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  • Do not fertilize elderberry for the first year so as not to damage root

    From John Robertson@21:1/5 to All on Wed Mar 31 20:15:59 2021
    I am a homeowner without botany experience or knowledge.
    I try to use logical "common sense" when/if/where I can be sensible.

    I want to grow more elderberries (I have one adult elderberry bush only).

    Googling how to propagate elderberry bushes I find this quote:
    "Do not fertilize for the first year so as not to damage roots." https://homeguides.sfgate.com/transplant-elderberry-45396.html

    If fertilizing is good for plants how can fertilizing in the
    first year be damaging to the plants?

    They didn't say "too much" fertilizer.
    They said not to fertilize transplanted plants (in the first year).
    And yet they said to put compost into the hole (isn't that fertilizer?).

    Does that specific fertilizer advice from that site make any sense to you?
    If so, can you explain the logic to me?
    --
    (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)

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  • From Pavel314@21:1/5 to John Robertson on Thu Apr 1 05:51:33 2021
    On Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 10:16:01 PM UTC-4, John Robertson wrote:
    I am a homeowner without botany experience or knowledge.
    I try to use logical "common sense" when/if/where I can be sensible.

    I want to grow more elderberries (I have one adult elderberry bush only).

    Googling how to propagate elderberry bushes I find this quote:
    "Do not fertilize for the first year so as not to damage roots." https://homeguides.sfgate.com/transplant-elderberry-45396.html

    If fertilizing is good for plants how can fertilizing in the
    first year be damaging to the plants?

    They didn't say "too much" fertilizer.
    They said not to fertilize transplanted plants (in the first year).
    And yet they said to put compost into the hole (isn't that fertilizer?).

    Does that specific fertilizer advice from that site make any sense to you?
    If so, can you explain the logic to me?
    --
    (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)

    My guess is that if you don't fertilize, the roots will be forced to grow deeper to get the nutrients the plant needs, establishing a good root system in the first year after transplantation.

    Paul

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  • From John Robertson@21:1/5 to All on Thu Apr 1 14:06:16 2021
    On 2021/04/01 2:51 pm, Pavel314 wrote:


    My guess is that if you don't fertilize,
    the roots will be forced to grow deeper
    to get the nutrients the plant needs,
    establishing a good root system in the
    first year after transplantation.

    This is very interesting!
    Thank you for that observation.

    Elderberry, from what I've read, DO have shallow roots!
    So this need to go deeper may be critical for Elderberries!

    "Transplanting elderberry is easy since its roots are fairly shallow." https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/elderberry/transplanting-elderberries.htm

    "Elderberries have relatively shallow root systems that colonize areas." https://growingthehomegarden.com/2018/05/elderberry-bush-transplanting-propagating.html

    "The root system is shallow, but take a wide area around it." https://wildfoodshomegarden.com/Elderberry.html
    --
    (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)

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  • From Pavel314@21:1/5 to John Robertson on Thu Apr 1 19:27:18 2021
    On Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 4:06:18 PM UTC-4, John Robertson wrote:
    On 2021/04/01 2:51 pm, Pavel314 wrote:


    My guess is that if you don't fertilize,
    the roots will be forced to grow deeper
    to get the nutrients the plant needs,
    establishing a good root system in the
    first year after transplantation.
    This is very interesting!
    Thank you for that observation.

    Elderberry, from what I've read, DO have shallow roots!
    So this need to go deeper may be critical for Elderberries!

    "Transplanting elderberry is easy since its roots are fairly shallow." https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/elderberry/transplanting-elderberries.htm

    "Elderberries have relatively shallow root systems that colonize areas." https://growingthehomegarden.com/2018/05/elderberry-bush-transplanting-propagating.html

    "The root system is shallow, but take a wide area around it." https://wildfoodshomegarden.com/Elderberry.html
    --
    (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)

    For several years, we had many elderberry bushes which grew wild on our property. I made a lot of elderberry wine and elderberry flavored mead. Then, for no apparent reason, they all died out! Now we have no elderberry bushes on the property. One of my
    wife's friends says she has a lot of bushes at her place and we're welcome to come harvest them up there. Maybe I'll make a few more gallons this year.

    Paul

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