Should I mix Osmocote in the soil at repotting time?

[Anthony]

Not hot weather --- high humidity and no breeze.

Beware Clicio, Osmocote is supposed to dump fertiliser
at 30 deg.C
Good Day
Anthony

 

[leatherback]

beer

Ehr.. Guess nice try mate.

The rest. Hm..
Do I need to spell it out for you?

 

[Clicio]

Not Osmocote .
Look for Multicote, designed for use at 30 deg.C
from Israel I believe.

@Anthony thanks for the tip.
Yes, it is made in Israel.
Found on Amazon, is it the same product?


In Brazil bonsai growers prefer Basacote, the green one, 3 mo release, even being high on N (16/8/12 plus micronutrients)

 

[Clicio]

Let's upgrade this nice discussion:
Why I don't see anyone mixing Biogold into the soil, and always over it?
What if I bury the pellets, hiding them, avoiding birds and getting rid of the ugly teabags? Will it still work as expected?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

My worry about blending in an organic fertilizer is the odor will attract more than just birds. We have squirrels, rodents, and racoons that dig around in pots, and are very attracted to organic odors. I don't know the fauna of Brazil that well, but you are likely to have your complement of rodents and members of the weasel family that will venture into urban areas and comb through your garbage, and dig in flower pots looking for grubs or whatever. We get cats wanting to use our trees as litter pans, and opossums looking for earthworms, we get skunks too.

Actually "Mr Skunk" and I have a cordial relationship. He apparently lives under my front porch. At night I always pause and make some noise before descending the stairs, and walking along the hedgerow in front of the house on my way to the car. Often the skunk is nearby. If I don't startle him, he just walks away. He has not threatened to spray me in a few years. They shift their weight back and forth between their front feet just before they spay. If you see that, just back up, they will usually turn and run away if you give them room to do so. .

 

[Paradox]

Let's upgrade this nice discussion:
Why I don't see anyone mixing Biogold into the soil, and always over it?
What if I bury the pellets, hiding them, avoiding birds and getting rid of the ugly teabags? Will it still work as expected?

Conventional wisdom is to NOT add any fertilizer at repotting, but to let the tree recover and start showing growth again before adding fertilizer.
If the tree is healthy it doesnt need fertilizer right away, but has plenty of energy reserves to recover without it.

Also we add it on top because we dont want it mixing in and clogging the soil. Once its spent, its more easily removed and refreshed.

 

[markyscott]

Out of curiosity, if one mixes fertilizer in the soil or uses a high CEC soil mix, how does one stop fertilizing when its necessary?

- Scott

 

[leatherback]

energy reserves

You realize it is not energy plants get from fertilizer?

Why I don't see anyone mixing Biogold into the soil, and always over it?

Partially a space thing (How much space do you have in your pots) and residue I would say: Basically you are putting big lumps of dense organics in the pot.

Next to this, there is the concensus that fertilizer (especially N) availability in the soil partially regulates root-growth. After a repot you want abundant root development. Low nutrient environment will support this.

 

[Alain BERTRAND]

After a repot you want abundant root development.

That is debatable. Personally, I don't want abundant root development for itself, I want enough roots to provide enough water and mineral salts.
For a mature tree, for which slow shoot growth is desirable, anyway I fertilize just a little, lack of nutrients in the pot makes for more photosynthesis products diverted to root growth and thus less for shoot growth.
For a tree I want to growth fast, this is exactly the opposite.
For professional nursery growers that aim at maximum growth, the standard practice is to fertilize right at repotting time, and quite a few professional substrates are pre-fertilized. See for example https://klasmann-deilmann.com/en/competencies/substrates/easy-growing/#nursery-tree-crops

 

[leatherback]

the standard practice is to fertilize right at repotting time

They do not remove 80% of the roots now do they?

 

[Alain BERTRAND]

So what ?

 

[leatherback]

So what ?

just that it is not comparable with what is done when repotting bonsai, and thus is not really relevant. But you knew that.

 

[SantaFeBonsai]

From repot until March 1;



Beginning of every month from March until next repot;




vs;



Produces this kind of growth in 6 months;



Everything in the collection except finished trees is on this schedule. I have soil temps this time of year between 110deg-115deg and they never skip a beat. Three years ago I would put one tablespoon of the above microlife in soil at re-pot, couldn’t tell a difference.

Does amazon deliver to Brazil?







I don’t know why anyone would use osmocote.

 

[Alain BERTRAND]

just that it is not comparable with what is done when repotting bonsai, and thus is not really relevant. But you knew that.

No, I didn't, and I still don't know. Would you have some experimental evidence to back your claims ?

 

[Clicio]

Out of curiosity, if one mixes fertilizer in the soil or uses a high CEC soil mix, how does one stop fertilizing when its necessary?
- Scott

That is an excellent point. Probably one cannot stop it.
But if organic fertilisers like Biogold typically will last for three months, then if one schedule the last application before it stops working (I am not talking about repotting time application only) then some control can be managed.
Attention: I am *not* advocating the use of Osmocote or Biogold directly into the soil, I am just asking questions.
I am curious too.

 

[leatherback]

No, I didn't, and I still don't know. Would you have some experimental evidence to back your claims ?

Sorry not entering this game with you. Go play outside.

 

[Paradox]

You realize it is not energy plants get from fertilizer?

Yes I do. Bad wording on my part. Was in a hurry because I had to go do something and there was a lack of a better term at the time.

The point is that we generally dont mix fertilzer into the soil when we repot bonsai. I have not seen it recommended by anyone anywhere that does bonsai on a professional level nor by a hobbiest that does it at a high level with very developed trees or trees in development. Its always been recommended that you allow the tree to recover first.
That is the way I have always done it with my trees for the past 10 years and it seems to work out well.

 

[0soyoung]

Out of curiosity, if one mixes fertilizer in the soil or uses a high CEC soil mix, how does one stop fertilizing when its necessary?

For that matter, when one uses a high CEC soil mix, how does one stop fertilizing when its necessary?
IOW, how long do fertilizer ions stay affixed to high CEC particles versus low CEC?

 

[markyscott]

For that matter, when one uses a high CEC soil mix, how does one stop fertilizing when its necessary?
IOW, how long do fertilizer ions stay affixed to high CEC particles versus low CEC?

It’s a good question - one that I’ve asked myself (lol). I do know that timing of fertilization is an important component of maintenance and development and I’m pretty careful about it (especially on more developed trees).

That is an excellent point. Probably one cannot stop it.
But if organic fertilisers like Biogold typically will last for three months, then if one schedule the last application before it stops working (I am not talking about repotting time application only) then some control can be managed.
Attention: I am *not* advocating the use of Osmocote or Biogold directly into the soil, I am just asking questions.
I am curious too.

One of the reasons I prefer using an inorganic substrate (without mixing in slow release fertilizer) is that I feel pretty confident that after a few weeks of watering most or all of the fertilizer is washed away. I pull the fertilizer off my black pines the day I decandle and I’m confident that the spring shoots will develop without it. If you mix fertilizer/compost/peat moss/potting soil/bark/etc, I have no clue when or how to stop fertilizing.

- Scott