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Nutrient cycles

I am starting to get some buds on my pepper plants and was wondering if I should switch up the nutrient levels I am using. I know nitrogen is for growth, but have heard that phosphorous is crucial to the flowering stage. I know I can get a triple phosphate fertilizer, but should I really do so?


I started out my garden this year with just native soil. I tilled up the soil and then evened it out. I dug a hole about 18 inches deep and 2 feet in diameter for each plant, adding in miracle grow organic garden soil mixed with composted cow manure and organic compost. That filled the hole half way and I added native soil to fill the rest and mixed thoroughly, adding a half cup of bone meal to the whole mix and just mixed everything together in the hole. My plants were put dead center of this hole, with a pack of matches covered by a few inches of soil to separate the rootball from the matches for a while. Once the plant was in and ready, I covered the top with native soil to prevent erosion of the good stuff underneath. Then, I used the rest of the native soil to make a "soil ring" a foot or so in diameter around each plant to create a "cup" to direct water where it needs to go.

Just a few questions... how am I doing so far? I use 5-1-1 fish fertilizer every other week and have also been spraying foliar spray that contains epsom salt, dissolved fertilizer (like miracle grow), and a very small amount of Superthrive. The plants are doing well, but after reading another topic on here, I have to ask if I should just leave the plants alone. I am beginning to think that my soil ammendments are quite enough to ensure a good plant and a great yield. What do you guys and gals think? What, if any, changes need to be made here to get the bumper crop I am after?

Lastly, the whole superthrive question... does it do better in the soil or as a foliar spray? I have seen some marked improvement in growth since I have been using it for foliar spraying. Some people on here have said that it does nothing.

Does anyone remember the movie Dune? I saw an earthworm in my garden after the rain that may give those spice worms an inferiority complex. If I see one, there's dozens, if not hundreds in the soil I don't see, doing their job. Free fertilizer from worm poo?

I will check back on this thread often, so any thoughts/help would be most appreciated.
 
Dont worry about super thrive you dont need it. Next time mix soil amendments like the topsoil and compost with the existing native soil rather then just below it. You may not need any fertilizer the whole way. Somthing like "osmacote plus" or "miracle gro shake and feed tomatoes+calcium" is great and easy to use. You should be in good shape then. I tend to not use water soluble fetilizer in ground. I use slow release fertilizer in ground because it is just better all around for the life in the soil.
 
Ok, so I was thinking about mulching the entire garden. Any thoughts? I can either weed every few days, use mulch, or get down and dirty with some roundup and paint each weed with a paintbrush.
 
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