Mark Hill - President, EESiFlo Inc. wrote:

All the elements they list from Phosphorus to Zinc are at measurable
amounts, where others listed are not as complete.

That's (partly, at least) because trace elements are needed
in such small amounts that the units of measurement are
meaningless to most people. The "major" minor elements must
be listed by % on the Florida fertilizer label.


I understand the importance of trace elements. I watched a JPN slowly turn
yellow when I used a fert that did not include them, then back to green when
I used a fert that did. They're obviously important, but do plants really
need obscure amounts of Boron, Chlorine, Cobalt and Moly ?

Yes.

Are there any case studies that show these elements are actually beneficial
?

Yah, but rather than that . . .

EVERYONE: Read this: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG090
(Plant Nutrients and Fertilizers for the Non-farmer)

This is "Fertilizers 101" for the Florida Master Gardener
program and is the best simplified explanation I've yet
found on the subject.

Everyone who grows should nearly memorize this. At the very
least download the PDF file and print it out for your
notebooks.

Note the section on fertilizer advertising claims.

And also note the section on micronutrients. It is
referring to plants grown in the ground, but it also will
apply to plants in bonsai soil. (In a nutshell, the
micronutrients ARE important, but most fertilizers contain
too little of them. This is why I purchase a bottle of
"General Purpose Minor Element Spray"* and add 20cc to every
bottle of fish and seaweed emulsion I purchase. It contains
chelated Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, and S. I rely on the horse
manure compost I add to my soil mix for the "minor" minor
elements.)

If you want more information on fertilizers, do a search for
"fertilizer" or "trace elements" or "micronutrients" at
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/

And, the *edis* site is the best horticultural education you
can find outside of a college major in it. :-) So, look
through it and make your bonsai better (though I doubt you
will find anything on "bonsai."

* I do NOT spray it. It is sold as a "foliar spray" but
since foliar sprays do little or no good that's merely
another marketing ploy to sell something. Mix it in with
your fertilizer if you want to efficiently deliver it to
your plant.

Jim Lewis - - This economy is a wholly
owned subsidiary of the environment. - Gaylord Nelson

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