Too early to fertilize?

[Alan_L]

Is it too early to throw down organic fertilizers on the bamboos? I've got 200 lbs of used coffee grounds that I want to spread before it rains.

My feeling is it is NOT too early, but thought I'd get other people's opinions. Remember I'm in z6, but it's been really mild this winter so far.

[needmore]

Go for it. I normally start about 4 weeks from now, since I need lots & it costs lots I've been thinking about grabbing a bag each time I go to the hardware store and starting sooner. I think that the Milorganite I use tends to be very slow to break down anyway.

[Tarzanus]

When it's cold, molecules don't break down into usable nutrients fast. Usually the process starts when it warms up and by then bamboos should be ready to start. It might be a bit of a problem if it gets warmer, everything starts to grow and then severe cold front destroys everything. I'm thinking that you're taking the same risk with or without the fertilizer.

[needmore]

I'd rather have it there when the plant is ready, Milorganite initially needs to form a mycelia to begin breaking down and that takes some warmth & time anyway.

BTW - I do intend to - dry weather permitting - mow the ground covers this weekend, that strikes me as a task to be done earlier than usual this year.

[stevelau1911]

Milorganite is so far my preferred fertilizer. Here it costs 10.95 per 50lb bag of the professional grade(6-2-0) as long as a minimal of 40 bags are purchased, making it $438 for a pallet. Not bad especially compared to the high nitrogen grass fertilizers, and I find that milorganite does help green things up a lot, especially plants like garlic which are prone to nitrogen deficiency.

I prefer fertilizing usually by mid march or so when the temperatures are staying above freezing on a more consistent basis because I don't want to encourage plants to come out too early only to be fried by a late freeze. I also prefer to give the plants the fertilizer more in the range of time when they really need it, for example 3 weeks before bamboo shooting season.

[needmore]

Milorganite is so far my preferred fertilizer. Here it costs 10.95 per 50lb bag of the professional grade(6-2-0) as long as a minimal of 40 bags are purchased, making it $438 for a pallet. Not bad especially compared to the high nitrogen grass fertilizers, and I find that milorganite does help green things up a lot, especially plants like garlic which are prone to nitrogen deficiency.

I prefer fertilizing usually by mid march or so when the temperatures are staying above freezing on a more consistent basis because I don't want to encourage plants to come out too early only to be fried by a late freeze. I also prefer to give the plants the fertilizer more in the range of time when they really need it, for example 3 weeks before bamboo shooting season.

Do you think that fertilizer can coax shooting earlier?

[stevelau1911]

Do you think that fertilizer can coax shooting earlier?

If it is a 1-2 year old seeding or division, I think fertilization can encourage earlier shooting. I've found that completely top killed moso seedlings tended to always shoot last while they protected ones that still have green leaves for photosynthesis to shoot early, so perhaps making sure they get enough nitrogen in early spring might give them even more energy to hurry up and shoot a few days earlier given that they take up nutrients when the soil temperature is still 40-50F.

I still think heat is a bigger factor because my potted moso seedlings tend to shoot around 20 days earlier than the moso seedlings in the ground because of the heating up of their black nursery pots under full sun, and there are many ways to heat up the soil in a grove without the use of heating cables.

[Alan_L]

If it is a 1-2 year old seeding or division, I think fertilization can encourage earlier shooting.

You have so many potted seedlings, you should be doing a trial so you won't have to guess -- fertilize half of the plants, leave the other half unfertilized and see if there's any difference in shooting times.

[Tarzanus]

I would bet on soil temperature. Nutrients might help as well, perhaps not making them shoot earlier, but to grow faster and poke out of the soil sooner.

I have Moso seedlings that decided to start shooting despite the fact that soil on top of the pot got frozen almost every morning. On the other hand I have top killed seedling in shallow pot that was frozen solid for quite some time, warmed up a bit, and froze again several times. I was certain it's toasted, but it ended up shooting today, one week after I brought it inside. When the soil warmed up to over 50F it just woke up.

Nutrients are in the soil, when the roots decide to start pumping them in, they just start. I kind of doubt it's the level of nutrients that starts the process, I'm quite sure that soil temperature initially triggers it.

[dependable]

I use commercial Osmocote I think, 19-19-19 plus micro nutrients, 6 month release for potted plants, no danger of burning and released w watering. Costs about $100 for 50#s but goes a long way and have had good results. For stands I used Blue Seal Safe & Simple, a slow release, all natural. 6-2-4. I think its $22 for 50 #s if bought by pallet. Milorganite is a better deal, but I stock this stuff as for my customer's lawns. Can't use the stinky stuff at work. I agree now is a good time to get started as long as you don't use a lot of water soluble N. Too much too early N Will cause overly tender shoots. Don't forget the lime/wood ash if your soil is acidic.

[Samajax]

I'm an organic guy, so I tend to lean toward composted bovine manure and a local product called Medina Hasta Gro. I usually put that down in the middle of February- along with turkey compost, and I assume that the plants will take them up whenever the temps tell them to start their process. If you really want to baby a new start- a plant without much bamboo leaf mulch, you can add silica.

Milorganite...must be a Yankee thing . I love that it comes from the Milwaukee waste treatment system.

Just a word of relatively informed advice. Most lawns/plants/bamboos, etc., do not need a constant refreshment of phosphorus or potassium. Adding fertilizers that have a high second/third number, year after year, can actually have a detrimental effect on your soil biomass. So like Steve/Needmore have listed, if you fertilize more than once a year, it's better to keep the N high, but the P and K on the lower side.

Not sure if I'm ready, but this year I can't imagine why I won't have sasa shoots any day now, with Phylostachys soon to follow- maybe by third week of February?

[jpluddite]

I went to the Milorganite website to try to find a distributor, but the ones listed are far from me. Does anyone know of a place near Hersey/Harrisburg, PA where I can buy it?

jp

[Alan_L]

Both Lowe's and Home Depot carry it here in the St. Louis area. Worth a look if you haven't yet.

I love the stuff, although I wish I knew how long it actually takes to start breaking down.

[jpluddite]

I have a layer of shredded leaves followed by a layer of straw on my bamboo bed. Should I remove the straw before adding the milorganite?

If so, should I replace the straw afterward?
jp

[stevelau1911]

If you find a local gardening center that carries it, I'm sure you might be able to convince the manager to order an extra pallet in order to get the wholesale price. You might also be able to ask them if there are local distributors close by. Sometimes when you buy at the store price, they may mark it up close to double the price which can get expensive when you need a lot of bags. For example it can be 12.37 for a 36lb bag at home depot while the wholesale price is 7.95 per bag when you buy in bulk.

I usually try to mix milorganite into the mulch just to make sure it doesn't wash off on the surface with heavy rains. I've found that this product will cause lots of millipedes and maggots to be in the area so that shows how organic it is. Temperatures are above average for this time of the year, but with the forecast having temperatures range from the 15-47F in the 15 day forecast, I don't see any point in fertilizing this early.

I'm also wondering, if I put like 5 bags on a new planting, if the extra milorganite would have any positive effect on the growth rate. Probably not. I usually give them at max 1-2 hand-fulls per square foot at any given time assuming that they can't take in that many nutrients at any given time. I think fertilizing several times a year will yield better results than 1 big fertilization since these nutrients probably don't stay in the soil forever.