Fertilizing over winter

Jo53ph

Yamadori
Messages
66
Reaction score
13
Location
Toledo OH
USDA Zone
6a
Has anyone ever used Alaska (morbloom 0-10-10 fertilizer on junipers in the winter ? If so did it work good
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
I live far enough north, my trees are dormant in winter. Do not fertilize a dormant plant. Do not fertilize a frozen plant. My junipers are actually frozen right now.

If your trees are growing, even slowly, it is okay to fertilize. So if temperatures are above 40 F, or above 4 C, continuously, then your trees may be active. It is okay to fertilize in this situation. Fertilizer dose rates should be adjusted to the growth rate of your trees. In cool weather, above 40 F, growth is slow, fertilize at somewhere around 1/4 to 1/8 the recommended on the label strength. In warmer weather, above 60 F or above 15 C, fertilize at 1/2 to full label strength depending on what type of growth you are looking for. In warm weather above 70 F use full strength if you want rapid growth. And in very hot weather above 90 F, above 32 C stop fertilizer completely, as trees tend to go dormant at high temperatures.
 

Jo53ph

Yamadori
Messages
66
Reaction score
13
Location
Toledo OH
USDA Zone
6a
Ok I really do appreciate your reply I live in Toledo Ohio and this is my first time overwintering any trees right now I have them in my garage for the winter I have been doing a lot of reading and studying bonsai and a lot of what I read said to fertilize during with a no nitrogen fertilizer in the winter months My trees are doing ok but some look a little brownish on the tips not all of them just mostly the nursery plants that are still in the nursery pots with the nursery soil not bonsai soil . Anyway thank you agian for the reply and I guess I’ll wait to fertilize .
 

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Messages
13,959
Reaction score
45,886
Location
B’ham, AL
USDA Zone
8A
Alaska brand is good fertilizer...but not necessary in the winter.
 

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
Messages
12,419
Reaction score
27,837
Location
Charlotte area, North Carolina
USDA Zone
8a
a lot of what I read said to fertilize during with a no nitrogen fertilizer in the winter months

Welcome to the site!

@Leo in N E Illinois is dead correct on this. Think about it this way - if your tree is dormant and completely shut down for the winter, how is it able to take up nutrients? It absorbs water through the roots via osmosis - and that is how dissolved minerals are taken up by the tree - but if the ground water is frozen and the roots are shut down, what good does fertilizer do? And even if the tree DID take up nutrients, what would it do with them? It isn't growing.

So in the best case, all you are doing is throwing away money by adding fertilizer that isn't serving any purpose. In the worst case, you are adding fertilizer that is building up in the soil and may cause issues in the spring when your trees DOES wake up. Excess potassium and phosphorous can stunt growth or cause issues with your tree's ability to take up other nutrients. So wait until your tree wakes up :)
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
Toledo, a climate that is very similar to the climate on the family hunting camp / blueberry farm in southwest Michigan. If you ever get over to the South Haven, or Kalamazoo area, If I'm on the farm then, drop in.

About zero nitrogen fertilizers. These are a pet peeve of mine, in that their use really should be discontinued. Long explanation, but if anyone recommends zero nitrogen fertilizers they did no research. That is a now debunked left over from research done for vegetables and perennial outdoor flower beds at the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, England way back in the 1880's. The results observed were valid because at that time London had a major smog problem from people heating homes with coal. All the nitrogen needed was being deposited by acid rain, rain pulling the various nitrates, and sulfates out of the smog as it fell. So yes, if you have heavy smog, you don't need nitrogen. BUT if you do not have heavy smog, if acid rain is not an everyday issue, you MUST add nitrogen to keep your fertilizer balanced to the needs of the tree. Michigan State University, Lansing has a series of articles published for the wholesale potted plant industry discussing plant nutrition. All plants need the same nutrients in the same relative proportions year round. The total quantity needed varies with temperature, growing season, but regardless of season they need fertilizer that is roughly 12-1-4, this is ''balanced'' in terms of what the plants use. If a person took as much Vitamin D as Vitamin C the Vitamin D would kill them. The plants do not use all nutrients at the same rate, so a 10-10-10 fertilizer is NOT balanced. A 12-1-4 is balanced.

Once caveat. Potassium is actively used to absorb nitrate, NO3-, and many modern fertilizers use all nitrate as the nitrogen source instead of using ammonia, or urea. In this case an all nitrate for nitrogen fertilizer should be about 12-1-12. This is a balanced all nitrate fertilizer formula.

Unless you are in a continuous feeding program, or a hydroponics set up, in which case, even if you are using a nitrate sourced fertilizer you should use a 12-1-4 to prevent excess potassium from stalling out growth.

Hope this helps. I do have references PM me if needed.
 
Top Bottom