What kind of safe fertilizer can I use for potted fruit bushes/trees?
tye22tye
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years agogarybeaumont_gw
7 years agoRelated Discussions
What kind of fertilizer should i use(first timer)
Comments (22)"While many home gardeners don't know much about plant fertility (and thus many fertilizer makers organic and synthetic profit from their ignorance), I can assure you that anyone growing for profit understands it isn't all NPK." The difference is that miracle gro isn't organic and promotes the "chemical crystalline substance is all I need" mentality. Fish emulsion at least connects humans with the idea that organics = fertilzier...not....petrochem = fertilizer. That's how I see it. It leads to cultural misconceptions. Only now are they trying to promote organics, these synthetic fert companies. "So do organic ferts that come in plastic bottles and are trucked/flown/shipped from origin to destination. What's the difference between a synthetic high P fert and an organic one? In both cases the excessive phosphorous ends up in public water bodies choking the life out of them." There isn't a difference in overuse, only that, synthetics are easier to overuse for the avg joe. Neptunes is almost in my backyard, so I don't feel bad about buying it every now and then when I need a fert boost because I haven't gotten around to laying my organic waste or something. "One could use seed grains for fertilizer, but at this point most of them are GM seed from Monsanto, so how is that an improvement in terms of who is being supported with our dollars?" The idea is that the synthetic fert industry shuts off the public to ideas of using organic waste for our gardens....See MoreWhen should I stop fertilizing my fruit trees?
Comments (8)Fish fert is mostly for N and N is to induce greater vigor. When trees are small, I like to get them to size as quickly as possible but once they are bearing meaningful fruit I am careful to not overstimulate vegetative growth with excessive N- damaging fruit quality and making trees and fruit more susceptible to pest problems. Fall fertilization is not dangerous and is actually helpful to get N to the buds before mid spring and get growth to most vigorous start. It is late summer N that can sometimes postpone dormancy and hardening off that protects trees from winter damage. This danger is highly exagerated in the literature in my opinion as you get exactly the same results here when we have early summer drought and then soaking rain in mid-august. Some trees do get a late surge of vigorous growth which itself can suffer winter kill but by my observation the rest of the tree does fine. I'd be curious of the observations of others on this point. This is one of many observations I've made over the years that makes me ever vigilant to expert BS even as I continue to go to pedigreed experts for certain kinds of advice. Speaking of the advice of pedigreed experts, Cornell recommends a general application of 2 pounds N per 1,000 sq ft annually for general orchard maintenance if you are not doing a soil and tissue analysis kind of program....See Morewhat kind of soil should I use for citrus in pot?
Comments (26)How coincidental this thread has been revived...I picked up my first bag of "rocks" just this afternoon to try...Professor Al, if you are out there I am not *trash-talking* hehe...My new mix of the month is gonna be Turface MVP, bark and some perlite...will decide on the proportions when I actually run my paws thru the stuff, which is ETA approximately 2 hours from now...I am after NOT having to re-do this cr** for a long-a** time..having a bad day... Anyway, I think you gotta use what you gotta use...I still think that bagged potting soil is not the best thing for you to use in the long run, but your goals and my lazy goals may not be the same....thus I would amend heavily with perlite, which I like a lot. Some people hate it, ok fine; I like pistachio ice cream and some people hate that too, ok fine...However, I don't know where you are, but I can sorta suggest a brand of potting mix that I've seen hold up rather well for maybe a year or two: Last year my sister switched her pot-grown tomatoes (she is one of those people who can grow anything, anywhere without any trouble or thought) to a brand called Bandini that I actually liked b/c it isn't dirt and compost--it is mostly redwood bark fines/soil conditioner; she bought it at Home Depot. Great drainage, she has some filled pots left from last year, dumped it out, and it still is very light. I am starting to see what uses as a medium will be affected a good deal by climate, reference another post where Toni and I have had a little chitchat. I am beginning to hypothesize that perhaps you get quicker breakdown of potting mixes in areas where there is more exposure to the elements and higher average temperatures...yeah I know, that it is prolly obvious to most of you out there in TV land butI never really thought about it for potted plants (I know--->DUH! I think Sir Isaac Newton's apple just bonked me on the head)...which may be why some who do the potted thing in cooler climes may have a little more leeway...or maybe not, I've got no randomized double-blind placebo-controlled studies in the pipeline...which is why I am going largely *inorganic*...I expect my upcoming battles will be delivery of enough moisture and nutrients, espceially the micros...And when I really have my act together I am going with an automated drip system for the containers...but my act may never actually *be* together...Next stop, pending this failure (though I have complete faith in my mentor's advice :), is intermittent flood hydroponics...isn't it Friday yet??! HTH. I'm goin' to happy hour......See MoreHerb Underplanting for Potted Fruit Trees/Bushes/Vines
Comments (6)You didn't say what type of herbs you're interested in. Or how big the pots are. Most of the main herbs that people think of require full sun, and are not as suitable for underplanting in that way. Some also require very good drainage and not very good soil, where I would guess that most of the trees need a pretty healthy soil. I prefer to keep my herb pots dedicated to a single type. Out of about 2 dozen, I only have one that has two different, and they're the same in their requirements (soil, water, light, etc). You would need to research the herbs you're interested in and compare that to what you already have potted. I volunteer at the Botanic Gardens here, where they have an orangery with many potted trees. Sometimes for display, they put smaller pots in the larger pot, generally with a pretty trailing plant (I have seen rosemary as such) that gives the illusion that they're planted together. Might be something to think of if it's the look you're after....See Moregardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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6 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)