Naruko
Naruko is a slow release organic fertilizer from
Japan specifically formulated for outdoor bonsai trees. It breaks down over
time and feeds your trees every time you water making overfeeding and root burn
much more difficult. It’s a well balanced feed with equal parts N/P/K, nitrogen
(N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) at a ratio of 5:5:5. Sprinkle some Naruko
on the soil surface every 4 to 6 weeks depending on the soil type and what you
are trying to achieve with a particular tree. Remember good quality open and
gritty bonsai soils will lose nutrients fairly quickly through the drainage
holes when watering so it’s important to feed regularly throughout the growing
season to insure your tree has all the nutrients it need. Generally trees are
fed after the first spring flush of growth has hardened, usually a few weeks
after growth has begun in early spring. Continue to feed until Autumn before
the leaves have started to fall from the trees. Some evergreens will benefit
from light feeding once or twice through the colder months. When Naruko breaks
down it can sometimes look fury and a little mouldy or even produce a blackish
layer where the feed was applied. Don’t be alarmed as this is perfectly normal
and means the feed is breaking doing and doing its job. It might look a little
unsightly for a while but you can be assured that your tree is being fed well
every time you water. Naruko is probably the best value bonsai feed available
on the market especially when compared to the bigger brands. If your tree is poorly
or sickly DO NOT feed it as it will not make it better. Scrape off any feed
already on the soil, find the cause and wait until normal growth has resumed
before you start to feed again.
