At 10:48 AM 5/11/04 -0400, Jim Lewis wrote:
Yes, I too would like to know as one of our pine experts out
here includes it heavily in his soil mix.

Kitsune Miko

Bill Watkins wrote:
Jim, you mentioned that using a fertilizer such as Osmocote on
bonsai can be a bit dangerous and should be used sparingly. Would
you please explain how it can be dangerous.

================================================= ==========

1. There is no electronic timer that tells each fertilizer
pellet (of whatever size) that "now is the time this plant needs
so much of X, Y, or Z." .....

Deleted lots of good comments and warnings from Jim Lewis.

Jim's warnings should be heeded, but like any chemical substance, Osmocote
has an appropriate time and place. When used carefully and conscientiously
it can be a valuable tool. I use it regularly in my soil mix
(incorporated). I don't use it as an add on fertilizer for regular
fertilization. For regular maintenance I use either soluble fertilizers or
periodic solid 15-15-15 for larger plants in containers (not bonsai).
Bonsai get soluble only for maintenance but Osmocote incorporated into the
mix, although I have used Osmocote in the past on my bonsai without
problems (dibbled into corners).

I have grown hundreds of thousands of plants in soil mix incorporating
Osmcote. As far as I can determine, I have had only one problem, and this
relates to one of Nina's warnings. I get bareroot black pine seedlings in
winter to use as understock. These are usually two or three year old field
grown Pinus thunbergii. I root prune them and pot them up in small pots
suitable for grafting pots (it varies). Since my new location is
considerably colder than the old nursery, I put these in an unheated
greenhouse that stays just above freezing, but can heat up considerably
during the day. Apparently, the daytime heating did in fact release too
much nitrogen since a significant number of these failed, athough it wasn't
really disasterous, less than 1/3 died. The others that survived turned
into monsters with all that nitrogen fueling really rapid growth. As far as
I know, that is the only case of damage. Last winter, I overwintered them
outside with only sprinkler and shade cloth protection and they are just fine.

I don't use a heavy rate. I incorporate at the low to medium rate advised
on the bag (this is a commerical 13-13-13, 9 month formula not usually
available on the market. It only comes in 50 lb bags). I don't really feel
good about planting anything in soil that doesn't have some fertilizer in
it, and this solves that problem. I know that if I don't get around to a
regular feeding, the young or newly transplanted plants are just fine. In
summer, I start soluble feeding immediately after transplanting into this
mix and there is no apparent problem.

I meant to post a revealing photo (no, not that kind of revealing) some
time ago of a discovery I made. I don't even know what I did with the
picture file now. It will show up sooner or later. A couple years ago, in
late spring, I did an emergency light root prune and transplant of some
Sageretia thea. They were in 4 inch pots; I root pruned, top pruned, and
put them back into the 4 inch pots with only a small amount of fresh soil.
I didn't think the small amount of fresh soil would contain enough Osmocote
to give them the proper boost, so I dibbled about a teaspoon into the
corners of the pots. A year later, I happened to pull one out of the pot
and there was an impenetrable mass of white roots around and though that
ball of Osmocote pellets. It would have made a great commercial. The rest
of the pot had normal roots, but the one quarter of the pot with the
Osmocote had the roots that ate Chicago. So much for not fertilizing newly
repotted plants.




Brent in Northern California
Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14

http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++