When can I feed nursery planf

Tortellini0000 · Thursday at 7:01 PM

I’m sure this has been asked before but I recently just purchased a small 2 foot dwarf mulberry tree from a local nursery. I plan to remove the soil give it a rinse and repot it. How long should I wait to feed the new growth?

COmtnLady · 2026-06-26T00:05:02-0700

Err on the side of caution.
Its better to waste time than to have a poisoned tortoise.

First question - did the nursery tell you any "provenance" on/for/about the Mulberry? That would make a lot of difference for me. If they claimed it was from a non- sprayed and not grown in commercial products farm, even though I would still be skeptical, I would treat it a little less as "hazardous waste" than if I had no idea about how it had been grown.

Trees and other woody-stemmed plants, retain systemic chemicals longer than softer-tissued plants.

With any plant I intend to eventually have near my tort (or as food source for me or my critters), I shake off as much of the dirt it comes in as I can, and then use a hose to wash away whatever is in the crevasses and tangled roots. I re-plant it in the cleanest soil I can access. Just like not trusting the nursery to know the chemicals the plant had been subjected to, any commercially produced dirt is suspect, too. I much prefer my own compost (or red worm castings) than anything I can buy. But - I put the plant in the cleanest I can. Then it depends upon what the plant is. With a woody stemmed plant I think in terms of a year or more, just to make sure. With a softer stemmed plant, I try to let it get very acclimated to the new soil, then take cuttings, plant them and trust that next-Gen to be safe.

With a tree, are you planning to plant it in an outdoor enclosure? I don't know if dwarf mulberry can deal with being a container plant - I know people keep blueberries in large pots on their patios, but I don't know if Mulberries can do that.

Have you lived at that residence long enough to know what is in the soil in your yard?
Short of Love Canal, most places have just had Scott's Turf Builder and other fertilizers used that should dissipate after a year or two. I happen to live where a lot of mining went on and don't trust the dirt that is in my yard at all, which is why I asked. (I have a good friend here who said, "Watch this", and picked up a handful of the decomposing gravel we call soil here, out of a spot in her driveway. She rubbed it between the palms of her hands, allowing the bigger pieces and sand to drop away, and when she was done her hands sparkled with tiny silver beads of mercury. ... so I don't trust the dirt here.)

I hope that helps. Probably a member who doesn't live near Superfund sites can help more.

.

Tom · 2026-06-26T06:05:04-0700

Tortellini0000 said:
I’m sure this has been asked before but I recently just purchased a small 2 foot dwarf mulberry tree from a local nursery. I plan to remove the soil give it a rinse and repot it. How long should I wait to feed the new growth?

What she said. Plants take several months. Trees can take up to a year, depending on their size and how much poison they've absorbed. It's not an exact science because there are many unknowable variables. I find it best to just grow your own from seed or from cuttings, if you don't have access to mature plants and trees.

Tortellini0000 · 2026-06-26T10:23:03-0700

COmtnLady said:
Err on the side of caution.
Its better to waste time than to have a poisoned tortoise.

First question - did the nursery tell you any "provenance" on/for/about the Mulberry? That would make a lot of difference for me. If they claimed it was from a non- sprayed and not grown in commercial products farm, even though I would still be skeptical, I would treat it a little less as "hazardous waste" than if I had no idea about how it had been grown.

Trees and other woody-stemmed plants, retain systemic chemicals longer than softer-tissued plants.

With any plant I intend to eventually have near my tort (or as food source for me or my critters), I shake off as much of the dirt it comes in as I can, and then use a hose to wash away whatever is in the crevasses and tangled roots. I re-plant it in the cleanest soil I can access. Just like not trusting the nursery to know the chemicals the plant had been subjected to, any commercially produced dirt is suspect, too. I much prefer my own compost (or red worm castings) than anything I can buy. But - I put the plant in the cleanest I can. Then it depends upon what the plant is. With a woody stemmed plant I think in terms of a year or more, just to make sure. With a softer stemmed plant, I try to let it get very acclimated to the new soil, then take cuttings, plant them and trust that next-Gen to be safe.

With a tree, are you planning to plant it in an outdoor enclosure? I don't know if dwarf mulberry can deal with being a container plant - I know people keep blueberries in large pots on their patios, but I don't know if Mulberries can do that.

Have you lived at that residence long enough to know what is in the soil in your yard?
Short of Love Canal, most places have just had Scott's Turf Builder and other fertilizers used that should dissipate after a year or two. I happen to live where a lot of mining went on and don't trust the dirt that is in my yard at all, which is why I asked. (I have a good friend here who said, "Watch this", and picked up a handful of the decomposing gravel we call soil here, out of a spot in her driveway. She rubbed it between the palms of her hands, allowing the bigger pieces and sand to drop away, and when she was done her hands sparkled with tiny silver beads of mercury. ... so I don't trust the dirt here.)

I hope that helps. Probably a member who doesn't live near Superfund sites can help more.

.

Thank you for your reply! I’m going to call the nursery when they open and ask about chemicals used. I will be planting it in my garden eventually which has been established for 20plus years. I will make sure to rinse it well and I read that stripping the leaves off can also help with new growth. But I will give it lots of time - it’s only about 2 feet tall. In the mean time as anyone fed or used these?

Tortellini0000 · 2026-06-26T12:27:47-0700

Tortellini0000 said:
Thank you for your reply! I’m going to call the nursery when they open and ask about chemicals used. I will be planting it in my garden eventually which has been established for 20plus years. I will make sure to rinse it well and I read that stripping the leaves off can also help with new growth. But I will give it lots of time - it’s only about 2 feet tall. In the mean time as anyone fed or used these?

Update- I did call my local nursery and was told that they grow them themselves using organic soil and the 3 fertilizers needed.

I asked if any neonicotinoids chemicals are used and they said no. I will see air on the side of caution and wait to feed for a awhile!

Tom · 2026-06-26T19:28:52-0700

Tortellini0000 said:
Update- I did call my local nursery and was told that they grow them themselves using organic soil and the 3 fertilizers needed.

I asked if any neonicotinoids chemicals are used and they said no. I will see air on the side of caution and wait to feed for a awhile!

I don't know what the laws or practices in Canada are, but here, these systemic pesticides are federally mandated. It is done at the wholesale level, and many of the retailers don't even know about it. Possibly most of the retailers don't know about it.

There is a nursery here that also sells bee stuff, and they proudly advertise that their stuff is "pesticide free" and they don't spray anything on their plants because of the bees. Well they were being totally honest. THEY don't use any pesticides. I was looking to buy some small plants for a tarantula enclosure and a lizard enclosure that my daughter and I were building, and I saw the wholesale label on the side of the little indoor plant pots, and asked the sales person. The salesperson didn't know anything about the systemic pesticides, so he went and asked the owner. The owner re-iterated that she doesn't allow any pesticides because of the bees, but didn't know anything about the systemic pesticides used at the wholesalers she was buying from or the federal mandate to do so. It was Friday evening, so she called her wholesalers and asked about it Monday morning. When I went back in there, she came out of the office with a very disturbed look on her face and told me she had no idea, and that yes, in fact, the "pesticide free" plants she had been selling for years were actually full of systemic pesticides. She had no idea. I don't know what is done up in your country, but just because the seller doesn't add anything doesn't mean there isn't anything.

jaizei · 2026-06-27T03:26:13-0700

Tom said:
I don't know what the laws or practices in Canada are, but here, these systemic pesticides are federally mandated. It is done at the wholesale level, and many of the retailers don't even know about it. Possibly most of the retailers don't know about it.

Systemic pesticides are not federally mandated. Every plant commercally grown is not required to be treated with them.

Tom · 2026-06-27T05:52:07-0700

jaizei said:
Systemic pesticides are not federally mandated. Every plant commercally grown is not required to be treated with them.

You right. Just the "decorative" ones. Go back to your hole and let the helpful people help.

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