fertilizer Fertilizer question?

Ok I spend 90% of my time on here using the search function. This time to no consistancy it seems. After searching many ways possible, what NPK value do you like for various stages of growth?

Seedlings (diluted or not)
when to increase solution to full strength if thats what you do
when to switch to a different NPK at what stage of growth


Searched and never really found a good thread with very much info. Lots of scattered tidbits here and there without many people explaining start to finish?

Am I beating a deadhorse? If so, what link is such deadhorse burried under so I might have a looksee for myself? lol

Thanks in advance!
 
from my experience here goes:

Seedling: 4 - 6 True Leaves
Miracle Gro 15-30-15. The recommended dilution on the packet is 1 tablespoon to a gallon. At this stage i sometimes do 1/4 concentration

Two Weeks Later
Miracle Gro 15-30-15. 1/2 Tablespoon to a gallon and apply foliar and to the roots. (If leaf curl happens at this point - check for aphids - if not calcium and magnesium added very small amounts)

Another two weeks later
Miracle Gro 15-30-15 at full strength and a source of calcium, magnesium and sulfur (foliar and roots). Weekly application until they are big enough to start producing flowers. They usually bud at an early stage in which i pinch of the buds and allow the plant to grow as big and bushy as possible.

flowering
Ease of the nitrogen - in fact i ease of the "complete" fertilizers and apply slow release potash (you can get soluble potash if you like) to assist with the fruiting....... when pods start developing....i leave the plants alone........
 
There is no clear answer, every grower has their particular favorite formula but chiles are really not very fussy plants and don't require a lot of fertilizers.
In my opinion never go full strength with any nutrients
 
Everyone has their own preferences, which is why you can't find a consistent answer. I prefer a balanced organic, so a high NPK value isn't important to me. I want something that will vitalize the soil and make it so alive that the plants can draw everything they need from it - not simply the 3 chemicals listed in NPK values. Gardeners and Neptune's Harvest fish/seaweed are both excellent, from my experience.
 
Planning a compost bin now. Would like to get by with ferts this year then next year have my compost supply up and aquire some manure. Shouldn't be hard since I deal with farmers almost daily at work
 
trinicoolieboy said:
from my experience here goes:

Seedling: 4 - 6 True Leaves
Miracle Gro 15-30-15. The recommended dilution on the packet is 1 tablespoon to a gallon. At this stage i sometimes do 1/4 concentration

Two Weeks Later
Miracle Gro 15-30-15. 1/2 Tablespoon to a gallon and apply foliar and to the roots. (If leaf curl happens at this point - check for aphids - if not calcium and magnesium added very small amounts)

Another two weeks later
Miracle Gro 15-30-15 at full strength and a source of calcium, magnesium and sulfur (foliar and roots). Weekly application until they are big enough to start producing flowers. They usually bud at an early stage in which i pinch of the buds and allow the plant to grow as big and bushy as possible.

flowering
Ease of the nitrogen - in fact i ease of the "complete" fertilizers and apply slow release potash (you can get soluble potash if you like) to assist with the fruiting....... when pods start developing....i leave the plants alone........

I do something close to that. 4 to 6 true leaves, 15-30-15 miracle gro 1/4 strength every 2 weeks. Once outside and starting to take off miracle gro 15-30-15 at 1/2 strength every two weeks. Epsom salt 1 tbs per gallon every two weeks opposite fertilizer.
 
I like Espoma tomato tone for a slow release. The one I have is 4-7-10, but they reformulated it and next time I get some will be different. Also has a lot of micronutrients included. Works very well on tomatoes and peppers. There are a lot of good fertilizers out there and comes down to personal preference.
 
this is a response from another thread called "Nutrients"

hector.jacob said:
you have young plants.... what they need right now is phosforus and a little magnesium...so they can grow and develop the root system and stem... so a formula(high phosforus) 15-30-15 is what they need... you can apply it for the first weeks untill you transplant them...you can move to a foliage grow formula(high nitrogen) for 2 weeks like a 24-8-16 or 26-6-14 with micronutrients ... after the first batch of flower and fruit start appearring moved to more balance flowering/fruit formula like 21-6-23 + micronutrients for at least 2 weeks , when fruit setting starts heavely move to a production formula like 14-4-40 + micronutrients...after you settled with the production formula is good to give at least one application a month of flowering formula 21-6-23 and 3 of production...don't forget micronutrients...is very important for pepper...
hope it helps...

a personal advice about using potash...It works well if it's calculated right for what the plant is needing...if you have an excess of it(potassium)...it blocks nitrogen , calcium and magnesium on the plants...
in most greenhouses we/they use it to stop the growth of the plant vertically and focus on the fruit set it has...but in a excess , it affects the quality of fruit(calcium and magnesium) and growth(nitrogen)...also has a second effect that aborts new flower and new fruit set because the plant is concentrating on the fruit it already has...
 
I went with the high nitrogen miracle grow azalae formula for some older store bought plants and have some bloom buster to follow chillilovers instructions
 
Whatever dosage you choose I think it's far more important in the manner the ferts are given to the plants opposed to the amount, that's why I only foiler feed my plants. It gives you a LOT more control over what the plant intake is because the intake is almost immediate opposed to a LONG slow intake by the roots when you add ferts to the soil. Wouldn't you like to say that 85% of the ferts you give your young plant was absorbed in the first couple of hours? Plus your not wasting money on your ferts by washing them out of the pots when foiler feeding. I use a 12-9-6 until they start flowering and after flowering it's 9-18-9. You can use just about any powdered fert, by adding water and a wetting agent. I use water directly from a large fish tank and throw in a tablespoon of liquid detergent that contains polysorbate 80. Some guys go as high as 30 on the NPK scale which is fine for soil feeding because most of the fert isn't really used by the plants anyway so although you are loading up the soil with ferts the plant is probably only taking in a 3rd of those ferts. So a 15-30-15 mix is probably only giving the plants a 3-10-3 intake. I also foiler feed them with worm tea, a shot of cal/mag, and a few drops of superthrive every 4th feeding. If your not familiar with foiler feeding it's worth the research. I'll go ahead and post one of the many articles I've read on the topic for review in case you can't find it with the search function.


FOLIAR FEEDING
Foliar feeding is the entry of small amounts of liquid fertilizer through the surface of plant shoots. This allows for rapid nutrient utilization by the plant, and also provides the applicator the ability to blend the fertilizer with other products, such as pesticides and micronutrients. Current formulations of liquid fertilizers are believed to penetrate mostly the transcuticular pores on foliage, which are open virtually all the time compared to stomata. Nutrients also enter stomata, but these often are closed due to environmental stresses and darkness. Also, the majority of the stomata are located underneath leaves, away from fertilizer spray patterns. Drawbacks to foliar feeding include the inability to apply large amounts of N, phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) without potentially burning the foliage. Therefore, frequent applications at a low volume are required to maintain consistent color and plant growth.

FOLIAR ABSORPTION
Many products claim to be true foliar fertilizers that can solve most fertility problems. However, the majority of these products lack published research to substantiate these statements. A primary concern is whether you are applying a true foliar-absorbed fertilizer. Research on banana plants determined whether foliar applications of urea were absorbed through foliage or washed off and absorbed through roots. Up to 65 percent of the foliar-applied urea was absorbed within 25 minutes, with the majority being absorbed by the lower (or younger) surface of the foliage — where the greatest number of stomata exist. Similar findings were reported in coffee, cacao and McIntosh apple. The lower leaf surfaces and younger leaves rapidly absorbed urea from foliar applications as compared to older leaves and upper leaf surfaces. Complete absorption of the urea occurred in coffee and cacao in less than 24 hours and in banana by 30 hours. The absorption of urea by the lower surface of younger McIntosh apple leaves was as high as 85 percent in a two-hour absorption period, compared to the lower leaf surface of older leaves.

Many foliar applied products also contain “hidden” ingredients, such as iron, not specified on the label. So while you may be satisfied with the results, you may not realize which ingredient, specifically, is providing this response. One way to identify it is to know exactly which elements can be absorbed and moved through the plant. Mobile elements such as N, magnesium and sulfur are transported through phloem tissue in leaves. Meanwhile, immobile elements such as calcium and boron will not move through the phloem, thus, would not be as effective if applied as a foliar fertilizer.

Previous research in McIntosh apple focused on parameters hindering foliar urea uptake. These included existing N levels in the foliage, pH of the spray, temperature and the influence of wetting agents. High existing nitrogen levels in the foliage and low temperatures (~21°C compared to 32°C) promoted best absorption. Also, incorporating a wetting agent into the spray (Tween 80 and Tween 20) approximately doubled the percent of urea absorbed, compared to a pure water solution.

Most research indicates that with urea, for instance, liquid and dry (granular) formulations produce little differences in turf growth and quality. However, previous research with urea noted foliar feeding accounted for 95 percent of plant use compared to approximately 10 percent use from soil applications. In an attempt to address efficacy questions, studies compared fluid and foliar nutrition programs to conventional programs (conventional programs designed by select golf course superintendents in the state of Nebraska) on Providence creeping bentgrass. Fluid and foliar programs were comparable to the conventional programs in terms of color and density while incorporating 25 to 80 percent less N. Furthermore, it was suggested foliar fertilizers should not replace conventional fertilizer programs (liquids and water-soluble controlled-release granular fertilizers). However, “true” foliar fertilizers can increase the growth and vigor in turf under high maintenance, especially under stresses such as increased heat. Also, with the increased attention placed on N and phosphorous leaching, liquid fertilization could be very beneficial. The low input required by foliar applications could pose a smaller risk to the environment in terms of leaching.

Wesley Totten is a graduate research assistant and Bert McCarty, Ph.D., is professor of turfgrass science, both in the Department of Horticulture at Clemson University (Clemson, S.C.).

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lab/msg041655342430.html

http://foliarfert.com/pages/introduction.htm
 
JustinNC said:
I went with the high nitrogen miracle grow azalae formula for some older store bought plants and have some bloom buster to follow chillilovers instructions


I would be very careful with the azalea formula as they are acid loving plants and there might be other things in that formula to make your soil more acidic, which is not good for peppers.
 
+1 on the Espoma tone. Most of their stuff is organic as well, and as you stated it has calcium and magnesium. Its a one knock out punch.
 
I've used plain old Vigoro 10-10-10 for years. I learned gardening from my parents who used plain old 10-10-10. I'm almost 100% hydro now, but I still have a few 5 gallon buckets with chilies. They get 1 tablespoon every 6 weeks
 
rds040800 said:
I would be very careful with the azalea formula as they are acid loving plants and there might be other things in that formula to make your soil more acidic, which is not good for peppers.

Soil ph is pretty tough to change on the small scale like that. Generally takes a lot of pine needles or dead leaves over the years to change it much tnwards the acidic side. If got it for my seedlings in containers I'd worry more. The seeds I have started will get a much milder dose of something else. For the lowes plants in the groundp I'm not worried about the possible extrd acidity. Thanks for the gheads up. Ill check the extra contents, if nothing to add acidity I may experiment with it in container plants.
 
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