Trees absorb nutrients from the soil through their root systems. When potted, repeated watering can quickly wash these nutrients away. A bonsai tree requires consistent feeding with a fertilizer mix to replenish the nutritional content of its soil.
Plants require water and sunlight, along with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from the air to create the sugars they need to grow. They also require specific nutrients from the soil to be able to produce amino acids, vitamins, proteins, and enzymes. Most plant soils naturally have a mix of these nutrients, but some, even those called