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fertilizer When to fertilize potting soil?
- Thread starter Edmick
- Start date
Edmick said:
everything i have given the grow has loved it. As far as the bloom, My experience is that my plants flowered like crazy once I started giving them bloom along with grow. The plants had already been flowering for a few weeks before I started so I was able to see a before and after. Biggest thing is air circulation, plant can't use any of the nutrients in the soil if there's no transpiration so make sure you're fanning them.
Last year was my first year in this new house. I wanted to see exactly what the sun's path would be for the season before I started tilling a garden space.Topsmoke said:
Actually, this year will be pots too; I'm getting ready to have another lower back surgery. I don't see myself doing too much (any) tilling anytime soon
Topsmoke said:
If you truly had those results, it's a great sign that you need a better one part fertilizer. Bloom formulas - if they work at all - do so by correcting a deficiency, not by overdosing a necessity. Once you add the proper ratios, you've just eliminated the limiting factor, rather than stimulating through addition.
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It's a marketing trick. A good fertilizer will keep your plants growing and producing consistently, throughout the cycle.
Hey, solid7. I'm assuming you're pleased with your results from this product, no? Have you tried DynaGro before? The reason I ask is because of the HUGE price difference. I can get a 2.5 gallon jug of the CNS17 for the same price as a gallon of DynaGro. I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on it this year.solid7 said:
I've been very happy with my results using DynaGro for the past few years, but it really starts hitting your wallet when you're going through about 5 gallons per season
MikeUSMC said:
Yes. I prefer to grow with organic based products, but I used CNS17 as a baseline, and it performed admirably. I probably would have even had better results if I had used RO water. But I used it as a single part fertilizer all season, and they were some of my best looking, and most productive plants.
Watch this listing constantly - I've seen it for as low as $48 for a 4-pack, with free shipping:
https://www.amazon.com/Botanicare-CNS17-Formula-1-Gallon-4-Pack/dp/B00LV20Z2O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482287272&sr=8-3&keywords=cns17+grow
You have to watch it all the time, because the price is constantly changing.
I do notice that at the time of writing, 4 gallons of CNS17 Grow, is only $10 more than a one gallon jug of Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro, and the CNS has free shipping, so...
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Sorry, didn't mean to skip over part of your question. I personally haven't used the DynaGro, directly - but I have a local grower that I do a lot of trading with, and several of his plants have ended up at my place. (he uses it) So I've used it indirectly. 
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I wouldn't say that I saw any noticeable difference in the plants, overall. But I like that both of them use calcium as a vector. It's quite a trick that they pulled off, getting that to work.
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I wouldn't say that I saw any noticeable difference in the plants, overall. But I like that both of them use calcium as a vector. It's quite a trick that they pulled off, getting that to work.
No problem, and thank yousolid7 said:
I didn't even realize CSN was organic. I haven't done that much research on it; just price comparisons. Is that gonna matter if I'm growing in (inert) 5:1:1 in containers? I've always read that 5:1:1 and organic ferts aren't a great combo. Maybe that just applies to additives like bone/blood meal etc., not water soluble stuff? To be brutally honest, I don't know too much behind the scientific aspects of it. 5:1:1 seemed like a pretty popular mix when I started growing. I had great results using it my first year, so I've just been running with it
How much direct sunlight did your plants get per day? Those were some healthy plants you had there.MikeUSMC said:+1 for DynaGro products. It's all I use since I grow in 5:1:1 mix in containers. That stuff is great. I start the season out using their "Foliage Pro" (9-3-6) blend. Mid-season, when pods start setting, I switch to their "Bloom" (3-12-6) blend. I'm not sure if the Bloom stuff actually works any different than the Foliage Pro, but it's the same price, so... I've never tried the Foliage Pro throughout a full season
Anyway, here's some "proof in the pudding." These are my plants last year, probably around September-ish:
I use those same sized buckets and you definitely have to stay on top of the watering. It was unusually hot here last year with average temperatures well above >30°C all summer (86F), usually into the high 30's. I was using a fish fertilizer (5-1-1) with regular pro-mix and am looking for a different tactic this year. I have organic pro-mix soil going now and am looking at all the suggestions above to get an idea of what fert I should go with this year.
MikeUSMC said:
Personally, I like a bit heavier mix than Al's 5-1-1. You can mix something like 7-5-2, and get just as good of growth, but with better moisture retention, and possibly (can't remember) better nutrient retention.
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Somebody did a full analysis of 5-1-1, to prove that you could do just as well with other mixes, without killing yourself to keep the plant hydrated.
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I'm trying so hard right now to find that... There were graphs, with complete breakdowns of things like total porosity, something, something else. LOL The point is, 5-1-1 was definitely no clear winner. Several mixes of non-proportional ratios, achieved equal or better results.
solid7 said:
I had some issues late season with what looked like nutrient deficiency...leaves were falling off and were yellow so I started giving them fish fertilizer every 2 weeks at full strength. It did nothing (so it seemed) but when I killed my plants off at the end of the year, I found out that I had packed the dirt too tightly when transplanting into my 5 gallon containers and the roots had been unable to progress down into the soil. They basically got down 6 inches and that's it, all year. The soil I had put in was basically untouched so I kept it all for this year. It's not necessarily that I had any problems with the fish emulsion as I am sure them being root bound was the main issue but I know that you can get a fish emulsion/seaweed blend that I have heard works well. Fungas gnats were also a new problem and I had a lot of peppers rot on the plant as a result. I am open to any suggestions and am just looking for a good (preferably organic) liquid fertilizer that will do it all for the season without getting into bloom ratios etc...
BSH said:
Personally, I swear by fish based fertilizers. So much so, that I make my own. I'd never put you off of using them. Getting that potting mix correct should be your absolute first priority. Nutrients aren't as difficult as we tend to make them.
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If your plants are outdoors, fungus gnats should never be a problem on a healthy plant. By the time they plant gets roots capable of sustaining fruit production, fungs gnats won't even bother with them. There are numerous ways to deter gnats from laying eggs in your mix, but honestly, unless you are indoors, it's almost pointless even bothering with them. They can actually be beneficial to your soil, provided the young seedling isn't the only soft matter for them to munch on.
I had a lot of problems with pods rotting for no apparent reason...I would find gnats on them and I guess I thought they were the culprit. I've basically had no pest problems in the 3 years I've been growing peppers and moved to a new area where there were gnats galore. Brought them inside in the fall by mistake due to no time to properly cut the roots back and repot (had a baby girl). Finally killed them off with mosquito dunks and am looking forward to an amazing year - I hope. Getting the soil mix down, I agree, is top priority. I have shrimp compost ready to go (1-1-1) and am probably sticking with the organic Pro-mix as a base. I will probably do 1/2 strength fish ferts every other watering to be safe unless otherwise advised.solid7 said:
BSH said:
No, I think you nailed it before... You said you "packed the soil too tightly". You should not pack your potting mix at all. It will compact with waterings, with no problem. Just fill it up, and plant. As for the fish fertilizer, you can use it at every watering, if you like. It's not made from inorganic salts, so it's not going to build up and become a problem.
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Your gnats are just a side effect, not the root cause. They're really the biggest threat to seedlings. I'm guessing you had a calcium deficiency, as there is no such things as pods rotting for "no reason".
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Your potting mix may have had everything to do with that. If you compacted it, allowing no oxygen at the root zone, you also caused your plant to not be able to take up nutrients. (addition of water creates an anaerobic environment, when the oxygen in the water is depleted - which happens rapidly) Which would, obviously, cause a complete system failure. It's really a common mistake.