Shohin Fertilizer Packets

bonsaial1

This article has to do with my efforts at keeping fertilizer where I want it in small pots. This article and the ideas it contains could easily be used for medium and larger bonsai.
When dealing with smaller bonsai and very small pots, it is more difficult to keep the soil line at a reasonable depth from the pot lip, while on larger plants and larger pots, this problem is non exhistant. Keeping the soil line a 1/2 inch or so below the pot lip is not a problem. On Shohin plantings the pot is sometime smaller than 1/2 deep. Keeping fertilzer on the soil surface becomes a problem with watering and small pests, like snails and birds.

I have never been a proponent of mixing fertilizer into my soil during repotting. For whatever reason I need to see the fertilzer and keep a visual check on it to know when it is exhausted and re-application necessary.

Fertilizer balls might be another way, but these can be troublesome to keep where I want and also are messey in small pots when the sludge builds up with extended use. On large pots this is not much of a problem but on very small pots this could impede water penetration very quickly.

I like slow release fertilizers and am in the habit of uesing them with the exception of osmicote. I find that due to its heat index activation it becomes of little use to me here in the crucible of the Earth. I have found a product that does not use heat as an activator for its application. It is a product called Dynamite. It is sold by Home Depot, fairly inexpensive and has the right NPK. This product comes in at 18-6-8 and runs about 9.00 bucks for a two pound bottle. This may seem a little hot to some, but since it is a water soluable timed release formula it does not seem to give the same blast that a product like miracle grow will give. It releases slow and steady and claims to last 6 months. Last year I noticed it was pretty much exhausted at about 3 months. I am pretty sure that this is due to the more rigid watering regiman we give out beloved plants, where something in the ground may get watered twice a week rather than twice a day.

I began my search for an alternative in the fertilizer dilemma at the craft store. I thought about a product called "tulle" which is used in the bridal industry. I tried a small sample with fetilizer in it and found the tulle to be too small to be of any use. The holes gave it a capillary action and the water did not penetrate as I wanted. Tests showed in some cases that the water did not even penetrate the product and flowed right over it. I settled on the infamous plastic stichery canvas. We seem to have made this product the be all end all when it comes to bonsai drainage holes. It is cheap, does the trick and I guess that is all we can ask for.

I cut the sheets into strips and then each strip into three pieces. Each piece is about 1 1/2 by 3 inches. This piece is folded in half and stapled with a regular office stapler along two of the sides. This makes a neat pocket into which I can place the granular fertilizer. Once the correct amount is placed in the pocket, two more staples takes care of the final side and I have a neat 3 month supply of fertilizer in a packet that I can lay on a bonsai surface or place a hair clip made of smaller wire thru to affix to the surface.

When the fertilzer is exhauseted we can simply take out the staples, fill with more fertilzer or change the fertilizer for winter and restaple. Good to go again.

I hope this article was usefull to those of you that are as cheap as me..

Al Keppler

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bonsaial1

Some other photo's. Notice "shrub" listed on the fertilizer. Thats how I became aquainted with this stuff. If its good for shrubs than it must be perfect for bonsai right?

Another unusual place to affix a fertiliser packet on a tree mounted in a hole in a rock.

A final thought.. one of the things I like about having the fertilzer in a packet is that "now" is the time to start the fertilizer but some of us like to exhibit plants in the spring. With this system it is very easy to remove the packet for the show and throw them back on later.

Happy fertilizing, Al

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Graydon

Not a bad idea Al - very smart. I have on occasion used the tea bag method - same concept as yours but I use a cotton scrim or cheesecloth and make a little pouch and seal the top with a twist tie. I like your idea better...

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irene_b

Great Idea Al!
To Big for the birds to carry off as well...
Irene

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Jgs bonsai

Great article and idea Al. I did some thing like this with Osmocote and old nylon stockings. Your plastic canvas bags looks eaiser.

Gareth

Repotter

Al, we're all looking to save a few pennies where ever we can and the convenience of this is great. This is one of those "I wish I would have thought of it" moments.

Thanks for sharing it.

Hec

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"Anything is possible when you don't know what you are doing"................someone famous I think.

BONSAI_OUTLAW

Another great idea Al...

Dale Cochoy

BTW Al,
"Dynamite" seemed to be the fertilizer 0f-choice by the late Jim Moody of Jupiter Bonsai in Florida.
Regards,
Dale

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bonsaial1

Thanks for the tip too late Dale. I had recieved some as a gift from a "name" two years ago. I managed to get my local home depot to stock it for me. I think it is a nation wide product now. It seems to be good stuff. I didn't think I was getting enough bang for my buck so I talked to Grampz. He talked me into a regimen that nearly burned up my whole collection.

Just kidding G, I should have known better than to spray blue water on them

Ak

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