After the pruning I just performed, it was time to fertilize the medium Golden Gate Ficus cutting. Similar to the pruning, this whole process only took a few minutes. I have given an outline of how to fertilize a Golden Gate Ficus in the post about my large specimen. In this post, I will go over the steps again, and provide a video explaining exactly how to do this.
Current Condition
Less than ten minutes ago, I finished pruning a decent amount of leaves off this tree. Since I already have this tree pulled out and all my supplies at the ready, I am going to fertilize this tree as well. In an attempt to support continual canopy growth, fertilizer will be introduced. The roots of this tree have started to develop quite nicely and can support the added stress caused by fertilizer. Hopefully, this judgement call is correct and the tree’s health is not damaged by doing this. Only time will tell!
How to Fertilize a Medium Golden Gate Ficus Cutting
The fertilization process for almost every plant is the same, depending on what you use. Personally, I use slow release pellets on most of my bonsai trees. For this cutting specifically, I will also be using these slow release pellets. Depending on the brand you get, these can last anywhere from four to twelve months. Mine say they last for twelve months. Currently, the longest application to any of my bonsai trees is nine months. After nine months, the pellets still appear to have fertilizer in them. I was skeptical of the twelve month evaluation, however, at this rate it may hold true.
The application process is very simple. First, using a pencil, finger, or any pointy object, poke holes in the soil spread out around the pot. Second, measure out the desired amount of fertilizer you want to apply. Usually, this amount is specified on the fertilizer packaging and should be followed with moderate caution. If you want to apply less fertilizer than the packaging says, go right ahead. Nothing bad will happen from doing this. The caution is when you apply more than what is specified. Doing this can easily lead to root burn and scorching of the tree’s leaves. Next, drop the fertilizer pellets into the holes you just poked. Lastly, cover the holes back up and press down the soil firmly. It is strongly recommended that you water the tree thoroughly directly after applying the fertilizer. This watering starts to spread around the fertilizer, activating it slowly.
The video above shows this whole process, in detail, and should provide as a good guide to use when you want to apply fertilizer to your bonsai trees.
Final Results
This fertilization was a success in addition to the pruning I just performed. Recently, this cutting has grown in a lot of new leaves very quickly. Unfortunately, most of these new leaves were the ones removed in the pruning. I don’t know why, but all the new leaves were over-sized and did not fit the design of the tree. I hope that by fertilizing this tree now, multiple sets of new leaves begin to grow back in quickly. This bonsai will need some time to recover from all this maintenance. For the foreseeable future, it will rest nicely on the shelf in front of my window.
This video is on my YouTube page just like all the others. Be sure to check it out to see all my videos in one place. If you missed the last post about the pruning, check it out here. Head on over to the Gallery to see these pictures and every other picture I have taken!
