[IBC] Fertilizing & Watering, cont'd
 

Oops, husband accidentally hit the send key.
Central NY is Zone 5; Nassau & Suffolk counties (eastern LI) are Zone 7.
Now that I grow orchids & tropical bonsai under 18 hours a day strong
fluorescent lights in winter & outdoors all summer, I fertilize full strength once a
week.
Henrik Gistvall in Sweden reported that a university there found that the
best regime is to feed diluted fertilizer with every watering. So apparently it
depends a lot on your climate.
If you are concerned about heavy rain washing away the fertilizer, use
Osmocote. One of their formulations is labeled for indoor & outdoor plants. Use that
one if you can get it, but they all work. Many other brands of fertilizer
nowadays are put up in a slow-release form. For my bonsai & houseplants, I use
both weekly liquid fertilizer solution & a light application of Osmocote.
During a period of heavy rain. prop up one end of each bonsai pot. This will
enable the water to drain out more completely.
Iris

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Hi

wrote:

Oops, husband accidentally hit the send key.
Central NY is Zone 5; Nassau & Suffolk counties (eastern LI) are Zone 7.
Now that I grow orchids & tropical bonsai under 18 hours a day strong
fluorescent lights in winter & outdoors all summer, I fertilize full strength once a
week.
Henrik Gistvall in Sweden reported that a university there found that the
best regime is to feed diluted fertilizer with every watering. So apparently it
depends a lot on your climate.
I have done the same since 2 years ago putting 5 pellets of
fertilizer iside the water tank and give this mildly fertilized water
everytime plants need it this is for african violets orchids and some
bonsai it takes at least 10 waterings before the pellets are
completely dissolved

All depends in which phase of growth your bonsais are are and the kind
some maples I give this fertilized water some others more mature I
fertilizet only sparingly
to avoid broad leaves and long internodes
on pentaphilla pine.. I have one that grows quickly and if I fertilize
too often the needles will get spindly and candles very ling , another
pentaphilla is a kokonoe you cand do what you want , but needles will
stay small it is 65 years old and a lovely specimen so I am careful

a third pentaphilla has some problems with roots so I give
fertilizer sparingly

with buerger trident maples you can give fertilizer no problems

my bonsai are a little bit sheltered from heavy rains ....
one cannot generalize with fertilizing potted trees