I have recently potted some rooted cuttings. It appears that some of them are actively growing and may actually survive if I don't do something stupid to kill them.

Having said that I need to know when I should star fertilization and what should I fertilize with?

Also do you favor liquid or granular fertilizer?

Slow release or standard?

Currently they are potted in black standard nursery pots about 8" tall and 6" wide. I'm using a 70/30 Fertilome ultimate potting mix/perlite. This is the same mix they were rooted in. It does not appear there is any fertilizer in this. They are currently on a table under a large grapefruit tree and receive indirect light. I water every other day unless it has rained or they appear dry. The current high temps are 80 - 90 degrees and the lows are running about 60 degrees. 

I am mainly wondering about the ones that have two to three small leaves as I think they are the ones that may benefit from fertilization but I'm interested on your thoughts on all off them. Some of them had leaves when I potted them but have now lost them and I fear they will not make it. I would appreciate any comments or critiques on my methods as for the most part I'm just winging it.

This is just my opinion but I would stay away from fertilizing newly rooted cuttings. At least the first season/year.

If you expect a rainy season where you are then that's sufficient enough.
If not, then a very light dose in June to add some nutrients.

Good luck

I agree with Rafed. Stay away from fertilizer for now as their roots are very sensitive. June probably is safe to go half strength or quarter strength, If you fetilize the leafless ones you will likely kill them all. 

I agree wiht Rafed.  Giving fertilizer to cuttings is like giving methamphetamine to an infant.

I don't fertilize until they are very, very well established. Then I use HALF strength Miracle Gro, and that fairly sparingly.

The thinking is this: you went to the trouble to get the cuttings, you managed to root them, so what is the hurry to screw that all up by possibly over-fertilizing a small, tender "baby" plant? Maybe you get a few figs a year earlier. Chill out and let nature take its course.

OK You don't have to hit me in the head with a hammer! LOL

You four should form a quartet.

Thanks. I'll heed the advice. I was just concerned that with the soilless mix they might starve. Obviously not!

Seriously that's why I asked. Many thanks!

This is what I did last year with success for the first time:

We can call our group "The Figlets" 

The Figtastic Four.

There is no danger of 'burning the roots' when using fertilizers as directed for seedlings with true leaves or newly rooted cuttings. In order to harm roots, the concentration of salts in the soil solution must be as high as or higher than the concentration of solubles in the intracellular solution. This usually occurs because directions weren't followed or your watering habits promote a build-up of solubles in the soil

The roots responsible for nutrient and water uptake are the same on a 400 year old tree as on a cutting that rooted 4 days ago. It's the fine, hair roots that are often microscopic that do all the work. There is no compelling evidence I've seen that fertilizer will interfere with the process of regeneration of roots; and the admonition that fertilizer 'burns' young and tender roots cannot be substantiated. Fertilizer is as required for health and growth of roots as for foliage. If newly forming roots cannot find fertilizer from the soil solution, the plant will borrow (translocate) nutrients from existing tissues to fuel new growth. This is stasis, not growth, and is unhealthy for the tree. 

I've seen plenty of research showing tiny new roots enveloping chunks of synthetic fertilizer and CRF prills. If this situation was harmful, there would be an area surrounding high localized concentrations of nutrients that would be devoid of roots, but such is not the case.

Until roots form, there is some advantage in having very low EC/TDS (fertility) levels in the soil solution because it facilitates water movement into cells. Once the root pathway has formed & the plumbing is functioning, you want to have a full compliment of nutrients available for uptake, at concentrations high enough to ensure there will be no deficiencies. NOT having them available is extremely stressful, causes growth retardation and abnormalities, and sets back development.

Al 

Al,

Most folks use some proportion of Potting Mix and Perlite, commonly 50/50 or thereabouts.  Most potting mixes are advertised to be able to feed plants for 3 months.  Therefore I would think if one is using a fresh potting mix in reasonable proportion, one does not need to add any additional fertilizer for awhile. 

The "over-fertilization" danger most likely lies in the way cuttings are typically handled.  Often times they are kept inside where water loss is through evaporation rather than running through.  So if you add a liquid fertilizer, then add more later, etc, and you never really rinse out the accumulated salts in this indoor rainless situation, I could see problems arising.  This is probably the reason for the strong reaction against fertilizing cuttings. 

The grower needs to take responsibility for providing the most favorable conditions for the plant, and not be paralyzed by fear. The lesser of two evils (withholding fertilizer because you're afraid of harming the plant) is still an evil. I think you're assuming that anything other than not fertilizing is bound to lead to problems. Obviously, there are going to be variables. If you are using fresh potting media that was packaged with a starter charge (of fertilizer), you'll want to take that into consideration. If you're not suggesting these soils are inappropriate, then it must be that fertilizing IS appropriate, and shouldn't lead to problems if you DO fertilize.

I think we can imagine a lot of scenarios where something might happen if this + this + this are factored in. It's easy to allow that if there is fertilizer in the soil and if you fertilize too often or at concentrations so high that the osmotic process is reversed, or if you're fertigating with sips of solution so salts are building up ..... that bad things CAN happen; but that doesn't make a case against fertilizing rooted cuttings except in those very specific sets of circumstances you constructed.

The point is, without fertilizer, container media is an extremely poor source of nutrients. It doesn't matter if the packager provides them or the grower adds fertilizer to the medium after the cuttings have rooted - they should be available. What it all boils down to is, there is a considerable advantage in having all the nutrients a plant normally takes from the soil IN the soil at all times, at a concentration high enough to ensure no deficiencies and low enough that water uptake isn't impaired. That is easy to do. There is considerable DISADVANTAGE in allowing cuttings to languish in a nutrient deficient medium. One of the disadvantages is a lack of building blocks necessary for growth of any kind - roots OR shoots. Dr Alex Shigo was famous for a lot of quotes pertaining to trees. One of them was, "A plant that is not growing is dying", which is true ..... and without nutrients, a plant can't grow.

You guys shouldn't be paralyzed by the fear that if you fertilize your newly established cuttings you'll harm them. You won't. If you OVER-fertilize you might, but if you follow directions and are using a soil that drains appropriately, it's quite difficult to over-fertilize.

You can fertilize at recommended rates as soon as you see actual roots (not just primordia), or as soon as the second generation of leaves form from any single bud site. Remember - there is no evidence to support the idea that the new roots of cuttings are any more 'tender' or susceptible to plasmolysis (fertilizer burn) than the roots of trees hundreds of years old. Contact any professional producer of started cuttings or liners if you need more reassurance.

Al

You can get organic fish fertilizer and can't possibly go wrong with it.  It can't nutrient burn your plants, it can't over fertilize, it never hurts, and it always helps.

Al, would soaking newly rooted cuttings for a few minutes in mild liquid Miracle Gro "Quick Start" 4-12-4 be helpful if they are in good draining media ? The reason I asked is I have 2 cuttings that seems to progress so very slow -- like one leaf & a nice bud that won't break out. And Dr. A.Shigo puts it well that a plant that is not growing is dying and that is where my concern is for these 2 cuttings.

Thanks for the info.

I use the same brand fish emulsion on all my plants it's great stuff!

I agree with Al. The newly rooted trees will need fertilizing to grow and show new healthy leaves. 

When I was watering numerous young blueberry plants in pots, I filled a garbage can with water and added dilute, water soluble fertilizer (and for bb's, acid to lower pH) to that. I then used that weak solution in a sprinkling can on the plants. It was easy and I got great, healthy growth.

I like to foliar feed with fish emulsion and seaweed. It is not something I do inside though!

Rob made a good point about potting mixes. MG's Perlite is loaded with fert as well, I saw they make sprayers now and I wonder if they sneak some in there too. The potting mix I use for cuttings has guano and worm castings or other nutrient sources; some of which, I figure, stick around until they get moved outside and leached by the rain.

Ok my original thought was that I did not want to starve my plants and I know that my potting mix has no nutritional value. I do not believe Perlite has any either. When I read the postings of Rafed, BLB, Satellitehead and Pitangdiego there was a common thread and that was to fertilize in June using a half to quarter strength and now would certainly harm the plant.

While I am no expert on the roots of cuttings or anthing else for that matter I do understand that all living things need nourishment from the time they are on there own. In nature cuttings that root do not occur naturally so they are kinda not in the same category but they still are a plant and something has to feed them. I guess my question to the four posters that I mentioned is,

If one was to use a mild fertilizer such as fish emulsion or if one where to be extremely careful with measurements to make sure that the given dose was very weak then would you still think that it would be harmful and of no benefit?

I realize that the vast majority of people are not willing to use scales to measure out a dilute mix that would be safe however I am not one of those. I understand the importance of correctly feeding the right type and dosage for the cuttings. Just like with an infant you still feed them just not like you would a toddler.

EDIT I was again thinking about this and the word "June". I know what that is it is a month of the year but June can mean a lot of different things. June in Michigan is probably like April where I live. Every day here it has been 80 - 90 degrees and the lows have been around 60. I'm thinking that a soil temperature/air temperature with average mins and maxs would be a better descriptor for when you should start something.

You CAN go wrong with 5:1:1 fish emulsion if you over-use - just like you can with any fertilizer, whether it's organic or synthetic. A perfect example would be when you use it in the spring and see nothing happen because nutrient availability depends on the activity of soil biota to break down molecules into elemental form. Soil biotic activity is suppressed by low temperatures so you dose again because you see nothing happen. Suddenly, when you have 2-3 doses in the soil and it turns warm, you get fertilizer burn or symptoms of ammonium toxicity.

Granted, it's more difficult to go wrong when your fertilizer is so low in nutrients AND it's slow release by virtue of the fact that it's an organic source of nutrients, but it's not foolproof. I just wanted you to be clear on that point.

Paully - if your plant is stalled and you've been fertilizing, you need to look to another reason for the problem. I really don't think the added P in the 4-12-4 would be helpful. First, the idea that P STIMULATES root growth is a myth. P is a nutrient, not a growth regulator; and can't do anything other than allow a plant to grow normally. That's the best you get - no matter what you do - normal growth. How well a plant CAN grow is in it's genetic code, and providing more of any one nutrient than a plant needs has no potential to benefit the plant - it can only LIMIT growth if supplied in excess. When you change things and you see a plant 'growing better' what you're really seeing is the plant responding to your ability to reduce the effects of the limiting factors it had been growing under all along, so the plant can thereafter grow at closer to its normal potential. The same things happens after you repot or pot up. You interpret the faster growth as a 'growth spurt', when actually what you're witnessing is the tree shaking off the constraints of tight roots and returning to closer to normal growth.

As growers, the very best we can do for our plants is get out of their way. By that, I mean our job is to reduce the effects of or eliminate entirely all the factors that have the potential to limit growth. That's it - that's what makes a good grower good and a poor grower a wannabe. ;-) Get good at eliminating the limiting factors, and you're on easy street. If a plant is laboring under a general deficiency of nutrients, waiting for it to get older before you decide to cure it doesn't really sound like the best plan when salvation is at hand today.

I'm off track, so back to your tree. Examine the basics. Is it in the right soil? Given where it is in the growth cycle and soil temps - should it be growing? Right light? How about nutrition? watering habits? Usually, most problems result directly or indirectly from a triangle formed by soil choice, watering habits, and the level of nutrients in the soil. These things are so closely related you can hardly discuss one w/o discussing the others. They're also often indirectly responsible for a host of other common issues, so that's what I'd examine first & make sure I'm on track in those areas. Most of your success when it comes to container culture hinges on soil choice.

Al   

Organic fish fert will reach super saturation so that makes it impossible to burn.  You cannot harm a first year plan with any amount of it.  Nutrient burn occurs when root absorb excessive nitrogen typically (although I've seen it happen w/ potash too.)  Because fish fert is a simple carbon compound though it will simply lockout when it reaches maximum capacity.  Synthetic compounds, like miracle grow, are a completely different story.  Because they have polyunsaturated carbon compounds they will never trigger nitrogen lockout because they do not fit the roots' natural receptors, and that is when nitrogen burn occurs.  Most natural animal produced compounds will reach lockout when they breach the 1200ppm threshold then the rest will either sit dormant and decompose in the soil or flush out with water.  While I'm new to figs, I have had enormous success with plants buried on pheasant farms where they receive far in excess the amount of fertilizer they can consume with absolutely no nute. burn.  Synthetic compounds in a nutshell do not typically respect that threshold.

Most of you have seen my plants growing in containers.
I dont follow rules and fertilize them young or old.

Not making fun of anyone here we all have different ways but
i chuckle reading not fertilizing fig plants for the first season.

Same here, Martin.

If you think "it is literally impossible to nutrient burn plants with organic animal fertilizer" you obviously haven't poured a cup of blood meal or 5:1:1 fish emulsion on you favorite tree yet - you'll probably want to go back and qualify what you said? How did nitrogen become the culprit here? The osmotic movement of water across cell membranes is related to the total of solutes in the soil solution vs total intracellular solute concentrations. N is only a small fraction of that consideration. Plasmolysis (fertilizer burn) can occur just as readily by mixing sugar into the soil solution as it can mixing fertilizer into it. Plasmolysis is the tearing of plasma from cell walls as water is pulled from cells, causing the collapse death of cells and affected tissues. That, is fertilizer burn.

"None of this overcomes that fertilizing in the first year of growth is generally unnecessary so long as the soil is fresh and loamy."

Fresh and loamy? I would never use the term loamy as an adjective that described container media for trees. Loam is simply inappropriate as any significant fraction of container media except under very unusual circumstances where the grower is able to employ double potting, pot in trench techniques, or other similar methods of dealing with the EXCESS water retention and compaction of loam in containers. How fresh a soil is has nothing to do with nutrient availability. The volume of nutrients in the organic fraction of the soil and how rapidly it breaks down, does. Depending on how you look at things, a good case can be made that soil ingredients that are partially composted are more likely to yield better nutrition than 'fresh' ingredients. There are just way too many variables to make sweeping statements and use terms like CANNOT NEVER IMPOSSIBLE.

I'm adding my name to list of  Martin and Ruben. I too fertilize both old and new alike, it's a good idea to start slow, recovering from under-fertilizing is a lot easier than overfertilizing