It depends...

Soil type. Rainfall. Solubility of the type of fertiliser. Soil structure - open or heavy. Competition from other actively growing plants. Amount of humus in the soil. Seasonal weather patterns varying from year to year.

(Said with deepest gloom) It may be the case that it's the gardener who gets the most benefit from applying fertiliser...

And what are the benefits of good compost as opposed to "fertilizers"? We have a cotton gin within 5 blocks of us, and we have all the good compost we could want. We use it freely, but do use a slow release fertilizer with minors on some things.

We also have the nastiest black gumbo soil. It breaks down well with lots of compost incorporated, but otherwise will turn into a solid brick with no rain. And with rain, there is the drainage problem.

Sorry, I do get off on tears........I appreciate any information.

Thanks,
Janie

Compost immediately improves drainage and nutrient availability in soil. Then it breaks down over several years releasing just about every plant nutrient there is and leaving behind humus which is valuable soil conditioner that permanently improves moisture and nutrient retention and availability and breaks up heavy soils.

Fertilisers release certain nutrients over a few days or weeks, perhaps a few months for time-release types, and then they are gone. The benefits of composts are obvious, but fertilisers do have some advantages: you can fertiliser your whole garden with a small box instead of a ton of compost; you can get fertilisers to supply specific nutrients; and a fertiliser can supply nutrients very quickly.

I don't have experience with cotton waste compost but fully composted material will not be radically different from other composts. Less aged cotton waste may be very high in nitrogen, perhaps nice for spreading on the lawn (cottonseed meal is used as an organic lawn fertiliser) but could burn some plants. Raw cotton waste can also be used as a soil amendment but may not be suitable for direct use on existing planted areas.

Hello all...just wandered by to see what kinds of bulbs were currently being discussed.

Cotton burrs are wonderful composted for encorporation into the soil and raw as mulch which will break down into more compost given time. Local landscapers use it as well as composted pine bark for soil conditioning.

I like to take advantage of both kinds...chemicals can give a quick boost when needed, but the natural stuff is far better for keeping the soil in good tilth as well as feeding the soil organisms, which feeds the plants.

My original post seems to have been hijacked.

Any comments on the original question - how fast does fertilizer get to the bulbs?

I apologize, madtripper, I did not mean to hijack your thread.

Your question is one that I have often pondered as well.

Also, should fertilizer be in the bottom of the hole when you plant, or would that burn your bulb?

Janie

The question was answered. Answer: it depends :)

Water with a liquid fertiliser and it gets to the plants in hours or perhaps a day or two. Sprinkle some on the surface and it might be hours if it is soluble and you get a lot of rain, or it might be months if it isn't very soluble.

Madtripper:

When I plant bulbs, I usually dig further down into the soil - to better encourage root growth; then I add a bit of soil to bring the soil up to the right height from the top; add a sprinkle of organic fertilizer; mix it in; place the bulb in the ground; add the soil; then sprinkle a little fertilizer on top; and then add organic mulch.

Given your soil conditions, I'd also take a look at the book below - available through your library; the source given below; and at other places. I think that the use of organic mulches will help greatly.

How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back

For some organic fertilizers, you might consider this:

Bulb -tone

or this general purpose plant food:

Plant-tone

or this general purpose flower food:

Flower-tone

With the use of organic mulches, a little of these "foods" goes a long way and you don't need to become a "horticultural drug dealer" for the plants in your garden.

Hope this belated information and resources are most useful.

Bill

The fertilizer if you use it, will get to the roots of the bulb when the water does. Fertilizers are water soluable and if water gets to the roots, so will any fert. you have spread on the soil.
Linda C