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fertilizer What's the best fertilizer for peppers

HotPeppas said:
what does epsom salt do? how do you apply it?
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It's a source of magnesium, it looks like coarse salt (it is a type of salt) and dissolves in water so you just water it in or on the leaves, or you could just throw it on the soil and water it in the next time you water.

Dazastar said:
I got to speak to a fertilizer specialist today. Looks like I got it wrong. Chemical fertilizers like aquasol and miracle grow will eventually kill the micro organisms in the soil that are required for breaking down and releasing nutrients from the bio matter in the soil.

The seaweed and triple boost is good. But add gogo juice. It contains micro organisms and nutes to get things going again organically.


http://www.neutrog.c...u/gogo-juice-2/
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Except that's not entirely true. I've been using chemical fertilizers for many years and rework the soil with organic matter. Believe me, it decays just fine.

There's one key difference between using organic matter and chemical (synthetic) fertilizers. Organic matter contains traces of far more than just 4 or 5 of the top nutrients plants need. With virgin soil it may not matter as much but once you start reusing a plot or pot soil that already had things growing in it, the nutrients the past plants used up need to be replentished for the best results... and of course, it depends how good the soil was to start with.
 
Sandgroper said:
I used compost and dynamic lifter with a drink of fish emulsion and seaweed every week.
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I was wondering about fish emulsions since they are highly recommended. I got some Alaskan Fish Fertilizer and used it about half strength about a month ago on my plants. Having transplanted them a few weeks before that and them not being very big I didn't want to over do it as I haven't ventured very far into fertilizers in my young growing career.

It is 5-1-1 and Im wondering what type of feeding schemes would be recommended for it? The bottle says use every 3 weeks. It has been said in this thread too much nitrogen produces lush foliage but no fruit. Would this still be a good recommendation for fertilizing my peppers?
 
Epsom salt is Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate. It provides Magnesium and Sulfur to your plant. You don't need much, 1 or 2 tablespoons dissolved in a gallon of water. You can use this as a foliar spray a couple of times per season on the mature plant. Some people water the mix into the ground, but I don't know how effective that really is. The Mg in the salts will give you bigger peppers with thicker flesh. Sulfur is an essential nutrient all around.

You can find epsom salts in a drug store or big box store. A 2 or 3 pound bag will last forever. Just make sure it isn't mixed with anything like rock salt or any perfumes or colors.
 
^ Watering it in the ground is effective but on the one hand it doesn't get absorbed as quickly, yet on the other hand you can use a stronger solution that acts over a longer period providing there isn't enough water to cause runoff. So, if you have plants in the ground and it'll be raining occasionally, foliar feeding is probably the better option.

Another benefit of putting it on the ground, especially if you don't water it in for a day or more, is it'll kill slugs.
 
HotPeppas said:
anf wbat exactly does magnesium do for a pepper?
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It is a very important secondary macronutrient.

If you use maxibloom it has 3.5% Mg in it, along with 5%Ca and sulfur. If you use just that one fertilizer you will never need epsom salts or anything else. It takes the guess work out of fertilizing.

Thanks "millworkman" or who ever it was that directed me to Maxibloom on this forum. :P
 
I burry a fish under the plant during transplant and once a month I use fish sraps tea! Also some dry chicken manure + bio all purpose garden fert mixed with pro-mix as the growing medium. First year grower but so far I'm pretty proud of the results!
 
Dave2000 said:
It's a source of magnesium, it looks like coarse salt (it is a type of salt) and dissolves in water so you just water it in or on the leaves, or you could just throw it on the soil and water it in the next time you water.



Except that's not entirely true. I've been using chemical fertilizers for many years and rework the soil with organic matter. Believe me, it decays just fine.

There's one key difference between using organic matter and chemical (synthetic) fertilizers. Organic matter contains traces of far more than just 4 or 5 of the top nutrients plants need. With virgin soil it may not matter as much but once you start reusing a plot or pot soil that already had things growing in it, the nutrients the past plants used up need to be replentished for the best results... and of course, it depends how good the soil was to start with.
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Nothin a little Tea cant fix ;)
 
Here is a hydro-organic fertilizer I use as well. I know there is a lot of organic fans here. It works great!!

"Derived From:
Fish meal, composted sea bird guano, sea kelp, spirulina, soybean protein extract, rock phosphate, potassium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, humic acid*, fulvic acid*, citric acid*, raw sugar cane*, Agrimineral 72 (silica clay extract)*, amino acids*, B-complex vitamins*, and select botanical plant extracts*."





PureBlendProGrow_GallonBottle.jpg
 
best i've found is a once a week watering with a combination of kelp, fish emulsion, different bat guanos for different stages of growth, azos, mykos, a little molasses, and rotting fruit rhinds to balance ph, add a little liquid humic acid, toss it in some dechlorinated water and BAM visable growth every day! amounts and times for adding things are my little secret though ;)

have a chloramine filter on the way to keep the growth up!
 
Capsicum said:
Here is a hydro-organic fertilizer I use as well. I know there is a lot of organic fans here. It works great!!

"Derived From:
Fish meal, composted sea bird guano, sea kelp, spirulina, soybean protein extract, rock phosphate, potassium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, humic acid*, fulvic acid*, citric acid*, raw sugar cane*, Agrimineral 72 (silica clay extract)*, amino acids*, B-complex vitamins*, and select botanical plant extracts*."





PureBlendProGrow_GallonBottle.jpg
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Make a good compost/worm castings tea and save your money.
 
CarvinGuitarist said:
Make a good compost/worm castings tea and save your money.
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Worm casting are either really easy to find cheap, or not. I can find them at 15 bucks a bag.
Then having to make the tea? I take a tbl sp of batincare put in a gal of water then shake.


If you make worm tea you have worm castings tea.

If you use botanicare you have:

"Fish meal, composted sea bird guano, sea kelp, spirulina, soybean protein extract, rock phosphate, potassium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, humic acid*, fulvic acid*, citric acid*, raw sugar cane*, Agrimineral 72 (silica clay extract)*, amino acids*, B-complex vitamins*, and select botanical plant extracts*."

See how easy it would be to source all of that.
 
Capsicum said:
Worm casting are either really easy to find cheap, or not. I can find them at 15 bucks a bag.
Then having to make the tea? I take a tbl sp of batincare put in a gal of water then shake.


If you make worm tea you have worm castings tea.

If you use botanicare you have:

"Fish meal, composted sea bird guano, sea kelp, spirulina, soybean protein extract, rock phosphate, potassium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, humic acid*, fulvic acid*, citric acid*, raw sugar cane*, Agrimineral 72 (silica clay extract)*, amino acids*, B-complex vitamins*, and select botanical plant extracts*."

See how easy it would be to source all of that.
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So what. Worm castings are free
 
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