Fertilizing question

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Should I wait till the first flush of growth fully hardens off before starting to fertilize?

I will be using a liquid fertilizer.



Should I do this for all my deciduous trees?
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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What's the goal of fertilizing?
If you want good health and optimal growth output, you should start just before spring growth starts.
If you want little growth and good health, you should start after the first flush has hardened and fertilize just a little. Stop a couple of weeks before the second flush.
If you want to be careful, fertilize not at all.

I'm laying off almost all fertilizer on one of my pines this year, as it's entering a refinement stage. I want the needles to stay small and shoot elongation to be minimal. It was fed agressively for the past three years, it can take a year off.
 

Adair M

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What's the goal of fertilizing?
If you want good health and optimal growth output, you should start just before spring growth starts.
If you want little growth and good health, you should start after the first flush has hardened and fertilize just a little. Stop a couple of weeks before the second flush.
If you want to be careful, fertilize not at all.

I'm laying off almost all fertilizer on one of my pines this year, as it's entering a refinement stage. I want the needles to stay small and shoot elongation to be minimal. It was fed agressively for the past three years, it can take a year off.

what kind of pine?

I fertilize my JBP in spring because they will get decandled, and will need that for the second flush.

I don’t fertilize my JWP in the spring because I don’t want long internodes and/or long needles. Those I wait until the end of summer to fertilize.

The fertilizer I’m using is the organic cakes.

I will give all my pines a bit of fish emulsion in the spring and summer. This helps to keep them green.
 
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Thanks that helps :)
Recently bought a trident maple, sadly three of the branches in the crown broke during shipping.
They were too thick in my opinion anyway and I don't want to repeat that again so it might of been best I didn't fertilize before spring growth.

If you want little growth and good health, you should start after the first flush has hardened and fertilize just a little. Stop a couple of weeks before the second flush.

Second option might be best for its health and to work towards building crown again, what do you think?
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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what kind of pine?

I fertilize my JBP in spring because they will get decandled, and will need that for the second flush.

I don’t fertilize my JWP in the spring because I don’t want long internodes and/or long needles. Those I wait until the end of summer to fertilize.

The fertilizer I’m using is the organic cakes.

I will give all my pines a bit of fish emulsion in the spring and summer. This helps to keep them green.

It's a sylvestris. I gave up on japanese black pines this year. I can't keep those healthy. I've tried for three years, from seed and from nurseries, they just go sick and stay sick.

The pot the sylvestris is in, is huge. So there's enough buffer, maybe a bit too much even. I do a regular micro-nutrient spray, which also helps a lot to keep them green, but without nitrogen.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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Thanks that helps :)
Recently bought a trident maple, sadly three of the branches in the crown broke during shipping.
They were too thick in my opinion anyway and I don't want to repeat that again so it might of been best I didn't fertilize before spring growth.



Second option might be best for its health and to work towards building crown again, what do you think?

Well, I can't see the tree but reading that it has some damage, I'd go for maximal growth output and cut back later.. Do the minimal feeding next year.
But I have to acknowledge that I have an aversion for maples, I know most of their health issues but not their behavior, someone else might have better advice based on actual experience with them.
 

Adair M

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It's a sylvestris. I gave up on japanese black pines this year. I can't keep those healthy. I've tried for three years, from seed and from nurseries, they just go sick and stay sick.

The pot the sylvestris is in, is huge. So there's enough buffer, maybe a bit too much even. I do a regular micro-nutrient spray, which also helps a lot to keep them green, but without nitrogen.
Ok. That’s a “single flush” pine. No fertilizer in spring. Begin fertilizing mid summer.
 
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@Adair M

Do you have any advise for fertilizing Juniperus Sabina?

I was thinking of trying a diluted high nitrogen fert spray on the foliage maybe once a week.
 

Adair M

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@Adair M

Do you have any advise for fertilizing Juniperus Sabina?

I was thinking of trying a diluted high nitrogen fert spray on the foliage maybe once a week.
Well, I guess it won’t hurt.
But I never spray fertilizer on my Junipers. I fertilize with organic cakes on the soil, and fish emulsion about every other week. On the soil. Oh, I’m sure some gets on the foliage, but that’s not my intent.

when I water, I use a Masakuni spray wand. I have a separate value to control the water flow. When I water my junipers, I turn the sprayer on max and “power wash” the foliage. A bit. Spider mites don’t like it! Lol!!!
 
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