I have a hibiscus tree out on my porch that since it has gotten colder, I have brought inside. Now Eve has decided that hibiscus is the new best thing on the planet, he tries his hardest to get a flower bud, than eats every last drop of it. The problem is that I have to fertilize this tree, which means Eve can't eat it, from what I understand. If I switch to an organic fertilizer is this ok, and if so how long would I have to wait before it is safe?

I have no idea. I'll see if I dig up any information.

Why would fertilizing the tree have anything to do with the bird?

My hibiscus tree is about 25 years old - typical single red flower type - is permanently in my son's room - i fertilize it frequently & my birds love to make lace out of the leaves & chew the bark - however being Budgies, they don't do more damage than the tree can replace. No problems so far..... I have stones on the soil at the base - did this to discourager my cat & have never changed them - big stones so the plant can breath & the water can evaporate.

I am allergic to it however - i have to be very careful when trimming it or handling it - that & grass - gives me red welts & itch.

From what I've read, synthetic fertilizers are an environmental problem but aren't considered to be a health problem. The environmental problem is that rain makes the fertilizer run off into bodies of water. The additional nutrients promote the growth of algae which disrupts the normal natural balance.

Pesticides and herbicides are a different matter. Anything with 'cide' in it is meant to kill something, which means toxins. I've been told that the longest-lasting pesticides are good for a year, and they lose their effectiveness after that.

From what I have read fertilizers can cause kidney damage.

But they wouldn't be near the bird - only inside the tree. Did this info say the fertilizer would be ingested thru the leaves & flowers?

Are you spraying the tree's leaves? - i only mist my tree with filtered water - it loves the mistings.

Oh & my tree seems to really like tea - i have given it tea for years - once in a while i give it the end of a pot of tea - i had read once that the 'acid' will help the soil.

I would think it would travel into the entire plant, I also just read that it is a major source of heavy metal poisoning! It was a case study where and ekkie almost died and kept testing very high for metal poisoning, yet no source of metal toxicity was in the cage nor the toys, but the owner did use plants and fruits and veggies that she grew and fertilized for her bird. This was tested and the fruits and veggies as well as the plants were the cause. I'm currently researching what I can, and I'll post what is not copyrighted.

Where did you read that? It's very easy to find scare tactic sites on the internet with inaccurate, exaggerated stories about the 'dangers' of commonly used items, and on the surface this sounds like a lunatic-fringe claim. If fertilizer caused heavy-metal poisoning then it would affect humans too and farmers wouldn't be allowed to use it. If you can provide a link then the rest of us can look at it and see if it seems to have any merit.

I'll see if I can find it again. I believe it was a case study from a vet, and it had to do with veggies grown in the back yard not commercial.