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Fertilizer to induce flowers

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RKatzin
Jay Gaydosh
EdMerc
fiona
JimLewis
Anne
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Post  Anne Thu May 13, 2010 11:32 am

Hello Bonsai friends,

I am using small weekly doses of balanced fertilizer of NPK 20-20-20 on the majority of my (mainly pre) - bonsai. The choice I have of other fertilizers is much lower (e.g.NPK 6,5,6, or 4,5,Cool.

My question is, to induce flowering, is it necessary that there is a difference in the NPK content, or would a higher overall fertilizer (like the 20-20-20) be better?

Kind regards,
Anne

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Post  JimLewis Thu May 13, 2010 12:48 pm

"Balanced" fertilizers are designed to be all things to all people. Generally, less N is recommended for trees that you want to bloom. N produces greenery.
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Post  fiona Thu May 13, 2010 1:46 pm

I use the old "NPK = root, shoot, flower'n'fruit" maxim for fertilisers - whether for bonsai or for garden plants. I've never personally noticed any real difference between products stating low dozes and those claiming high ones. e.g. MiracleGro's 16% Potassium doesn't seem to do any better than Tomorite's 6%. But then again, I get as good results with Maxicrop seaweed extract.

I'm beginning to agree with Jim L that there's a lot of hoohah written (usually by marketing execs) about this one and that one being a wonder product. I'd suggest you experiment a bit with various products and see what suits your trees in your microclimate. Most of us do that at some point and it gets a much more reliable result.

IMHO of course.

Good luck.
fiona
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Post  EdMerc Thu May 13, 2010 2:05 pm

You must, of course, take into account the species in question. Some plants will bloom when exposed to certain situations that have nothing to do with fertilizer.

A perfect example of this is bougainvillea. Some say you can help it bloom through fertilization, but standard practice is to withhold water to the point of wilting. Then water heavily and watch it bloom.

You have to know your material.

Good luck,
Ed
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Post  Anne Thu May 13, 2010 2:22 pm

Thanks all, for your replies, very useful. The "unwilling bloomers" are a tamarindus indica and a caesalpinia pulcherrima, both of which I know need a lot of sunhine as well, for flowering. It's probably best for this world that I'm as yet unable to arrange for sunshine!

Anne

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Post  JimLewis Thu May 13, 2010 3:18 pm

Wow! I'd bet you have a lot of rouble getting the Tamarind to bloom. I had one for years in North Florida (outside most of the time, which you probably can't do in Belgium) and it never bloomed. I think you have to live in the tropics to have much hope.
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Post  Jay Gaydosh Thu May 13, 2010 4:06 pm

Just a tad more on EdMerc's comments.

Some plants require a dry period to flower, some require a change to a specific phototropic time period (Lengthening or shortening of days) some will thrive nicely in direct sunlight but wont blossom until you move it to an indirect lighting situation.

SOOOOO...
The first step is to investigate the specific plant (or sub-group tree) to see what the plant "prefers" to encourage flowering.

Two, non-tree, examples would be Christmas cactus and Poinsettia, the cactus doesn't bloome until after a period of normal watering, in which the water is then cut way back for a week to several weeks. As the plant dries it kicks into blooming mode. With the Poinsettia, you can get them to grow like crazy, but they will carry green leaves until you take the plant and put it in a dark closet for the majority of the day and keep it in a shortened phototropic time frame, then the leaves turn red.

So balanced food, mixed with the appropriate temperature, daylight length and intensity of light may be more important to the plant in determining when you can get them to flower.

Jay
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Post  RKatzin Thu May 13, 2010 4:18 pm

Pruning and trimming can have an effect on flowering, also. Some trees flower on second year wood, so if you constantly remove new shoots you remove next years flower buds. Allow shoots to grow most of the season and then dock them back to two or three sets of leaves. Flower buds will sprout in the spring from behind the leaves and after they flower these shoots can be removed or worked into your design.
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Post  Jay Gaydosh Thu May 13, 2010 5:30 pm

RKatzin wrote:Pruning and trimming can have an effect on flowering, also. Some trees flower on second year wood, so if you constantly remove new shoots you remove next years flower buds. Allow shoots to grow most of the season and then dock them back to two or three sets of leaves. Flower buds will sprout in the spring from behind the leaves and after they flower these shoots can be removed or worked into your design.

Brambles (blackberries, raspberries, etc. ) are the same way. You don't get fruit on this year's growth, prune back this years growth too hard and you get no berries!
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Post  JimLewis Thu May 13, 2010 7:25 pm

Brambles (blackberries, raspberries, etc. ) are
the same way. You don't get fruit on this year's growth, prune back
this years growth too hard and you get no berries!

Speaking of that, are we gonna have a blackberry crop this year! Cool, wet winter also seems to promote profuse blooms. I can already taste the blackberry cobbler!!! And there will be enough to freeze for use later in the winter! Fertilizer to induce flowers Icon_cheers Fertilizer to induce flowers 369513 Fertilizer to induce flowers 754636
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Post  Jay Gaydosh Thu May 13, 2010 11:06 pm

The wife makes a great cobbler, but I'm low carb, I usually get to use some to make a lovely, low carb blackberry wine! Woo hoo!

Hope you get a bumper crop!
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Post  fiona Fri May 14, 2010 12:08 am

Well now, that's interesting as my raspberries and blueberries are lthe only things in my garden which are actually in advance of their normal season. The blueberry bushes are looking to be especially prolific if the amount of emergent flower is anything to go by. Hadn't appreciated the role a cold winter might play.
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Post  funtango Mon Jun 28, 2010 12:25 pm

I want to build a kitchen garden in my house,can you advice me with some of the fertilizers which are beneficial for kitchen gardening?

online florist

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Post  bonsaisr Mon Jun 28, 2010 3:05 pm

What exactly do you mean by a kitchen garden? If you mean a vegetable garden, high phosphorus & potassium will encourage blooming & fruiting.
Or do you mean an indoor garden in your kitchen?
Iris
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Post  Jay Gaydosh Tue Jun 29, 2010 2:32 pm

Now I'm really confused.

In a flower garden, you grow flowers.

In a vegetable garden, you grow vegetables.

In a kitchen garden, do you grow kitchens?


Then again,

Garlic powder is made of garlic.

Onion powder is made of onions.

Talcum pwder is made of talc.

So, what is baby powder made of? What a Face

(Sorry, just back from a long weekend and couldn't help myself.)

Jay
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Post  bonsaisr Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:43 pm

That is the trouble with the construct state. It is not a noun and an adjective; it is an assemblage of two nouns, and sometimes you can't tell how they relate. Leads to an endless supply of puns & confusion.
Iris
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Post  Todd Ellis Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:11 am

fiona wrote:Well now, that's interesting as my raspberries and blueberries are lthe only things in my garden which are actually in advance of their normal season. The blueberry bushes are looking to be especially prolific if the amount of emergent flower is anything to go by. Hadn't appreciated the role a cold winter might play.

My High Bush Blue Berries (wild) were very prolific and I ate berries off the bonsai for four weeks. Delicious! cheers Todd
Fertilizer to induce flowers 6-20-110
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Post  growlikecrazy Tue Nov 30, 2010 4:08 pm

Hello, I also like to plant flowers i my garden. Balanced Fertilizer play important role in induced flowering. Natural Fertilizers in right amount brings better results in gardening. Bet of luck.

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