When is the best time to start fertilizing? The buds on all my bonsai are
beginning to swell up. Would a 16-16-16 do the job for a first fertilizer of
the year? or would a low nitrogen based fertilizer be better? Thanks. -
Colin Horn San Francisco Bay Area, CA

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At 06:08 PM 2/21/04 -0700, Colin Horn wrote:
When is the best time to start fertilizing? The buds on all my bonsai are
beginning to swell up. Would a 16-16-16 do the job for a first fertilizer of
the year? or would a low nitrogen based fertilizer be better? Thanks. -
Colin Horn San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Colin

Are those worms in that can you just opened?

No, seriously, fertilization is both the easiest and also one of the most
complex issues in plant growing. If all your plants are bonsai in training,
probably the best advice is to feed them often and normally, not trying to
second guess the effects. A 16-16-16 would be just fine. Feed every other
week at normal recommended label strength if this is a soluble. Make sure
it includes minor and trace elements. The only other issue is when to start
and when to stop.

If these are normal healthy plants without obvious nutrient deficiencies,
start fertilizing when the soil temperatures are routinely above about 55F
to 60F during the day. Otherwise the nitrogen is probably just going to be
lost to leaching with rain and watering. Stop in the fall as soil
temperatures begin to fall below this level. That's really all you have to do.

Despite the last statement, probably more has been written in bonsai books
and on forums on this subject than any other with the possible exception of
soils, beer, and squirrels. Fertilizers can also be another tool in your
arsenal, and they are also a great source of grower's myths.

When you reach the point of trying to control and time growth, you will
probably want to start manipulating them more, although you could just as
well proceed with the above recipe. Plants use a lot of nitrogen for shoot
growth. So if you want really rapid growth with long internodes, as in
recovery mode, or after a chop, feed them with a bit more nitrogen in
spring. If you want the opposite, as in leaf and internode reduction, feed
little or no nitrogen in spring until the first set of leaves has hardened
off or even later, perhaps early summer. Bud set usually begins in
midsummer, so plants need very little nitrogen at that time. A balanced
formula is just fine for maintenance, and you can even back off the
schedule a bit.

If you hardpruning your pines in midsummer, you want to hit them heavy with
the nitrogen just befor pruning, so that they will have the nutrients for
strong bud break in the weeks following.

Nitrogen levels can interfere with good fall color in deciduous trees, so
if you want color for show, don't feed at all after about July, but give
them a last shot or two as color begins so they can store nutrients for spring.

Contrary to popular belief, nitrogen plays no role in initiating bud break
in late summer and fall, but pruning does. So, yes, you can feed with
nitrogen, and no, you shouldn't prune. Feeding with 0-10-10 is total myth.
Regular feeding with a balanced fertilizer is just fine.

Plants and soils store Phosphorus and Potassium readily, so they need far
less than we actually feed them. You don't really force or control anything
with a semi regular dose of almost any fertilizer containing P and K.
Nitrogen is the element of most control because it is so easily lost from
the soil. Nitrogen is also a mobile nutrient, meaning that the plant can
move it around from place to place as needed, usually to the growng tips.
It withdraws nitrogen from the leaves before dropping them in the fall.

Plants can readily adapt to low nutrient levels, although it can leave them
very weak and subject to disease. Other diseases however can be resisted by
low nutrient levels. Plants can easily survive for years in containers
without any added fertilizers at all if one is careful to make sure that
the soil doesn't collapse and that there is at least some organic amendment
in the soil. Growth however will be almost non existent. Each year a new
set of tiny leaves will open from the terminal bud without pushing a shoot.
This too can be a powerful tool in the right hands, but definitely not a
beginner, or even intermediate technique.

You can play this game in any number of ways, but it is always best to
learn the rules in order to stay off the injured list.

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

http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com

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

When is the best time to start fertilizing? The buds on all my
bonsai are
beginning to swell up. Would a 16-16-16 do the job for a first
fertilizer of
the year? or would a low nitrogen based fertilizer be better?
Thanks. -
Colin Horn San Francisco Bay Area, CA

In SF, now would be OK. As far as which mixture would be best .
.. . any balanced fertilizer -- 5-5-5, 20-20-20, 16-16-16 -- the
size of the number doesn't really matter a whit -- will work for
many trees!

EXCEPT . . . for the exceptions: A mature, shaped deciduous
bonsai doesn't need a lot of N -- you don't want bigger leaves or
more height. Ditto for one that has yet to flower -- azalea. An
old pine or juniper also doesn't want to be pushed into rampant
growth. For these, a ratio of 1-2-3 might be better.

So, it depends. But you can start now. ;-)

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only where
people have learned to appreciate and cherish the landscape and
its living cover will they treat it with the care and respect it
should have - Paul Bigelow Sears.

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

Hi, Brent:

Thanks for all of your comments on this and other subjects.

A quick question:

How would you modify your reccomendations for tropical legumes, such as
texas ebony?

Thanks.

Bart
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brent Walston"
Are those worms in that can you just opened?

No, seriously, fertilization is both the easiest and also one of the most
complex issues in plant growing. If all your plants are bonsai in
training,
probably the best advice is to feed them often and normally, not trying to
second guess the effects. A 16-16-16 would be just fine. Feed every other
week at normal recommended label strength if this is a soluble. Make sure
it includes minor and trace elements. The only other issue is when to
start
and when to stop.

If these are normal healthy plants without obvious nutrient deficiencies,
start fertilizing when the soil temperatures are routinely above about 55F
to 60F during the day. Otherwise the nitrogen is probably just going to be
lost to leaching with rain and watering. Stop in the fall as soil
temperatures begin to fall below this level. That's really all you have to
do.

Despite the last statement, probably more has been written in bonsai books
and on forums on this subject than any other with the possible exception
of
soils, beer, and squirrels. Fertilizers can also be another tool in your
arsenal, and they are also a great source of grower's myths.

When you reach the point of trying to control and time growth, you will
probably want to start manipulating them more, although you could just as
well proceed with the above recipe. Plants use a lot of nitrogen for shoot
growth. So if you want really rapid growth with long internodes, as in
recovery mode, or after a chop, feed them with a bit more nitrogen in
spring. If you want the opposite, as in leaf and internode reduction, feed
little or no nitrogen in spring until the first set of leaves has hardened
off or even later, perhaps early summer. Bud set usually begins in
midsummer, so plants need very little nitrogen at that time. A balanced
formula is just fine for maintenance, and you can even back off the
schedule a bit.

If you hardpruning your pines in midsummer, you want to hit them heavy
with
the nitrogen just befor pruning, so that they will have the nutrients for
strong bud break in the weeks following.

Nitrogen levels can interfere with good fall color in deciduous trees, so
if you want color for show, don't feed at all after about July, but give
them a last shot or two as color begins so they can store nutrients for
spring.

Contrary to popular belief, nitrogen plays no role in initiating bud break
in late summer and fall, but pruning does. So, yes, you can feed with
nitrogen, and no, you shouldn't prune. Feeding with 0-10-10 is total myth.
Regular feeding with a balanced fertilizer is just fine.

Plants and soils store Phosphorus and Potassium readily, so they need far
less than we actually feed them. You don't really force or control
anything
with a semi regular dose of almost any fertilizer containing P and K.
Nitrogen is the element of most control because it is so easily lost from
the soil. Nitrogen is also a mobile nutrient, meaning that the plant can
move it around from place to place as needed, usually to the growng tips.
It withdraws nitrogen from the leaves before dropping them in the fall.

Plants can readily adapt to low nutrient levels, although it can leave
them
very weak and subject to disease. Other diseases however can be resisted
by
low nutrient levels. Plants can easily survive for years in containers
without any added fertilizers at all if one is careful to make sure that
the soil doesn't collapse and that there is at least some organic
amendment
in the soil. Growth however will be almost non existent. Each year a new
set of tiny leaves will open from the terminal bud without pushing a
shoot.
This too can be a powerful tool in the right hands, but definitely not a
beginner, or even intermediate technique.

You can play this game in any number of ways, but it is always best to
learn the rules in order to stay off the injured list.

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

http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com


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