I use timed-release dynmamite for garden, it also has Micronutrients.. I used to use Osomocote but I like the fact dynamite has micronutrients. You dont wont anything with too much nitrogen. You can get lots of growth but no extra figs.

I belive it is 15-15-15.

thanks, where do you get that kind of fertilizer?

Big Orange has it (HD), or Lowes.

http://www.dynamiteplantfood.com/

Their site has some pretty good content.

I use this one because it has the same ratios, I have used high nitrogen fertilzers any trees look nice but not alot of figs:

http://www.dynamiteplantfood.com/flowersvegetables.jsp

how about osmocute plus miconutrients 6-6-6 or 8-8-8?have you used this? i read that this is good to use.

I have used osmocote, but i havent seen a formulation sold in the local stores that has micronutrients. Can you give more info?

I use a dilute liquid fertilizer when I water (at least when I am home to take care of my trees). The problem I have with CRF is that I don't know when they are spent. The labels tell you the pellets will feed for X months, but only under certain circumstances which don't always exist in my backyard. I don't know how to compensate for this.

There is a discussion about feeding container grown tree in the container forum.

~james

Here is a link that might be useful: Fertilizer Program - Containerized Plants (Long Post)

Some horse manure, around base (~1" top layer) will do wonders.

Tissue analysis of all the living tissues of your trees (including flowers/fruits) will show that for every 10 parts of Nitrogen (N) our trees use, they use about 1.5 parts of Phosphorous (P) and 7 parts of Potassium (K). Any balanced blend (20-20-20, 8-8-8, etc) supplies about 6 times more P than the plant can use, and nearly twice as much K. There are a number of soluble fertilizers on the market with a 3:1:2 NPK ratio. Most common are 24-8-16 granular soluble w/micronutrients and 12-4-8 liquid, also with micronutrients (both of these blends are 3:1:2 ratios). MG is probably the easiest to find, but Peter's and others make these blends and label them as 'all-purpose' fertilizers. These blends are probably the closest thing to the % of nutrients your trees actually use, w/o resorting to analytical fertigation practices, and they are readily available.

Al

is it important to use fertilizers w/ micronutrients? I have a slow release fert that is 17-17-17 but it doesnt have miconutrients. should I not use this fertilizer?

Try surviving on Vitamins A, C, & D only.

If you use that fertilizer, you should try to find a micro-nutrient supplement for it, as well.

While technically it may not be important to use a fertilizer that contains micronutrients, it is important that your plants get a full compliment of all 13 nutrients that don't come from the air or water in roughly the right proportions from some source, and you cannot depend on a container soil to deliver all of them. Plants really don't care where the nutrients come from, as long as they are in the soil in a form that makes them available for uptake.

There are 6 factors that affect plant growth and yield; they are: air water light temperature soil or media nutrients. Liebig's Law of Limiting Factors states the most deficient factor limits plant growth and increasing the supply of non-limiting factors will not increase growth. Only by increasing most deficient factor will the plant growth increase. There is also an optimum combination of the factors and increasing them, individually or in various combinations, can lead to nutrient toxicity or other cultural problems for the plant.

IMO, there are better choices of fertilizer (like the ones I mentioned) than the 17-17-17 CRF you're using, or any balanced blend, but to some degree, plants tend to take what they need and leave the rest, so there is no need for big concern. People have been using balanced blends for a long time with acceptable results. I would encourage you, though, to be sure your plants are getting the secondary macronutrients (in container culture, the important ones are Ca & Mg - S is usually always adequate), and the minors (look for Fe, Mn and Zn).

Al

Al
I am not questioning the 3-1-2 NPK ratio for efficient use of fertilizer because I do not have any technical knowledge about fertilizers. But obviously the question comes up as to why the suppliers are making these 20-20-20, 15-15-15, 10-10-10 or 7-7-7 fertizers if 3-1-2 is the most efficient ratio?

Because they sell - and remember, we're talking about containers here. You need to supply a huge % of the nutrients the plant needs - unlike most in-ground situations. All the blends you listed are exactly the same ratio - 1:1:1. There are hundreds of blends available, & they can't all be closest to appropriate for container culture. They also sell a 10-52-10 blend they call a bloom booster. It supplies about 32 times more P than 99% of all plants could ever use, and people still snap it up. Actually, the high P levels in this fertilizer can VERY easily cause Fe & Mn to become unavailable for uptake and thus cause antagonistic deficiencies of both nutrients. The same can happen in a 1:1:1 ratio if overused, but it's pretty near impossible in a 3:1:2 ratio because you'll see fertilizer burn symptoms first.

As an example: If you overuse a 20-20-20 (any 1:1:1 ratio) fertilizer, it can cause a Fe/Mn deficiency before fertilizer burn is evident. As the plant pales from the deficiency - what happens? You think it needs more fertilizer, so you add it to green up the plant, which exacerbates the deficiency, or NOW causes the complication of fertilizer burn in addition to making the deficiency worse.

It just doesn't make good hort sense to apply something the plant will never use & increase the TDS and EC of the soil solution - which makes both water and nutrient uptake more difficult for the plant. Our goal should be to apply the right mix of nutrients and keep the concentrations of all nutrients as low as possible while still maintaining them at adequacy to luxury levels. That is assuredly the way to maximize growth, from the nutritional perspective.

Al

thanks for all the info. Now im really confused on what i should use. I have learned alot from my original question.

on another topic, when the days warm up a little is it ok to pull my container figs out of my shed to get some light and put them back at night incase of a frost? thanks

So I have a question then, even if a tree consists of a 3-1-2 ratio, that really doesnt account for losses withing the whole cycle for plant uptake? This assumes that a the plant is able to uptake and convert at the very least 100%... Hmm.

Also, I have to question the other fertilizers assumption because they sell. For many of the fertilizers there is no difference in the price for a 3-1-2 or 3-3-3. If you go to florikans website, they recommend different fertilizers for Evergreens or fruit trees.

For RKC80:
Nitrogen promotes green leafy growth, phosphorus promotes root and flower production, and potassium promotes healthy root development.

Good thread ... lots of good data! Thanks!

To ask a related Q ... what about WHEN to fertilize? Should one wait 'till a plant starts to grow in the spring? Fertilize in advance of buds swelling?

Thanks,
-Steve

This link contains a chart I posted which describes the nutrient's role in plant development and the effects of excessive or deficient supply.

~james

Here is a link that might be useful: Rx for Potted Fig, Yellowing Leaves

rkc80 - moving your trees in and out as the temperature allows/necessitates is the best thing for them when they leaf out early.

Steve - WHEN you fertilize depends on your goals & what you're using. Generally, you can fertilize whenever the tree is actively growing, but it is best to limit applications of fertilizers with urea as a primary N source to periods when soil temperatures will remain reliably above 55* and below 80*. This will prevent temperature related ammonium toxicity (a common malady, though it often goes unrecognized). You should also avoid applications of blood/bone/cottonseed meals and manures (if your bent is toward an organic program) while temperatures are outside the favorable range for the same reason.

Al

hi gang,
it sounds like plant tone organic fertilizer
and a little dehydated manure should do the trick
maybe washed down with fish emulsion or liquid kelp
all organic fertilizers contain many nutrients.
i've done very well with a layer of compost
and fish emulsion. all organic fertilers tend
to release nutrients slower.
what do you think?

marcantonio

Marc, good to see you back.

Im not sure that it really matters, what needs to be checked is that the fertilizers you use are at least 3-1-2 in their ratios of Nitrogen, Phoshphorous, and Potasium. I have found it hard to find the organic fertilizers that do all this, but have found some that has 6-4-4 with micronutrients. Dont forget the micronutrients! Thanks, and send me an email if you have any ??

Hi Al:
I'm curious about the temperature ammonium toxicity you spoke about. What are the signs of this? Alot of my young potted figs just don't seem to putting on alot of growth. I know I have overfertilized with Miracle-Gro, thinking they lacked nutrition. So I am going to cut back on this for now, being that we have had consistent temps in the 90's.
Thanks.

Another brand by Florikan, (mfg. of dynamiteplantfood)
would be "Garden Club Select" I just put in my potted plants, it's got it's work cut out for it on a couple plants :((

Cecil

Loslunas - it appears that you're confusing ratios and formulations. Examples of 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers are MG 24-8-16, MG 12-4-8, and Foliage-Pro 9-3-6. The MG products contain some minor elements, and the F-P is complete, having the secondary macros and all the minors.

A 6-4-4 fertilizer formulation is a 3:2:2 ratio.

Leon: N applications in the urea form lead to ammonium build-up in the plant. Plants can store plenty of N in the form of nitrate, but they can't store much in ammonium form. When soil temperatures are not conducive to microorganism conversion of urea to ammonium + CO2, the plant will take up the urea molecules intact & convert it to ammonium inside the plant.

Some signs of ammonium toxicity are curling of older leaf margins, chlorotic patterns that vary by plant species, and burned roots - often resulting in wilting and inadequate hydration/turgor.

Al

Talpa, no confusion, I was just saying that what I found was that formulation of 6-4-4 with micronutrients and really didnt see any with the 3-1-2, but havent looked very hard. You have, so now I know which ones to look for!