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Off the shelf ferts

Pepperhead

Pepperhead

I bought some Jobe's tomato and vegetable fertilizer for my buckets of soil this year, it was only one of 2 available at the Lowe's with the myo...mhyo...fungus stuff in it. A little seems to go a long way according to the instructions.

Anyone else lazy like me and use an off the shelf fert that they've had good luck with?

Let me nip this one in the bud:

"No I always make my own from worm and horse poop and a super compost mix I made myself."
 
Blah...

I don't grow in soil much, but when I do, I prefer miracle grow.
Stay full my plants!

http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/miracle-gro-plant-food/prod70342/

Maybe I am just lazy but I won't use my hydroponic fertilizers for my soil plants.
 
For me, off the shelf is a bit of a challenge. It's Miracle Grow or bust.

This year I'm using Fox Farm Grow Big, Neptune's Harvest Fish & Seaweed, and Earth Juice Mycorrhizae. They're not available locally, but I ordered them "off the shelf" from Amazon. :)
 
Yeah, I can pretty much guarantee you that those of us who live in cities mostly buy off-the-shelf stuff, especially if we rent or have small properties. It's not lazy, it's a fact of life that I don't have a horse, don't have what it takes to have a worm farm, etc., etc. And frankly, between work and school, don't really even have time to grow my own peppers from seed right now. (Though I have in the past.) So yeah, I buy "stuff". Besides, the fertilizer companies have scientists doing experiments with their "stuff" to make sure it at least mostly does what it says. (Granted, some are better than others, but then, that's why we have THP, to get recommendations.)

I did get some Zoom organic fertilizer (it has chicken poop in it), but actually never opened the bag. I generally repot my peppers (since I grow in pots) every year with fresh potting soil, and usually that comes with fertilizer pellets in it. Nonetheless, those fertilizer pellets are too "all purpose" for peppers, so I also get other fertilizers. Primarily I use a starter mix when I first transplant to the pots and for a bit after that. However, I then switch to CalMag by Botanicare once the plants start into production mode. I can tell you they love it and produce well, in spite of the fact that I never put the chicken poop in the soil, too.....
 
I am a fan of organic tomato tone and also using fish fertilizer(not a fan of the smell). I like all organic but that's my preference. I even using store bough potting mix - Pro-mix Not lazy just easier.
 
After reading others' comments about using Miracle Grow, and being told to avoid it by a couple of nurseries, I decided to do a little checking. Based on what I've just found, I am staying away from commercial big-box fertilizers!

http://www.gardenguides.com/100818-harmful-effects-miracle-gro.html

http://davesgarden.com/guides/terms/go/2307/#b

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_Miracle_Grow_cause_vegetables_to_lose_flavor

http://www.veggiegardener.com/what-not-to-do-vegetable-garden/

I use Eleanor's VF-11, and Fox Farm's Grow Big.
 
For me, compost tea goes in the ground, or some form of organic ferts to keep the little bugs alive since synthetics will kill them. I use Maxibloom or MG as a foliar feed.
 
patrick said:
Where else do you buy fertilizer if not off the shelf? You got some secrets Pepperhead?
Click to expand...
Somepeople mix their own, or do vermiculture or sneak around cow fields at night. Not knocking any of that, when I have the space I'm totally going for a private worm farm, but I was just curious what people had good and bad experience with.at the big box or local garden center.
 
I've been using Miracle Grow and pelletized 10-10-10. You need to age manure before using it. Find a farmer and ask him to dig you out a utility trailer full that he knows is well aged.
 
I wonder how rain forests get their N-P-K and micro nutrients, They seem to be very green and lush. Maybe God Pee's MiracleGrow down from the heavens.
HA! that's why its called "Miracle"Grow :P

Sorry, my sarcasm is just intended to get you thinking, not to offend anyone.


I guess the real question is "How does N-P-K come to be in nature?" When you figure that out, I doubt you will want to Pay for fertilizers again.
The funny thing is, we produce so much excess potential "N-P-K" that we have a truck come pick it up every week.
 
Cayennemist said:
I wonder how rain forests get their N-P-K and micro nutrients, They seem to be very green and lush. Maybe God Pee's MiracleGrow down from the heavens.
HA! that's why its called "Miracle"Grow :P

Sorry, my sarcasm is just intended to get you thinking, not to offend anyone.


I guess the real question is "How does N-P-K come to be in nature?" When you figure that out, I doubt you will want to Pay for fertilizers again.
The funny thing is, we produce so much excess potential "N-P-K" that we have a truck come pick it up every week.
Click to expand...

Yeah but rainforests don't make nice green lawns in the suburbs. ;) If only we were all living in thatched huts in the Amazon.

this is interesting

http://orgprints.org/15797/
 
Cayennemist said:
I wonder how rain forests get their N-P-K and micro nutrients, They seem to be very green and lush. Maybe God Pee's MiracleGrow down from the heavens.
HA! that's why its called "Miracle"Grow :P

Sorry, my sarcasm is just intended to get you thinking, not to offend anyone.


I guess the real question is "How does N-P-K come to be in nature?" When you figure that out, I doubt you will want to Pay for fertilizers again.
The funny thing is, we produce so much excess potential "N-P-K" that we have a truck come pick it up every week.
Click to expand...

I agree, but climate and zone have MUCH to do with this as well. Nutrient lock and such you know? I feel that most compost would take much needed time to break down properly in order for peppers to benefit from them. If it was all planned out ahead of time, which I'm sure most of you do, then you could really benefit from this. Then again, we may be talking about two different things lol.
 
I’m lucky, I live next to a guy that raises chickens for eggs and I have unlimited supply of chicken poop, hehe. I always have a bag full drying for as long as possible before I use it, it gets so dry that it turns to dust or hard pellets that I break down. I also save all my egg shells to grind and banana skins to mix with the soil. I started a seaweed tea last month but have not tried it yet, it should be ready soon and lately I've been using freash seaweed as ground cover. Unfortunately I had to kill my compost due to nematodes :( But I’ll start something up this summer with a liner bottom, not sure if that will hinder it.
 
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