Pilchuck Pollinator

When fertilizing rhodys we should look to nature to show us the way.  In nature, mulching and fertilizing is a continuous process with the current year’s mulch being gradually transformed in subsequent years to usable fertilizer.  Nature’s rhody food begins with a leaf, needle, twig, petal and fruit fall—in short, any and all matter that falls to earth or flows into their area in ground water.

Because of their environment and the shallow layer of organic matter in which they grow, rhodys have evolved a massive root system consisting of literally thousands of tiny, shallow running feeder roots.  These roots are extremely efficient in extracting life sustaining plant nutrients from their immediate area.  Root systems will be much smaller in a benign climate because a smaller amount of nutrients is required to maintain plant health.  Conversely, rhodys in exposed and/or harsh conditions will have a vastly increased root system to extract every ounce of nourishment from their surroundings.

So how do we fertilize rhodys in our garden?  First, any literature on fertilizing rhodys assumes that your plants are growing in the correct medium.  Again, as in nature, this medium should be extremely high in organic matter, well drained, well aerated and moderately to slightly acidic.  Fir and pine bark, composted oak leaves and evergreen needles, decayed wood, well rotted sawdust, coarse peat moss, reed sedge and topsoil high in organic matter are some of the materials that can be combined in endless combinations to provide excellent growing mediums.  Growing medium acidity or pH value is not nearly as critical when growing plants in an organic medium using primarily organic fertilizers.  One good quality compost for rhodys contains oak leaves, evergreen needles, alfalfa and washed seaweed.  Between the various layers an organic nitrogen such as canola meal, fish meal or blood meal can be added.

I fertilize in early spring around the end of March using all the organic fertilizer and soil amendments that I can obtain.  When I combine ingredients I try to duplicate natural fertilizer analysis.  For instance, in canola meal (6-2-1) and in fish meal (3-2-1) the nitrogen is two to three times that of phosphorous and three to six times that of potassium.  Three advantages of organic fertilizers over their chemical counterparts is in their trace element and humic content and in their extended time release of nutrients.  Some fertilizers in the following list contain up to 34 trace elements, while seaweed is reported to contain every element presently known.

 

My base organic fertilizer and filler recipes in volume parts are as follows:

Fertilizer Recipe:

2 parts fish meal

2 parts canola meal

2 parts alfalfa

1 part worm castings

1 part dolomite lime

1/2 part rock phosphate

1/2 part bone meal

1/2 part kelp meal

1/2 part green sand

 

Filler Recipe:

5 parts sand

5 parts double screened fir bark or 5 parts composted fish waste

 

The filler, equal in volume to the fertilizer total, is used to prevent clumping of the meal type fertilizers and to minimize the dust problem associated with mixing finely ground or powdered materials.