My 'Ferns and Palms' magazine recommends a complete fertiliser such as Osmocote (from memory), but I seem to recall one poster mentioning that she had great success with fish emulsion.

I intend trying the following prior to Spring, initially on one palm *just in case*: create a compost 'brew' similar to that shown recently on GA, and add some fish emulsion, let stand overnight, then apply it directly to the roots of the plant. My compost is primarily eggshells, orange and banana peel, wholemeal bread, dynamic lifter, mushroom compost, newspaper and some green waste : it has been watered and allowed to age over a 3-5 month period and should be very rich in nutrients by now. I've used one of the black bins, complete with ventilation holes, and it all seems to be breaking down nicely.

My question is : am I better off just using a 'scientifically' formulated product and eliminating the guesswork, or should I give the compost a go ? I have dozens of plants which can use the compost, so it wont go to waste. My concern is that I may inadvertently kill a palm or two by suddenly introducing a powerful injection of nutrients into the root system.

Cheers,

Artie

I put Seasol om my palms every week during the wet season when they are growing madly it seems to work, I dont fertilise any other time.

MM

Andrew.

Fair enough - the guy at Rocky Palm Farm told me that lawn fertiliser was good for them. Unfortunately, my one serious ambition in the garden is to completely eliminate anything resembling a lawn altogether :)

If you've got a backyard that looks like a jungle / rainforest, then thats the look I aspire to. Palms are just one component of the canopy that I'm in the process of putting together, and I expect that the neighbours will begin to wonder if there is still a house on my block within 3-4 years :)

Cheers,

Artie

Andrew.