the vanishing trees
This story is about the “Vanishing Trees.” It started when I discovered how easily you could start Japanese maples from seedlings that sprout underneath their parent tree. Being an enthusiastic or out of control gardener, I decided to transplant all the starts into one and two gallon pots. Soon I had over one hundred pots sitting next to a few other pots from the nursery that I have not planted yet. As the saplings and number of pots grew I became the neighborhood celebrity…owner of the “Farias Forest.” I proudly gave them away to anyone who wanted them but the new saplings came faster than I could give away the old ones. A normal person would have just stopped transplanting the new saplings but I could not help myself.
They were reaching about 18 inches when I read something about potted plants needing frequent fertilizing because of leaching issues every time you water. I went to the local box store and said I needed fertilizer for my trees. I forgot to mention that they were in pots not in the ground. He asked if they were mature trees and, because I did not want to say no, I said ‘of course they are, I am a Master Gardener.’ He then instructed me on how much fertilizer to use for each tree. With the amount of fertilizer I put in each pot I believed the trees would triple in size in a very short time. A week later the “Farias Forest” was completely dead. I was convinced it was caused by a bug brought illegally into the United States on a ship delivering toys that your kids had to have but will never play with after the first two days. Two weeks later I attended a class on the proper use of fertilizers and I identified the bug; it was me. The first clue was when the instructor stated “if one ounce of fertilizer is good for the plant two ounces is not better”, let alone twenty ounces.
They were reaching about 18 inches when I read something about potted plants needing frequent fertilizing because of leaching issues every time you water. I went to the local box store and said I needed fertilizer for my trees. I forgot to mention that they were in pots not in the ground. He asked if they were mature trees and, because I did not want to say no, I said ‘of course they are, I am a Master Gardener.’ He then instructed me on how much fertilizer to use for each tree. With the amount of fertilizer I put in each pot I believed the trees would triple in size in a very short time. A week later the “Farias Forest” was completely dead. I was convinced it was caused by a bug brought illegally into the United States on a ship delivering toys that your kids had to have but will never play with after the first two days. Two weeks later I attended a class on the proper use of fertilizers and I identified the bug; it was me. The first clue was when the instructor stated “if one ounce of fertilizer is good for the plant two ounces is not better”, let alone twenty ounces.