Foliar feeding

[Mortalis]

Mortalis,
Are you saying you use hydroponics to grow trees? Thats interesting. I have often wondered if it would work well to use hydroponics on cuttings.

It works very well. Trees grow just as well as any other plant in hydro.

What species are you growing hydroponically ?

Benjamina and Retusa at the moment. But any tree should be able to grow this way.

 

[Mortalis]

This article by Jerry shows you just why I do start my trees in Hydro.

http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/Hydroponics.html

 

[kytombonsai]

Tom, I noticed you are using fish emulsion for foliar feeding. Is this because you found it worked best or have you tried diluted inorganic fertilizers (your average NPK ferts) as a foliar feed. The reason I am asking is because most of the specialty foliar fertilizers that I have ran across are kelp/seaweed or fish emulsion based ferts.

Why do your junipers green up for just a short time?

Dave, I foliar feed with organic and non organic fertilisers. I had always heard that you should alternate different fertilizers so that is what I do. The junipers are always green but the fertilizer almost seems like it gives them a different shade of green. Kind of like when you are watering with a hose for about a month during the dry times of the summer and then you get a good soaking rain, everything turns a brighter shade of green from the rain water.

Tom:

 

[Vance Wood]

Dave, I foliar feed with organic and non organic fertilisers. I had always heard that you should alternate different fertilizers so that is what I do. The junipers are always green but the fertilizer almost seems like it gives them a different shade of green. Kind of like when you are watering with a hose for about a month during the dry times of the summer and then you get a good soaking rain, everything turns a brighter shade of green from the rain water.

Tom:

Rain when associatied with thunderstorms, will alway release Nitrogen from the air and make things greener.

 

[Oleg]

Thanks Smoke,

I went to my local hydro store and was advised that for a foliar spray fulvic acid is water soluble and more readily absorbed by the plant than Humic acid. Looking at my options those with fulvic acid had instructions for foliar feeding while there were none on the labels of products containing only humic acid. Looking on the net I saw products with both, does anyone have any insights on the difference, or experience using fulvic acid? It seemed to me that the humic acid was favored for soil and fulvic for hydro, my trees are mostly in grit, so therefor hydro.

Thanks Chris

 

[GrimLore]

Thanks Smoke,

I went to my local hydro store and was advised that for a foliar spray fulvic acid is water soluble and more readily absorbed by the plant than Humic acid. Looking at my options those with fulvic acid had instructions for foliar feeding while there were none on the labels of products containing only humic acid. Looking on the net I saw products with both, does anyone have any insights on the difference, or experience using fulvic acid? It seemed to me that the humic acid was favored for soil and fulvic for hydro, my trees are mostly in grit, so therefor hydro.

Thanks Chris

Hey Chris there is a good chance @Smoke my not even use the same methods and substrate anymore so I tagged him here for updates. This thread is from 2009 and I kno I at least have changed venue a few times since

Grimmy

 

[petegreg]

Once I red about Hinoki cypress and the benefits of foliar feeding. Can anybody confirm it?

 

[Oleg]

Thanks Grimmy

 

[GrimLore]

Once I red about Hinoki cypress and the benefits of foliar feeding. Can anybody confirm it?

I never foliar feed any plant. I feed a combination of liquid and granular at the substrate surface as I tried foliar feeding and it made no difference HERE except much higher costs... I have a new small Hinoki here this year and it does great with surface watering and fertilizer. If you have a variety that can turn deep blue add a mix of two tablespoons of Epson salt per gallon of water and toss some at it in between feedings - the results are pretty amazing during grow season

Grimmy

 

[petegreg]

I never foliar feed any plant. I feed a combination of liquid and granular at the substrate surface as I tried foliar feeding and it made no difference HERE except much higher costs... I have a new small Hinoki here this year and it does great with surface watering and fertilizer. If you have a variety that can turn deep blue add a mix of two tablespoons of Epson salt per gallon of water and toss some at it in between feedings - the results are pretty amazing during grow season

Grimmy

Thank you, my variety 'Bronze Pygmy' tends to go yellowish, so I might try foliar feeding for the rest of season to see... One tree will not rise the cost rapidly.

 

[Vance Wood]

I foliar feed every thing simply because it is impossible to find different ways to feed everythng.

 

[Dav4]

I haven't deliberately foliar fed anything in over 7 years...so far so good.

 

[petegreg]

I foliar feed every thing simply because it is impossible to find different ways to feed everythng.

Thanks, Vance, at least I can see it will not harm it in reasonable amount.

 

[Oleg]

Thanks for your input.

 

[Vance Wood]

I use products that claim they can be used as foliar feeding. I have done it this way for more than 30 years. Do what you want I am not going to try to convert anyone, I just feel that some are buying expensive and difficult to apply products that don't do any better than the cheap crap you can buy at any local nursery.

 

[petegreg]

Thank you one more time. I always appreciate your experiences put here, sir.

 

[Vance Wood]

Thank you one more time. I always appreciate your experiences put here, sir.

I appreciate that but remember, just because I have been doing this stuff for a long time does not always mean I'm right. Things keep changing and sometimes things change and go beyond what I remember. It is possible I am trying to beat a horse and someone else is selling me a tractor.