There's a lot of things wrong with that copy/paste from a fertilizer company that was just posted...and some things right. For the most part a plant does not know the difference between an organic or chemical fertilizer. The pathways for nutrient exchange do not care about the compounds that created the nutrient. NO3 is NO3...NH4 is NH4...and by the time it gets to the plant and it's uptake filtering...it's just N+. It is true that the compounds that create the nutrients do effect the soil, though. Excessive sodium based nutrients will de-aggregate soil, but you'd need a lot of additions without much water moving it out of the soil...this isn't an issue for many people's soil, but it is a concern (especially when used a lot, and very especially when used a lot in arid areas) to people with saline or sodic soil. Soil additions must be chosen and used correctly or it will negatively effect how nutrients move through the soil. If you dump a bunch of uncomposted organic matter in your soil, the microorganisms will tie up N and, depending on the material, release undesired tanins and phenols in the soil effecting both the soil chemistry and the nutrient availability. If you dump a bunch of chemical ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) in your soil and water it in, the N in it is available so quickly you can saturate your soil with N and at the same time spiking your pH low until the soil buffers itself...which greatly effects nutrient availability via pH and N saturation. Anything you add to the soil will effect how it "works" but there are ways to do it right without a detrimental effect on balance while adding what you need. Proper use of composted (or top-applied uncomposted) organic matter and proper use of ammonium sulfate lead to no bad issues if it's what your soil needs. Use any addition wisely...and don't ever use ammonium sulfate on acid soils unless you want to further lower your pH...I just used this as an example. "Minerals are transferred via “colloidal humus particles” found in healthy soil." Humus is only part of the equation...the mineral (non-humus/non-organic) part of the soil is as important (or more important, some would argue) since it doesn't degrade and actually holds exchangeable charges/nutrients for a much longer period of time than humus/organic fractions of the soil. Most people suggest you don't have more than 5-7% organic fraction in your soil to begin with. The mineral part of your soil, especially clay, holds a LOT of nutrient charge and practically acts as a battery keeping the nutrients available for exchange when chemical fertilizers are added or humus is being degraded by microorganisms. "Compounding the problem of not providing trace elements, chemical fertilizers also prevent the plant from absorbing them from the soil." ...this is total b/s. Also, the "flavor and nutrition" parts of the claims range from highly debatable to suspect...especially the flavor part of it. Vitamin C, Iron, Mg, and a few (mostly flavorless, but somewhat astringent on whole) anthocyanins compounds have been found in higher concentrations in organic grown food...aside from that, there's not a lot going on except marginal gains/losses compared to each other. This post was edited by nc-crn on Sun, Jun 30, 13 at 13:20

Larry, that is about the way I did it back then. I let the fertiliser drop right onto the rocks of the waterfall, so as it would mix in with the turbulence. As I said I did not notice any harmful effect to fish or flora in the pond. The waterfall rocks looked like brand new with the algae cover gone and that was the only noticeable change that occurred. Like your situation, the plants were growing well, lots of Water Hyacinths and Watercress to suck up the nutrients. The only two things I add now, are Muriate of Potash and some Chelated Iron, but I don't go overboard with those. The lilies get a few chunks of broken up shrub spikes once a month. That's it for fertilising. A side note about cleaning off waterfall rocks, is about the experiment our old friend David [DRH] did with Hydrogen Peroxide. He turned the water off to the waterfall and poured the HP over the rocks while they were still wet. The HP foamed up upon hitting the algae covered rocks, he then let it sit for a few minutes, then sprayed it with water from the hose. All trace of the algae was removed completely. Buyorsell888, your are so correct. That's why I would be reluctant to suggest to anyone that they arbitrarily go around pouring any old fertiliser into the pond. You don't know what you maybe adding that could cause harm to the fish etc. I remember at the time, all this discussion was going on, someone contacted the manufacturer of Miracle-Gro, about using their product in a pond. The answer back, was that they would NOT advise that it be used that way. Sandy, great explanation once again! "Horton"

Most plants are not good houseplant candidates, due in part to light levels too low and in primary because of low humidity. JMs are not an exception to that generality. When maples reach a stage of deep dormancy due to shorter days (actually, longer nights are the trigger) and increasing chill, the tree needs a certain number of chill units that only accumulate between 34.5 - 53.8* F to be released from dormancy in a state that allows the plant to grow normally. If the plant's chill requirements weren't met, at least several notable of many potential physiological issues are very likely to be made manifest in the upcoming growth cycle and in many cases, the next. Initiation of growth pretty much trumps the plant's ability to resist cold, so once the tree exits the dormant or quiescent state (quiescence occurs after the plant has had sufficient chilling to release it from dormancy, but temps remain too cold to stimulate top growth) it has to be kept from freezing. In a perfect world, the best spot for your plant would be something equal to a cold hoophouse where temps can be relied upon to stay above freezing and below 50*. Best luck. Al

Ok, here's what I did. I had an area of the garden that was nothing but a bunch of pachysandra groundcover. I ripped it all out, and what I found underneath was stones. What was underneath the stones was some sort of "tarp" I guess to prevent the weeds. Well, there was no way I was going to be able to shovel up tons of stones and rip of an entire large piece of "tarp" which was on top of the soil. So I shoveled up the stones I could, and left a lot of the tarp where it was. I emptied two bags of Compost down on top of the tarp, followed by two bags of MG Garden Soil. In between I put down a little Bone meal, leveled out the soil and began planting my Iris rhizomes. The next day when I went out to look at the area, it had all dried, since it was pretty damp when emptied out of the bags, and it actually looked like "dirt". So far so good. But to be on the safe side, I contacted one of the Iris Nurseries I do business with where I buy my Iris rhizomes and told them what I did. They said there definitely will not be a problem, as the Iris rhizomes appreciate a lot of organic matter and they will perform quite well. They only advised Not to add any additional fertilizer.