Return to the Professional Gardener Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
What fertilizer do you use?
| | |
Posted by deb118 z5NWIN (My Page) on Fri, Feb 10, 06 at 11:36
For those in the growing/retail bus? For your annuals, perennials and veggie plants? I've used Miracle Grow in the past, but looking for something better. My salesman suggested 20-9-20, a friend of ours in the fertilizer business suggested 16-30-16. I am learning as I go here, and getting more and more confused! LOL Trying to figure out what #'s are best.... low vs. high. Which...where??? lol
Any help would be greatly appriciated! :) |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: What fertilizer do you use?
| | |
- Posted by bboy z8 WA USA (My Page) on
Sat, Feb 11, 06 at 16:22
| Those are some pretty high numbers. I always wonder if liquid feeding programs really need to be that strong. Certainly won't be doing much for water quality in the vicinity. Anyway, the first problem you have is that, same as with fertilizing plants in the ground, the nutrient content of the soil and of the irrigation water determines what fertilizer formulations are required. If you know somebody who is succeeding with same crops in same potting media with same water, then copying them would presumably pay off. If not, you need to identify which fertilizers will work with your particular condtions on your own to make progress in this area. |
RE: What fertilizer do you use?
| | |
- Posted by laag z6CapeCod (My Page) on
Sat, Feb 11, 06 at 19:51
| If you trying to grow the size of the plant, go higher on the N. When you get to the bud stage, go with the high P. Feed the need. If the plant doesn't need it, where will it wind up? I'm with bboy, you don't want to send excessive N into ground water. It will eventually show up in surface water and the consequences are great. |
RE: What fertilizer do you use?
| | |
| It depends on two primary things. Are you growing in soiless media? If you are, then it's simply a matrix and any nutrients you want your plant to get shall come from that bag. Secondly, what numbers you use are determined by what crops you grow. I use a different formulation for poinsettias than for bedding plants and a different formula for lilies than poinsettias. Yes, those nitrogen numbers sound high for normal growing. I used peat lite special by Peters........the 15-16-17 is a good starting point for bedding plants. When I do winter growing I stick to the nitrate nitrogen and away from ammoniacal based. |
RE: What fertilizer do you use?
| | |
| Are you growing or retailing? Retail should let you get away with less consideration to proper fert levels. Growing practically requires chem degree. I use 20-8-10 and 14-14-14 for winter growing of basil. But, 20-20-20 for summer growing. Further our fert program is supplemented with organic ferts. We are trying to avoid the use of chem. ferts all together, but finding it difficult without serious soil amendments. Try Ball Publishing for the most comprehesive info. |
RE: What fertilizer do you use?
| | |
| I am just visiting.Deb, I don't think I would feel comfortable recommending any fertizer without integrating a number of themes here. Front and foremost are the characteristics of your irrigation water as well as any modifications of fertilizer selections based upon the crops you are growing; stages of development; time of year; media selections;container sizes; and the environment you are growing in. It is Not Rocket Science but one may find generalities deflecting basic fundamentals that professional growers,who are attempting to play by the rules:(allocating expenses,procurring permits and licences in an attempt establish themselves and compete with boxstores and wannabees) understands. I think there aren't any shortcuts in entering this profession and competing successfully. There is no escaping Plant Biology and the integration of plant nutrition with plant physiology,and the cultivars one selects to grow when it comes to pot culture.Therefore ,one might maintain common precepts of NPK and fertilizers in general until one is ready to put the time, energy, and homework required to compete successfully in this trade...(just my opinion...) |
RE: What fertilizer do you use?
| | |
| We grow a LOT LOT LOT LOT of plants, and we use 17-5-17 to grow 98 % of them. They get it at 100 ppm with every watering (easier than trying to keep track of when you fertilized last). Working pretty well for us. |
|
|
|
|
