Check this out!

[Stone]

A cactus that's not an epiphytic cactus growing epiphytically! I grow cacti and this is a healthy plant. You would need to feed well to get this healthy growth in a pot. I think this is an amazing pic.

Goes to show that the level of nutrients available in a tree can equal the soil on the ground.

 

[NYEric]

Bird poop on the lichen.

 

[Ray]

...and we all know that the nutrient demand of that species of cactus is ?????

 

[gonewild]

...and we all know that the nutrient demand of that species of cactus is ?????

almost nothing

 

[Happypaphy7]

No! can't be. They obviously need a lot of stuff to grow. like any living things.

BTW, did you place that cactus right there last year or is this totally natural??

I thought this kind of cactus grew in the sand?

 

[Stone]

almost nothing

Them's fight'n words!

You would need (say for a 6 inch pot) a teaspoon of osmocote per year or full strength liquid feed every 2 weeks during summer to get good growth.
AND.. a repot every three years or you get stagnation of growth.

Almost nothing.....in the ground..

 

[Stone]

No! can't be. They obviously need a lot of stuff to grow. like any living things.

BTW, did you place that cactus right there last year or is this totally natural??

I thought this kind of cactus grew in the sand?

Natural shot in Mexico

 

[gonewild]

Them's fight'n words!

You would need (say for a 6 inch pot) a teaspoon of osmocote per year or full strength liquid feed every 2 weeks during summer to get good growth.
AND.. a repot every three years or you get stagnation of growth.

Almost nothing.....in the ground..

A teaspoon of Osmocote per year is almost nothing!

 

[Stone]

A teaspoon of Osmocote per year is almost nothing!

It's about a standard rate. So therefore you are saying that all pot grown plants need almost nothing? How much would you consider to be substantial /

 

[gonewild]

It's about a standard rate. So therefore you are saying that all pot grown plants need almost nothing? How much would you consider to be substantial /

You really do like to argue don't you? so since it's your thread...

I did not say anything of the sort!
But are you saying all 6" pot grown plants only need 1 tsp of Osmocote per year?

One teaspoon of Osmocote per year is not what I would consider standard.
Maybe a teaspoon every 3 months would do it. And that assumes that temperatures are relatively cool so the release is not rapid. If the temperatures are hot the release is much faster.

One teaspoon of Osmocote may contain 1 gram of N slowly released over about a 4 month period of time. Leachate studies measure flow through from Osmocote release at a maximum of 11ppm tapering off to zero in 5 months. That's only an average N supply of 2ppm (that's nothing).

If you are talking about pot grown flowering plants one teaspoon is nothing.

But back to the cactus plant I doubt it would even need one teaspoon of Osmocote! But it probably gets at least a gram of N from all the lichens. oke:

 

[Happypaphy7]

Good to know that this is a natural setting.
I am amazed!

Well, regarding the fertilization amount, I think it really depends on the crops. I know certain crops need a lot, mostly annual food crops or fruit bearing trees as far as I know.

Otherwise, houseplants in general, 1 tsp of slow release fertilizer a year is about more than enough. May not be ideal depending on the plant type, but far from almost nothing I would say.

Actually, a lot of professional growers only fertilize about twice a year back home. Once at the onset of new growth, and one more in the middle of the growing season if the weather is not too hot.

 

[abax]

It appears that the tree is decaying and that should provide
some nutrients that cactus needs. I used to grow many
species of cacti and rarely if ever fertilized. They grew
well and bloomed beautifully. I do think they take up
nutrients and store them when there is rain on occasion.

 

[Stone]

You really do like to argue don't you? so since it's your thread...

I did not say anything of the sort!
But are you saying all 6" pot grown plants only need 1 tsp of Osmocote per year?

One teaspoon of Osmocote per year is not what I would consider standard.
Maybe a teaspoon every 3 months would do it. And that assumes that temperatures are relatively cool so the release is not rapid. If the temperatures are hot the release is much faster.

One teaspoon of Osmocote may contain 1 gram of N slowly released over about a 4 month period of time. Leachate studies measure flow through from Osmocote release at a maximum of 11ppm tapering off to zero in 5 months. That's only an average N supply of 2ppm (that's nothing).

If you are talking about pot grown flowering plants one teaspoon is nothing.

But back to the cactus plant I doubt it would even need one teaspoon of Osmocote! But it probably gets at least a gram of N from all the lichens. oke:

Lance Lance Lance....Is it ever possible!?

Look, I've been in the nursery industry for over 30 years. I use osmocote for trees, shrubs, ferns, clivias etc. I use 9 month osmocote for just about everything. I use 1 heaped teaspoon per six inch pot per year for everything. That is enough to get very good healthy growth during the growing period mainly spring summer and a bit of autumn. That is for fast growing plants. For slow growing cacti which get maybe 1/4 of the water the others do, I use 1 level teaspoon per 6 inch pot per year.

1 (heaped) teaspoon per 6 inch pot is not nothing. Nothing is nothing.
You can call that nothing if you wish but I can confirm that it is enough for healthy growth. Conversely, If I was to use nothing (your word) I would have stalled growth. If you use more, you are just washing most of it down the drain.

The mix I use for ''normal plants'' already has plant available N and other nutrients in it. Enough for about 3 months. If I were to start with a mix which did not, I would probably use 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons per pot.
The cacti mix which I make up myself contains soil (which contains substantial minerals). 1 level teaspoon is sufficient - but essential!

I couldn't care less how many ppm N is released or where the plant in the tree is getting it's nutrients from. That's not the my point. If you want to call it nothing, knock yourself out.

My initial point was - and still is - that that (TERRESRTIAL) cactus growing on the bark of the tree is finding at least as much nutrient as is found in a pot containing soil and 1 level teaspoon of 9 month osmocote, (I can see that just by looking at it's condition)....and importantly, more than that in a pot which was not fertilized or - as you like to put it - getting next to nothing.

Maybe instead of talking crap about ''nothing'' or ''next to nothing'', try looking a bit deeper into the wonders of nature! We can learn quite a bit from this picture with regard to orchid culture if we care to.
Mainly, that life in a tree is NOT nutrient poor when compared to the ground it's growing in.

 

[Stone]

It appears that the tree is decaying and that should provide
some nutrients that cactus needs. I used to grow many
species of cacti and rarely if ever fertilized. They grew
well and bloomed beautifully. I do think they take up
nutrients and store them when there is rain on occasion.

Angela. That tree is alive and well. If you grew cacti without fertilizing, you missed out on their true potential! They do store nutrients just as an orchid with bulbs does, but they need constant replenishment when growing or their growth is reduced.

 

[Stone]

Another one. Plenty of nutrients there! So much for the starvation theory.

 

[Ozpaph]

Mike, did you take these photos?

 

[Secundino]

The assumption that there are no nutrients on the bark is false. If you would see my car now - it rained mud yesterday. The car (was) is white, so you perceive it. On the trees, you don't.

The orchids I grow outside love it, but they look terribly untidy now.

Arid regions supply lots of nutrients to regions with more rain. For the benefit of all plants and of course those growing as epiphytes.

 

[Ray]

Hmmmmm..... I took the "almost nothing" response to be correct, but more to the question of "how much do we know" about the nutrition level.

 

[NYEric]

It's kind of funny but I was talking with my GF and told her I have never touched a cow, she was shocked. Just an aside.

 

[PaphMadMan]

It's kind of funny but I was talking with my GF and told her I have never touched a cow, she was shocked. Just an aside.

Not many cattle drives in Central Park?