Generally it is a good idea to withhold fertilizer for a couple of weeks after repotting because it promotes root colonization of the entire soil mass, but this doesn't hold true when the plant has only been potted up and is shedding foliage due to a probable N deficiency. It's appropriate to fertilize your plant. About the 10-15-10 ratio. NO plants use more P (middle number) than N (first number). Both tissue analysis of plants and the actual utilization of elements is very close to a ratio of 10:1.5:7, which after being adjusted by the factors of .43 and .83 for P and K respectively because P is reported as phosphorous pentoxide and and K reported as potassium oxide, is almost exactly 3:1:2, the same ratio common to the fertilizers 24-8-16, 12-4-8, and 9-3-6. Here are some bits of information about nutrition from a work by Dr C Whitcomb, PhD: "When other factors that can limit growth are not limiting, it is the combination and interaction of 12 nutrient elements that are responsible for energy production and growth in plants." This clearly illustrates that how elements are combined, their ratio to each other, is essential to optimal growth. "The more precisely the 12 essential nutrient elements are synchronized relative to plant needs, the more rapid growth occurs." Again, clearly stating that ratios are critically important to most rapid growth. "Excess of ANY nutrient ...... is as undesirable as a deficiency." I this case (10-15-10), P is represented at approximately 9x what the plant can use in relation to N. "When Temperature, growth medium, moisture, drainage, oxygen to the roots and all other factors are optimum or at least reasonable, all, or nearly all plants grow best with the same proportions of nutrients. Plants grow at different rates, but the rate of uptake and utilization of the 12 essential nutrients is the same." This clearly agrees with what I said about all plants using very close to the same ratio of nutrients. Just be patient & let the plant build up some energy reserves & it will respond readily to a hard reduction this summer. Hopefully, as the light gets stronger and you increase the N, the plant will show some lateral breaks to replace the lost foliage. FWIW - a nitrogen deficiency inhibits lateral growth (back-budding). Al

I know it sounds pretty complicated but it really is not as bad as it sounds. And you have a bunch of wonderful people on this forum who are eager to help you every step of the way. You can do it!!!! Laura, I don't think the way I prepare 5-1-1 is any different from the way you prepare it. I soak the Repti-bark overnight. Add all the ingredients. I then ad enough water to just moisten the mix. Don't you add water at this point also? Otherwise it would be too dry for the lime to react and increase the pH.

I haven't done Gymnocladus but have done Gleditsia (same family 'Fabaceae') and same general germination instructions. I collected seed pods on a trip, from the ground under mature trees on June 1st. Returned home on June 4th. Must've been the 5th of June I lightly scarified just part of the seed sides using #600 grit sand paper. Just enough to see a lighter color exposed, under the thin hard red seed coating. I soaked them in hot tap water (mine is set for 130d or so) but found if I set the shallow jar with water on a heat mat, to keep the water warm, the seeds swelled in just several hours. Planted immediately into starting mix. By June 9th, I started seeing little sprouts popping up from the cups. By June 11, all were out of the seed coating. And by June 16th, I had little trees. Hope yours do as well but they appear to be very fast and easy to start. I Planted one of mine in the front yard by June 10th and it's now 2 ft. tall and coming back, after winter, for it's second year. :^)

Seed grown KCT will be the species with any of its potential variations, and not an exact, genetic duplicate of the parent. To make a duplicate, you'd need to vegetatively propagate a piece of original parent tissue. To prune for a single leader trunk (one which does not branch until the canopy, remove lower limbs/branches back to the main trunk, up to 50% of the tree's total height, once per year, preferably prior to new Spring growth. If you missed that "best" time, calculate how it was then and remove the same limbs/branches. Do this only once per year in order to give the tree an opportunity to restore energy to the roots prior to the next cutting. (You can remove a minor branch here or there at other times without consequence.) There are a couple of reason why to remove the lower branches as opposed to letting them do and doing it much later. Removed when young, the cut is minor and heals quickly Some lower limbs will take a skyward turn and quickly begin competing with the central lead, as secondary one. In doing this they will develop their own section of canopy. Removing them later can take a big chunk out of the overall canopy, disfiguring it and making recovery long, or impossible, depending on the degree of severity. Removing the branch as soon as possible works toward regaining the ground space below the tree for human activities. Removing growth causes a spurt of growth as the tree's roots try to re-balance the root/canopy-energy equation. In spite of the growth removed coming from the bottom of the canopy, the growth returning on account of it will most likely be in the upper portion of the tree. Thus, the tree grows taller, faster. If one removes lower branching and foliage just prior the beginning of Spring growth -- to a 50% trunk/50% canopy proportion -- the tree will have the entire season to put on new growth. What starts as a 50/50 proportion will end the season more like 60% canopy to 40% trunk, which is a handsome proportion for a tree to have through the remainder of the year. Since the Spring growth is sudden and rapid, it is very little time before the tree regains a 60% canopy. Obviously, as the tree grows over the years, there comes a time when the permanent bottom of the canopy has been reached and there is no longer a need to keep raising it. Then the tree is free to grow as high as its genetics will allow while every year gaining a greater portion of canopy relative to trunk height.