Fertilliser for various species

[Ces]

Okay, I'm sure this has been covered before in one form or another, so I apologise for covering old ground.

The problem is... the more reading i do (here and otherwise) the more conflicting views I seem to get. Or maybe its just that I cant decipher it all but I would truly appreciate some help with this query. I love working with my trees but the larger and more diverse my collection gets, the longer it takes to water on liquid fert days and due to limited time I'd like to cut this time down by simplifying my regime if possible.

Alternatively, this is also an opportunity for me to share my experiences with other beginners...

I should note, all of my trees are pre-bonsai and are in the 'grow on' stage. Also, these are fert contentrations are for the active phases of the trees and those species that require full sun are getting it, those that need shade are in a shade house. I'm not in a rush to get to the final vision, I just want to make sure my trees will flourish with the time I have for the daily care of them.

Below is a table of the species I have, followed by they're fertilising regime and results. Thanks again

Edit: after previewing the post and realising the format i had constructed did not carry over, the table key will be like this: species will be in italics, fert regime in bold and results in standard font. hope this can be clear.


NATIVES

Banksia Integrifolia 1/4 strength Nitrosol (bi-weekly)/Osmocote slow release for natives (AKA: OTn) good results

Callistemon "little John" Full strength Nitrosol (bi-weekly)/OTn excellent results

Corymbia (unknown) Full strength Nitrosol (bi-weekly)/OTn good results


EVERGREEN

Azalea (various) Full strength Azalea Liquid feed (bi-weekly)/Osmocote slow release for Azaleas etc. (AKA: OTa) good results

Ficus Rubiginosa Full strength Nitrosol (bi-weekly)/OTn/Dynamic lifter (AKA: DL) excellent results

Ficus Retusa Full strength Nitrosol (bi-weekly)/OTn/DL excellent results

Olea Europea Full strength Nitrosol (bi-weekly)/OTn/DL excellent results


JUNIPERS & PINES

Juniperus Chinensis "Sargentii" Brand new, so no schedule yet but will be posting them in Jow's twisty shimpaku thread

Juniperus Procumbens "Nana" Full strength Azalea Liquid feed (bi-weekly)/OTa excellent results

Juniperus Scopulorum "skyrocket" Full strength Azalea Liquid feed (bi-weekly)/OTa/DL excellent results


DECIDUOUS

Acer Buergerianum Full strength Azalea Liquid feed (bi-weekly)/OTa poor results (new growth black/burnt)

Acer Palmatum Full strength Azalea Liquid feed (bi-weekly)/OTa poor results (new growth black/burnt)



excellent results = vigorous and healthy growth

good results = satisfactory growth

poor results are duly explained.

Again, I appreciate any help the brain trust can offer as to how to simplify my fert regime. Criticism helps aswell.

[Handy Mick]

Gee wiz Ces,
All my trees are outside in my bonsai area except for those that have been recently repotted, they are under my large eave against the house morning sun till about 8:30am.
I water all daily or bi daily depending on weather.
All are in the same mix, with good results from deciduous, ever green to pine.
All my trees get the same fertilizer and strength, I use worm juice with great results on all trees of all types and ages.

Regards
Mick

P.s. Hope this helps, is anyone else as relaxed as I am with this sort of thing?

[MoGanic]

Acer Palmatum - my trees tend to do badly if I fertilise them with anything.. so instead I use cold tea water every second day... works pretty well! I have seedlings fertilised with tea, with nothing, with seasol and with some microfeed stuff (slow release). The one fertilised with the tea water is doing very well, has the most growth and the most branching, the one not fertilised looks a bit wispy and has less growth over all, the fertilised ones look either dead or dying....


Fertilising - I'm not doing it right. But I'm doing what works for me .

Cheers
-Mo

[The Specimen]

Most of my trees are doing very well and I too am interested to learn more about fertz and there various apps

Since I have read about several fertz that I don't have, want to give them a try too so its off to bunnings or

you can visit here http://www.supercheaphardware.com.au/ free delivery on orders $20plus and cheaper than bunnings if you cbf ie season, yates, sudden impact etc etc

Atm, I have in either tea bags hanging from the tree, fert pots and plastic drip buckets is a combination of rooster booster n dynamic lifter

Weekly I powerfeed all my trees and they seem very happy with a concoction of tonics such as season or plantstarter

Junipers seems to power on with the rooster booster or DL packed on except for a cultivar juniper that has yellow foliage at the end got dry and suffered from what seems are burns so i took them off
.. hmm not sure at all as thought Junis were quite resilient hardy trees

Ok off to the bunnings drug store

[kcpoole]

Thanks for posting Ces, intersting what others do too, but far too complicated for me. I like to keep it real simple. ( need to for a simple mind)

I sprinkle On the surface of each pot every 6 weeks or so with "Neutrog Sudden Impact for Roses" ( I vary the amount for different trees, Less for natives and Azalea)
thru the growing season, Fornightly apply Liquid fertilisers alternating with "Charlie Carp" and "Miracle Grow"

Repotted trees will get Seasol applied 2 time s a week till the start to grow well ( about 6 weeks)

Ken

[Luke308]

Is there any reason you are using Azalea fert on maples & junis? That may be why your maples don't look so good?

[The Specimen]

Ken can you further explain Charlie Carp ?

Also seems you have been using Sudden Impact for awhile, what results do you get for your trees ?

Does anyone use worm juice with great results ? What does it do as I am wondering whether to start farming them up ?

All these ferz can get quite costly especially without a job =/

[shibui]

I'm with Mick,
Most trees are just trees so they all get the same treatment - same potting mix, same fert, same watering. The only ones I am a bit more careful of are proteacea species eg banksia, hakea, adenanthos, etc. I just try to avoid high P levels on those ones so lower strength used on them.

Worm juice is good stuff but relatively low in nutrients so you need quite a lot to provide the same nutition levels but everybody should have a worm farm instead of chucking food scraps in the rubbish!

[Ces]

Is there any reason you are using Azalea fert on maples & junis? That may be why your maples don't look so good?

Hey Luke, like I said up until now I have read many varying viewpoints and I think i read somewhere that they are both acid feeders. Not work so great with the maples you're right... but the juni's look really good. But then again this post is about setting me straight.

What should I be using on the maples?

I think I,m leaning towards Ken's schedule. I don't own alot of natives after all.

thanks for the responses guys.

[Ces]

I sprinkle On the surface of each pot every 6 weeks or so with "Neutrog Sudden Impact for Roses" ( I vary the amount for different trees, Less for natives and Azalea)
thru the growing season, Fornightly apply Liquid fertilisers alternating with "Charlie Carp" and "Miracle Grow"
Ken

Hey Ken, I want to simplify too. Do you have banksia's? If you do, do they get the same schedule? I think this could be the answer I'm looking for.

[Luke308]

Is there any reason you are using Azalea fert on maples & junis? That may be why your maples don't look so good?

Hey Luke, like I said up until now I have read many varying viewpoints and I think i read somewhere that they are both acid feeders. Not work so great with the maples you're right... but the juni's look really good. But then again this post is about setting me straight.

What should I be using on the maples?

I think I,m leaning towards Ken's schedule. I don't own alot of natives after all.

thanks for the responses guys.

I have a lot of maples, and I have been told "you can't grow maples in Adelaide" - mine seem to be fine though so I think I am doing something right?

I use almost anything on my maples including - miracle gro (ALL PURPOSE NOT AZALEA), thrive, aquasol, Debco all purpose plant food (phostrogen replacement), Powerfeed, PK13 14(hydro fert I use in autumn), Charlie Carp (or any fish emulsion), Rock supercharge (hyrdo fert), and of course I use seasol and/or seamungus plus I have been using Rhizotonic with great results!!

I use a different fert each time I fertilise, which is usually weekly during the growing season. I use ferts at full strengh, although I am considering using more as per Walter Pall's article on modern substrates.

I try and avoid the pellet ferts as I find them to be messy and to me they appear to make the substrate less posous to water. If I use them, I either tie a pair of panyhose to the handle of my watering can and put a handfull of pellets in the pantyhose and fill with water. This acts like a huge tea bag and works well for me. The other alternative is to fill a large container with water and throw a few handfuls of fert into the container and leave over night. Then give it a stir before using and scoop water into a watering can or use a tap in the container to fill a watering can.

I think I am like you and have a lot of younger stock which I am growing on. I hope this helps.

[kcpoole]

I sprinkle On the surface of each pot every 6 weeks or so with "Neutrog Sudden Impact for Roses" ( I vary the amount for different trees, Less for natives and Azalea)
thru the growing season, Fornightly apply Liquid fertilisers alternating with "Charlie Carp" and "Miracle Grow"
Ken

Hey Ken, I want to simplify too. Do you have banksia's? If you do, do they get the same schedule? I think this could be the answer I'm looking for.

H Ces
Yes i do have a few. None are in Bonsai pots and 2 are Layers from a larger tree i purchased from Ray nesci.
Yep they get the same treatment as the restof my trees, just get a smaller dose of Neutrog like the Azaleas.

Re "Charlie Carp", it is a Fish Emulsion made from Carp. Available from Bunnings and I buy by the 5L bottle. Good for OZ environment as well
http://www.charliecarp.com/

Ken