What is your process when fertilizing your Junipers?

[chicago1980]

A couple solid concepts I already understand:
Only fertilize a healthy tree.
Know the purpose/goal of why you are fertilizing a particular tree.
Never fertilize a tree that has recently been put in a new pot and root ball handled or reduced.

Some questions:
First Application, second application, etc...?
Type of Fertilizer?
Yearly/Seasonal approach?
Purpose? Increase growth or refinement?
Types of Fertilizer?

This is my first season applying Fertilizer to my trees. I have a recommended approach which seems solid after further research, but I want to know more about fertilizing trees. All of my trees are being fertilized for the purpose of growing out as much massive foliage as possible to style the trees.

This year I am using Dr. earth and Biogold.

Thank you all for the info!

 

[coh]

I've been gradually increasing the amount of fertilizer I apply (not just to junipers, all my trees) over the past few years. Initially I'm pretty sure I was under fertilizing as many trees seemed weak. I use standard chemical fertilizers at full strength (miracle-gro, dyna-gro, that type of stuff) every 7-10 days. I run a very weak fertilizer through my watering system so trees are almost always getting a very low amount with every watering. Some trees also get tea bags filled with a concoction of organic ferts (a mix of dr earth, cottonseed meal, blood meal, etc).

I wanted to throw a question out to the group - at our club meeting last week, David Easterbrook did a presentation. He made the claim that he believes many trees don't get enough magnesium, so he applies it in the form of epsom salts to his entire collection. Most trees get it twice a season, but he noted that junipers in particular benefit from it - so he applies it more often (can't recall if it was once or twice a month). So, the question - do any of you use epsom salts on a regular basis, especially on junipers?

Chris

 

[M. Frary]

- do any of you use epsom salts on a regular basis, especially on junipers

I do. Once a month on all coniferous incling tamarack. You can really tell on hinoki. They turn a blue tint. I mix it with Mir acid. Just a little. The big end of a miracle grow scoop. Just one per 2 gallons. I read about it on an article about hinoki care. I can't remember which though.

 

[Jester217300]

Only fertilize a healthy tree.
Never fertilize a tree that has recently been put in a new pot and root ball handled or reduced.

These are not true depending on who you ask. Here is a good article to read:

https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/fertiliz.htm

I fertilize throughout the growing season. As long as I'm watering I'm fertilizing. Full strength Miracle Grow with Humic Acid. I fertilize immediately after repotting. When growing out stock or pre-bonsai (all of my collection) I fertilize as buds swell before foliage emerges. Once I get to a state of refinement with some trees I will let the spring flush of growth harden off before fertilizing to keep internodes short. Otherwise my motto is the more fert, the better.

 

[coh]

I do. Once a month on all coniferous incling tamarack. You can really tell on hinoki. They turn a blue tint. I mix it with Mir acid. Just a little. The big end of a miracle grow scoop. Just one per 2 gallons. I read about it on an article about hinoki care. I can't remember which though.

Easterbrook's recommended rate was 1 tablespoon per gallon, which sounded a little high to me. Not sure what size the large end of the scoop is, it might be a tablespoon. I'll have to dig up one of mine and take a look.

These are not true depending on who you ask. Here is a good article to read:

https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/fertiliz.htm

Agreed, I was going to comment on those assertions but decided not to. I'll usually use 1/2 strength for the first scheduled application after repotting, but don't even know if it's necessary to do that. Full strength would probably be fine.

 

[M. Frary]

The small end is teaspoon and the large end is tablespoon.

 

[GrimLore]

Amount would vary accroding to substrate. For example in non-organic fast draining 10 times the amount is not unusual or normal amounts daily. When I used inorganics I started with 10 times the amount and eventually weened doun to 7 and then 5. I saw no difference so at least for me it seemed I was just wsting a lot.
Going to organics that staydamp and hold a bit of moisture while still draining I find that a normaldouble dose every 10 days works ok. That is where I am of course and will also depend on frequency of watering and other things you mentioned.
What I have not read in this thread so far is when/how to apply liquid fertilizer. I strongly reecommend irregardless of substrate to water normally first and wait 15-20 minutes before applying liquid fertilizer.

Grimmy

 

[Jester217300]

Substrate definitely matters but Miracle Grow can be used full strength on potted plants in potting soil once a week. Says so on the package and I've done it.

However if you're doing 5x-10x the dose it would definitely have to be inorganic only. I just use full strength so I can treat everything the same.

 

[chicago1980]

All great information!

 

[M. Frary]

I strongly reecommend irregardless of substrate to water normally first and wait 15-20 minutes before applying liquid fertilizer.

Gets the roots suckling juice up. Like priming a pump.

 

[chicago1980]

These are not true depending on who you ask. Here is a good article to read:

https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/fertiliz.htm

I fertilize throughout the growing season. As long as I'm watering I'm fertilizing. Full strength Miracle Grow with Humic Acid. I fertilize immediately after repotting. When growing out stock or pre-bonsai (all of my collection) I fertilize as buds swell before foliage emerges. Once I get to a state of refinement with some trees I will let the spring flush of growth harden off before fertilizing to keep internodes short. Otherwise my motto is the more fert, the better.

Great article that gives a thorough explanation of a perspective. Thank you.

 

[KennedyMarx]

I have slow release chemical fertilizer pellets on the soil (or some organic cottonseed meal and plant tone tea bags). And I fertilize once a week during the growing season with whatever I have laying around. Usually per instructions on the package unless it's weak then I'll double the concentration. All of my plants are in development so I'm not worried about coarse growth.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

A lot and often.
https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/feeding-the-trees-let-them-eat-cake-and-fish/

 

[chicago1980]

A lot and often.
https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/feeding-the-trees-let-them-eat-cake-and-fish/

Now that is a solid plan I like!

 

[Paradox]

A lot and often.
https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/feeding-the-trees-let-them-eat-cake-and-fish/

I am moving to this from chemical based fertilizer. Apparently, there have been some horticultural studies showing urea based fertilizers (IE miracle grow) causing weaker cell walls and making them more susceptible to fungus.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I am moving to this from chemical based fertilizer. Apparently, there have been some horticultural studies showing urea based fertilizers (IE miracle grow) causing weaker cell walls and making them more susceptible to fungus.

Funny you mention that. I try really hard not to engage in soil and fert threads, and just leave what I do in my sig file.
But last year, I tried Dr. Earth for a full year. It smelled markedly more of urea than Plant Tone, which is more of an earthy, farm smell. It was probably the worst year I've had in terms of pests, growth, and flowering in the 10 years I've been making cakes with Plant Tone. I was very happy to get back to my tried and true cakes this spring.

I know it's far from scientific, but it was the only real variable.

 

[coh]

There are urea-free chemical (i.e. blue powder) fertilizers available. Dyna-gro liquid is also urea free. So there are ways to go "urea-free" and still have control over exactly what your trees are getting (as opposed to organic cakes).

I've gone back and forth on this issue. The first year or two I just used miracle gro. Then after reading a lot of the fertilizer discussions on the forums, in particular how urea can't be used directly by plants but must first be broken down by soil bacteria, I switched over to dyna-gro and another urea-free formula. Then I added organic fertilizer cakes.

Last year I had a discussion about this with Bill V, and he described his approach to fertilizing. Heavily based on standard miracle gro (with organic cakes, superthrive, some other things). So I switched back over to primarily miracle gro and increased the rates. Had my best growing season so far.

I do mix in a urea-free fertilizer every so often (especially early in the season when it is cool) and add tea bags with organics to some trees.

Chris

 

[Paradox]

A lot and often.
https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/feeding-the-trees-let-them-eat-cake-and-fish/

Just made some of these the first time today. Not hard to do at all and 1 bag of Plant-Tone made enough stuff to put on 2 2'x2' pieces of plywood. I left them outside for a couple of hours then moved the plywood into the garage because we have rain coming. It is a bit stinky but not too bad. Im going to make another batch when I get these off the plywood and into a bin to dry more.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Just made some of these the first time today. Not hard to do at all and 1 bag of Plant-Tone made enough stuff to put on 2 2'x2' pieces of plywood. I left them outside for a couple of hours then moved the plywood into the garage because we have rain coming. It is a bit stinky but not too bad. Im going to make another batch when I get these off the plywood and into a bin to dry more.

I hope you are as happy with the results as I have been.

 

[Paradox]

I hope you are as happy with the results as I have been.

Thank you for being so generous and willing to share this kind of info to help us newbies.
Don't know if you made this recipe up or you got it from someone else, but its pretty simple and easy.