What do you mean by 'safe'? Any fertilizer is safe if applied correctly and according to label directions. Are you using the term to describe organic or natural ferts compared to synthetic or manufactured ferts? Again, 'safe' is not a reasonable description for this distinction either, as the plant doesn't care about the source of the fertilizer and processed synthetic fertilizers do not make the fruit any more harmful to consume than an organically fertilized one. That is an entirely philosophical viewpoint, not a scientifically based one :-)

There are reasons why dry or granular organic fertilizers are not highly recommended for container grown plants. They don't work very effectively. Potting soils - typically soil-less mixes designed for container growing - do not contain the populations of soil organisms required to convert dry organic ferts into plant usable forms. The fertilizer does not get converted and is wasted as unusable/unaccessible by the plant. If you have to/want to use an organic, then focus on a liquid formulation, like fish or seaweed emulsion.

Otherwise, a treated slow release product like Osmocote will work perfectly well.

And yes, you are being a bit paranoid about the nuclear accident, which was six years ago, long before the trees were likely in existence. If there were any serious concerns about this, all of us here on the west coast (and Japan!!) would be up in arms or sprouting strange growths or deformities or hatching out babies with bizarre birth defects. We are not. It's a bit technical but reviewing this report from the World Nuclear Association should explain it all very clearly. Essentially, the monitoring of radiation levels (outside of the site itself, which is undergoing complicated decontamination work) has indicated nothing above "normal" atmospheric levels one would typically encounter in day-to-day life elsewhere in Japan. There is NO indication that any radiation has traveled to the west coast.

I agree gardenal, the fertilizers are safe. However, you will need to have a complete fertilizer, not one that is a 10-10-10. The 10-10-10 fertilizer will have 10% of the macronutrients that the plants need. With in ground trees, that is usually all that would be needed. With potted trees, you also have to provide the micro nutrients as well.

Osmocote Plus is a good complete fertilizer to use. It will only last about half as long as it says on the package if it is used outside, due to the high temperatures. It is a coated fertilizer so it will only need to be added every month or two.

You can also use a granular fertilizer, such as Miracle Gro general purpose fertilizer. You can add the fertilizer with each watering or once a week. It will give you faster results, but takes more time. Make sure if you are using this type of fertilizer that it has 11 or 12 different nutrients such as iron, magnesium, and manganese. It is best to have a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio of the macro nutrients.

You will also need to have well draining potting mix to plant with. Do not add potting soil in a container, it will not drain well enough. Soil should not be added to a plastic container to grow nearly any plant.

gary, you may be a bit confused with some of the fertilizer terminology :-) A 10-10-10 formulation IS a complete fertilizer! All that means is that it offers all of the 3 major plant nutrients, N. P & K. In fact, a 10-10-10 is considered a balanced complete fertilizer, in that it contains the NPK in equal proportions (also referred to as an "all purpose" fertilizer)

And do not mistake the guaranteed analysis (the 10-10-10 ratio or whatever other number combination you may have) as the amount of necessary plant nutrients that particular fertilizer may provide. All that those numbers represent is the percentage of that particular nutrient by volume contained in that product. A 10-10-10 will have 10% each of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - the remaining 70% is filler and possibly some micronutrients or trace elements. But depending on the application rate and frequency, it could very well supply all - as in 100% - of the plant's primary nutrient needs.

Couple of other issues - Miracle Gro is a water soluble fertilizer, not a granular. A granular fert is applied to the soil dry. A water soluble fert should never be applied in a dry form but always diluted in water according to the label. I also use Osmocote Plus and it does last a full growing season (6 months) for me. Even at high summer temps (90F+), it will last 3-4 months. btw, it was formulated for use on outdoor plants although works equally as well on indoor plants.

Virtually all plants will consume or take up nutrients in 3-1-2 ratio - 3 parts N, 1 part P and 2 parts K and that is the ideal 'complete' fertilizer formulation. That's why Dyna Gro's Foliage Pro (9-3-6) is so desirable as a container fertilizer. Plus it offers a full compliment of micronutrients/trace elements. But as a liquid, it needs to be reapplied frequently.

On Osmacotegarden.com website it states:

Each granule contains essential elements. These nutrients are released
into the soil according to changes in soil temperature. More nutrients
are released during warmer, active growing periods and less in cooler
periods.

In areas where the temperatures typically exceeds 100 degrees with the surface soil temperatures being in excess of 120 degrees, the nutrients will be released faster than in cooler areas. Temperatures in potted plants can get very high, esp. in black plastic ones.

A complete fertilizer is one that contains all the nutrients required to grow the plant. A 10-10-10 is called a balanced fertilizer. At least that is how it is called in the agricultural circles I work in.

I'm sorry to contradict you but that definition is incorrect :-) And if you check more thoroughly with your agricultural cohorts, I'm sure they will explain the difference to you more clearly.

Definition of complete fertilizer. : a fertilizer that contains the three chief plant nutrients nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash. Merriam Webster

A fertilizer containing all three major nutrients (NPK) is called a complete fertilizer; a product that supplies only one or two of them is an incomplete fertilizer. Sunset

Complete fertilizers contain all three primary nutrients, but not necessarily in equal amounts. Both 10-10-10 and 5-10-5 are examples of complete fertilizers. An example of an incomplete fertilizer is 0-20-0. Balanced fertilizers contain equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash, such as 10-10-10 or 5-5-5. WSU

By definition, a balanced fertilizer has to be a complete fertilizer. But a complete fertilizer does not need to be balanced and in fact, a balanced fertilizer is not always the best choice. And micronutrients are not a required element of any fertilizer - some have them; many do not.

If I bought what someone called a complete car, and it contained only a body, a transmission, and an engine I would call them a liar.

If you are talking about fertilizing in ground, that would be correct. But since a potted plant has almost no nutrients and they must be supplied by the fertilizer, a 10-10-10 would not be complete. Since I deal with the public, dictionary definitions are of little use. If I told someone that the 10-10-10 was a complete fertilizer and later their plants died because a micro nutrient was missing, I would be doing that person a disservice.

A truly complete fertilizer would provide all the nutrients a plant would need, in the proper amounts. In reality, a soil test would be needed even for in ground plants to determine what would be needed to be complete.

Rolling River is a good nursery but not cheap. For peach, you have many good nursery to order from.

Ok thank you everyone.
Gardenangel. When I said "safe", I just wanted to be sure that it was safe to use on plants for consumption. Thank you for your response. I am going to try the Osmocote plus. It looks like it's a 15-9-12. Is that ok still? https://www.amazon.com/Osmocote-Outdoor-Smart-Release-8-Pound-Fertilizer/dp/B00GTDGMHC/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1493515800&sr=1-1&keywords=Osmocote

I plan to use this on my potted fruit bushes as well as my potted fruit trees until I figure out where to plant them all so this Osmocote Plus that you recommended seems fool proof and easy which is what I was looking for. I have so many other lawn duties to do as well.

Rolling River Nursery really rubbed me the wrong way with the almost two weeks just to ship out. Hopefully the plants arrive in good condition. Their return policy differs drastically from Starkbros so I am hoping for the best.

I am on a fruit tree kick lately. I know it will take some time to get them established but I think it will be worth the wait. So far I have purchased:

Fig

1 Celeste, 1 Brown, Turkey, 1 Black mission

Peach

1 Elberta, 1 Redhaven

Blueberry

1 Jersey, 1 Patriot, 1 Bluray

Raspberry

5 Carolines

I think I may order just 2 Pomegranates 2 apples and 2 pears and that's it lol. It's really addicting. Vegetables are fun too but it is different having fruit all around. I wish I knew more about gardening, everyone here has been really nice, helpful and knowledgeable. Thanks again.

Just to et you know, two weeks for shipping is nothing. They shipped their trees in batches. They don't just ship your trees as soon as you place your order. They may take a few weeks to ship out orders from the same zone or area.

People often order trees in the fall for spring planting. Those orders are not shipped until a few months later. By Jan, Feb, popular/in demand varieties would be all gone if ordering late. April is late to order fruit trees.

Stark offers a lot of stuff but it usually does not tell you what rootstocks their trees are grafted on. Most fruit trees are grafted. Other nurseries like Raintree, Adam County Nursery, Cummins nursery, Grandpa Orchard, Vauhn nusery (mostly for peaches) will tell you up front.

I have a question on Osmocote. I just received it in the mail and am looking to apply it.

The directions are a little weird. It says 1 scoop for a 2 gallon pot or 4sqft. There is no way the area of a 2 gallon pot is 4sqft so what's that about first off? I have three different sized pots which look a whole lot bigger than 2 gallons. I did the math of the area of each.

Pot #1 = 11.5" top diameter = .70sqft
Pot #2 = 13" top diameter = .90sqft
Pot #3 = 15.5" top diameter = 1.30sqft

I am not trying to make this complicated, but I do want to apply the correct amount and the directions are just not adding up. As you can see in the math, my pots are not even close to being 4sqft but are definitely bigger than 2 gallon. What gives?

tye22tye

my friend it is a mistake; 2 gallons are .4sqft and NOT 4

That makes very good sense. Thank you. From a calculator online, it looks like I have a 3, 5, 7 gallon pot. Gardenangel, you just sprinkle on top and it will work? How long before I reapply?

Yovan....I called the customer service number and they said it is correct or maybe the customer service is mistaken . I appreciate the information but how did you come to that conclusion? Then again .4sqft just about works out the same as the gallons measurement now that I plugged in that number lol. Weird. Thanks all.

Hey, can someone advise on this:

In zone (7a) Long Island, NY

Right now I have:

2 Peaches in pots, bare root(miracle grow potting mix) (freshly potted about a week) with osmocote added.

2 Pomegranates in pots, not bare root(miracle grow potting mix) (freshly potted about a week) with osmocote added.

2 Cherries in pots, bare root(miracle grow potting mix) (freshly potted about a week) with osmocote added.

I have coming tomorrow:

2 apples(bare root)

Originally, I was going to keep all these fruit trees in pots until spring 2018, but now I have decided to get them in the ground and I feel like I'm in a race against time. I was reading the Starksbros website where I had purchased them from and they recommend to add either pete moss, garden compost, or manure as 1/3 concentration into the soil where the roots are.

My question is, when I take the trees back out of the pots to plant, can I use the miracle grow potting mix that I already have from the pots, and work it into the soil instead of the above?

The preferred method is to plant any tree or shrub in the indigenous/native soil without amending. Scientific field testing has demonstrated that this planting method allows for the best root development and fastest establishment and prevents soil interface issues but many websites and nurseries are slow to adopt the newer methodology...........and most nurseries or garden centers have a vested interest in selling you amendments :-))

Any amendments or the remaining potting soil, etc. should be applied only as a topdressing or mulch - never incorporated into the planting hole or backfill.

Ok, that sounds easier. Can/should I put some Osmocote mixed in with the soil or on top?

Don't need to, but if some gets mixed in, it won't hurt.

tye22tye

i mix osmocote with the soil all the time for my fig trees when i plant and / or transplant them. i just do it in hope it does something good for my figs?

Oh as for the pomegranates. Since they are the only trees that actually came in the mail in pots. What should I do with the soil they are rooted in? Should I spray it off or just plant it as is in the ground?

Thanks for all input. Happy Mother's Day. Today I started putting some trees in the ground. I did as Gardenangel recommended and used only the soil I dug from the hole to bury the roots. However, I have grass where they were being planted so I couldnt put some of the dirt back as the grass was attached to it. So what I did was, I used the potting mix from the pots and put that on the top to fill the last few inches. It is still a little bit lower than the soil line, so I think I will finish off with mulch. I hope this is ok the way I did it?