would be best .
.. . any balanced fertilizer -- 5-5-5, 20-20-20, 16-16-16 -- the
size of the number doesn't really matter a whit -- will work for
many trees!

EXCEPT . . . for the exceptions: A mature, shaped deciduous
bonsai doesn't need a lot of N -- you don't want bigger leaves or
more height. Ditto for one that has yet to flower -- azalea. An
old pine or juniper also doesn't want to be pushed into rampant
growth. For these, a ratio of 1-2-3 might be better.

So, it depends. But you can start now. ;-)

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only where
people have learned to appreciate and cherish the landscape and
its living cover will they treat it with the care and respect it
should have - Paul Bigelow Sears.

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