Fertilizer made specific for California

[James B]

Considering we are the agricultural Mecca of the USA is there a CA specific palm fertilizer? If not, why isn’t there?

 

[Jim in Los Altos]

Probably because of the immense diversity of California soils. Some sandy, some heavy clay, some fertile, some nearly sterile and a lot in between. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by Jim in Los Altos

[HiwaKika]

Simplot Best Palm Plus is made in Lathrop CA and used at Rancho Soledad Nurseries. I buy it at Whittier Fertilizer. There's another seller in Anaheim.

https://whittierfertilizer.com/product/best-palm-plus-13-5-8/

[Jubaea_James760]

Pee on them.

[amh]

41 minutes ago, Jubaea_James760 said:

Pee on them.

I tell people to do this with citus; the conversation usually ends after that.

[Jubaea_James760]

50 minutes ago, amh said:

I tell people to do this with citus; the conversation usually ends after that.

Lol! I was being facetious, but hey, if you can get away with it & not get arrested or flash any poor soul then why not  

Can always do the trucker thing & pee in a plastic jug...

[James B]

8 hours ago, HiwaKika said:

Simplot Best Palm Plus is made in Lathrop CA and used at Rancho Soledad Nurseries. I buy it at Whittier Fertilizer. There's another seller in Anaheim.

https://whittierfertilizer.com/product/best-palm-plus-13-5-8/

Thanks! I’ll be trying them out.

[James B]

9 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Probably because of the immense diversity of California soils. Some sandy, some heavy clay, some fertile, some nearly sterile and a lot in between. 

I can see that Jim. My soil is rocky granite and drains quickly. Much different from say Fallbrook which is slow draining clay.

[Darold Petty]

The late Dick Douglas was a big advocate of urine contribution.  Even though my garden is tiny, I have several completely private spots.  When visitors ask about this practice I tell them  "My garden is honored by your contribution!" 

[amh]

5 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

The late Dick Douglas was a big advocate of urine contribution.  Even though my garden is tiny, I have several completely private spots.  When visitors ask about this practice I tell them  "My garden is honored by your contribution!" 

Cheapest, greenest, and most efficient source of urea and potassium.

It's not public urination, it's cutting your carbon footprint.

[Tracy]

5 hours ago, James B said:

My soil is rocky granite and drains quickly. Much different from say Fallbrook which is slow draining clay

Someone else posted the photo below which was at a garden in Fallbrook.  I used some dg mined from the garden below to mound plant cycads at my house to add weight to a loose sandy soil.  As you can see, even within a city or zip code the soil can vary significantly.  My house in Leucadia is about 3.6 miles from where I lived in Carlsbad and the soils are completely different as well.  When you read through the old threads on fertilizers, micros or plant deficiencies, the common thread is that you have to know your soil before you try to correct something.  Probably the only universal fertilizer for almost all soil types would be consistent application of mulch over a long period.

[sonoranfans]

the lack of rain in the warm growing season means that controlled release is not needed.  You could use spikes since you supply the water.  If you have clayish soils that drain well , that is the best scenario.  I lived in arizona for 10 years, only had one case of nutrient deficiency.  I had frizzletop on a queen(Mn deficiency).  That was fixed with MnSO4 and sulfur pellets to adjust the alkaline pH.  Alkaline pH is not solved by fertilizer type as the availability of Mn is very low in alkaline soils.  If you put down the fertilizer every 2-3 months and water appropriately for the dry cycle (and dont have alkaline soil) the palms will do well with many different palm fertilizers.  I arizona I used jobes palm spikes, and big box special palm food.  Those did not work here, K deficiency was pretty bad with all of them.  If you do get heavy rain in summer a controlled release like florikan CRF will be much better than slow release fertilizers in keeping palms from getting deficient.  Some palms don't need much fertilizer, Bismarckia is an example.  They grow very well in habitat with nutrient poor lateritic soils.

[Butch]

On 4/28/2022 at 6:37 AM, James B said:

Thanks! I’ll be trying them out.

X2... I already use Whittier Fertilizer for planter mix...

Butch

[Silas_Sancona]

On 4/27/2022 at 9:48 PM, Jubaea_James760 said:

Pee on them.

 

On 4/27/2022 at 10:33 PM, amh said:

I tell people to do this with citus; the conversation usually ends after that.

 

On 4/28/2022 at 6:41 AM, Darold Petty said:

The late Dick Douglas was a big advocate of urine contribution.  Even though my garden is tiny, I have several completely private spots.  When visitors ask about this practice I tell them  "My garden is honored by your contribution!" 

 

On 4/28/2022 at 12:14 PM, amh said:

Cheapest, greenest, and most efficient source of urea and potassium.

It's not public urination, it's cutting your carbon footprint.

 ..All  who " pee on their trees " may be onto something:

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/05/01/human-urine-could-be-an-effective-and-less-polluting-crop-fertiliser?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1651482009

[amh]

4 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

 

 

 

 ..All  who " pee on their trees " may be onto something:

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/05/01/human-urine-could-be-an-effective-and-less-polluting-crop-fertiliser?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1651482009

Using urine is an old concept, but upending existing infrastructure would be costly and wasteful. I'm all for treated sewage being used for tree crops or even corn, and hey, you can get your antidepressants, birth control hormones, anti-psychotics, opiates and other goodies in the produce section.

I've been considering putting up a temporary, movable outhouse in my orchard during winters.