I don't know a thing about it but is it Souvenir de l'Exposition de Bordeaux 1905 thats it's full name and it's a multiflora

I don't know what the "obvious reasons" are, however fertilizer does not a lot of good for the threes if the nutrients aren't readily available to your trees... especially when container grown. Organic fertilize usually require soil microbes to digest the organic material before it can be used by plants. A North Caroline Cooperative Extension paper suggests that only half of the nitrogen in manure is available during the first year... less than that if you simply lay the manure on top. Traditional fertilizers provides more readily available nutrients as they are. Which tends to be more efficient in container culture where new growing mixes do not always contain the necessary soil microbes to break down organic matter. Regardless of the type of fertilizer you use, improper dosing is hazardous to your plants. If you use enough of the recipe above to adequately supply your trees with Nitrogen, you will end up with excess Phosphorus (by a lot) and Potassium. If you apply enough to provide the right amount of Phosphorus, you will have inadequate supply of Nitrogen and Potassium. Excess of one or more nutrients is as detrimental (perhaps more so) to plant development as under feeding. The recipe above doesn't mention secondary and minor nutrients, either. Plants in containers are more reliant on you to provide adequate moisture and nutrients than those in the ground. They are also more affected by excesses or omissions. I use liquid fertilizer at about 1/4 strength with every watering (when I am home). I never knew how long to expect the slow-release fertilizers to last given my particular situation. My current method takes the guess work out of it. ~james Here is a link that might be useful: Fertilizer Program - Containerized Plants

Graham swimming in a small pond could be a seminar all of its own yet, if we could only get a grip on this forum we could have our own continuing learning that may be the most valuable thing this side of working alongside someone akin. With photos generously supplied by Herb at our disposal and experience supplied by edzard and others sometimes lurking, why should it not be possible. This falls seminar is not at some distant destination. This falls seminar is online. I am not sure people realise that this forum is read by many who only want to take and if only those anonymous people would contribute we could have a going concern.

Hello all! It's been a while since my original post. I kind of got side-tracked by life and am only now checking up on posts! Thanks to both GardenGal and daphnexduck for offering me a place to stay in the Pacific NW. Gosh, that was sure swell; I'd love to visit that area of the country. If I can ever arrange a visit out that way (quite a jaunt from MI), I will be in touch offline! As a clarification, I did mean the swap to be reciprocal while the owner is at home, so the guest would be more a short-term free lodger. I have since created a website for myself as a speaker/writer, and have seriously been thinking of adding a way for people to sign up with this "service." Must iron out details, though. Most home exchange websites charge a small fee that then enables you to see other people's contact info. Now, being cheap, I'd prefer to have it be free, BUT I wouldn't want to list people's street addresses or phone numbers outright due to privacy concerns (individuals would contact each other offline to arrange details). How do people feel, however, about listing their email addresses (can be spam-bot protected) online, or posting photos of their houses? In the short term, I would like to offer my humble but clean abode in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for anyone interested. I live next to a park and can guide you to many local-ish gardens. If anyone here lives near Cleveland, Ohio, I'll be there the week of May 21 (don't know exact dates yet), and would love to stay with a gardener, in exchange for your future visit to Ann Arbor. Thanks! Monica Here is a link that might be useful: My site, not yet related to home swaps for gardeners!