Recirculating fertilizer sump?

Beginners
1

Having used Eden liquid/pastes ferts for a few years now with excellent results I am thinking about building a recirculating sump & pump assembly to feed.

My thoughts are based on this, as I water my indoor bonsai in the kitchen I am shocked as to how fast the water moves through the ALP substrate.
Leading me to think of the fertilizer waste that occurs with liquid based fertilizers.
Mix it in water and watch the money pour out of the bottom of the pot.

So while it could simply be a container with a cheap pond pump,
or even simpler just a soaking bin, what I am concerned about is the possibility of spreading any disease, pest, etc since the liquid would pass through the soil system of multiple trees

I see some people online soak trees or dip them in a large container of water, primarily in other countries.

Last summer I was mixing 15-20 gallons of water/fert mix for everything.
I think I could cut this in half if I soaked or recirculated the mix for the smaller trees. Although it may be twice the work to pick up and move each tree.

How dangerous, backwards, or insane is my thinking?
I don’t really have any experience with pests, disease, pathogens etc but I imagine the #1 danger could be spreading issues from one tree to the next.

Any insight would be appreciated.

2

I tried this out a couple of times, since I agree that it is frustrating to see the expensive fertilizers run out the bottom of the pots. Then, after one of my trees developed root aphids, I rethought the strategy. I don’t know if the aphids can spread this way, but why take a chance?

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3

I would assume the ratio and contents of the fertilizer being poured into the substrate will not drain out as nice, evenly or accurate. So the reusability is just as likely to cause a toxicity or decencies as it is to benefit. This is just my first thought dint look into it but I would if I were to go about it.

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4

You could just set up a simple fertilizer injection system on your hose so that whenever you water you also apply your fertilizer, solves any contamination issues, and since you are controlling the watering, you can control waste.
It’s not ideal but a viable option to manage fertilization and watering. I use an injection system on my nursery and it works great. The high end systems even allow you to adjust concentration of fertilizers. Good luck.

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