Low Nitrogen Fertilizers?

digger714

Shohin
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I am looking for some fertilizer to feed the trees in fall to promote root growth. What is a good product to use for low nitrogen fertilizers that is readily available?
 

rockm

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Low nitrogen fertlizer is unnecessary. THat line of thought is old and disproven. Regular old balanced fertilizer is perfectly OK. You don't "stimulate" new root growth with PK fertlizers. You maintain something the plant is doing at the time. It would push new roots and not new top growth in the fall in any case.

Plants use what they need at the time they need it and the rest drains off. Nitrogen will not stimulate new growth in the fall. Plants are not in active growth cycles. They're preparing for winter, including putting new "wood" on their trunks and pushing additional roots now.

Don't sweat the low N stuff...
 

subnet_rx

Mame
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Yeah, I read a post or article much like that a couple of years back. I switched to using Miracle-Gro tomato or rose fertilizer (both fairly balanced, tomato is like 18-18-21). I haven't seen any bad effects from doing this, although I do slow down fertilizer applications in fall/winter to once a month at regular strength.
 

rockm

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I used to use Miracle Grow Tomato fert. eigt or nine years ago. It didn't do much of anything. I switch to regular old Miracle grow in the fall. No hassle looking for specialized fertilizer, no difference in plant performance.

You do slow down fertlizing a bit in the fall, although you should have stopped altogether in late July and August...
 
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Low nitrogen fertlizer is unnecessary.

[...]
Don't sweat the low N stuff...

Yes. There is ample evidence for that. In case my understanding of the specialized litterature was wrong, I asked directly a researcher specialized in this field.
Our work has shown that fertilizer composition has no effect on cold
hardiness. Fertilization may prolong the growing season, hence may increase
early frost damage.

The safest fertilizer for end-of-season supplementation is a complete (NPK)
fertilizer.
 

Tachigi

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To pigeon hole all trees in one type of fertilization regime is kind of self defeating. 0-10-10 as a fall and very early spring feed does have significant impact on flowering and fruiting trees....try getting a wisteria to bloom on what your suggesting....very unlikely that it will (flower) on a consistent basis.

You need to analyze what you have and feed appropriately as to the desired results you wish.
 
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All trees germinate, grow, bloom, then grow again, bloom again and then again for years with the same non optimal mineral nutrition.
Why should it be different in a pot ?
 

subnet_rx

Mame
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Well, in my case, I have them growing in porous ceramic soil conditioner. Not really a match to their natural environment. Not to mention that none of my trees are in finished condition, so I'm looking for maximum growth rate.
 

sfhellwig

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All trees germinate, grow, bloom, then grow again, bloom again and then again for years with the same non optimal mineral nutrition.
Why should it be different in a pot ?

Because in the ground that non-optimal nutrition is still somewhat balanced, evenly applied and slow absorbing. If you apply a different chemistry (10-10-10 as opposed to 0-10-10) you could expect to see different result from different plants. As Tachigi is pointing out, putting N on a flowering plant when it is concentrating on building flower buds will knock it out of cycle and then your Wisteria doesn't flower properly or at all. Plants that don't have showy flowers or set at different times of year may not care. Thus the point of tailor to the needs of the plant. Using balance fertilizer into the fall can be acceptable but is not a blanket for all "trees."
 
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