FORUMS

Svar til: There's little difference between 2:1:2 and 3:1:3 when your focus is to limit the amount of N you're supplying. If you just reduce the amount of 3:1:2 ratio fertilizer you're supplying in order to induce a mild N deficiency, you're going to get a K deficiency to go right along with it. The extra K included when you cut back on the dosage of N prevents that likely K deficiency. When the ratio is 3:1:3, you just do a little more limiting. ;-) Instead of looking for a 2:1:2 ratio fertilizer that won't be easy to find, you can utilize the added versatility that an extra shot of K adds to your 3:1:2 ratio fertilizer, but you're still the guy in charge of the N supply, not the fertilizer's ratio. People lose sight of that all the time. They might say I use a 1:1:1 ratio fertilizer because I don't like all that N in a 3:1:3 ratio fertilizer, but they promptly feed the plant enough N to make it happy. They end up giving the plant the same amount of N either way - it's just that with the 1:1:1 ratio fertilizers it's impossible to give a plant enough N without OVER-supplying both P and K, but especially P. I'm off on an adventure in the morning. A visit with my daughter & family, then on to Chicago for some fun at the Midwest Bonsai Show. I'll see you guys on Sunday. Al

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Svar til: There is little variation in the nutritional content of the various organs of any given plant. While you're told that N is for foliage, P is for roots, ..... - the fact is, the plant needs all the essential elements in roughly the same ratio for all it's parts. If you would like to curtail vegetative growth and promote the plant's allocating more energy to fruit production, simply reduce the N you're supplying. I do this by reducing the frequency of my applications of fertilizer and/or the strength of the solution, and by adding either KCl (potash) or Pro-TeKt 0-0-3 to the fertilizer solution. In essence, it changes my fertilizer ratio to something close to 3:1:3. It's important to understand that you have to ACTUALLY TAKE CONTROL of the N you're supplying and make sure you're creating a N deficiency to accomplish this goal. It's not the fertilizer ratio that controls how much N is delivered, it's the grower's hand on the watering can that contains the solution. Just changing the ratio to 3:1:3 won't do it if you continue to supply all the N the plant wants. The extra K is just ensuring there won't be a K deficiency if you are in control enough to keep the foliage a lighter shade of green, indicating your strategy is probably working. You'll probably be sacrificing some older and interior foliage as a result of your reduction in the amount of N you're supplying if it's working as you planned. Al

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