So many fertilizer questions, so little time.

[markyscott]

Must be springtime. An explanation mostly in pictures.


Pick your favorite fertilizer. The numbers refer to the proportional concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium when it's diluted. Most get nitrogen from urea. It's cheap, but needs to be broken down in the soil to be used by the plant. I use this and alternate it with fish emulsion every week.



Follow the instructions.

 

[markyscott]

Water until it runs out of the bottom. Do it once a week. I do it on Saturday morning during the growing season - February through December. I take January off.

 

[markyscott]

These are fertilizer cakes (kind of). Some people make cakes. Some people buy little baskets or use tea bags. I make little cups out of 1 1/2" PVC pipe. Whatever works for you. Skip this. Or don't and put your favorite mild solid organic fertilizer in it so your tree gets s bit of fertilizer every time you water.

 

[markyscott]

This is what I do with a coarse inorganic soil. If you use a bunch of organics or if you use a finer grained soil, you can use less fertilizer. Perhaps a lot less.

 

[markyscott]

This is also what I do with all trees in development. I figure if you're asking about how to fertilize, you're collection is not in the refinement stage. Once you're there, you'll know how to fertilize refined trees.

 

[Adair M]

I do the fertilizer cakes that come in the big square cans. And fish emulsion every week. You're more scientific about your measuring than I am. I do the fish stuff by the glug. Two glugs for my plastic watering can. I water my trees first, then come around with the fishy water.

I take it you survived the floods. I was thinking about you.

 

[markyscott]

I do the fertilizer cakes that come in the big square cans. And fish emulsion every week. You're more scientific about your measuring than I am. I do the fish stuff by the glug. Two glugs for my plastic watering can. I water my trees first, then come around with the fishy water.

I take it you survived the floods. I was thinking about you.

Thank you for asking, Adair. We came through just fine. Rained a lot though.

In practice I don't measure that carefully either, but this was for folks looking for instruction. There must be five "how do I fertilize" threads going on. I wanted to be explicit.

 

[Adair M]

Thank you for asking, Adair. We came through just fine. Rained a lot though.

There are advantages to high ground!

As long as you have lightning rods!

 

[markyscott]

There are advantages to high ground!

As long as you have lightning rods!

It's true - I live in the highest elevation land in Houston. 59' above sea level. We are virtually towering over the rest of the city. Probably casts a bit of a rain shadow. That's what spared us.

 

[fredman]

Yeah I saw that on TV news. First thought was for Scotty and the other nutters there...

 

[sorce]

Scotty

Pretty sure his head will remain above water ......

It's the 120 lbs of thumbless primate that may get washed away!

Sorce

 

[Wilson]

Could I ask as to what organic solid fert you prefer? I had a box of some slow release sold to me last year that was way too harsh, so I stuck with fish and kelp diet! Thanks for your articles, always super informative!

 

[markyscott]

Could I ask as to what organic solid fert you prefer? I had a box of some slow release sold to me last year that was way too harsh, so I stuck with fish and kelp diet! Thanks for your articles, always super informative!

I cycle between fish emulsion, hasta grow and kelp. For the solid fertilizer, I make cakes or, more frequently, use those pvc cups you see in the pictures and fill them with Microlife. Osmocote and that class of slow release fertilizer are fine for growing out trees, but when they become more developed, you have to be able to NOT fertilizer sometimes and that's more difficult for me if the fertilizer is mixed in the soil.

 

[Adair M]

I cycle between fish emulsion, hasta grow and kelp. For the solid fertilizer, I make cakes or, more frequently, use those pvc cups you see in the pictures and fill them with Microlife. Osmocote and that class of slow release fertilizer are fine for growing out trees, but when they become more developed, you have to be able to NOT fertilizer sometimes and that's more difficult for me if the fertilizer is mixed in the soil.

And that's the advantage of tea bags! The "grounds" don't settle into the soil.

 

[Starfox]

Had I seen this thread last month I may of started doing this a month ago. I have been using those little Japanese cakes but felt like I needed more so only yesterday gave my trees their first liquid fert.
For now I can use the fertiliser and change it up with sea weed juice, at least that is my plan.

Do you up the P for flowering trees at the flower stage?

 

[markyscott]

Had I seen this thread last month I may of started doing this a month ago. I have been using those little Japanese cakes but felt like I needed more so only yesterday gave my trees their first liquid fert.
For now I can use the fertiliser and change it up with sea weed juice, at least that is my plan.

Do you up the P for flowering trees at the flower stage?

Hi Starfox - I have a few azalea and bougainvillea, but not too many trees that put on a good flower show. I've never done anything other than regular application of good balanced fertilizer on any tree, flowering or not. The only thing special I do is on my more developed trees. For developed pine, I remove fertilizer after decandling and don't initiate fertilization again until after extension of needles on the summer shoots. For developed deciduous, I withhold fertilizer in the spring until the spring flush has hardened off.

 

[Adair M]

I withhold fertilizer on my JWP in spring, and begin fertilizing them once the needles have hardened off in summer.

 

[Starfox]

Hi Starfox - I have a few azalea and bougainvillea, but not too many trees that put on a good flower show. I've never done anything other than regular application of good balanced fertilizer on any tree, flowering or not. The only thing special I do is on my more developed trees. For developed pine, I remove fertilizer after decandling and don't initiate fertilization again until after extension of needles on the summer shoots. For developed deciduous, I withhold fertilizer in the spring until the spring flush has hardened off.

Well that all makes sense to me and not only that it is pretty straightforward especially for us new folk. I like this whole thread, thanks for it.

Only reason I mentioned upping the P is that is what I do sometimes with other flowering non bonsai plants but it probably is far easier to keep it well balanced.

 

[GrimLore]

Noticed a few things, DRAM, Haws, Micro-Nutrients, and a low Nitrogen content. My notes vary a little on it but not by much -

I don't mix any fertilizer in my galvanized Haws as it eats the interior finish - use the plastic one. The finish doesn't bother me - I just don't know what that reactions causes good or bad for plants.
Low N count won't bother Nitrogen fixing plants but I use a 20-20-20 so the Nitrogen fixing plants get 0 N in the form of Bloom Blaster.
Nothing complex or a lot different except I don't use cakes but granular instead that contains very light fertilizer, systemic pesticide and, fungicide.

Grimmy

 

[markyscott]

Noticed a few things, DRAM, Haws, Micro-Nutrients, and a low Nitrogen content. My notes vary a little on it but not by much -

I don't mix any fertilizer in my galvanized Haws as it eats the interior finish - use the plastic one. The finish doesn't bother me - I just don't know what that reactions causes good or bad for plants.
Low N count won't bother Nitrogen fixing plants but I use a 20-20-20 so the Nitrogen fixing plants get 0 N in the form of Bloom Blaster.
Nothing complex or a lot different except I don't use cakes but granular instead that contains very light fertilizer, systemic pesticide and, fungicide.

Grimmy

Thanks Grimmy - I'll have to run home and look at my watering can now - I've not noticed any deterioration of the finish but I can't say I've looked very carefully either.

Although I called them cakes, the fertilizer in the cups is a granular. I use Microlife.


And the dram water breaker is great - I really like that nozzle.