Fertilizer cakes, experiences? thoughts? recipees?

[Gareth]

I have been looking around a bit for fertilizer cake information, partly because of cost, and partly because it seems you can add most things you wouldnt usually add (iron, trace etc) for example and have it all in one nice package.

The other reason is that i notice a lot of my liquid fert is going to waste, with such a free draining inorganic mix it doesnt seem to hold a lot of the fert im putting on it, which i am sure a lot of people can agree to, one way i have thought of combatting this is to put a super concentrated mix into a pressure pack spray bottle and spray the leaves and surface of the soil, less liquid means it can dissolve into the soil without gettiung washed out and ending up on the floor, but i digress.

Fertilizer cakes, who uses them, who makes them, anyone got any recipes and what elements do you think should or could be used?

Gareth

[Gareth]

anybody?

[bodhidharma]

I dont use them myself as i load an organic fert over the soil of all my trees but there is a good recipe in Koreshoff's book.

[AndrewM]

Gday Gareth
This is a formula I got from Arthur Robinson for use with Satsuki azales but I also use that cakes on other species as well.

In a large Plastic rubbish bin place;
20lb Dynamic Lifter. This is pelletised chicken ma- nure.
2lb Blood and Bone
1 cup Wood Ash:
1⁄2 litre Seasol (a conditioner derived from seaweed):
1⁄2 litre Fish Emulsion:
15 litres Water: (this quantity maybe varied as 15litres produces a rather wet mix)
250 grams of Trace Elements.
These are stirred well and with a lid on, are allowed to brew for a few days. Do this quite far from the house as the smell is rather powerful!!
Allow this to dry a bit and when it is like a paste, form it into little pellets of about 25 mm ( 1" ) x 12.5mm
(1⁄2inch)x12.5mm(1⁄2inch). Place them on trays or some impervious material to dry. I do use rubber gloves at all times otherwise no one will go near me for days!
Once dry these can be placed on the pots and the goodness leaches out of them into the potting mixture. The effect is quite dramatic. Some people do not bother to wait for the pellets to dry but spoon the mixture on while wet, in lumps. It seems to work just as well. I personally like the con- trol that the dried ones give me.The above formula provides a large volume of fertilizer and for most people about half or even a third would be quite enough. The shelf life is good and if you are using dried pellets, can be used throughout the year. It can also be used on other species of plant and I have found that my Shimpakus have responded wonderfully with lush, dark and full growth.
If you have too much and some of it dries in the bin it can be wetted down again with out any harm and works just as efficiently as fresh.
This recipe courtesy Eiji Morozumi.
Arthur Robinson

[Scott Roxburgh]

I used to use Arthur's mix but found that it isn't as effective as the one below.

The recipe that I use is from Boon. I now do not make cakes, preferring to fill the disposable tea bags that can be bought from Asian grocers.

I use:
1 part cottonseed/soy bean meal; and
1 part Blood and Bone meal or Meat Meal.

The key is high protein.

I then fill a bucket with fish emulsion, miracle gro, and water, and soak the tea bags in it.

A good link:
http://bonsaistudygroup.com/general-dis ... e-recipes/

If you want cakes put in some plain flour and water to hold them together.

[AndrewM]

Gday Scott

I have seen this recipe before and thought I would give it a go.
Cotten seed/ Soy bean meal up here in Qld is hard to find unless I am just not looking in the right place

[Scott Roxburgh]

Try horse food shops, or rural supply stores.

You probably won't find it on the Interweb though.

[AndrewM]

Cheers Scott
I did not think of a produce store

[kcpoole]

I do not bother making my own, but just use "Neutrog Sudden impact for Roses" http://www.neutrog.com.au/signature-range/
I can vary the amount I put on the surface of each pot depending on the time since potting, vigour, and species.
Lasts about 6 weeks on the soil and then redo.

I supplement with liquid fert each second week, ( Charlie Carp, or Miracle grow).

Just bought a new 10Kg bucket for about $50 which will do most of the summer growing season.

Ken

[Bougy Fan]

Thanks Ken. I am not sure how much of the Sudden Impact people will use but I would caution against going overboard. I ran an experiment earlier this year with some 1 year old Swamp Cypress seedlings. I wanted to see how much they could take. In 140mm plastic post I put a cup of Sudden Impact and then a cup of Rooster Booster in another with nothing on the third. The Sudden Impact turned it's toes up after about 3 weeks. The Rooster Booster is a lot darker green than the no fert tree but it hasn't grown any more. Have renewed the Rooster Booster twice but still no dramatic growth spurt.


Tony