Low nitrogen fertiliser in Western Australia?

[Kier]

Hoping to find out if anyone around Perth has ever found any low nitrogen liquid fertiliser (preferably 0-10-10 or something close)? I'm hoping to get some for my pomegranate. The closest I can find at Bunnings looks way off (0-2-14).

Looks like importing from overseas or interstate might not fly well with quarantine.

I'm gonna give a couple of the local nurseries a call next time they're open, but if anyone's found any somewhere already, I'd love to know where.

Thanks!

[KIRKY]

I would have thought any of the bloom/vegetable fertilisers would all be low nitrogen, if not zero in nitrogen. If you can’t find it in liquid form a lot come is dissolvable packs just add water. The old green shed should have a good selection that would be suitable.
Cheers
Kirky

[shibui]

Why do you want zero N?
Why would you want 0:10:10 or anything close to that?
Those ratios are nowhere near what plants need or use so why put it on pots?

[Kier]

Why do you want zero N?
Why would you want 0:10:10 or anything close to that?
Those ratios are nowhere near what plants need or use so why put it on pots?

I mean, from what I had read specifically for pomegranates (and flowering/fruiting bonsai in general), for this time of year it's a good idea to refrain from the nitrogen, because it can slow flower bud production. But boosting the phosphates and potash will help set it up well before winter comes.

I would have thought any of the bloom/vegetable fertilisers would all be low nitrogen, if not zero in nitrogen. If you can’t find it in liquid form a lot come is dissolvable packs just add water. The old green shed should have a good selection that would be suitable.
Cheers
Kirky

And I did find a couple of zero nitrogen fertilisers there, but the ratio of the P and K just seem either too high or low, so I was hoping for something closer if I can. If I can't find any here, I may just have to settle for it anyway.

[shibui]

To boost flowering definitely REDUCE N and boost K but that does not mean go overboard. Flowering trees still need N so reducing to zero does not make any horticultural sense.
Equal ratio of P and K makes no sense either. Plants do not use P and K in equal amounts so any extra P is just leached out of the pot and becomes a problem in soils and waterways. WA has mandated maximum P levels in fertiliser at 2.5% for garden fertiliser to reduce such waste and to protect vulnerable native plants.
Your pomegranate will be much better served by a 'flowers and fruit' fertiliser designed to boost flowering trees and shrubs but any flowering or fruiting fertiliser will be OK - think tomato, citrus, rose, azalea, etc. The formulations in all these are remarkably similar so all will do similar job for your pomegranate.

[Kier]

Thanks for the explanation on that Shibui, I had no idea about that mandate here. No wonder I couldn't find anything higher.

I'll give this Yates flower + fruit one a go then.

Sometimes I'm finding conflicting information on certain things in bonsai books and around the internet. It's hard to know what's best.

[Kevin]

Hello Kier,

Over here I still have and have used Mono Potassium Phosphate. It's N:P:K is 0:52:34. I used this for flowering and fruiting plants (both pot and ground grown) in combination with alternative fertilisers / chemicals. Used in correct proportions I have only had excellent results. They also claim that it is 100% assimilated by the plants.

I just had a look for it's availability in WA and found a supplier located in Perth on my first search - Australand. Their web-site is attached below. Click on their "Contact Us" link for location at Wangara WA.

https://australandagri.com.au/product/m ... p-0-52-34/

Kevin

[Kier]

Thanks Kevin! Looks like they're a wholesaler, but I'll have a look around for that one

[Kevin]

Hello Kier,

In my experience, you'll need to find a Produce style outlet / supplier. Where I live on the verge of metro and agricultural there are several. Normal retailers like Bunnings and Nursery's do not stock this fertiliser.

The only draw back with produce suppliers is they usually only sell in bulk i.e. 25kgs or larger. The benefit of buying this way is it's cheap and will last you a long time, as long as it's stored correctly.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

[shibui]

Sometimes I'm finding conflicting information on certain things in bonsai books and around the internet. It's hard to know what's best.

I completely understand what you mean here! Even newbies can be an expert on the net these days so it is hard to sort the wheat from the chaff.
We really need some background info on plant nutrition to make sense of what plants really need.
One of the ambiguous fert terms is 'Balanced' It was originally used to describe the fertilisers that had all the elements plants needed as opposed to the older fertilisers that only had 1 or 2 of the necessary elements. Unfortunately many people understood 'balanced' to mean 'equal' and began to demand fertiliser with equal ratios of NPK. Instead of trying to educate people some companies started making 10:10:10. However that's nothing like the ratios of nutrients plants use but it has gained a following among those who don't understand basic plant nutrition. Fortunately not available here in Australia - yet
Another thing to be aware of with fert is different measures in different countries. USA measures their fert ratios differently from us so what is sold as 10:10:10 over there would have a different set of numbers down here. The fert ratios do not translate so don't take info from US sites and try to translate them directly to Australian products.
Good luck with finding something suitable for your tree. I use Yates flowers and fruit over here and it does a great job.

[Kevin]

I completely understand what you mean here! Even newbies can be an expert on the net these days so it is hard to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Just an FYI,

I have full qualifications in Horticulture, Arboriculture and Greenkeeping and have continuously practiced in the 3 professions for over 35 years. As stated: I'm only passing on information that I have personally practiced over decades and speak from an experienced perspective.

On a more positive point, medium to high Phosphorous fertilisers are available and advertised for sale in WA.

Kevin

[thoglette]

Thanks for the explanation on that Shibui, I had no idea about that mandate here. No wonder I couldn't find anything higher.

I'll give this Yates flower + fruit one a go then.

I've come to the point of not adding any fertiliser in the first flush of growth, then bumping up the feed throughout the season, with a zero-food break for the hot bits. The established trees get a reduced N diet most of the season, everything else is onto conventional fertilisers by November.

YMMV

Now our little bonsai aren't going to contribute too badly but our rivers have a long way to go to recover from the excessive use of P and K in the past.

In small quantities, the various Yates liquid fertilisers are the best of the widely available options in WA.

(The mob Kevin pointed out have some cool stuff, but I don't need 25kgs of oxidising agent. Where did I put my sulphur and charcoal ).

[shibui]

I have full qualifications in Horticulture, Arboriculture and Greenkeeping and have continuously practiced in the 3 professions for over 35 years. As stated: I'm only passing on information that I have personally practiced over decades and speak from an experienced perspective.

My apologies if you thought my previous was aimed your reply. It was more about all the various bloggers and forum members where I assume @Kier has been bamboozled.
Someone with experience and training will know what plants need and will be able to provide everything in balance by combining a range of (Possibly unbalanced) products. Your qualification of MPK hints that it should only be used in conjunction with other (unspecified) fertilisers -

in combination with alternative fertilisers / chemicals. Used in correct proportions I have only had excellent results.

Do you think that the uninitiated have the knowledge to work out what other ferts they should use with the MPK and what amounts to use? Surely it is better for most backyard growers to use something more balanced?

I am also aware that higher P ferts are still available in WA. The low P mandate applies only to home gardeners, presumably because they don't know enough about fert to use it safely. Higher analysis is still available to commercial hort and ag because growers in those categories should know how to use safely

[Kevin]

Do you think that the uninitiated have the knowledge to work out what other ferts they should use with the MPK and what amounts to use? Surely it is better for most backyard growers to use something more balanced?

Yes, I do agree. But that can be difficult to find too.

Recently I went to our local Bunnings store, I wanted to buy a "complete" and "well balanced" fertiliser, something that's available to the average backyard gardener. They had a huge aisle full of fertilisers. After reading the chemical analysis of every available liquid product they sold I was disgusted to find nothing had all of the macro's and a healthy range of micro nutrients. Exiting the aisle in frustration I noticed an Orchid labelled fertiliser out of position. This turned out to be what I was actually looking for - it's from Neutrog.

Long story short - out of the many dozens of liquid fertiliser products sold at my local Bunnings there was only one brand / product which supplied all the necessary chemicals that plants require.

Time permitting I'm hoping our local nurseries will have a better range of "complete" fertilisers. Containing all the necessary amounts of macro and micro nutrients.

Kevin

[shibui]

Great to hear you have done some research for us.
I take it the neutrog product you found is 'Strike Back'?
At around 8:4:10 + a good range of micros, that should also be a good option for Kier's flowering plants too. High enough K to promote flowering but enough N and P to maintain healthy growth too.

I'd be interested to hear if you find any other products that would be a well balanced diet for potted trees.

I've always worked on the assumption that most fertilisers will have something that others don't so using a range of products will make up for most deficiencies - a bit like us relying on a varied diet to provide all our requirements.