Possible overfeeding

Thelorax

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Possible overfeeding

my beach forest was doing so well after it’s spring feeding that I threw some more granules in beginning of July. Shortly after it started to turn brown. I was only watering once a day so it could possibly have been lack of water.Since it started to turn brown eyes started to water it twice a day. Just looking for some tips to avoid this next year.
 

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Bonsai Nut

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Though it is pretty hard to burn a tree with time release fertilizer... I have done so. Since I moved to organic fertilizer (about 20 years ago) I can't recall a single case of fertilizer burn on my trees.

Fertilizer is one of those frustrating things. If a little is good... that means more is better, right? No it doesn't. A tree will take up whatever nutrients it needs... and all the rest is waste. In fact, worse than waste, if you over-fertilize you run the risk of burning roots, since many fertilizer chemicals are in the form of salts. Too much is definitely worse than not enough.

Organic fertilizers are not only weaker in strength (at least most commonly) but they also require time to break down into the soil.
 

0soyoung

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It is called 'fertilizer burn'. Trees load water by having their fluids being saltier that the surrounding soil. When you put too much salt (fertilizer) in the soil, osmosis moves water the other way, out of your plant and into the soil surrounding the roots.

With ordinary chemical fertilizer you would simply flush the pot with water many times (fert dissolves in the water and goes out with the drain-water). Osmocote prills will float, so the easiest remedy is to do water heavily and float the prills out. It may be necessary to put the pot in a tub of water to do this. Then resume your prudent watering practices.

The damage to the leaves is permanent. The only way it will look better is after they've been replaced. So the only way to know you don't need to repeat the flush-it-out routine is that it doesn't get any worse in the meantime.
 

Dav4

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It is called 'fertilizer burn'. Trees load water by having their fluids being saltier that the surrounding soil. When you put too much salt (fertilizer) in the soil, osmosis moves water the other way, out of your plant and into the soil surrounding the roots.

With ordinary chemical fertilizer you would simply flush the pot with water many times (fert dissolves in the water and goes out with the drain-water). Osmocote prills will float, so the easiest remedy is to do water heavily and float the prills out. It may be necessary to put the pot in a tub of water to do this. Then resume your prudent watering practices.

The damage to the leaves is permanent. The only way it will look better is after they've been replaced. So the only way to know you don't need to repeat the flush-it-out routine is that it doesn't get any worse in the meantime.
Prills… who knew?!
 

Shibui

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I agree that it is possible to burn trees with too much fertilizer but the damage shown is also consistent with not enough water and all the above info is correct. @0soyoung has pointed out that excess salts burn by stopping water getting into the roots so, in effect, both under watering and over feeding do exactly the same damage.
Given this is a beech that likes cool and damp conditions and the damage occurred in July and the tree was only being watered once a day and there's a lot of tree in a relatively small pot I would look at lack of water as the real cause of these burnt leaves.
Fertilizer burn is possible but simple lack of water is more likely.
 

Brian Van Fleet

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Looks like it dried out for a couple days.
 

canoeguide

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Potentially related, humorous thread:


I use Osmocote (among other ferts) and haven't had any issues, even when applied heavily. However, I tend to get a bit hose-happy and water the shit out of everything in very fast-draining soil. Since Osmocote is not so much "time-release" (there are no clocks involved) as it is "sun/heat release" (the prills melt, basically), it's plausible that a combination of hot days in the sun without heavy watering could lead to burning. As the others have said, I'd say this is fundamentally a watering issue. Given the heat waves in most of the US this summer, and the conditions that beech prefer, it's not surprising!
 

Thelorax

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OK, it seems like I should always water the beech forest twice daily, and also I was keeping it in full sun until it started to burn at witch time I moved it to full shade. I will keep it in part sun when it recovers. I pulled all of the Prills out and will not feed again until next spring. Thanks for all the help folks! Any other tips would be met with an open ear and mind.
 

Thelorax

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So I pulled the brown leaves off. About 5 new leaves have opened so far and all are immediately turning brown. What is going on!?
 

Katie0317

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I don't want to start a new thread! But am looking for the pest choice for time released fertilizer. I bought a bunch of those baskets (we have 150 orchids) to put time release fertilizer in and I don't want to buy that crazy expensive stuff from Japan that's on Ebay and I haven't heard great things about Osmocote when we go to nurseries.

What do you use for time released fertilizer that can be used on pretty much all your trees? We have mostly tropicals and and no pines and a few deciduous. Any thoughts? I don't want to start a war of sorts because I imagine this is a topic with all sorts of opinions. Am just looking for something to but in the trees for when we're away.

Thanks a bunch...Katie
 

sorce

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What is going on!?

Everytime I see damage like that, I feel like asking @Smoke if it's fungus.

Though I agree, Osmocote, or any "time released" fert is garbage. I've had this happen once due to it.

@Katie0317 I think it's super dangerous to put them in those baskets, great possibility of them all opening at once and dumping directly on one place, in the soil, they are more protected.

I wouldn't use anything while away. It's kinda just inviting problems you won't be there to care for, birds...ahem...etc.

Sorce
 

Katie0317

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Sorce, we were up that way and went to Schley's Bonsai and he had four of those containers with time release fertilizer in each tree pot. I'd not seen them before. (the containers) We use Nutricote time release fertilizer on our orchids, but none of them are in direct sun and most are in shade only. Schley's sells Suncote fertilizer to use in them. I didn't buy any but I ordered the containers on Amazon for our orchids and assumed we'd use them on the bonsai as well.

Prior to going to Schley's we'd gone to Artisan's and they use small bright green fertilizer balls and they sell that too. It's 14-14-14.

So after seeing two genuinely quality bonsai nurseries using time release fertilizer on their trees we assumed it was standard practice.

Do you use any fertilizer at all Sorce?
 
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