Applying fertilizer?

[olneya]

I have a small bonsai in a pot about 6 inches wide and 2 deep. Its a red alder, they don't like nitrogen fertilizer because their roots house nitrogen fixing bacteria. I have a bottle of 0-10-10 but I can't find anything on how often to feed, or how much fertilizer per feeding or how much to dilute. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[sorce]

What does the package say?

I don't believe "they don't like nitrogen".
It says the Frankia allow them to survive in nitrogen poor soils.
Seems the nodules, which aren't very attractive or conducive to a bonsai pot, may actually get bigger without nitrogen, because they'll need them more.

I'd just feed em like anything else.

Sorce

 

[Paradox]

I am sorry but I dont know anything about this species so I cant give you any advice

 

[leatherback]

These are hungry bastards that love water. Where I grew up they would be growing along little canals about 1 inch above the waterline. I would say .. try to give it lots of water in the growing season.

I would not think twice about heavy fertilizing. As sorce said, the N-fixing nodules enable them to also grow in places with low nitrogen.

I grew up seeing these as weeks, which is why I do not grow them. If I did I would use regular to heavy fertilizing on them to start off with and only if that gave cause for concern, see whether low-N works better. This rarely is the case.

Think about it the other way around: In a world full of competitors, what sets you apart. Well, the fact that you can live under very poor circumstances. This does not mean you cannot live under very good circumstances.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

A magnifying glass near a window is a fire hazard, please put it away.

 

[leatherback]

Looking at the picture again.. You are NOT keeping this on the house side of the glass right? It is outside!?

 

[PA_Penjing]

was wondering why it was in leaf

 

[olneya]

Looking at the picture again.. You are NOT keeping this on the house side of the glass right? It is outside!?

No it's inside, we had a warm spell and I noticed a lot of the buds were opening. It was going to freeze so I brought it in to ride out the rest of the winter. My room usually stays around 60-70 and it had already been dormant for over 1000 hours this winter.

 

[River's Edge]

No it's inside, we had a warm spell and I noticed a lot of the buds were opening. It was going to freeze so I brought it in to ride out the rest of the winter. My room usually stays around 60-70 and it had already been dormant for over 1000 hours this winter.

Please take the time to fill out location and climatic zone! helps to keep your posts in perspective and the comments relevant to your situation!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Red Alder - Alnus rubra - is native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It comes from a wide range of elevations, its range includes small outlier populations in western Montana. So this species comes from a range of habitats, from mild Pacific area winters, to full on Montana, many feet of snow winters. It is a tree that normally would be best grown 100% of the time outdoors.

Since you have it indoors now, and it has started growing, keep it indoors until danger of a hard freeze has passed in spring. Then put it outdoors, and never bring it indoors again except for a few hours to display it, putting it back outdoors, when company leaves.

That is the "secret" with Japanese bonsai. The bonsai trees are not grown in those beautiful display alcoves. The trees are outside, until minutes before company arrives. They are cleaned off and set in the alcove for display. Then right after company leaves, the tree is put back outdoors to grow.

Tree species native to areas with cold winters, will need cold winter rests to remain healthy long term.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

I see red alders as weeds growing in a variety of heavily fertilized commercial farm fields. They don’t seem to mind.

I have some Myrica as bonsai that also supposedly will fix nitrogen, but I have a sneaking suspicion that extensive nodules only form in “native” conditions. I fertilize them like everything else.

Most plants that fix nitrogen are actually really inefficient nitrogen users from a physiological standpoint, and if we wanted to save the metabolic costs of nitrogen fixation by adding more fertilizer the amounts become prohibitive in an agronomic setting, but in a little pot it makes sense to just give em the fertilizer.