jin and tonic

Ive always wondered this, don't seem to find any answers in the books.

My question is: when you fertilize (liquid organic, diluted), do you saturate the bonsai pot/soil with this concoction, or sparingly add the fertilizer with a watering can?

Also, do you water immediately prior to fertilizing to get the soil wet, or wait for the soil to be moist (to avoid root burn)?

Just wondering about others techniques. I feel that I am not agressive enough with fertilizing, esp since I don't want "leggy" growth, but to achieve a dense tree I may need to change my fertilizing regimen.

Thanks for responses!

JLDoggett

I always water first then a second time with diluted fertilizer.

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Tom

For what its worth...my 2 cents.

We in America have a habit of under feeding trees. If your using a liquid organic fertilizer, then you should back it up with organic cakes. The risk of burning roots with an organic is almost none existent as true organics have little to no salts.

If your using turface in your soil mix that will help as it will absorb and retain the nutrients your tree needs and then release them at future waterings. If your not then your essentially drenching the roots and on your next watering flushing those nutrients out...hence the back up with a slow release organic cake.

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The Behr Bonsai Scholarship

North Star Bonsai

Michel

Hi,

In general I already add blood meal and bone, hoof
or fish meal to the soil mix, so there's no need for
fertilising from the beginning.

Though predominantly opting for organic fertilisers,
I usually vary my gifts by using several of them during
the season.

Nowadays,
I normally use Biogold, Sumo and/or cowdung pellets
during the growing season, filling the fertiliser baskets
with them and allowing them to do their stuff for about
60 days before removing/replacing them.
The little baskets allow for perfect control.
I never used these fertilisers all at once in a mix, so there
may be still some room for experiments here.
Every once in a while I also use an algae based product
(AlgexPlus) in the sprinkling water, using it as as a mild
foliage fertiliser.

I also make my own brand of very weak foliage fertiliser:
Putting some weeds (grass, stinging nettles, . . . ) and
heated soft water (rain water) in a bucket, allowing that
to cool down and mould for about a week.
The water from this mixture is used to spray on weak trees
and sometimes also on freshley repotted trees.

Finally, I allways use a few drops of HB-101 in the water I use
for the trees. Technically, this is no fertiliser as such, but rather
a mixture of vitamins, minerals, . . . Though only just a few years
on the market, in Europe it is already fully accepted as the best
of its kind (Even better and safer than Superthrive).

__________________
Greetz,
Michel

artyanimal

I'd say go ahead and soak it! For what it's worth, I usually water the evening before, and apply the necessary ferts the next morning. As Tom more or less said, with these milder bio ferts "burning" would almost have to be the result of a serious measurement error.

For instance, within a day or two of repotting, I begin using a weak solution (about half my normal dosage) of a higher middle numbered bio fert such as:
Nitorgen...................6%
Potassium Phosphate........14%
Soluable Potash............6%

The conventional 'wisdom' used to be to never fertilize that soon after stressing a plants roots. The truth however, is that doing so definately lowers the risk of shock and fully aids/improves in new root developement. Note: this is the same type of fert you would likely use to promote fruiting or flowering. I use it gradually increasing the amount up to "normal" every 10 days or so, for about the first 40 after rootwork and then switch to a higher Nitrogen fert such as: 10-8-8.

I think you will find the "dangers" are minimal and that the results speak will for themselves.

Cheers,

Arty