chemical fertilizer

buddhamonk

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I bought some of that stuff because I've been using liquid miracle-grow until now and I barely remember to feed my trees at most once a month if not every two month. I do use imported rapeseed cake but that's getting expensive and a lot of it just disappears when squirrels are around and looking for a good meal I guess.

Has anybody experienced with this stuff. It looks ugly but easy to apply. I've placed one to two table spoon depending on the size of the tree. Is is more likely to burn the tree compared to organic fertilizer? I tried to get some Grobetter chicken manure but couldnt find any locally.

http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70290
 

JasonG

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It works fine....just like Osmocote or another slow release fert. I have used it in the garden, on freshly collected material and trees in pots. Its fine......

Now I wouldn't use it on something that I didn't want to see little green balls on the soil :)
 

buddhamonk

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thanks for the reply Jason.

I actually put that stuff on all my trees. Not planning on showing any this year.
 

pauldogx

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Most people I know have had bad experience with Osmocote type ferts. Peter Adams absolutely warned against them. He says they have a tendency to dump too much fert at once and none at others as they are temp related release. I have no personal experience--but at one of Peter"s workshops he was adamant about this and said he lost a bunch of trees at his nursery in England because of Osmocote.
 
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From the Miracle-Gro® Shake 'n Feed FAQ :
Can the Miracle-Gro Shake 'n Feed Continuous Release All Purpose Plant Food be used in containers?

This product may not be used on container plants. For outdoor or indoor container plants, we suggest Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food. If a slow release plant food is desired, use the Osmocote Indoor/Outdoor Plant Food.

As for the supposed ravages of osmocote, I simply don't believe it. It is primarily targeted to professionals who generally fertilize more than we do. If correct usage of osmote or similar product where to provoke that kind of disaster, no horticulturist would be still buying it.
 

garywood

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I have to agree with Alain. A healthy tree with any reasonable soil will not be damaged with topical fertilizer. There has been a lot of science invested in these fertilizers and these are large corporations where profit margins are dependent on sales. They just wouldn't sell something, that's used with reasonable practice which would kill a tree.
Wood
 

Shima

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From the Miracle-Gro® Shake 'n Feed FAQ :


As for the supposed ravages of osmocote, I simply don't believe it. It is primarily targeted to professionals who generally fertilize more than we do. If correct usage of osmote or similar product where to provoke that kind of disaster, no horticulturist would be still buying it.

Exactly. But this one is probably not like osmocote which releases according to temp and is useless in cool weather. The new generation of multi/nano controlled release ferts are polymer coated and release according to H20 volume. I get mine at a farm supply in 40 lb bags, 14-14-14 with minors and is labeled for lawn and landscape use.
 

pauldogx

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Just passing on some info I thought relevant. Several other Bonsai nurseries around me wont use Osmocote either. Use the info as you will.

Personally I use Dynagrow for chemical fert in the spring and as soon as its warm I use organics only(rapeseed cakes and Neptunes Harvest Fish and Seaweed emulsion)
 
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buddhamonk

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I guess i'll take it off the small trees and finished trees but keep it on trees in development in nursery container or boxes. Anyway thanks for the input.
 

jk_lewis

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Most people I know have had bad experience with Osmocote type ferts. Peter Adams absolutely warned against them. He says they have a tendency to dump too much fert at once and none at others as they are temp related release. I have no personal experience--but at one of Peter"s workshops he was adamant about this and said he lost a bunch of trees at his nursery in England because of Osmocote.

AMEN! You have no idea when, or how much, fertilizer is going to your trees.

(But, personally, I think someone who "can't remember" to feed his trees might better spend time doing something else.)

There is another -- and more important -- reason for not using time-release fertilizers. Unlike growers of other plants (crops, flowers, etc.) we don't want our trees to grow BIG. We want them to be healthy. So we feed them enough for health, but not so much that they grow rampantly.

Time release fertilizers feel all the time (sometime is massive doses) uring the plant to grow constantly.

This is the same reason I'd frown on those who put a little fertilizer in the water every day.
 
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On the contrary, you have much more control of how much you give to your trees than with an organic fert.
5 g/L substrate gives me an EC of about 2.5 in hot summer day.

How much organic fert for the same EC ?
 
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buddhamonk

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AMEN! You have no idea when, or how much, fertilizer is going to your trees.

(But, personally, I think someone who "can't remember" to feed his trees might better spend time doing something else.)

There is another -- and more important -- reason for not using time-release fertilizers. Unlike growers of other plants (crops, flowers, etc.) we don't want our trees to grow BIG. We want them to be healthy. So we feed them enough for health, but not so much that they grow rampantly.

Time release fertilizers feel all the time (sometime is massive doses) uring the plant to grow constantly.

This is the same reason I'd frown on those who put a little fertilizer in the water every day.


interesting...

Walter Pall has been recommending the exact opposite of what you're saying...

http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/2009/06/feeding-again.html
 

bonsai barry

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Interesting discussion. As I fertilized today I was wondering. Is 16-16-16 mean that the fertilizer is twice the potency of 8-8-8?
 

jk_lewis

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Well, when it comes to things horticultural, Walter and I seldom see eye to eye. I'll follow his lead on the art aspects, but . . .

And I fail to see what the triggering mechanism has to do with anything. You STILL can't control how many of those little pellets of fertilizer are going to trigger all at once.
 

milehigh_7

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Now let's not let this become folar feeding or wound sealing everyone. If you don't feel comfortable just don't it. If you want to make your own than do that. Can't we all just get along? :D
 

buddhamonk

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yeah I'm gonna start trusting "three random letter from the alphabet" ... who's been on the website since January and is telling that he "personally" thinks I shouldn't be doing bonsai
 

milehigh_7

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Besides being in Oregon, do you really need to do anything but put your trees outside and watch them thrive? ;-) I can tell you I put what ever brand of extended release I find on sale in all my trees at the beginning of every growing season. However, that means nothing as I have never "finished" a tree... :eek:
 

rockm

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"I barely remember to feed my trees at most once a month if not every two month."

this would seem to me, at least, to be an issue with basic care, not with NPK amounts. If you can't remember to care for your trees, how does dumping a lot of fertilizer that encourages additional inattention going to help?

Sorry, I'm being a cranky old so-and-so...
 
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