With the weather slowly warming, how will I know when it is time to start feeding my epis and should I use a bloom booster type or another. Thanks
Grace
beginning to feed
The general rule for my zone is to start using bloom booster in April, but I have buds on 7 of the 9 plants, so I started last week. HA, HA, Since I have been getting new growth all winter, they DON"T need nitrogen! For your zone, I would wait till you see signs of buds/growth, then use bloom food until they are about finished blooming. At that point, start feeding with a balanced fert. till (fall?) Here that would be Oct., but in your zone, I don't know. Whenever they stop actively growing, and need to go dormant...
I would see if there is a society in your area, and ask those folks.
OCCAROL, what do you use for bloom booster, and liquid or granular? I've got some
0-10-10 granular, is this ok?
I have a couple of things, but what you have will work. You just don't need the nitrogen at this point. When they are done blooming, start with the balanced fert.
Cem9165 , where did you find your 0-10-10 fertilizer? I recieved a pamphlet with one of my new epis last year and it said to start in the spring with that, but I can't find it any where. OC, my some of my epis contiued to grow during the winter, maybe I'll wait until April to start feeding. Thanks for all the help.
Grace
Grace, I got it at either Pikes or Lowes. I'm out of town right now but I'll check on the brand and post it next week when I get home. Annette
acte 238, the brand of 0-10-10 that I found is by E. B. Stone Organics Ultra Bloom Food, which is applied once per month. The back states it's for camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas, and citrus fruit trees.
Thanks Annette, with a name maybe I'll have some success finding it. I'm getting yancy for spring around here, suppose to get in the 50's this week!!!!
Grace
acts238, I have Lilly Miller "Vita Bloom" , a liquid 0-10-10 , and "Hawaiian Bud& Bloom, 5-50-17, from Grow More. The bud & Bloom has micro nutrients. I used up my orchid bloom food from Grow More. Any of the low nitrogen foods will work. Don't know what you might find in your area, but now you have some names to look for. Just make sure they're getting plenty of light. At this time of year, mine get lots of sun. When things heat up, they need filtered sun. Mine live outside all year in my zone 10 climate, but we were in the mid 30s, at night for quite a while this winter. Just now stabalizing to 50s at night. I took this photo at 4:00 this afternoon. You can't see the buds on any but the German Empress in the forground, but all but 1 of them has lots of buds. There is another huge one directly behind the one on the right that will have blooms soon... The only mature one that isn't showing signs is the one in the back, closest to the wall, that was a large division, the rest were all from cuttings.
OCCAROL, What a beautiful picture!!! Wow, is that a lemon tree? Thanks for the other brand name, you'd think I should be able to find something around here.
Thanks Grace
Thank you! Yes, that lemon and the avocado are home to my tropicals.