bnsaijim

RGT & Soil Doc,

I at least, won't get honked off, no matter how lively the debate! I advocate a holistic view, If your own "system" of soil, fertilizer, etc. works well, then it should not be changed for the fad of the moment. Sometimes we need to agree to disagree; for awhile at least!

So, if we can at least start out with playing field leveled on that issue...

Rips, funny you should say that, I did a Club program on fertilizing (and soil interactions) and I had everyone raise their hand- same thing- Out of 40 or so people only two or three did it in the 1-2 week range, most were in the twice a year to not at all range... i.e., old guys vs. new guys, respectively, is how it panned out.

The thought occured to me that we may have a different baseline- I use an essentially inorganic (haydite) seived mix. I do use coarse pine bark for plants that need greater water retention and/or like things on the acidic side. I fertilize every two weeks or so, tailored to the individual plant or class of plant- i.e., developed, finished bonsai, etc.

What zones are you guys in - sounds like we may not be all that different- CA, MS, TX- how much "dormancy" do you get? Zone 9 and very little.

Here's my theorizing, if you aren't getting a huge drop in temperatures, have kept on organically feeding through the season, the organic will be available come spring- plenty of time to rot. Also know a few people that don't even worry about feeding after repotting just keep fertilizing... The nitrogen is short lived so not a big concern about "build up".

I've found that I can't use time release- they never seem to release- I've tried a few kinds and I'm still finding them intact in my soil and in my flower beds...

Soil Doc, how about defoliation periods as rest periods for trops?

I still don't think (excess) nutrient availability promotes growth, merely sustains it. The scenario you discussed involves a soil devoid of nutrient- which is of course, true. What of the opposite scenario- a balanced or even saturated system- will the addition of more nutrient drive greater and greater plant growth or will the excess just run out the drain hole? I get a fall growth session I want to support anyway...

So, I think my plants have a fairly regular supply of nutrients available for their asking, at least the soil should be more or less "at capacity". I wouldn't expect to see a surge of growth due to addition of N because I already deliver a steady relatively high source most of the year. UNLESS it's a finished tree- then it's seeing reduced levels because I don't want rank growth.

Know of any studies on this topic?

If you check out the Greater New Orleans Bonsai Society page Randy Bennet has an article mentioning fertlilization - he uses raw P and K on his trees- flowering ones in particular...

I guess to answer the original question- I feed well all year and don't particularly change anything late season, which seems to work well given my subjects, climate and horticulture. I use more chemical in the early spring to provide a boost on those trees needing faster growth switching over to predominantly liquid organics on finished trees as the season progresses.

I might add the following questions-

What kind of soil mix(es) are you using and do you relate the fertilizer regime to that?

And, Soil doc, since you're a "soil guy", this probably needs a new thread- What is your opinion, if any, on soil mix and mycorrhiza. A post on IBC in the last week or so has me thinking about the use of soiless mixes...

__________________
Jim Stone
Seki Bonsai Studio
sekibonsai.com
Santa Fe, TX