AusBonsai

Hey guys / gals, does anyone still use the old fertilizer cakes of old ???? from what I remember it is a mix of cottonseed meal or soybean meal with blood & bone and cow manure mixed with fish & kelp liquid to a putty like stage rolled into balls and sat in the pot on top of the soil ??? does this sound right or have I got it all wrong ???
James

There is a recipe and instructions for a similar one here...

Go to http://www.satsukisociety.com

Here there are some sample newsletters. Click on the newsletters tab, open the last one, number one for 2009
In there is the recipe, Its Eige Morozumi's, he mixed up a big batch last year and we all rolled up our own balls at the bonsai workshop meeting. They're good
Very smelly though, Wear rubber gloves if you want to talk to anyone else that day!!!

Hi James that sounds about right. No one talks much about cotton seed meal any more. i used to make those cakes all the time and sun dry them. must be getting slack in my old age.
Craig

nealweb wrote:There is a recipe and instructions for a similar one here...

Go to http://www.satsukisociety.com

Here there are some sample newsletters. Click on the newsletters tab, open the last one, number one for 2009
In there is the recipe, Its Eige Morozumi's, he mixed up a big batch last year and we all rolled up our own balls at the bonsai workshop meeting. They're good
Very smelly though, Wear rubber gloves if you want to talk to anyone else that day!!!

Thanks Neal for the info, cheers.
James

Hey everyone,
Here is another recipes for Fert cakes.

3 parts cottonseed meal
2 parts garden lime (not lime sulphur)
2 parts blood and bone
fish emulsion diluted with water

150grams per 2.3kg of dry ingredients.

After mixing all the dry ingredients add all the liquid until the mixture is the consistency of porridge. Spread the fertilizer on a flat tray. Score the fertilizer into squares about 4cm across and then set in the sun to harden.
Once its dry snap it into pieces and bobs your uncle fertilizer cakes.

During the growing season of whatever species you are fertilizing cover about 20% of the surface.

senseijames wrote:

nealweb wrote:There is a recipe and instructions for a similar one here...

Go to http://www.satsukisociety.com

Here there are some sample newsletters. Click on the newsletters tab, open the last one, number one for 2009
In there is the recipe, Its Eige Morozumi's, he mixed up a big batch last year and we all rolled up our own balls at the bonsai workshop meeting. They're good
Very smelly though, Wear rubber gloves if you want to talk to anyone else that day!!!

Thanks Neal for the info, cheers.
James

I can happily say that this recipe is excellent. I tried it last year and it has worked a treat!

However, I am still trying to think of a way to not have to roll up the little balls. I was thinking some sort of mould etc.

I would like to point out also that whilst the mix is 'fermenting' it does attract a lot of flys, so this year I will try putting some insecticide in the mix.

Scott.