right now i`m using MG potting soil mixed with black cow compost in containers ranging from 1-5 gallon and fertilizing with MG mixed into water and applied a couple times through the growing season. i`ve been reading here and elsewhere that fish emulsion and kelp extract are really good fertilizer. i`m looking at Neptune`s Harvest Fish and Seaweed Blend Fertilizer and wondering what the more experienced growers here think is the best to use. i don`t have space to do my own compost and i`m looking for a fertilizer i can buy locally or online. thanks for your input.
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fertilizer looking to switch to a better fertilizer
- Thread starter luvmesump3pp3rz
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Neptunes is good to go. You can honestly just use that alone if you choose and you'll do great.
If you want to use another source look for a good tomato fertilizer. I have used dr earths organic tomato fertilizer and my chilis love it. It contains fish bone meal, feather meal, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, soft rock phosphate, fish meal, mined potassium sulfate and seaweed extract according to the bag. A small disclaimer though.. my dog can't resist her self from trying to dig up my plants to find the scent it leaves.
If you want to use another source look for a good tomato fertilizer. I have used dr earths organic tomato fertilizer and my chilis love it. It contains fish bone meal, feather meal, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, soft rock phosphate, fish meal, mined potassium sulfate and seaweed extract according to the bag. A small disclaimer though.. my dog can't resist her self from trying to dig up my plants to find the scent it leaves.
I'll drop this here... https://www.oregonsonly.com/
For my indoor and outdoor "soil-based grow", this is what I use. I've even caught the wife using this on our outdoor production garden.
For my indoor and outdoor "soil-based grow", this is what I use. I've even caught the wife using this on our outdoor production garden.
Neptune's Harvest is good, but I did some side-by-side testing with the following 3 fish fertilizers:
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1) Neptune's Harvest Tomato and Veg
2) Neptune's Harvest Rose and Flowering
3) Alaska fish
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And what I found was that Alaska Fish, despite being the cheapest, thoroughly rinsed the other 2. Not only on a dollar-for-dollar basis, but also absolutely.
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Also, if you can get it, there is a liquid Kelp from Alaska:
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https://www.lowes.com/pd/Alaska-Pure-Kelp-1-Quart-Indoor-Plant-Food/50238013
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And if not, good ol' Maxi Crop.
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That's gonna be a pretty cheap and effective combo.
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1) Neptune's Harvest Tomato and Veg
2) Neptune's Harvest Rose and Flowering
3) Alaska fish
.
And what I found was that Alaska Fish, despite being the cheapest, thoroughly rinsed the other 2. Not only on a dollar-for-dollar basis, but also absolutely.
.
Also, if you can get it, there is a liquid Kelp from Alaska:
.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Alaska-Pure-Kelp-1-Quart-Indoor-Plant-Food/50238013
.
And if not, good ol' Maxi Crop.
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That's gonna be a pretty cheap and effective combo.
dlsolo said:
I wouldn't recommend that to someone looking to upgrade to a better fert. I'd sooner put that money into upgrading potting media.
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I tested that whole Nectar for the Gods line a year or so back. It's so ridiculously high in phosphorus (they built that whole line around a single macro) and required constant flushing to keep it in check. (they even have a product that they sell for the flush) There were SO many different parts required... and for me, it didn't grow better than my preferred nutrient.
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I've got a whole load of that stuff that I won't ever use again.
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Chilidude said:
Oh, where those the ones you wanted to send to me to ruin my chili growing, i am sure some other fellow will take them from your hands, but it will not be me as i know better by now.
Hahaha... Yeah, I would have gladly sent you those.
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Don't get me wrong. Like any fertilizer, they'll work. And the guys who put the line out, are super nice dudes. I just don't care for the way they've built their product.
Around here you cant find the Alaska liquid seaweed but i found the MaxiCrop for $25/gallon. Hard to beat that price when used with a $20gal of Alaska fish emulsion.
IMO Neptunes Harvest is just too expensive for what you get. If you dont mind the cost though its fine. My friends peppers love the stuff.
I also like Alaska fish and kelp pellets. A 3lb bag is around $7-10. Pretty good stuff for people that tend to get more rain and cant fertilize as easily with liquid based products. Most places like Lowes carry it. Veggie and Tomato is 4-6-6 and the all purpose is 6-4-6. Around 7% calcium too so you wont need anything like calmag added.
https://www.pennington.com/all-products/fertilizer/plant-fertilizer/alaska
Menards has the best price on it ive seen
https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/gardening/lawn-plant-care/plant-food/alaska-reg-vegetable-and-tomato-4-6-6-granular-fertilizer-3-lbs/100504561/p-1444426304984-c-1463608034798.htm?tid=5364202964094021854&ipos=2
IMO Neptunes Harvest is just too expensive for what you get. If you dont mind the cost though its fine. My friends peppers love the stuff.
I also like Alaska fish and kelp pellets. A 3lb bag is around $7-10. Pretty good stuff for people that tend to get more rain and cant fertilize as easily with liquid based products. Most places like Lowes carry it. Veggie and Tomato is 4-6-6 and the all purpose is 6-4-6. Around 7% calcium too so you wont need anything like calmag added.
https://www.pennington.com/all-products/fertilizer/plant-fertilizer/alaska
Menards has the best price on it ive seen
https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/gardening/lawn-plant-care/plant-food/alaska-reg-vegetable-and-tomato-4-6-6-granular-fertilizer-3-lbs/100504561/p-1444426304984-c-1463608034798.htm?tid=5364202964094021854&ipos=2
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Same way at both Lowes and HomeDepot plus its $10qt. I dont see it listed by the gallon at either place. Im going to go upto Menards and grab a couple bags of the pellets. We have been getting lots of rain lately and i need something dry/slow release anyway. I just used the last of what i had today.
Same way at both Lowes and HomeDepot plus its $10qt. I dont see it listed by the gallon at either place. Im going to go upto Menards and grab a couple bags of the pellets. We have been getting lots of rain lately and i need something dry/slow release anyway. I just used the last of what i had today.
For organic I like earth juice products and for synthetic I like dyna-gro grow. Been hearing good things about dyna-gro foliage pro also. Both are good options if you're looking to keep it simple and not have to use multiple products because they are considered "complete nutrients". Both are highly concentrated too so they should last you a long time depending on the size of your grow. As mentioned above, fish emulsion is a great option and will give you great results. Only reason I don't use it is because my dogs think it is mighty tasty and will break into my grow space to eat the dirt and destroy my plants in the process.
thanks for the advice. i`m going to look for the alaska brand, under $6 at walmart. that is much cheaper than neptunes.
solid7 said:
I wouldn't recommend that to someone looking to upgrade to a better fert. I'd sooner put that money into upgrading potting media.
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I tested that whole Nectar for the Gods line a year or so back. It's so ridiculously high in phosphorus (they built that whole line around a single macro) and required constant flushing to keep it in check. (they even have a product that they sell for the flush) There were SO many different parts required... and for me, it didn't grow better than my preferred nutrient.
.
I've got a whole load of that stuff that I won't ever use again.
.
Wow, I definitely wasn't expecting that type of response. This is my 2nd'ish season with NTG with very promising and repeatable results. Acknowledge the high phosphorus, but my indoor/outdoor grow bags showed any detrimental signs of damage to my peppers, cucumbers, or butternut squash plants. Using this line of nutrients in conjunction with "Down to Earth" powdered fertilizers, I've experienced nothing but growth. To what scale and what metric of grow is this compared to? Nothing is dying, browning, burning, or sick-looking. Some 'ole backyard science tells me that everything is playing well together.
I'll agree with your conclusion, but with a caveat. Yes, NTG may not be for the average user. Yes, it requires a different level of "care and feeding" (no pun intended). I guess after 11 years of growing "things", I was comfortable enough to introduce this line of fertilizer with little to no degradation to our normal rotation of crops. Even our soil samples for our 19 raised beds didn't show any signs of high/very high phosphorus.
Appreciate the real life perspective.
ok i will get some. can i add both mixed together at the same time? and they should be added once a week?solid7 said:
I use the Alaska Fish, found it fine, used to use Neptune but the stuff is way too expensive.solid7 said:
dlsolo said:
Sorry, didn't mean to startle or stun you. I just try to keep it straight and honest.
I can't add much more to what I said. I'll just reiterate that dollar for dollar it's not cost effective.
Truthfully, fertilizers are like cars... You could make one that would do just about everything, but it would put a lot of peeps out of business. There is usually very little that one fert maker does better than another, unless one fert maker has an inherent flaw in their formulation. The true test of a good and knowledgeable fertilizer company, is how well they make a single part formula.
Let me put some positive spin on this...
YOu may like NOTG. I do not, but my reasons are my own. The guys who build it support the product well - even if they formulated it from pot growing pseudo-science and mythology. (which makes the names on their bottles fitting) We don't need to high P anything. Fertilizers should be built to maximize the nutrients the way they get used, and not burn up precious ppm that penalizes EC, or otherwise forces a situation where one needs to flush, or risk toxicity. All that P can never, ever get used up. (you could get an analysis fairly easily done from a soil sample, at any time during your grow) It ends up either in your drain, or in the ground, where there's probably still enough P leftover to toxify your soil plants.
Joking aside, you can use that fert, and it will work. All ferts work, to some degree. The redeeming quality is that they have good amounts of calcium. But again, it's still very expensive, and wastefully formulated. And complicated.
Just before I tried the NOTG, I tried CNS17 - a like-for-like competitor, with the aforementioned Dyna Gro - and I haven't gone back on my inorganic grows.
Sorry if I came off wrong, but thanks for entertaining the discussion. If you like the brand you're using, no reason to stop. I just like to share the information that I have, regarding products that I know.