Joe2758
Yamadori
I made some fertilizer cakes using a recipe from Bonsai Today.
Would putting the dry mix into tea bags without making cakes work the same?
Would putting the dry mix into tea bags without making cakes work the same?
making organic cakes vs tea bags?
- Thread starter Joe2758
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Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
Even better. Soaking them can release ammonia and nitrous oxides that would otherwise still be captured inside the dry mix. So essentially you lose some nitrogen with the wetting and drying part of making cakes.
Wetting organic fertilizer can also cause bacteria and fungi to start growing and digesting some parts of the fertilizer, which isn't a big issue because when they die, it's still in there; they can't fly or jump. Although the same principle applies: life in whatever form, breathes and releases gasses to the air. So again, loss of nitrogen compounds is very likely. What percentage? I have no clue, it depends on the wetness and the dryness, the original concentration and the air temperature at which you dry.
However, one issue with wetting fertilizer outside of a soil might be that the bad bacteria and fungi will have no competition from the ones inside your soil that act as a plant protector. So their spores might end up in the soil later on and could potentially (the chance is low, but with dry stuff even lower) be problematic.
Wetting organic fertilizer can also cause bacteria and fungi to start growing and digesting some parts of the fertilizer, which isn't a big issue because when they die, it's still in there; they can't fly or jump. Although the same principle applies: life in whatever form, breathes and releases gasses to the air. So again, loss of nitrogen compounds is very likely. What percentage? I have no clue, it depends on the wetness and the dryness, the original concentration and the air temperature at which you dry.
However, one issue with wetting fertilizer outside of a soil might be that the bad bacteria and fungi will have no competition from the ones inside your soil that act as a plant protector. So their spores might end up in the soil later on and could potentially (the chance is low, but with dry stuff even lower) be problematic.
Joe2758
Yamadori
Cool, thank you!
PonderingSage:
Shohin
I have mixed my cakes wet and just spoon ot on the soil surface wet with no issue. I just do it when it will be a day or so before l water, so it doesn’t wash away and has time to dry.
Honestly, I do neither. I just scoop out organic fertilizer and dump it in little piles on the soil surface. I made tea bags in the past, but found that the squirrels would steal them, or at least relocate them. The caveat with putting fertilizer directly on the soil surface is that it’s not easy to remove later, but if your trees are mostly in development rather than refinement that hardly matters. The other thing to know is that the fertilizer will break down and could eventually cause drainage issues if left there. But, I try to do soji once a year anyway and that removes the broken down fertilizer along with any broken down akadama.
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