Is it time to lay off the Miracle Gro for the year?

[Mike Corazzi]

Late August. It did such wonders for the pines and junipers this year but I don't want to burn em if this is too late.

I also use on elm and oak (somewhat)
I know the olive hates fertilzer so all it gets is the organic LIGHTLY ..."once in a while."

What think?

Stop for the winter? I want to keep them fed but could switch to the low organic if best.

?????

 

[GrimLore]

Late August.

I stop fertilizing regularly on all my plants when they are no longer showing growth indicating they are done for the year. I also do the same for plants that come in for the Winter as I do not want them to grow shitty leggy growth for the Winter. They might get a very light fertilizer(inside) once during the Winter.

That is what works best for me in my climate and with the plants I have or have had.

I am guessing you have a longer growing season so let's see if people from your area have better advice for you

Grimmy

 

[coh]

I fertilize well into the fall. My trees have to go into winter storage around/just after Thanksgiving. I'm still fertilizing through most of October and will sometimes give a last dose in early November.

 

[Dav4]

Without knowing your climate intimately, I'd say more people would have laid off the feed during the hot summer, but feed heavily in the spring and fall, and perhaps even through the winter if it's mild enough. I live in GA and I start my feed in March and keep going into November. Of course, it also depends on the tree species and their level of development.

 

[JudyB]

Why doesn't your olive like fertilizer? Mine does well with my same regime as the rest of the trees.
I continue to fertilize thru fall. But I use an organic solid.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Why doesn't your olive like fertilizer? Mine does well with my same regime as the rest of the trees.
I continue to fertilize thru fall. But I use an organic solid.

This
http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/whats-going-on-with-my-olive.23572/#post-359171

So I laid off the fert and the tips stopped turning brown.
???????????

 

[JudyB]

Well there you have it. Use an organic during hot summer.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Atza wottta I does.

But I want to slam the other trees with Miracle Gro.

I mean this year is .....GREEN !!

 

[Guy Vitale]

I tend to keep fertilizing through the fall, I just tone it back a bit, I use organic and a balance fertilizer. I thought I had once heard Julian Adams say that if you use a fert for blooms it will help stimulate more backbudding on pines, so I started that last fall.

 

[coh]

Julian is a big advocate of the 12-55-10 type stuff in the fall. I picked some up a couple of years ago after a discussion with him. I've used it on some trees, but can't say if it really made any difference. Certainly didn't appear to hurt anything.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Julian is a big advocate of the 12-55-10 type stuff in the fall. I picked some up a couple of years ago after a discussion with him. I've used it on some trees, but can't say if it really made any difference. Certainly didn't appear to hurt anything.

Not the GLOWING RECOMMENDATION I was searching for.

 

[Guy Vitale]

Not the GLOWING RECOMMENDATION I was searching for.

It is what it is, ask a question get a wide variety of answers, everyone feels what they are doing works for a reason. The only way to truly find out is to try something different than what you are already doing and see if you get better results.

 

[coh]

The problem is, unless you do a really careful, controlled study with lots of plants, it's difficult to know whether a particular product made any difference. Maybe I use the 12-55-10 one year and get LOTS of backbudding on my pine. Well, how do I know it was that fertilizer and not something else, maybe more sun that season, maybe the recent repotting, something else....maybe my cultural practices are just improving.

The take away from many of these discussions is simple - many different types of approaches work. Many different soils (even turface despite what some say...Julian uses that almost exclusively), many different fertilizers (it doesn't have to be organic), etc.

 

[just.wing.it]

Most of my stuff is still pushing new growth out...
I won't stop feeding strong until November probably.

 

[Potawatomi13]

At least for Ponderosas it is recommended that after harden off of needles until dormancy to fertilize heavily to encourage growth buds(ramifiers)for next years growth. This works well for me. Not sure about other pines.
Personally continue on all other trees until ending watering because of rains seasonal arrival. Have gotten 2nd and sometimes 3rd growth on small oaks with good care.

 

[bonsaibp]

I personally stop in August- the trees mostly go into a heat induced semi dormant state and fertilize again mid Sept. and Mid Oct. Than stop until Feb-spring for me.

 

[amkhalid]

I think a lot of it depends on the species and it's level if development. For example, I only fertilize my more refined larches in the fall. They don't get any fertilizer from me otherwise throughout the year. The fall fert strengthens them up for the winter so they will bud out nicely in the spring. Too much fert during the growing season makes them too shaggy.

Fall fertilization is really important, especially for more refined trees that you don't want to be fertilizing in the spring.

Anyway, I definitely wouldn't cut out all the fertilizer.

 

[twisted trees]

Not the GLOWING RECOMMENDATION I was searching for.

Any high 2nd and 3rd number helps root growth which continues into fall. I fertilize for Bill Valavanis at the International Bonsai Arboretum and we are still using Miracid mixed with Superbloom and Mean Green fertilizer cakes topically for at least the next few weeks. USDA zone 6.