Azalea Starter

[nurvbonsai]

Greetings,

I’ve looked through a few of the azalea threads here as I picked up one recently and in one of the threads Miracid was mentioned as the one to go with for nukes and I was curious enough to post my picture here to hopefully garner feedback on best direction to go. Thank you very much.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Greetings,

I’ve looked through a few of the azalea threads here as I picked up one recently and in one of the threads Miracid was mentioned as the one to go with for nukes and I was curious enough to post my picture here to hopefully garner feedback on best direction to go. Thank you very much.

Nukes? Looks like you put the fertizler on the soil instead of mixing it with water? Just wondering why? It also looks like too much and I'd take it off before you fert burn the roots. Unless of course this a technique I'm not familar with. Good luck.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

please remove all vestiges of the Miracid and put it in a zip lock bag for later use.

The max amount we use for application is 1/2 of the measuring spoon provided per gallon for an azalea in peat based media every 4 weeks

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Shibui]

Definitely read labels on fertiliser and pesticide to make sure you are using correctly. Failure to follow directions can kill you or the trees.

A few grains left on the soil and then watered in well should be OK but definitely get as much as possible off. It looks like enough there to fertilise 20 trees or more - or enough to kill 1 or 2

 

[rockm]

You should also know that satsukis aren't heavy "feeders." Using a ton of fertilizers isn't great thing to do.

 

[nurvbonsai]

Definitely read labels on fertiliser and pesticide to make sure you are using correctly. Failure to follow directions can kill you or the trees.

A few grains left on the soil and then watered in well should be OK but definitely get as much as possible off. It looks like enough there to fertilise 20 trees or more - or enough to kill 1 or 2

Well I went and ahead and used all of it. It was a table spoon with what came in the package.

 

[Shibui]

Well I went and ahead and used all of it. It was a table spoon with what came in the package.

I suspect the instructions say mix that tablespoon of fert with a gallon of water?
That's enough to fertilise 10-20 trees. Way too much for one small pot

 

[nurvbonsai]

I suspect the instructions say mix that tablespoon of fert with a gallon of water?
That's enough to fertilise 10-20 trees. Way too much for one small tree

I suspect the instructions say mix that tablespoon of fert with a gallon of water?
That's enough to fertilise 10-20 trees. Way too much for one small pot

So I can hold off for a long while also on more fertilizer?

 

[Shibui]

Adding lots of fertiliser at one time does not mean it will last longer. When you water all that fertiliser will dissolve into very strong liquid fertiliser and will probably kill the roots of the azalea. If, by some chance, the tree survives, most of the fertiliser will keep moving down through the pot with each watering and out the bottom. Within a few weeks it will all be washed away, no matter how much you heap on the soil. More is NOT better.
If you want a longer lasting fertiliser you will need to use some sort of solid organic fert which can last for a month or so.
For even longer term nutrients supply use controlled release fertiliser. Several brands including Osmocote and Nutricote. They allow a small dose of nutrient each time you water. Different release rates available from 3 months through to 12 months.

 

[nurvbonsai]

Adding lots of fertiliser at one time does not mean it will last longer. When you water all that fertiliser will dissolve into very strong liquid fertiliser and will probably kill the roots of the azalea. If, by some chance, the tree survives, most of the fertiliser will keep moving down through the pot with each watering and out the bottom. Within a few weeks it will all be washed away, no matter how much you heap on the soil. More is NOT better.
If you want a longer lasting fertiliser you will need to use some sort of solid organic fert which can last for a month or so.
For even longer term nutrients supply use controlled release fertiliser. Several brands including Osmocote and Nutricote. They allow a small dose of nutrient each time you water. Different release rates available from 3 months through to 12 months.

I wasn’t planning to add more for a while and just wait and see.

 

[Gabler]

I wasn’t planning to add more for a while and just wait and see.

That much fertilizer is likely to kill your tree. Remove it and save it for later. Follow the directions on the label.

 

[nurvbonsai]

That much fertilizer is likely to kill your tree. Remove it and save it for later. Follow the directions on the label.

At the time of posting Gab, I waited most of the day for a response but it didn’t come until the next day. So I watered. It will be another lesson

 

[leatherback]

I wasn’t planning to add more for a while and just wait and see.

I would remove all, then flush the soil several times with water.
This is way to much salt to add in one go.

 

[Shibui]

If it has already been watered into the soil then follow advice from @leatherback above. Flush the pot with plenty of water to try to wash out as much of the liquid fert as possible.