the best food for a liquid amber

[bubba92]

hey guys, i recently required a nice liquid amber pre bonsai, and i was just wondering what fertilizer/plant food or combination of fertilizer/plant food i should be using to feed her up over the growing season. what do you guys use? cheers

[Albo]

I’ve got one as well. Just doing the usual power feed for liquid and Ozmocote all purpose slow release, same as I do for everything I’m focusing on growing larger.
Liquid amber is going crazy on that.

[bubba92]

I’ve got one as well. Just doing the usual power feed for liquid and Ozmocote all purpose slow release, same as I do for everything I’m focusing on growing larger.
Liquid amber is going crazy on that.

Thanks for the reply, I use the ozmocote all purpose slow release also, and I just ducked into bunnings and grabbed a bottle of power feed.

power feed says to mix 90ml with 9L of water for trees, is this the ratio you stick to with your bonsais? cheers

[shibui]

Well said Albo.
Don't worry so much about which fertiliser because all fert has nutrients. The amounts may vary a little but it does not really worry a liquidamber if it gets something from a packet labelled rose or azalea or anything else for that matter. I've even used lawn fertiliser to boost growth rates in younger trees.
Basic concepts are:
Liquid fert is fast acting but also leaches out of the pot quickly. Use regularly - like every 2-3 weeks.
Solid fert takes a little longer to get to the roots but will keep feeding the tree for a month or so.
Controlled release fert (eg osmocote) is encapsulated so a little nutrient seeps out each time the prills are wet. Coatings control how much and how long the nutrients last in the pot. Choose the release rate that suits you.
Organic fert is generally lower analysis so less nutrients per spoonful. Takes time to break down and release nutrients but keeps releasing more over weeks to months. Usually more expensive.
All the above are suitable for any bonsai. Use what you have or what you can get hold of.

Use any fertiliser at the recommended rates unless you want specific results and know the consequences.

Fertilising bonsai is more about what stage your tree is at.
We usually want young trees to grow faster so the trunks get thick and branches develop quicker so use more fert with higher N.
When branches have developed we tend to slow growth a bit so the tertiary branching is thinner with internodes closer together so use ferts at reduced rates and with lower N
For well developed bonsai use even less fert to keep short internodes on any new growth and to reduce branch thickening.

[bubba92]

Well said Albo.
Don't worry so much about which fertiliser because all fert has nutrients. The amounts may vary a little but it does not really worry a liquidamber if it gets something from a packet labelled rose or azalea or anything else for that matter. I've even used lawn fertiliser to boost growth rates in younger trees.
Basic concepts are:
Liquid fert is fast acting but also leaches out of the pot quickly. Use regularly - like every 2-3 weeks.
Solid fert takes a little longer to get to the roots but will keep feeding the tree for a month or so.
Controlled release fert (eg osmocote) is encapsulated so a little nutrient seeps out each time the prills are wet. Coatings control how much and how long the nutrients last in the pot. Choose the release rate that suits you.
Organic fert is generally lower analysis so less nutrients per spoonful. Takes time to break down and release nutrients but keeps releasing more over weeks to months. Usually more expensive.
All the above are suitable for any bonsai. Use what you have or what you can get hold of.

Use any fertiliser at the recommended rates unless you want specific results and know the consequences.

Fertilising bonsai is more about what stage your tree is at.
We usually want young trees to grow faster so the trunks get thick and branches develop quicker so use more fert with higher N.
When branches have developed we tend to slow growth a bit so the tertiary branching is thinner with internodes closer together so use ferts at reduced rates and with lower N
For well developed bonsai use even less fert to keep short internodes on any new growth and to reduce branch thickening.

Gee thanks for the very informative response Shibui. It sounds like I should only be hitting the pre bonsai with power feed in that case, and just stick with the ozmocote for the mature bonsai.

The ozmocote i have is the all purpose controlled release fertilizer, it says it lasts 12 months. its NPK is 21 - 0.5 - 6

cheers

[shibui]

How advanced are your 'mature' bonsai? A great many bonsai in pots could really use some better branching and ramification if not trunk thickening and therefore more fert is a better option.

You might note that the osmocote you are using has N at 21. That's pretty high and probably aimed at promoting plenty of leafy growth. The power feed is only 12% N so probably a better ratio for restrained growth. Most organic based ferts are around 2-3% N with P and K at similar to the high N ferts already mentioned.
Having pointed that out, Osmocote is always there for a full 12 months whereas Powerfeed is a liquid so relies on us remembering to apply every few weeks. Sometimes we can sacrifice 'better' for 'more convenient' and achieve an overall improved result.

While any fertiliser is better than nothing you may be starting to see that there's a lot more to plant nutrition than most growers assume.

[bubba92]

How advanced are your 'mature' bonsai? A great many bonsai in pots could really use some better branching and ramification if not trunk thickening and therefore more fert is a better option.

You might note that the osmocote you are using has N at 21. That's pretty high and probably aimed at promoting plenty of leafy growth. The power feed is only 12% N so probably a better ratio for restrained growth. Most organic based ferts are around 2-3% N with P and K at similar to the high N ferts already mentioned.
Having pointed that out, Osmocote is always there for a full 12 months whereas Powerfeed is a liquid so relies on us remembering to apply every few weeks. Sometimes we can sacrifice 'better' for 'more convenient' and achieve an overall improved result.

While any fertiliser is better than nothing you may be starting to see that there's a lot more to plant nutrition than most growers assume.

Thanks for the solid advice Shibui

One more question, is it possible to over fertilize trees? I've picked up a couple of nice pre bonsais and I don't have any information on when they were last fertilized, but if I was to take an educated guess I'd say a long time ago. Is it safe for me to throw some ozmocote in the pot?

Cheers

[shibui]

It is possible to over fertilise plants but it seems to take quite a lot do do it.
I've used osmocote, Powerfeed and some chook poo pellets all at recommended rates on the same plants through a single season without the trees showing any symptoms of toxicity. My guess is that manufacturers allow a bit of room for error in their recommendations to allow for those who think that if some is good then more must be better.

If in doubt, try half recommended rate and see what response you get. Add more if the trees seem to do well.

Note that osmocote recommendation is to bury the prills in the soil for best results. Throwing it on the surface allows the prills to wash away, the nutrient release won't work as intended due to wet/dry cycles on the surface and exposed to the sun they probably break down quicker than recommended.