I like the look of the trunk on that ficus, the white grainy bits, and the pot is nice. But since I have an amazon gift token, I'll probably still opt for the elm. I've got good daylight in my kitchen, so hopefully it'll be enough. I'm betting the ficus cost more than £25?
I was reading an amazon review. A person who just received the same chinese elm said she mixes 5ml of feed with 1 litre water in a spray bottle and uses some of it to feed the elm the same day once a week, and keeps a separate spray bottle of just water to moisten the top soil just when it looks dry. Is that about all I'd need to do?
Chinees elm is prone to root rot if watered too much, there is a hole at the bottom of the pot (should be), I often judge how wet it is by poking my finger from underneath (Ha!).
In terms of feed, I bought something call Naruko, a japanese feed. It's solid like a pellet that you would a dozen or so on top every 4 weeks or so. The idea is that when you feed liquid feed, it just flushes through and the next watering its all gone. So a solid feed it gets a little bit every time you water and it is more consistent.
There are a few rules though, you should not feed if the tree is sick (falling off leaves, brown etc), as it is a sign of water/air balance off. So you need to fix that first before feeding, otherwise the tree will take in fertiliser instead of water which it needs most. A plant needs water + sunlight to make food through photosynthesis, fertiliser is not in the equation. Once the tree is healthy then you fertilise and only really in growing season.
In terms of feed, there are 3 elements in it, NPK, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) or NPK for short.
Nitrogen (N) – nitrogen is largely responsible for the growth of leaves on the plant.
Phosphorus (P) – Phosphorus is largely responsible for root growth and flower and fruit development.
(K) – Potassium is a nutrient that helps the overall functions of the plant perform correctly.
Naruko is a balance, 5,5,5 which is good for an evergreen plant like a Ficus or Elm. Normally you put in something weighted towards P for the autumn for fruit and heavier in N for spring and summer. But it's a tricky balance and I am not that good at it so Naruko seems a good way to go, plus I won't forget as its once every 4 weeks or so that you need to do it. It does look a bit weird after a week since it gets a little mouldy as it breaks down.
