AusBonsai

I've seen some thread mentioning about feeding bonsai plants with liquid tomato food. I just bought a bottle of Yates THRIVE concentrated Liquid Tomato Food and now wondering what species I can use it for and when to apply. Does anyone here has experience with this? Note that this is for QLD conditions.
Thanks

I know for sure that australian native dont like it.....all the others species they fine.....

Use for most trees as long a you want to grow them on. Tomato fert is high in nitrogen so they will have big internodes and so on. But should put on a fair bit of growth quickly.

Jarrod wrote:Use for most trees as long a you want to grow them on. Tomato fert is high in nitrogen so they will have big internodes and so on. But should put on a fair bit of growth quickly.

I read the "guaranteed analysis" on the label and it says that Nitrogen (N) as Urea 6.4% and Nitrogen (N) as Nitrate 1.6%. So the total Nitrogen content is only 8% which is very low comparing to many fert found on shelves. The total Postassium (K) is 10.2%. Mg, Mn and Iron are less than 1%. It also said that "ideal to use on other flowering and fruiting plants". No bonsai though

I have used tomato feed rated at 8:10:12 occasionally for a full growing season. Its added micro elements are usually good and I like it.
Yates 'thrive' is not known to me of course but I cannot see any argument against its use.

stymie wrote:I have used tomato feed rated at 8:10:12 occasionally for a full growing season. Its added micro elements are usually good and I like it.
Yates 'thrive' is not known to me of course but I cannot see any argument against its use.

Thanks Don. It would be helpful if you could explain your rate (8:10:12)
Thanks

Tomato is or should be low in Nitrogen and high in Potassium to promote seed and fruit set. It is too high in Phosphate for our Natives.
The Poms, or at least Peter Adams recommend's it as they move into Autumn and Winter.
I am not sure about Stymie though maybe he can enlighten us. Pup

I understood that I had used the international method of showing the balance of the main three fertilising agents in this order N:P:K.
Nitrates are N, Phosphates are P and Potassium = K.
Sorry for any vagueness in my post.

Pup wrote:Tomato is or should be low in Nitrogen and high in Potassium to promote seed and fruit set. It is too high in Phosphate for our Natives.
The Poms, or at least Peter Adams recommend's it as they move into Autumn and Winter.
I am not sure about Stymie though maybe he can enlighten us. Pup

spot on! i use it last 4-6 wekks of autumn. promotes more budding and helps to harden things off for the winter.

Jarrod wrote:Use for most trees as long a you want to grow them on. Tomato fert is high in nitrogen so they will have big internodes and so on. But should put on a fair bit of growth quickly.

not sure where you got this info mate. the facts are the exact opposite

Like Antonio, for the past few years I have also been using Tomato Fertiliser for the last month of Autumn.
NPK seem to be the right proportions going into the dormant season
Regards
Steve

Sorry my bad, I have a different tomato fert with N at 20. I retract my statement.

It is miracle gro tomato plant food and is 20:2.2:9

Hi Jarrod,
As you know, normally flower and fruit fertilisers are lower in Nitrogen so that fruit/ flower production is not sacrificed in lieu of green growth.

Many of the tomato fertilisers are like this. Our USA bonsai friends seem to have lower N ratings on some of their fertilisers which they use immediately prior to winter. The closest I could find in Australia was tomato or fruit and flower fertiliser.

Back to your Miracle Gro tomato food, at 20 : 2.2 :9 it's right up there....
However of the Nitrogen, 13% is Potassium Nitrate. The same Potassium Nitrate is the 9% Potassium.

Not really sure how this works, but is interesting to note that the same chemical is producing two elements N & P which intuitvely would appear to be counter productive.
Regards
Steve

I've been told in the past to use tomato food but, like Jarrod, I looked at Miracle Grow's N level and put it straight back. But slow release pellet feed always seems to have a fairly high N level. Or where I look anyway.

These days I don't think I'd use a liquid feed during spring with even 8%, on Maples especially unless I was going for girth rather than small leaves and ramification. Last year I used maxicrop which is around 4% and everything still seemed a tad big and long.

yates liquid tom fert. is what i use.