How do we move away from over reliance on chemical pesticides in bonsai? In search of a better, more holistic, and healthful response to pests and diseases, we turned to tissue testing and plant-specific fertilization. For the past 12 months, our soils and plant tissues have been tested regularly to identify nutritional imbalances that can signal the presence or effects of pest species and/or the early stages of disease. We have used these test results to guide us as we apply plant-derived amend