mushashi

Hi,

I have a question about watering/fertilizing for bonsai. I have been watering my bonsai with tap water that has a reading between 180-210 PPM dissolved solids and was feeding my trees seaweed extract fertilizer every two weeks during the season. I prefer to use organic fertilzing techniques. This seaweed extract is fairly tame though. I think it is about 1-1-1 or something like that.

About a month ago someone suggested that I start using my RO water to water the trees because it is better quality. My RO usually reads about 15-17 PPM. Anyway, I have noticed something recently, primarily with some of my deciduous trees. The leaves have developed a somewhat yellowish cast to them. It does not seem to be yellow like chlorotic and it is not bright yellow like overwatering or the like. It is more like a tint or just not as green as it should be. I really notice it on my Ginko. It is almost like the very start of fall color.

Anyway, I started wondering if it might be due to the RO water being too low in some minerals or the like, or is it coincidence. I recently, last feeding switched to Bonsai Pro liquid fertilizer which is a 7-9-5 and has a bit more iron, just in case.

My big questions are does anyone have an idea whether I should switch back to my tap water, is it the fertilizer(too soon to say on the Bonsai Pro) I only fed one time with it so far so too soon to tell if new fertilizer will help, or am I missing something?(most likely)

I would really like to find the cause and get these guys to green up a bit more before they start yellowing for the fall.

Oh, one side note: I have a Acer Palmatum Seikimori in a cascade design that also has done something strange. All the leaves have a very pretty red outline to them on the outer edges, but a few of them turned slowly yellow over a few weeks and fell off much like you would see in the fall. I am not sure what to think about that one. It looks like one more leaf will fall off and the rest for now seem to be remaining green with the red edges.

Does it look like this might be a related problem or another coincidence? It is almost like I am getting an early fall around here.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks.......

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