fertilizing freshly repotted trees?

[paddles]

This is sort of a theory question. Now over here, when we repot, we/I (After all, I can't tell what everyone does around here) We mix in some sort of long/medium term fertilizer, generally dynamic lifter (Pelletized chook poo) or osmocote, (Don't know if you have that, but you'd have something similar?) and of course the moment they get wet, they are active. So I guess you could say, that we fertilize from day one. do you not mix any long term fertilizers into your mixes? at all? I also water every fortnight or so, with half strength liquid fert. We also have a product here, called seasol (A seaweed emulsion) that whilst it is not a fertilizer is supposed to promote healthy soil (Feeds the microbes in the soil) and healthy root systems. (through healthy soil?)

Just wondering.

Oh, and over the weekend, I'm going to buy some top quality bonsai mix (Going to the big smoke ) and take a photo, so you can see what we have (Or should use when we have money0


I'm also hoping to come home with some more black pine seedlings, but since my success to date hasn't been good with black pines.... Maybe I'll get another white pine, never killed one of them yet

[ynot]

This is sort of a theory question. Now over here, when we repot, we/I (After all, I can't tell what everyone does around here) We mix in some sort of long/medium term fertilizer, generally dynamic lifter (Pelletized chook poo) or osmocote, (Don't know if you have that, but you'd have something similar?) and of course the moment they get wet, they are active. So I guess you could say, that we fertilize from day one. do you not mix any long term fertilizers into your mixes at all?

Yep, We have poop and osmocote, I do not use any long term ferts whatsoever in my bonsai soil. It gets what I give it ,When I give it.

After a repot All else being equal=Healthy tree: I continue to fert post-repot/rootprune ect. No changes, The tree takes what it needs, The rest is leeched away through watering.

I often suggest to people new with bonsai that they forget about ferts if they have a sick tree or during 'post' repootting/rootpruning though because :

'The less you have to do- The less you can do wrong.'... One less thing to worry about.
and,
When you consider the soil alot of trees are in I doubt they could possibly be underfed.

I swap out between Miracle-Gro 15-30-15, Peters 20-20-20, and Ironite+ [chelated] 7-7-7 which has some macronutrients the other two leave out.
As I mentioned briefly in another post, I do not dillute my ferts at all in any respect.
I see absolutely no purpose in using a product as scientific and specific as modern day fertilizer is and then completely disregarding the directions.
That makes no sense to me. The likelyhood of rootburn is low considerng the well draining soil I prefer, [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3423/url]{See video at bottom of page.}[/url]It hasn't happened yet.

We also have various seaweed emulsion products, I do not currently use any as I live close to my trees and some of these emulsions are quite rank! Just can't get past that yet....

Oh, and over the weekend, I'm going to buy some top quality bonsai mix (Going to the big smoke ) and take a photo, so you can see what we have (Or should use when we have money0

Good for you!
An OZ mate of mine uses quite abit of the lava rock from up near the Atherton Tablelands [And the town Atherton proper in QLD] Other than that I know nothing of the choices you have down there.

I'm also hoping to come home with some more black pine seedlings, but since my success to date hasn't been good with black pines.... Maybe I'll get another white pine, never killed one of them yet

I can't help you with the pines but I wish you luck.
Keep trying that's for sure!
Happy growing.
ynot

[paddles]

Ok, I bought the bonsai potting mix, took photos, etc, and now I've lost the photos in the computer! I'll ask hubby to look for them, however tehy are gone from the camera, and I've used all the mix, of course (Repotting those new trees) so drats. A few pointers that I noticed the expensive mix, was large chunks and obviously very very free draining, the medium cost mix (Half the price of the expensive mix) looked like normal potting mix. I didn't bother with the cheep stuff. Buying any that is

[Gnome]

Paddles,

Sounds like the medium grade product is not a good choice. Do you have to use it now? Now you see why most most people who have more than a few trees learn how to mix their own soil.

As far as your pictures go, use the search feature and narrow the search parameters by date and file type.

Norm

[paddles]

Hubby found the pics, I'll upload them today, I think that you are right, I'll either have to cull some of my trees or learn to mix my own mix, However, its very dry and hot here, and I tend to more have a problem getting sufficient water to the trees rather than them being waterlogged.

[paddles]

Ok, I think I'v e sorted this out,

the first two shots are of the expensive mix (Hopefully, with the mixup, I an guessing really which is which, so if you think I'm wrong, please tell me.
[img]https://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n146/Thepaddlepoplioness/dirt1.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n146/Thepaddlepoplioness/dirt2.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n146/Thepaddlepoplioness/dirt3.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n146/Thepaddlepoplioness/dirt4.jpg[/img]

[paddles]

Yep, I got them right!

[ynot]

Glad He found the pics- I lose 'em all the time too btw...
Thank him for hunting them up.

Wow,
About that mid range stuff, Does it have alot of sand or lava grit in it or something similar? [Is the smaller stuff I am seeing inorganic?]
I understand about your having to deal with it drying out, But boy that small granular size looks scary to me...lol

Does it stay in a clump if you make a fist with it while it's wet?

Kind of hard to tell how chunky the Big$ stuff is [no scale] Looks like a fair mix [Looks to have some fines... maybe]
Bottom line is, If it works...It works. [Besides I am half a world away...lol]
EDIT: As I look at the big picture of soil [2nd to last] it looks like alot of silicate actually.
I must say, It does look better by a far site than most of what I see in bonsai pots for soil.

ynot

[paddles]

The cheep stuff, seems to be mainly a sandy type compostion, if you make a ball of it when wet, and then drop the ball from a low hieght (A couple of inches) it breaks up, the brown stuff you can see is a wetting agent. It's not too bad a stuff, not brilliant, but it does work. I'm using the expensive stuff on my more advanced? trees? (Could be interesting if I had to produce proof that I have an advanced tree?) I really wasn't foo happy with tose black pine seedlings, but we'll see how they go.