As I am fairly new to maples, what would be the recommended type/frequency of fertilizing? All my maples are in pots currently for several reasons (young 1-2yr grafts, training for bonsai, moving, etc), so this is obviously a significant factor as opposed to them being in the ground. I had been using my general bonsai fertilizer (7-9-5), but would like to try something organic instead. Fox Farm has a specific (they say) Japanese Maple granular fertilizer (4-8-5) I think might be good, and I've also picked up Neptune's Harvest Fish and Seaweed Blend (2-3-1). Haven't really had a chance to try them out yet as it's been so crazy hot here (regularly 100+ each and every day for over 2 months now). As for soil, I currently am using a tree & shrub soil, with some haydite and fine chicken grit added to help increase drainage. I've also amended the soil with some of the Happy Frog Soil Conditioner. However, I am a little worried that this might not be quite fast-draining enough; though I'm sure the heat is a significant factor, most of my maples have either a little or a lot of leaf burn that I think might be due to overly moist soil. I only water once the soil is dry about an inch down in the pot, but with the higher humidity we've been having lately, I'm sometimes only watering every 2-4 days... Thanks!! Andrea
Andrea, Welcome to the forum. The subject you raise has been dealt with in many threads which, together, give a very comprehensive overview on the subject. I suggest you use the forum search facility, using the appropriate key words. Gomero
