When looking for fertilizer to feed your Bonsai every couple of weeks what numbers ( x-x-x) are good for a larger verity of species?
I went to Ace to get soil to use and to look at fertilizer but all they had was the stuff called "Rootbuster" its numbers are 2-1-2 but it said only to use twice a year. Does this stuff sound any good?
fertilizer question...
Given soil nutrients in the adequacy range, your trees actually use the macronutrients in very close to the average ratio of 3:.5:2. Readily available, and very good choices of fertilizers in the 3:1:2 ratio are 24-8-16 granular solubles, and 12-4-8 liquid. Miracle-Gro makes fertilizers in both formulas and labels them as "all purpose".
While a 3:1:2 ratio is a good choice for allowing plants to produce good amounts of vegetative growth, there are times you will likely wish to simply "maintain" attractive bonsai in a healthy state while minimizing vegetative growth. Limiting N while providing all the other nutrients in the adequacy range is a safe way to accomplish this, so for this purpose, a fertilizer in the 2:1:2 ratio would be more appropriate.
Liebig's Law of Limiting Factors states the most deficient nutrient limits plant growth and increasing the supply of non-limiting factors will not increase plant growth. Only by increasing the most deficient factor will the plant growth increase. There is also an optimum combination of the factors and increasing them, individually or in various combinations, can lead to toxicity for the plant. Therefore, you need to be sure you supply the secondary macronutrients and all the micronutrients in the adequacy range and in the proper proportions.
This can be a problem for inexperienced growers unless they understand plant nutrition and have access to micronutrient supplements like Micromax or STEM. There is a way around the problem though. Dyna-Gro manufactures a fertilizer in the 3:1:2 ratio that comes complete with ALL the minor elements, plus the secondary macros, Ca and Mg. Foliage-Pro 9-3-6, a 3:1:2 ratio fertilizer, should pretty much take all the guesswork out of your fertilizer regimen, and all from the same container. Also important: this fertilizer derives 2/3 of its N from nonammoniacal sources, minimizing the chances of ammonium toxicity.
If you decide to use it, and you have plants you wish to 'maintain' only; may I suggest that you also order a supply of Pro-TeKt 0-0-3. It supplies additional K and valuable silicon for a stronger plant that will be much more resistant to heat, cold, insects, and diseases. Since the 3:1:2 ratio has twice the amount of P that a plant needs in relationship to N, you can half the rate you apply to limit N and still have enough P. By halving the rate, however, you are limiting K, so the addition of the Pro-TeKt at 0-0-3 brings the K back in line. This is a superb way to treat plants you simply wish to maintain.
There's no way to answer your question about the Rootbuster stuff w/o more info.
Al
Wow...where to start. I did not know that there was so much to "feeding" a plant.
If one was to buy a standard 3:1:2 and added phosphate to bring that up to a 3:5:2, would that help the growth rate?
No - a 3:1:2 ratio already has twice as much P as the plant can use when you fertilize at the recommend rate (of N). Plants use about 6 times more N than P, so your 3:5:2 blend would supply about 10 times as much P as needed/wanted. Too much P causes precipitation of Fe and Mg and creates antagonistic deficiencies of these elements.
BTW - you're not feeding the plant. Plant food is sugar, and plants make their own food during the photosynthetic process. Fertilizers are simply the building blocks plants need to manufacture their food and to keep their systems and metabolism in orderly condition.
This is not complicated. Read it a few times until you understand it, and you'll realize that one fertilizer can supply virtually all your tree's nutritional needs. What is complicated about that? ;o)
I understood what you said in your first post, when I said "complicated" I was talking about the amount of different minerals that the plants needed. I thought that the trees only needed NPS and did not even think about trace minerals, though it does make since humans need them so why not plants too.
As far as getting one fertilizer...where is the fun in that. I am trying to get some hobbies that can take up one or two hours everyday and that is why I am taking up Bonsai. I think if I can get enough Bonsai going that I could fill half of that time every day, and mixing my own fertilizer would help fill that time. I also make my own herbal medications but that only takes about six hours a month, but it is very enjoyable thing to do...I could make pills all day in a week I would have a years worth.
As you wish.
I do hope you enjoy the fun & relaxation bonsai can bring, and you arrive at a nutrient supplementation regimen that pleases you. I only offered help because you're obviously very inexperienced and I want your efforts to be successful. I've seen plenty of people come to bonsai thinking they will be successful overnight, but it doesn't work that way. If you don't have extensive horticultural background insuring your efforts, you need in its place, a large dose of determination and willingness to learn, both on your own and from more experienced growers when their help is offered. They can shave years off the time it takes you to school yourself, so you'll find it pays to be gracious. You don't realize it yet, but you're in a race - a race to learn enough about your plants and bonsai culture to insure you're able to consistently keep your trees alive before the frustration of killing them on a regular basis robs the fun.
All the best, and good luck.
Al
This message was edited Apr 6, 2008 11:30 AM
I am sorry, I did sound ungreatfull and that I am not. Thank you for taking the time to give me your advise on fertilizers. I am very unexperienced when it comes to plants in general but I am getting ready to get some hardcore hands on experience this time next year. I am taking a apprenticeship at an organic farm in New York as the first major step in my learning. I know that I am in a race but finishing the race is not that important; what is important is that I take the time "to smell the roses", enjoying the race is more important than finishing in my book.
Once again thanks for your help. Oh, and that is a really nice Bonsai in the acorn top.
Wow, do I have a lot to learn, I am taking notes on this subject. I usually use Fish Emulsion. I just would like to know where do you buy Micro Max, Stem, Dyna Gro or even Pro-Tekt?