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fertilizer Best Potting Soil, Fertilizer, etc

bigt

bigt

I've always used Miracle Grow potting soil and it seems to do OK, but I've only been using containers for 2 years. I noticed Cappy had a big bale of Pro-Mix in some of his pictures and he certainly has some great plants. How about fertilizers? I've just used some plant spikes by Jobe's and bonemeal for calcium. I've heard good things about Rootblast - anybody use that? I also tried some Sea Magic seaweed extract last year with inconclusive results. Thoughts and suggestions appreciated.
 
A word about miracle grow potting mix/soil with "time release ferts"...

I made a mistake last year and used time release pelets when I transplanted some of my plants to 5 gallon containers, then read on teh label "do not use for container plants" so I wrote them an email and asked about this statement....This is straight from the miracle grow technical people and this is of course paraphrased....any of the miracle grow products with a "time release" fertilize in it releases the nitrogen faster than phosphorus and potassium...

In theory that is good because of having a higher nitrogen content in the soil produces green healthy plants during the first part of the grow season and then releases the P & K later...and if you read, it says feeds continually for up to 3 months....I don't know about you guys, but at three months I was pouring the grow fertilize to my plants...on the down side for quick, high nitrogen release is high nitrogen levels in your plants is like a magnet for aphids...

personally I do not use any growing media whether it is seed starting mix or potting soil with fertilize already in them...I like to be in control of what nutrients my plants get and when they get it....

IMO...a good soiless seed starting mix to germinate the seeds in, then a good quality potting soil (no ferts of course) will do the trick for the actual growing media. For fertilize, you can use any number of products but as I have stated before, I am sold on the botanicare liquid fert products and follow the recommended dilutions and frequency of application on the packages...worked pretty well for me this year....

I used the botanicare products from germination in February until June, then switched to vigaro liquid concentrate (10-10-10) for June, July, and August (once a week), then switched back to the botanicare fruit/flower formula in September and October...the last of October was the last food the plants got and they produced until about 2 weeks ago....
 
This spring I transplanted my peppers from the jiffy pellets into a mix of a Schulz Cactus soil and Schulz potting soil that had the time release fertilizer in it. A couple weeks later, all my pepper and tomato plants turned purple. I asked for help on here and at a local nursery and it was concluded that it was nitrogen deficiency. I bought some Start-N-Grow fertilizer at the nursery and that solved the problem. IF you use that time release potting soil....and IF it is over a year old...which mine was..there may be very little if any nitrogen left in it. I guess the nitrogen is the first to go in soil.
 
I agree with everything AJ just said. It is very important for peppers to have loose soil to grow big and produce large fruits. That is why I used Pro-mix last year with good results. Even when your potting up it is very important to have the right consistency to your mix. It really is all about what you can find in you local gardening center, Pro-Mix and Farfard are both very similiar. This is one expense that is worth every penny and stay away from MG if you can help it. I fertilize my plants once or twice a month during the summer is all. I also use seaweed and fish fertilizers when they are babies.
 
I use pro-mix or similar soilless mixes and use manure for most of my nutrients but also use mostly organic fertilizers made from kelp, soymeal etc. Keep in mind though that peppers really don't need a lot of fertilizer. Sometimes I make my own soilless mixes with peat or coir and vermiculite, perlite and dolomitic lime. I've used time release fertilizers in the past with success but I'd rather determine myself what nutrients are needed at a cerain time.
 
This fall, while experimenting with germination, transplantation, I've taken to adding about four ounces of a mix that is used when taking cuttings and putting them in an aerator cloning machine to two quarts of water. Has very little N but a lot of P&K plus micronutrients. I also use a very fine potting soil. After sowing the seeds I sit the containers in the solution until it is wet then place them in whatever is handy that has a dome. This goes over one of my 105 watt lamps (that are covered by a board. Keeps the temps nice and moisture in. Except for some imported cucumber plants that are very stubborn, I'm getting fast germination and seedling that can be transplanted within a week after sprouting.

Mike
 
Miricle Grow=crap.
Schulz=Crap
Garden Safe=Even worse than crap

Your best bet is Fox Farm soil (Ocean floor or Happy Tree Frog) and mix it with some sand. Their ferts are top knotch too. If you want something less expensive, try to find Sunland Organic Soil.
 
Thanks everyone - great info. My main problem with Miracle Grow is it seems like it compacts too much and just gets rock hard. I need to investigate the other stuff mentioned including the Pro-Mix. So, any Rootblast users? http://www.rootblast.com/
 
fert regime:
when seedlings about 4wks old - very diluted daily spray of Seasol + Nitrosol (very diluted)

when planted out:
at transplant - a feed of Dynamic Lifter Tomato Food and well watered in with Seasol mix and occasional feeds of Nitrosol until buds appear

weekly/fortnightly feeds of Seasol and/or Powerfeed and/or Epsom Salts with the odd feed of Phostrogen (all feeds are below manufacturers guidelines - I use 30ml each of the S + P liquids in a 9 litre watering can with 2-4 ts Epsom Salts)

last season I had a lot of aphids which I put down to fortnightly feeds of Nitrosol which I have discontinued this season with no reduction in growth and I am yet to see an aphid!
 
For what it's worth this is what I have done when starting seedlings in the cups....
I place some turkey maure (about an 1 inch in depth at the bottom of each cup) then fill it with just some common run of the mill potting soil. I have done very well getting both tomatoes and peppers started this way. The turkey manure is already 4-5 months old and mixed with sawdust. I also shovel this all over my garden during the Fall.
 
Can you sell me some turkey manure? Sounds like good stuff. Really was just saying who has turkey manure available? I will use black cow manure in my garden this year.
 
Pepper Ridge Farm said:
Can you sell me some turkey manure? Sounds like good stuff. Really was just saying who has turkey manure available? I will use black cow manure in my garden this year.
Click to expand...

Turkey manure seems to be prized by other people as well. I picked this from a thread at US Botanical Garden: "After 16 years of gardening at my place (both food and flower) my sister told me to try turkey manure. We live close to a turkey farm and we had a load delivered, spread it in our gardens. We grew what I could only say as alien vegies this year. My hats off to the turkeys!!!! This amendment will always be used by me and everyone that has seen my gardens. We are still harvesting pounds of tomatoes and peppers from our greenhouse. That is good, cause we love to process salsa!!! I have always used horse manure and compost around here (and we have lots) and that stuff is great too, but nothing can compare to turkey.

Another interesting thing that I never actually realized was: I was rather neglectful of watering one particular patch of my gardens this year and it was the root crops. These obviously grow with gusto when their roots have to search hard for water. I knew this from my years of working with flowers in my gardens, deep sporadic watering is (in my gardens) more beneficial than constant moisture. The root crops in the dry garden surpassed 100 fold some of the same root crops that I had mixed in with my gardens that I liberally water. Just some interesting stuff, I guess that gardeners simply learn and learn, welcoming tips from other gardeners is our best method of becoming better gardeners." from Cindi in Maple Ridge, B.C. Canada


source: http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=19816
 
bigt said:
Thanks everyone - great info. My main problem with Miracle Grow is it seems like it compacts too much and just gets rock hard. I need to investigate the other stuff mentioned including the Pro-Mix. So, any Rootblast users? http://www.rootblast.com/
Click to expand...


Adding some Perlite might help.

Me, I tried the MG at first because I got a bunch for free..and that's about what it was worth too. Had weeds and crap in it, I got bugs IN the soil, etc.

I went Pro-Mix and never looked back. I add extra perlite, dash of coffee grounds for acidity, and my own blend of ferts including a TerraCycle ganular fert w/ worm poop, epsom salts, and ocassionally use a dash of Rootblast when potting up.

I'd like to have more compost/fish emulsion stuff..but it's ok for now.

The only MG product I use is a generic 10-10-10 water soluable fert I use diluted for watering. It's not great, but it was all they had at the hardware store downstairs...:lol:

That's about it. :)

Chilis have been growing for millennia without our help after all eh? I like simple.

-QS
 
Pepper Ridge Farm said:
Can you sell me some turkey manure? Sounds like good stuff. Really was just saying who has turkey manure available? I will use black cow manure in my garden this year.
Click to expand...
There is a turkey operation about 40 minutes from where I live and they load it onto your truck for $5 a scoop (front end loader).
The bad thing about using cow manure is the fact that weed seeds get passed thru their gut and it will be a full time job weeding your garden.
 
Horse manure is the really worst IMO. I went against my own advice last year and had a field of weeds:( Cow's digest a lot of seeds in their multiple stomachs so its usually not so bad.
 
Im making up a mix of 25L of soil that has water crystals and 3 months of fertiliser, 2 bricks of compressed coco peat that turns into 18L, and 8L of perlite/vermiculite.

The plants I had last year were only done with a soil + perlite mix, and on really hot days, those plants with the old soil mix are the first to start drooping due to lack of water.
 
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