Cutting shrubs to the ground - fertilize too?
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
3 years ago
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prairiemoon2 z6b MA
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRelated Discussions
Fertilizing Pot Sunk in Ground
Comments (8)Vera you are so lucky with the containers! Here every once in a while I am at Lowes or Wal mart at the right time and get a few. Not even close enough for what I really need. Just spend over 100 Dollars yesterday for pots so I can re pot some brugs. Some tropical trees. Hell I do not know WHY I am growing them. WHERE am I going to put them in the winter? I bought this HUGE Box of MG fertilzer. That has these sprayer refill packets in there. I think there should be around 10 of those in the box. Before that I bought little boxes and I could have sworn too that the numbers on those were different. I guess it is for all different needs folks have. My neighbor ask me yesterday what that plant was that is growing wild in the middle of the tilled area I want to make another flowerbed. It is a Datura inoxia. I told her. She said, you know, when you gave the plants last year to my house for my mom to enjoy, they must have reseeded lol. She has them growing in the one bed and wants to have it more in the middle. I told here I got some left in a small nursery pot from winter sowing and will plant it for her when she goes on vacation today for a week. I told myself that no more indoor sowing with Dats. The germinate a lot better direct sown and also grow into healthier plants. From what I have been watching so far. Can not wait till you share pictures of your beauties that make you happy Lucy...See MoreSickly in ground citrus- heat? Wind? Too sunny??
Comments (11)I agree with the assessment of too dry. Unfortunately, i had multiple Myers and trees that looked similar. My trees are 2-6 years old and in the ground. I have come up with a regimen that appears to have brought my trees back after drought conditions and fertilizer application (root burn). All that have been put on this regimen are responding with new leaves / growth right now. The regimen: Every week I apply a solution of 1 Tbsp. vinegar + 1 Tbsp. liquid fertilizer (I alternate Foliage Pro and Liquid Gold from Master Nursery) - per watering can [1 to 1.5 gallons). I apply 1 to 2 cans per citrus tree after i wet the ground. This regimen appears to have allowed the damaged root system to take up nutrients during the summer low-watering conditions. I use vinegar because my tap /irrigation water is 9.1 pH or higher. Here in the east bay outside San Francisco, i need to water at least every other day (lightly), and try to give them a soak once a week to 10 days. When temperatures approach 100F; I water lightly every day. [BTW: i am on fill-clay and most trees are on a 25-40 degree slope]. Allow me to explain further: due to our drought here in CA i had reduced watering and kept applying granular fertilizer (various - i cycle them). I am convinced the lack of water with fertilizer applications caused damage to the roots. The roots dry out, they burn, the tree can't absorb the nutrients from the fertilizer. I would water and the fertilizer already in the ground would damage the roots again next drying cycle. I have tried to irrigate every 3 days during the summer months, but found that for my conditions, they need water every other day. Every time i tried to pull back on the irrigation, i got damage and further evidence of nutrient deficiency / stress. I hope this helps. It is time consuming, but i have found its the only method that has worked to feed the trees during the dry summer months, and with a 9+ pH water supply....See MoreFertilizing Shrubs
Comments (4)Most of the clay soils in the PNW are quite nutrient rich - their problems lay more with difficulty in digging or poor drainage. I would second Al's opinion (very commonly held, btw) that individual planting holes should not be amended, nor should any fertilizer be applied at planting time. Amending individual planting holes in clay soil runs a very real risk of creating pockets of poor drainage - bathtubs if you will - as the drainage benefits of the loose, amended soil are lost once the water percolates through and hits the more impermeable clay. Amending entire planting areas rather than individual holes will alleviate this problem. Shrubs and trees established in the landscape typically need very little in additional fertilization. More fertilizer won't necessarily make them bigger and stronger but unneeded fertilizing can promote lush, leggy growth which is weak wooded and vulnerable to insect and disease problems. The performance of your plants are the best guide for applying additional fertilizers. If they display symptoms indicating a nutrient deficiency, soil tests will indicate what nutrients may be missing. FWIW, in my well established PNW garden, I fertilize very sparingly, generally only those plants with a reputation for being heavy nutrient users like roses and clematis or container plantings. I do mulch with a good quality compost at least once a year (twice if I can manage it on my schedule) and the compost supplies necessary organic matter to the soils as well as a low grade replenishment of primary nutrients. Many gardeners fall prey to the heavy advertising campaigns of the fertilizer manufacturers, swallowing their dogma that their garden will just not flourish unless they apply copious amounts of fertilizers (ie., Miracle Gro). This is simply not true - over fertilizing can produce more harm than not fertilizng at all. Keep in mind the old gardening axiom that if you feed and nourish the soil, you will feed and nourish the plants. Continue those applications of organic mulch. It will improve overall soil structure through the addition of organic matter, loosening the clay and improving drainage and create a beneficial environment for soil organisms to breakdown nutrients into a form plants can access....See MoreFertilizing new shrubs.
Comments (10)Others will give you the plant science behind not fertilizing new plants, especially "woodies" like shrubs and trees. Just leave them alone so their roots can get established. Early fert. will encourage top growth but not necessarily root growth. The roots are what plants grow first and a healthy root system will sustain a plant well in adverse conditions such as "normal" heat waves and below average winter temperatures. Water sensibly and well the first season: about an inch a week unless there's already been a good rain. Many more plants die from overwatering, not underwatering. Constant irrigation has serious drawbacks for plant health. Back to your plan which is a recipe for unhealthy plants. Since you mention a plan that says shrubs and perennials in the same sentence I wonder if you are a fairly new gardener. You will learn to grow healthy beautiful plants by reading some good basic gardening books and getting information from your Extension Service. Let's start with the basics: have you had your soil tested? Do you know not to amend soil when you plant trees and shrubs? Do you know how much sun and shade your garden gets at different times of the day.? Please don't rely on E-How and random blogs with pretty pictures. There's a wealth of misinformation on the internet. Forgive me if I completely misjudged your level of gardening experience. There are wonderful people here who will bend over backwards to help someone be a better gardener. I hope you get to know them....See Moredbarron
3 years agoprairiemoon2 z6b MA
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoprairiemoon2 z6b MA
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agodbarron
3 years agoprairiemoon2 z6b MA
3 years ago
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