AusBonsai

I would like to know if any of you use liquid fert on natives and if so what do you use. I've looked at B's, they've got liquid for everything else but. I have a faint recollection that someone posted a thread saying they use azalea (I think) fert on natives...can't remember who it was I have slow release fert in the mix and give them seasol etc, but would like to give them a good trace element type hit now and again. Not game to experiment so need reliable adivise Please help.
cheers Loretta

Hello,

Mine is something similar (for azalea's or something). The main concern is to get a low Phosphorous (P in the NPK) percentage. The 'general purpose' ones usually have this quite high. THe one I bought was about 1%, but sold as azalea or camelia fertiliser, can't quite remember.

AG

Loretta wrote:I would like to know if any of you use liquid fert on natives and if so what do you use. I've looked at B's, they've got liquid for everything else but. I have a faint recollection that someone posted a thread saying they use azalea (I think) fert on natives...can't remember who it was I have slow release fert in the mix and give them seasol etc, but would like to give them a good trace element type hit now and again. Not game to experiment so need reliable adivise Please help.
cheers Loretta

Loretta, it was I I use, and have for many years MiracleGro for Azalea and Camellia and all acid loving plants. It is low in Phosphate at 1.2. I use at manufacturers recomended dose IE one scoop per 4 and half litres or in my case two scoops for 9 litres.

You can also use Yates fruit and Flower it has a slightly higher Phosphate at 4.4 but I have never had any problems, in 25+ years. I say this as it is now easier to get than
Phostrogen. Which has the same NPK breakdown. These ferts do have all the trace elements, but I still give all my trees a dose of complete trace elements every 6 months, as with constant watering they do leach out

Cheers Pup

[
Loretta, it was I I use, and have for many years MiracleGro for Azalea and Camellia and all acid loving plants. It is low in Phosphate at 1.2. I use at manufacturers recomended dose IE one scoop per 4 and half litres or in my case two scoops for 9 litres..
You can also use Yates fruit and Flower it has a slightly higher Phosphate at 4.4 but I have never had any problems, in 25+ years. I say this as it is now easier to get than
Phostrogen. Which has the same NPK breakdown. These ferts do have all the trace elements, but I still give all my trees a dose of complete trace elements every 6 months, as with constant watering they do leach out

Cheers Pup[/quote]

Great, thanks for replying Pup, appreciate your advise.

cheers Loretta

Hi Loretta,
Natives should have a fertilizer whit a phosphorus level of 2 or less. I use Charlie Carp, Phosphorus = 2, and Power Feed, Phosphorus = 1.4. I alternate the feeding between these two fertilizers.

Regards Ray

I have a native Lilli-Pilli (Syzygium Australe) and a couple of native Clerodendrons - and they get exactly the same fertilizer that I put on all my figs. None of them have suffered in the least from the amount of phosphorus in the fert.

I have been led to believe that it's mainly members of the Protacea family and a number of trees native to WA that won't tolerate high levels of phosphorus.

Maybe Pup could enlarge - or advise on that for me?

Hi,
On Pup's advice I use Miracle-Gro MaxFeed azalea, camellia, rhododendron. I've had no problems using it on Banksia, Grevillia, Maleleuca etc. I also use Australian native focus from Growth technology (comes as a liquid), both are available at B's.

G,day Taffy I have used Phostrogen for my trees since I started Bonsai. It has a phosphate level of 4.4. On all the proteaceae, that I grow never had a problem.

I now use yates fruit and flower which has the same NPK breakdown as Phostrogen and easier to get.
I started using MiracalGro for Azalea and Camillia. As it has a high N and a low P 1.2 suitable for Acid loving plants. Which a lot of Melaleucas are.

As I said I have never had a problem with my Banksia's or Adenanthos, which are members of the proteaceae family.

Cheers Pup

For the info of those in southern Qld, I was surfing around on the net at work tonight and decided to check the Searles website.
I found this:
Searles Flourish® Native Plants Plant Food: 16N - 0.5P - 20K + Trace Elements

looks like Ima have to get me some.

I have been wondering why when anybody talks about premix/fertiliser etc, that very few mention Searles. Found out tonight that they only supply from Bris to Rocky. Luckily I live in this area because their potting mixes are IMHO far better than the competition(I know that nothing compares with homemade mixes, but some of us try to adapt commercial mixes to our needs).

Buddaboy

[quote="mackray"]Hi Loretta,
Natives should have a fertilizer whit a phosphorus level of 2 or less. I use Charlie Carp, Phosphorus = 2, and Power Feed, Phosphorus = 1.4. I alternate the feeding between these two fertilizers.

Regards Ray[/quote]

Thanks Ray, I think you have all put me on the right track, now that I know the phosphorus levels I know what I'm doing.
It would probably only take one dose of the wrong fert and you've lost your tree for good, so it was well worth asking.
thanks Loretta

Hi all.

A little off this topic sorry but what does it mean when you say 16N - 0.5P - 20K + Trace Elements? I'm just new to bonsai and new to gardening in general so a little lost there. I've just potted my bonsai seedling into bonsai potting mix about 2 weeks ago, so would i really need to start using these feed agents or would i be over feeding my little guy?

Cheers Dan

bonsai_Dan wrote:Hi all.

A little off this topic sorry but what does it mean when you say 16N - 0.5P - 20K + Trace Elements? I'm just new to bonsai and new to gardening in general so a little lost there. I've just potted my bonsai seedling into bonsai potting mix about 2 weeks ago, so would i really need to start using these feed agents or would i be over feeding my little guy?

Cheers Dan

Hi Dan,

The three macronutrients (= most needed) plants require are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). These three are the most important, as they only need very small amounts of elements like calcium, sulphur, iron etc, called micronutrients or trace elements. The numbers that come after the letters are the amount of that particular element.

Glenda

Ohh of course good old periodic table. I didn't even think of that. Thank you.

bonsai_Dan wrote:Ohh of course good old periodic table. I didn't even think of that. Thank you.

Great to see someone remembers their High School science (being a science teacher myself)

Glenda

You could try Dynamic lifter for roses with a P value of only 4%

Archie