Manufactured Organic Fertilizers

[Alan_L]

I know there are those here who use synthetic fertilizers on their bamboo, and those who use only organics, both "natural" (manure, compost, etc.) and manufactured. I use synthetics on most of my container plants (non-edibles), but only use organics in my yard.

What manufactured organic fertilizers do you use?

I use Espoma Plant-tone and Garden-tone in my yard, but I'm wondering if the 5-3-3 of Plant-tone is enough for bamboos. I guess I could apply at a higher rate, or add some extra bloodmeal and bonemeal too.

Would love to hear about some other products that people have good experience with.

(Gotta get the stuff applied soon so it breaks down in time for shooting!)

[mike best]

I have found the organics don't have the highest nitrogen that bamboo really likes to devourer. Yes organics mean never burning your bamboo but bamboo is a grass that can really take lots of nitrogen without risk of burning especially with a timed release turf fertilizer.

When I am trying to establish a bamboo and want the fastest maximum growth out of it, I feed a timed release high nitrogen lawn fertilizer at least 3 times a year. At Lowes I get the ripped bags real cheap, something like the the sta-green 35-5-5 extend 5 months feed turf fertilizer. NOT WEED AND FEED

Also around the corner from me the horse stables give me all the horse manure pine compost I can take for free. I mound it up high and all ready all my grounds are black with rich compost. All the boo roots grow up into it in a matter of weeks. Even so, I still supplement with the turf fertilizer though.

I have stopped feeding my Venticosa because it big enough, thus the diet of just water and leaf compost.

[ShmuBamboo]

Why not Weed and Feed? 24D is food for monocots and grasses.

I use urea on bamboo myself. Cheap and high nitrogen. Seems like it would be considered organic as well.

[dudley]

at what rate do you apply chemical grass fertilizers.
the rate recommended for lawns is not enough.
my brandisii planted last summer from a 1gal bucket needs a push.

[millerlightman02]

When should you fertilize? with spring coming up and all.

[mike best]

Why not Weed and Feed? 24D is food for monocots and grasses.

I use urea on bamboo myself. Cheap and high nitrogen. Seems like it would be considered organic as well.

The real question might be why would you want to put herbicide on a bamboo as I would think they would not need weed control and would out grow any weeds or other plants around anyway.

I don't know if there are any studies on this but I have had weed feed weaken some of my other plants so I just don't risk it on my bamboo.

There would be a cost increase using it and some times people eat the bamboo shoots and I have read that the herbicides can be taken in to the plants even though they don't kill them.

[mike best]

at what rate do you apply chemical grass fertilizers.
the rate recommended for lawns is not enough.
my brandisii planted last summer from a 1gal bucket needs a push.

Would love to hear what other people do but me? If it is truly a dependable timed release, one gallon in the ground, at least a 1/2 cup of fertilizer in the middle of the boo and outward all around it about a foot from the last culm. I dare say if it is established root system in the rainy season you can go 1 cup.

a good indicator is that 3-4 weeks later you should still see remains of colored fertilizer granules here and there.

Depends how big the bamboo is. In Florida the rains can wash nutrients quickly through the sandy soil so I usually put enough fertilizer to cover all around the bamboo, like there was a big snow storm of fertilizer.

I know it sounds allot....the Bambusa emeiensis Viridiflavus below would get at least a quart, and the Blue Chungii too.

[ShmuBamboo]

Well, in reality 2-4-D is a selective herbicide and selective fertilizer at the same time. Bamboos are grasses, and 2-4-D is a fertilizer for grasses. It only kills broad leaf (dicot) plants. Why not use it in a bamboo grove that has weeds? For example, I have some 50 gallon tubs with Ps. Longiligula which have some impossible to get rid of privet growing in them. I am going to douse them with Weed and Feed this spring to see if I can get rid of the privet.

I have read several posts on several web sites that say not to use Weed and Feed on bamboo, but I cannot find any sources that say what, if any bad results may become of using it. I have read several posts of people that have tried it, and in all caes, they say that it greened up their bamboo. I have no intention of eating my Pseudosasa shoots! They are far more valuable as live plants than as food.

These are all interesting points to consider though.

Why not Weed and Feed? 24D is food for monocots and grasses.

I use urea on bamboo myself. Cheap and high nitrogen. Seems like it would be considered organic as well.

The real question might be why would you want to put herbicide on a bamboo as I would think they would not need weed control and would out grow any weeds or other plants around anyway.

I don't know if there are any studies on this but I have had weed feed weaken some of my other plants so I just don't risk it on my bamboo.

There would be a cost increase using it and some times people eat the bamboo shoots and I have read that the herbicides can be taken in to the plants even though they don't kill them.

[ShmuBamboo]

at what rate do you apply chemical grass fertilizers.
the rate recommended for lawns is not enough.
my brandisii planted last summer from a 1gal bucket needs a push.

I use it at half streangth twice as often. One problem with nitrogen fertilizers is that they are water soluble, so they leech out with rain and watering. Often times at full strength, a lot of it just runs off. It is also easy to push small potted plants too far with fertilizers.

One way to tell what to feed your boos is to look at the leaves. If they are yellowing, then I fertilize. I keep fertilizing at half strength every week until they green up. I use fertilizer dissolved in water mostly.

[ShmuBamboo]

When should you fertilize? with spring coming up and all.

Good question. Here my bamboos are just starting to shoot (most are genus Phy. or Ps.). The rhizome buds are swelling, and some small shoots are just starting to form. This is the time that bamboo will need a lot of nitrogen to get the anual shooting season growth. So now is the time that I start to feed. I feed heavilly through the end of shooting season. I also fertilize in the fall during rhizome running season. I found that the leaves will yellow in the fall due to their needing nitrogen to grow the rhizomes. So I feed starting in September though mid-October. My observations are that fall feeding stops a lot of leaf yellowing.

Note that this applies to groves and potted bamboos that I want to grow rapidly. Once a boo or grove size is established and the size I want it, then I cut back on the fertilizer to just be enough to keep the leaves from turning yellow. Maybe feed them twice in the spring and once in the fall.

[Mark_NoVA]

I tried milorganite last year--"Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer" intended for use on lawns. Can't really tell if it made a difference, but it sounds like it would be good for bamboo. Perhaps it would be good in addition to Plant-Tone. At the web site above, in the Garden Writers section, there's a flyer on mixing with other fertilizers.

[Mike McG]

I tried milorganite last year--"Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer" intended for use on lawns.

I have been using an ammonium sulfate type fertilizer with a guaranteed analysis of 17-1-0-19S-2Fe as part of mix since our soil and well water tends to be alkaline. It is made in a similar manner as 21-0-0-24S but they include municipal biosolids so it has 25% organic material and iron. Not Organic with a capital "O".

I mix approximately 1/3 of this with 1/3 sulfur pellets and 1/3 multipurpose slow release fertilizer. I can't say exactly what the effect is on the bamboo but I have really green circles of grass around the bamboo if we get enough rain. I also put horse manure around the bamboo when I get time to clean up the barn yard.

Mike near Brenham TX

[Alan_L]

I found "Scotts Natural Lawn Food" yesterday (which appears to be a new name for their "Organic Choice" fertilizer). It's 11-2-2.

I mixed it with my Plant-tone about 50/50 and applied yesterday while the weather was nice.