Fertilising guide
How to fertilise Shohin Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Kiyohime')— schedule & NPK
Also called Kiyohime Japanese Maple.
More about shohin japanese maple
About Shohin Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum 'Kiyohime' · also called Kiyohime Japanese Maple · flowering
Acer palmatum 'Kiyohime' is a compact, dwarf Japanese maple with short internodes and a naturally low, spreading habit, making it a classic shohin and small-bonsai subject. It leafs out fresh green with reddish margins and colours warmly in autumn. It demands sheltered light, steady moisture and a hard winter rest to thrive.
Growth habit: Dwarf deciduous shrub-tree with very short internodes and a dense, low, spreading 'witch's-broom'-style crown; needs apex thinning to prevent the top dominating and dying back.
What fertiliser shohin japanese maple actually wants — and why
Shohin Japanese Maple is an easy, light foliage feeder — a half-strength balanced liquid feed through the growing months keeps it green without forcing weak, sappy growth.
A balanced general houseplant feed (roughly even N-P-K) is exactly right — it is grown for foliage, so steady, moderate nitrogen for healthy leaves is the goal, not a bloom or root formula.
For the language behind the three numbers on the bottle — what nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium each do — see the NPK ratio explained entry. The short version for shohin japanese maple: match the feed to the job the plant is doing right now, not to a generic “plant food” on the shelf.
How often to feed shohin japanese maple, and which months
Feeding only earns its keep while the plant is in active growth and can use the nutrients — pour feed into a dormant or low-light plant and it simply builds up as root-burning salt. For shohin japanese maple:
Feed from leaf-out through summer with a balanced or slightly higher-potassium bonsai feed, easing nitrogen in midsummer to avoid coarse, long internodes. Stop feeding well before dormancy. Restrained feeding keeps the short internodes that make 'Kiyohime' so valuable for small bonsai. Treat that as sparingly through the growing season between spring through early autumn (roughly March to September); ease off in autumn and stop entirely in the low light of winter.
The dormant-season rule matters more than the exact interval: skip feeding entirely when shohin japanese maple is resting. For the wider context on indoor feeding rhythms across the seasons, the houseplant fertiliser schedule walks through the year month by month.
What strength to mix for shohin japanese maple
Half strength is the safe default for shohin japanese maple — houseplant feeds are formulated strong, and the diluted dose is gentler on the roots while still ample for foliage.
Feeding always goes onto already-damp soil, never dry roots — water shohin japanese maple first if the soil is dry, then apply the diluted feed. The companion question is when to water at all, covered in the shohin japanese maple watering schedule.
Signs you are over-feeding shohin japanese maple
Over-feeding is far more common — and more damaging — than under-feeding for most plants. The classic tells for shohin japanese maple:
- Brown, crispy leaf tips and edges with no sign of underwatering.
- A white, crusty salt deposit on the soil surface or pot rim.
- Weak, pale, stretched new growth that flops.
- Lower leaves yellow and drop while the soil is correctly watered.
Signs you are under-feeding shohin japanese maple
- Uniformly pale or yellow-green leaves, oldest first.
- Noticeably small new leaves and stalled growth in good light and season.
- A generally tired, lacklustre look despite correct watering and light.
If the symptoms point at watering, light or roots rather than nutrition, the full shohin japanese maple care brief covers soil, humidity and the common problems for this species.
Flushing and leaching the salts
Flush the pot of shohin japanese maple with plain water until it runs freely from the base every couple of months in the feeding season — it washes out the fertiliser salts that cause brown tips.
Organic vs synthetic feeds for shohin japanese maple
Organic options
A diluted seaweed or worm-casting feed, or fish emulsion if you can tolerate the smell indoors. UK: Westland or Baby Bio Organic, dilute seaweed; US: Espoma Indoor! or Neptune's Harvest fish & seaweed. Slow, gentle and hard to overdo.
Synthetic / liquid feeds
A general-purpose houseplant liquid at half strength — UK: Baby Bio, Westland Houseplant Feed or Phostrogen; US: Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food or Schultz. Convenient and fast-acting; the only risk is overdoing it.
Brand names are examples, not endorsements, and UK and US ranges differ — check the label’s own NPK and dilution rate, since formulations change.
Fertilising shohin japanese maple — frequently asked questions
What fertiliser does shohin japanese maple need?
A balanced general houseplant feed (roughly even N-P-K) is exactly right — it is grown for foliage, so steady, moderate nitrogen for healthy leaves is the goal, not a bloom or root formula. Shohin Japanese Maple is an easy, light foliage feeder — a half-strength balanced liquid feed through the growing months keeps it green without forcing weak, sappy growth.
How often should I feed shohin japanese maple?
Feed from leaf-out through summer with a balanced or slightly higher-potassium bonsai feed, easing nitrogen in midsummer to avoid coarse, long internodes. Stop feeding well before dormancy. Restrained feeding keeps the short internodes that make 'Kiyohime' so valuable for small bonsai. Feed from leaf-out through summer with a balanced or slightly higher-potassium bonsai feed, easing nitrogen in midsummer to avoid coarse, long internodes. Stop feeding well before dormancy. Restrained feeding keeps the short internodes that make 'Kiyohime' so valuable for small bonsai. Treat that as sparingly through the growing season between spring through early autumn (roughly March to September); ease off in autumn and stop entirely in the low light of winter.
What strength of feed for shohin japanese maple?
Half strength is the safe default for shohin japanese maple — houseplant feeds are formulated strong, and the diluted dose is gentler on the roots while still ample for foliage.
What does over-feeding shohin japanese maple look like?
Brown, crispy leaf tips and edges with no sign of underwatering. A white, crusty salt deposit on the soil surface or pot rim. Weak, pale, stretched new growth that flops. Lower leaves yellow and drop while the soil is correctly watered. Feeding shohin japanese maple year-round on a fixed schedule, including dark winter months, is the most common mistake — it cannot use the nutrients in low light and the surplus simply burns the roots and crusts the soil.
Should I flush the soil of shohin japanese maple?
Flush the pot of shohin japanese maple with plain water until it runs freely from the base every couple of months in the feeding season — it washes out the fertiliser salts that cause brown tips.
Keep reading
- Shohin Japanese Maple care — the full brief (light, soil, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- How often to water shohin japanese maple — the watering schedule
- The houseplant fertiliser schedule — feeding through the year
- NPK ratio explained — what the three numbers on the bottle mean
- How to fertilise peace lily
- How to fertilise bird of paradise
- How to fertilise hoya
- All 5561 fertilising guides in the Growli library