Fertilizing and how you do it.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

I don't want fast results. I want good long lasting results, and there is a night and day difference. The synthetics make plants green up faster in some cases, but this benefit is only superficial. Synthetics DO NOT make plants healthier. Also, our soils and water have been contaminated by decades of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides use. There is a huge area off the Mississippi Delta known as the DEAD ZONE because of the decades of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides draining down the Mississippi Basin and into the Northern Gulf of Mexico. This area used to be a vibrant natural fishery area teaming with healthy marine life a hundred years ago!

[LJG]

I don't want fast results. I want good long lasting results, and there is a night and day difference. The synthetics make plants green up faster in some cases, but this benefit is only superficial. Synthetics DO NOT make plants healthier. Also, our soils and water have been contaminated by decades of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides use. There is a huge area off the Mississippi Delta known as the DEAD ZONE because of the decades of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides draining down the Mississippi Basin and into the Northern Gulf of Mexico. This area used to be a vibrant natural fishery area teaming with healthy marine life a hundred years ago!

A plant doesn't know the difference if the N comes from a natural or synthetic origin. It all goes in nitrate or ammonia form. NO3− is NO3−. There is no NO3−(synthetic). As far as synthetics not making plants happier it is all semantics. Giving a palm suffering from N or K deficiency a synthetic and correcting the issue is making it healthier in my book. But while you fix the immediate danger, you might not have corrected the issue for overall health which of course starts with the soils. This is why it is important to run an integrated strategy if you do use synthetics. Hence why you can not ever give up on composting and mulching for example.

[Loxahatchee Adam]

To what people are saying about synthetic fertilizers sterilizing the soil or killing off microbial life, there are many factors (elemental poisoning, osmotic pressures, inert ingredients) Chloride buildup from Potassium chloride (see post #29) found in many fertilizers, including ones marketed as for palms is one of these sources

I'm on a horse farm and we have more used bedding (wood shavings, urine, poop) than we can handle (we'll load it for free!). We use it uncomposted as a top dressing mulch (not incorporated into the soil) and have had great results with it. I have a row of Veitchia that look great and healthy after the stuff has sat there for a year. It kills off grass competition and slowly breaks down releasing macros and micros from the wood and whatever the horses ate (grass, grains).

There are, unfortunately, many queen palms planted in the neighborhood here...in various states of condition. When people have a row of them and do their annual poop/bedding mulching, they green up and look so much better a few months later.

[_Keith]

"It all goes in nitrate or ammonia form. NO3− is NO3−. There is no NO3−(synthetic)." Len, I am not disagreeing with you, but I am not so quick to agree to this either. For many decades, people thought the same about our foods, a calorie was a calorie, a gram of protein was a gram of protein, same for fat and carbs as well. Now as we learn more this is not the case. I will be interested to see, as we learn more about plants, if this begins to reveal itself in that realm as well.

As for myself, I use mostly organic, but if I see a deficiency I'll pull out the chemically produced products in a flash to rectify the situation.

Oh, and the misnomer is,,, it is all organic. That is why they call it organic chemistry. I do it, too, organic and non-organic. Naturally produced vs lab formulated might be more accurate.

[Palmaceae]

I use a synthetic fertilizer, good quality 8-2-12 with micros 4 times a year and heavily mulch. I add some micros when needed throughout the year.

[LJG]

"It all goes in nitrate or ammonia form. NO3− is NO3−. There is no NO3−(synthetic)." Len, I am not disagreeing with you, but I am not so quick to agree to this either. For many decades, people thought the same about our foods, a calorie was a calorie, a gram of protein was a gram of protein, same for fat and carbs as well. Now as we learn more this is not the case. I will be interested to see, as we learn more about plants, if this begins to reveal itself in that realm as well.

As for myself, I use mostly organic, but if I see a deficiency I'll pull out the chemically produced products in a flash to rectify the situation.

Oh, and the misnomer is,,, it is all organic. That is why they call it organic chemistry. I do it, too, organic and non-organic. Naturally produced vs lab formulated might be more accurate.

Keith, totally get where you are coming from but you are comparing apples to oranges. NO3- is just that. Like H2O made in a lab or found natural, H2O is H2O. Same with a calorie. It is all the other crap that makes the difference. It is there you must focus your attention. H20 filtered out of a mountain stream or from a stagnate pond? Easy right? The reality is that if you strip everything down to getting just H2O, your body won't know the difference where it came from. It's two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen. Nothing else.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

I use Nutricote 180 day slow release once a year and also use an organic fertilizer call seamungus which is a mix of seaweed fishmeal and humic acid . I also use seaweed on all my palms at least once a month ( lugging around 2 watering cans for 2 hrs ) .

[sashaeffer]

I have to agree dogs are anoying when you use organic fertilizer. Blood and bone seems to be the favorite for my dogs. One will dig trenches to get at it.

No kidding on that. Can't use organic "anything" around here unless I want a huge mess. End up having to sprinkle Cayenne pepper on top of the soil to keep them away.

[Danilopez89]

I was still under the impression that "a calorie was a calorie". When did that change? Only hippies use organic...

[Danilopez89]

I use a ton of fertilizer, especially for my queen palms. But I make sure to flood them frequently. I'll leave the hose trickling for several hours sometimes over night. I don't get rain but I can sure try and imitate it.

[Hammer]

I use Nutricote 180 day slow release once a year and also use an organic fertilizer call seamungus which is a mix of seaweed fishmeal and humic acid . I also use seaweed on all my palms at least once a month ( lugging around 2 watering cans for 2 hrs ) .

Troy do you foliar feed or feed all into the soil?

[Pip]

I have to agree dogs are anoying when you use organic fertilizer. Blood and bone seems to be the favorite for my dogs. One will dig trenches to get at it.

No kidding on that. Can't use organic "anything" around here unless I want a huge mess. End up having to sprinkle Cayenne pepper on top of the soil to keep them away.

I prefer to use organic fertilizer and seaweed extract but also use water soluble fertilizer. I tend to fence off parts of my garden to restrict my three Borzoi. I don't think there would be many people who would get mad at them when they look like this.

Joy is our newest family member having been placed in a home of a pack of 5 Italian Greyhounds who were way to dominate for a Borzoi pup she stopped eating and dropped condition. Joy now lives with us and has settled in well. She should be back in the show ring in a few months. Despite eating blood and bone she will most likely not reach her full genetic potential due to her fasting during a critical growth stage.

[GMann]

With S FL soils, it's usually sandy, so to not spend the extra $$$ on all slow release is a waste of money when it rains hard or you irrigate heavily.

That's kind of a confusing double negative. Is he saying it's a waste of money to use the slow release in South Florida? Or it is a waste of money to NOT use the slow release?

[GMann]

My garden's soil always has a deep layer of rotting mulch on the soil surface. It's essential for rain forest palms and beneficial for all others. I also like Dr. Earth Palm Fertilizer. It's 100% organic and smelly but smelly usually means good!

Is Dr. Earth's slow release? Would it be recommended for South Florida sandy soils and heavy rain?

[NorthFlpalmguy]

I use a local blended release variety formulated for palms and it works well for me. I like to use smaller, more frequent applications though. I know nursery guys who do more heavy, infrequent applications and their palms just don't seem to look as good no matter what fertilizers they use.