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Flowers dropping and leaves curling

For my buckets and pots, I used a 50/40/10 (black cow/MG organic choice potting soil/perlite), half a cup each (if that) of 10/10/10 rose bloom and bonemeal. I will add bonemeal later on if I see the plants losing color and it will make them super dark green within a few days. This year, I decided to follow the advice of a coworker to MG my plants twice a week, after seeing that his tomatoes look like they are on steroids. A few days after the second application of MG, some of my plants started curling up and my tomatoes quit growing completely. I've already tossed the MG in the trash from frustration and will never use it again.

Sounds like they were over nuted from the get go - the MG organic choice potting soil has all you need for the year and more just by itself. I think the Black Kow is a pretty good supplement, especially for garden soil - but not to add to over fertilized potting soil like MG. I'll bet a little Black Kow in some Pro-Mix might work wonders. I might have to try that myself next year. The added perlite helped the MG soil I'm sure, although I don't think Pro-Mix needs any more. Experiment all you want for the rest of the year, but try leaving a few plants alone and see what happens. Water & sun makes peppers happy - they aren't greedy.
 
Sounds like they were over nuted from the get go - the MG organic choice potting soil has all you need for the year and more just by itself. I think the Black Kow is a pretty good supplement, especially for garden soil - but not to add to over fertilized potting soil like MG. I'll bet a little Black Kow in some Pro-Mix might work wonders. I might have to try that myself next year. The added perlite helped the MG soil I'm sure, although I don't think Pro-Mix needs any more. Experiment all you want for the rest of the year, but try leaving a few plants alone and see what happens. Water & sun makes peppers happy - they aren't greedy.

Where did you get your Pro-Mix at?
 
Good article on bonemeal: http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/horticultural%20myths_files/Myths/Bonemeal.pdf


Nice link - that is a good study. I'm not surprised.

The Bottom Line
• Bone meal supplies high levels of phosphorus and calcium, elements that are rarely limiting in
non-agricultural soils.
• Phosphorus, from bone meal or other sources, does not “stimulate” plant growth; it is only a
mineral, not a plant growth regulator.
• High levels of phosphorus, from bone meal or other sources, will inhibit growth of mycorrhizal
fungi.
• Without mycorrhizal partners, plants must put additional resources into root growth at the
expense of other tissues and functions.
• Before you add any supplementary nutrients to your landscape, have a complete soil test
performed first.
For more information, please visit Dr. Chalker-Scott’s web page at http://www.theinformedgardener.com.
 
For my buckets and pots, I used a 50/40/10 (black cow/MG organic choice potting soil/perlite), half a cup each (if that) of 10/10/10 rose bloom and bonemeal. I will add bonemeal later on if I see the plants losing color and it will make them super dark green within a few days. This year, I decided to follow the advice of a coworker to MG my plants twice a week, after seeing that his tomatoes look like they are on steroids. A few days after the second application of MG, some of my plants started curling up and my tomatoes quit growing completely. I've already tossed the MG in the trash from frustration and will never use it again.
miracle grow is great for tomatoes, until they set flowers, then back off but no more than once every 7-14 days, depending on rainfall, soil quality etc. but if u are using 50% black cow, high in nitrogen, 40% mg potting soil also high in nitrogen, I dont know why u would drown them in nitrogen, 2 times a week no less, the soil mixture u r using will feed ur plants for 3-6 months w/o further nitrogen, you will probably need some calcium supplement later, but I would flush your pots out a couple of times, and then back off the fertilizer of any kind for @ least 2-3 weeks, willards list which is right on the money btw, lists the number one cause of most peoples problems I think too much grower attention, as for the sevin dust, be careful w/ that stuff u will kill all the pollenating insects and end up w/ no peppers @ all. sorry if it sounded like I was on a soapbox, just trying to help, best of luck to you :)
 
miracle grow is great for tomatoes, until they set flowers, then back off but no more than once every 7-14 days, depending on rainfall, soil quality etc. but if u are using 50% black cow, high in nitrogen, 40% mg potting soil also high in nitrogen, I dont know why u would drown them in nitrogen, 2 times a week no less, the soil mixture u r using will feed ur plants for 3-6 months w/o further nitrogen, you will probably need some calcium supplement later, but I would flush your pots out a couple of times, and then back off the fertilizer of any kind for @ least 2-3 weeks, willards list which is right on the money btw, lists the number one cause of most peoples problems I think too much grower attention, as for the sevin dust, be careful w/ that stuff u will kill all the pollenating insects and end up w/ no peppers @ all. sorry if it sounded like I was on a soapbox, just trying to help, best of luck to you :)

No need to apologize at all! I appreciate your feedback, as well as everyone else. We got a good rain last night and I have installed a dripper system that has flushed the buckets and soil pretty good. I can already see the plants recovering, I just believe I wasted a month of fruiting :( I noticed last night that I have peppers on almost all my plants, minus the bhuts and fresnos. Bhuts seem to take forever around here to start flowering so that isn't surprising. I am holding off with putting anything else on my plants this year other than water. Even sevin dust, which washed off and away last night. Once these start looking pretty again, I will take some pics. Thanks again!
 
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