over watering vs fertilizing needs

we have been getting a ton of rain over the past few weeks...

i tend to water with water soluble fertilizers, but have held off for the past couplafew weeks for fear of over watering...

i am really off my fertilizing schedule because this, but last week i threw some composted chicken poo at them and may consider some fish fertilizer pellets next unless things start to dry out and i can resume my weekly fertilizer drench...

curious to hear how others handle this...?

We get quite a bit of rain around here. I use water soluble fertilizer mainly, sometimes with green dream fertilizer, and I just fertilize on schedule, even if its been raining. My soil is 100% inorganic so i dont worry much about overwatering.

definitely depends on the substrate you use. See Pall's "Feeding, Water, Substrate"

I just don't obsess about it. I fertilize much less often than most folks, anyway, and I figure it all evens out.

Dave Leppo wrote:definitely depends on the substrate you use.  See Pall's "Feeding, Water, Substrate"

hey !
thats my line !!!
(i am always recommending that to people, so maybe i should follow my own advice )

i use some organic material in my mix (fafards composted pine bark) but the rest is inorganic...
but the pots havent had any time at all to dry out...

but drainage doesnt seem to be a problem, so maybe i'm just having typical novice worry...

Like Chadley said, water even if it has been raining. Unless you get copious amounts of rain, there probably is only enough to dampen the soil a bit. Fert should go onto moist soil anyway, so this fits well together.

lordy wrote:Fert should go onto moist soil anyway, so this fits well together.

huh... never heard that before...
i tend to fertilize into slightly drier soil to allow the tree to get the max benefit before being washed out by the next days watering...

huh... never heard that before...

True, nonetheless. Liquid tends to run right thru dry soil until it becomes saturated. If soil is moist, penetration is slower. There's probably some complicated formula in physics to explain that, but . . . .

jim - that makes sense...
sort of like how hard it is to re-wet peat once it dries out... the water just runs right off

Actually Kevin,

Canadian peatmoss is usually chemically treated to absorb water easily, so it never goes water repellant.

When rain falls, trees can often respond by growing faster, response to the moisture. So I cut liquid fertilising when rain is falling frequently.
Then I shift to some form of osmocote type pellet, but now I also look for the pellets that have minor nutrients as well, not just NPK.
Lasts for up to 3 to 5 months [ this year June the 14/15 was our first real heavy rains.] at 30 deg.c air temperature.
Laters.
Khai.....

thanks khai... thats why i used the chickety-doo... i also have the alaska fish fertilizer in pellet form (which i usually use just once or twice a year) and some green dream (ditto)...

i know some folks use only dry (pellets/cakes/muffins) and some folks use only liquid...

being just the middle of my fourth full year doing this, i guess its time to reconsider (what i thought was) my program to allow for flexibility with the weather and other conditions.

I still water everyday. Rain or shine. But I will fertilize on a non rain day if possible. So it doesn't get washed out right away.

Mike,

I have held onto a % of compost, simply because the organic works as food and will also hold a % of the fertiliser within itself.

Hee hee Kevin,
Compost will perform as poo balls, as they all should be composted to use with soils, either within the structure or on the surface.

Doing some reading of the old Brooklyn Botannical Indoor Bonsai book, I was reminded that finished Bonsai only need 2N 1K 1 P and that compost is rated as around 1N 1P 1K, it would not take much to jump to 2N.
Additionally most trees can live happily with 1 year without repotting.
[ Sageretia actually needs two years before repotting, even with all that amazing top growth.]

It may be possible to simply just use compost and no fertiliser or compost tea as the fertiliser.

You have noticed that I am doing as I did with my Fine Art supplies [ I use a 6 colours palette ], simplifying down to what is really needed.

So I may just end up as compost / compost tea and builder's gravel at 5 mm.
AND that would be bonsai soil for finished trees for me [ maybe even at the stage of branchlets.]
Will keep you folk informed.
Laters.
Khai....

* Idea originally suggested by Jim L. ------------- use less fertilser yearly. Thank you Jim, it's good to have an elder head around with more experience in growing, and probably Design.