Putting together my kit for my first trees. Need help deciding on fert. My conditions are as follows:

Pacific Northwest
zone 8b
Akadama/pumice/lava rock mix
Acer palmatum(all trees for now)
New plants
no established Bonsai

Not sure if a time release or liquid best for this soil mix.

Not sure if organic or synthetic is best for this soil mix.

Leaning towards liquid organic because that is what I know for the rest of my garden but afraid of the high nitrogen content of most of these. Not looking for long internodes.

Brandonv wrote: Putting together my kit for my first trees. Need help deciding on fert. My conditions are as follows:

so your "kit" didn't come with feeding instructions?

A “kit” I’m “putting together myself” wouldn’t “come” with anything now would it?

i know its not the same species but i have an acer campestre that is in an akadama lava rock mix and i use "Grow More" organic bonsai nutrient fertilizer. brown liquid concentrate. some may laugh at my store bought "mallsai" fertilizer but its organic from a reputable local nursery so i went for it. my little tree isnt a bonsai just a young tree and it really seems to enjoy it. all my trees do. focuses on root growth 6$ makes 48 gallons.

In the end, it does not matter all that much what fertilizer you use. I have all sorts of brands and types and I mix them up over the course of a season. Try to get stuff that has trace elements, which most modern fertilizers do. start off fertilizing sparingly.

Using the typical mix involving lava rock, pumice, and akadama, I wonder how much watering tomorrow washes today's fertilizer? And, of course, how much rain tomorrow washes away fertilizer. I don't think it makes sense to fertilize in the rain. Or to fertilize just before watering. I usually do it after watering but I have no idea if it matters.

Ivan Mann wrote: Using the typical mix involving lava rock, pumice, and akadama, I wonder how much watering tomorrow washes today's fertilizer? And, of course, how much rain tomorrow washes away fertilizer. I don't think it makes sense to fertilize in the rain. Or to fertilize just before watering. I usually do it after watering but I have no idea if it matters.

I'm thinking about the same thing lately- i have a purely anorganic substrate for all my trees. I also give my liquid fertilizer after watering but if you water the substrate is saturated with water, so the liquid fertilizer just runs through. Fertilizing before watering: substrate saturates fully with fertilizer fluid... but is that ok... ?

lucR wrote:

Ivan Mann wrote: Using the typical mix involving lava rock, pumice, and akadama, I wonder how much watering tomorrow washes today's fertilizer? And, of course, how much rain tomorrow washes away fertilizer. I don't think it makes sense to fertilize in the rain. Or to fertilize just before watering. I usually do it after watering but I have no idea if it matters.

I'm thinking about the same thing lately- i have a purely anorganic substrate for all my trees. I also give my liquid fertilizer after watering but if you water the substrate is saturated with water, so the liquid fertilizer just runs through. Fertilizing before watering: substrate saturates fully with fertilizer fluid... but is that ok... ?

Well, my thought is that pouring liquid fertilizer on top off just watered soil just pushes clear water at the bottom out, leaving fertilizer soaked substrate. However, that is little more than a guess. I doubt there are any controlled experiments out there.

When I use liquid I water the pots. Then I fertilize with concentrated fertilizer. And I post-water lighty.

leatherback wrote: When I use liquid I water the pots. Then I fertilize with concentrated fertilizer. And I post-water lighty.

You mentioned once lemon juice or something like that for acid loving plants. Would that be the same?

The water here is pretty low pH but the azaleas seem to do OK. I water with a sprinkler on the hose, but I could probably. be creative with a bucket or something to add lemon juice or something similar. The azaleas get their own special acid loving fertilizer, but that means acid loving fertilizer yesterday, hose water for a couple of days, rain water next week, and then acid loving fertilizer. I wonder how the pH swing there affects the azaleas.