Bloom for bonsai

More nodes. More buds. More options.

Bonsai’s about control, not size. Each Bloom input is built to trigger one response in the tree. Here’s what to look for, and when.

See what each one does →The bonsai year

No bonsai trial data yet. Diagrams show what each input is designed to do.

Pre · internode shorteningMore nodes per inch means more buds to build ramification from.

Why bonsai’s different

Grow it small. Grow it right.

You’re not pushing the tree. You’re redirecting it.

Fine feeder roots

Short internodes

Small leaves

More branching

Keep your feed going. These are additives. They sit on top of your cakes, pellets or liquid feed. They don’t replace it.

What each one does

What to look for in the tree.

Rates are off our printed feed chart. The bonsai timing is our read on it.

The core three

Where we’d start

Core · root development

Roots

1 ml/L · 3.8 ml/gal first weekthen 0.5 ml/L · 1.9 ml/gal

When: at repot, while the root pad rebuilds, and again for the autumn root flush.

Core · internode shortening

Pre

1 ml/L · 3.8 ml/galfor two weeks

When: as new shoots extend after bud break, or after a pinch or prune.

Core · cell walls

Silica

0.33 ml/L · 1.25 ml/gal

When: through the growing season, into wiring, defoliation and summer heat.

Goes in first. Strongly alkaline, so pH it alone before adding anything else. Azalea and satsuki growers: check pH once it’s all in.

Fill the gaps

Inert mixes and soft water

Gap filler · 10% humic acid

Humate

2.5 ml/L · 9.5 ml/gal

When: summer maintenance, on into autumn.

Gap filler · calcium + magnesium

Cal-Mag

1 ml/L · 3.8 ml/gal

When: summer maintenance. Rain and RO water carry next to none.

Gap filler · trace elements

Sea Minerals

0.13 ml/L · 0.5 ml/gal

When: summer maintenance. A tiny rate goes a long way.

Timing tools

Foliar sprays, at dusk

Foliar · Southern Bluefin Tuna hydrolysate

Groigen

20 ml/L · 76 ml/gal of spray

When: straight after repotting, and through the spring flush.

Foliar · flowering & fruiting species

Florigen

20 ml/L · 76 ml/gal of spray

When: through the flowering period. Keep it off open blooms.

Development trees only

Growing out, not refining

Development trees only

Seafuel

1 ml/L · 3.8 ml/gal

When: only on trees you’re growing out for trunk. Fish, kelp and live microbes.

Not for refinement-stage trees. Once you’re refining, you’re holding growth back, not driving it.

The bonsai year

Tap a season. See what’s on.

Rest

Roots

Repot

Root flush

Pre

Bud break

Humate

Cal-Mag

Groigen

Post-repot

Florigen

Spring bloomers

Summer

Sea Minerals

Silica

Main windowOngoing or optionalFlowering species only

Northern Hemisphere seasons. Tropicals kept indoors run on their own clock, so go by their growth flushes.

Where’s your tree at?

Different stage. Different kit.

Growing out for trunk

Let it run. Sacrifice branches, a deep pot or the ground. Seafuel only belongs here. Pre waits until you’re building branches.

Roots

Seafuel

Humate

Cal-Mag

Groigen

Sea Minerals

Silica

Symptom spotter

Seeing this? Tap it.

Not a diagnosis. It shows what each sign is commonly associated with. If a tree’s going backwards, get someone to look at it in person. Your local club is gold for this.

Flowering & fruiting species

Got a bloomer? That’s Florigen.

SpringWisteriaUmeCrabappleQuince

Late spring–summerSatsukiBougainvillea

20 ml/L · 76 ml/gal of sprayat duskthrough flowering

Satsuki like it acidic. If Silica’s in the root feed too, check your pH.

How it compares

Feeding the tree vs. telling it what to do.

Feeds the tree

You control the timing

Built to trigger a specific response

Slow-release cakes & pelletsRelease depends on soil microbes, moisture and temperature.¹

Feeds✓

Timing–

Trigger–

Controlled-release prillsSet by the coating, then speeds up as it warms up.²

Feeds✓

Timing~

Trigger–

Balanced liquid feedsYou choose when it goes in. Applied more often than pellets.³

Feeds✓

Timing✓

Trigger–

B1 root tonicsResearch found B1 alone doesn’t stimulate root growth. Any rooting hormone in the bottle does the work.⁴

Feeds–

Timing✓

Trigger ?

Bloom’s targeted inputsSits on top of your feed. Each one runs at a set window: repot, bud break, the autumn root flush.

Feeds–

Timing✓

Trigger✓

Those feed the tree. Ours are built to trigger a specific response, at the right time.

On B1: every Signature bottle, Roots and Pre included, carries a bit of B1 and humic acid. We don’t lean on the B1. Roots is built on Durvillaea kelp, and Pre on Ascophyllum and Durvillaea.

Sources: ¹ University of Florida IFAS, HS1255 · ² UC Nursery and Floriculture Alliance · ³ Bonsai Outlet fertilizer FAQ · ⁴ Washington State University, Puyallup

Mixing

Three rules. That’s it.

Silica first

In the water alone. pH it, let it settle, then add the rest. Don’t chase pH after that. Acid-lovers: check the finished mix, since Humate’s alkaline too.

Foliar at dusk

Groigen and Florigen get time on the leaf before the sun’s on it. Florigen stays off open blooms.

Weak and often

Small pot, small root mass. If you’re unsure, go under the rate, not over, and build up.

Bonsai trial