Fertilizer questions

[andy]

As we approach mid summer, the soil in our tubs and baskets will have been depleted of most nutrients. There's only really enough in potting compost to last 6-8 weeks.

So if your tubs are like mine, they're probably a little bit pale, producing less flowers which are smaller and generally not looking quite as good as they did a few weeks ago.

So providing you've been good with the watering and kept up with the dead heading, now's the time to start whacking the feed in.

There are two main types of feed....liquid feed and slow release. I tend to prefer using slow release for the longer term plants such as shrubs in tubs while the liquid feed is pretty much instant and you will start to see the benifits within a week or two.

I use miracle grow.....no particular reason why, phosphagen, tomerite, tescos own etc are probably as good. I also tend to feed every time i water now too. Possibly a bit extravagent but if you water with a full strength soloution for a week or two then cut it down to half strength every watering, it keeps the plants ticking along nicely.

And if you start making preparations now with the feed, you'll see the benifits well into the autumn when next doors tubs and baskets will look awful in a few weeks.

Andy

[nightowl]

Hi Andy. I have Miraclegro and Tomorite, and never thought of putting Tomorite on the flowers.

Which would you think was best of the 2 ? Cos Mg is a foliar feed, and Tr is a soil feed isn't it? I've always tried not to get too much Tomorite on the leaves Have I been doing it wrong all this time?

[andy]

Hi nightowl

Tomerite is a liquid feed especially designed for better flowers and fruit on tomotoes. However, tomerite doesn't know whether it's being applied to a tomato or a marigold.....and as a result, improves the flowers of bedding plants no end.

Plant foods are split into the 3 main nutrients....N, P and K

N - Nitrogen: promotes the growth of leaves and vegetation
P - Phosphorous: promotes root growth
K - Potassium: promotes flower and fruit growth

Most fertilizers whether it's a liquid feed for flowers or a granular feed for lawns will have a ratio of NPK....typically shown as eg 10:10:20.
This would indicate a high potassium feed whereas the nitrogen and phosphorus are at normal equal amounts.
If you were growing plants for foliage such as bamboos, bananas etc, you look for a plant food higher in nitrogen.....eg 15: 10 :10 (too high nitrogen can cause more problems than benifits)
However, if you wanted plants to produce a good root system....possibly for dahlias or cannas, you'd look at a higher phosphorus level....although you'd want good leaves and flowers too so a 10:12:10 fertilizer might be better.

Miracle grow is 24:8:16....which indicates high nitrogen, medium potassium and low phosphorus.

I would imagine that if Tomerite wasn't so expensive (pound for pound) it would be used almost universally for bedding plants.

But Miracle grow is a very good substitute and i apply it to the soil only....not as a foliar feed (seaweed extract is the better foliar feed).

As for the tomerite on leave.....providing you aren't feeding in the mid day sun, i wouldn't imagine it would make a lot of difference.

Hope this makes some sense

[Weeterrier]

Oh, Andy, you know how to woo a lady! All that talk of Potash has made me go all aquiver ;D I'm putty in your hands.

[Deleted]

Andy, ignorant moment here. I dig in seaweed fertiliser whenever I plant something - does it have enough phospherous for root systems? Because from what you say, it should actually be used as a foliar feed? Also, I water in Phostrogen every two weeks as it says on the pack - was afriad that using it too often would encourage lush, slug-friendly growth. But should I actually be using it more often on my pots? ... cheers ....

[andy]

canarycreeper said:

Andy, ignorant moment here. I dig in seaweed fertiliser whenever I plant something - does it have enough phospherous for root systems? Because from what you say, it should actually be used as a foliar feed? Also, I water in Phostrogen every two weeks as it says on the pack - was afriad that using it too often would encourage lush, slug-friendly growth. But should I actually be using it more often on my pots? ... cheers ....

Regarding the seaweed CC....we used to use it by the bucket ful in the nursery years ago. It was not an NPK feed but more of a tonic which contained lots of trace elements. Damn good stuff though. I can't vouch for the seaweed fertilizer i'm afraid but it can't be doing any harm.
The other thing i remember with liquid seaweed was there were no dilution rates.....they just gave some rate as a guideline....you could put it on pretty strong if you wanted and i always used it as a foliar feed.....not that it couldn't be used as a root feed.

As for the phostrogen (same as miracle grow), i would feed a half dose mix every time i watered the tubs and baskets. You will not see lush slug food but more of a compact, dark green plant with lots of flowers. This would work in a similar way to controlled release such as osmocote or ficote. These releas fertilizer when growing conditions are optimum...ie when the temperature gets to around 20 deg c. Below that, the plants don't grow like mad and are not using much in the way of nutrients.

But when the temps rise, the plants grow, they need more water and feed and the osmocote releases its fertilizer. It's a similar story with liquid feed especially in half doses....there's just enough to keep the plant looking good, producing flowers and not getting out of control.

Hope this helps a bit

[Deleted]

Thanks Andy ;D

[Chuckles]

Really useful stuff Andy, thanks

[Deleted]

Hi Andy

Your advice is very helpful, it's just the timing now I'm having trouble with.......

My wisteria is not flowering well, the buds form but when they open, no flowers. Would feeding with a high potassium feed help and if so when should I give it, now or in the spring when the flowers are forming ?

Woobats

[Chuckles]

My neighbour mentioned she had had the same problem with her Passion Flower Woobat.

Would feeding be the problem Andy

[wendya]

Me again

Just wondering as i added Grow more fertilizer to my downstairs planters, and all my balcony containers have now new soil with this  mixed in it. What else is required as to be honest i have never given any.
I bought a solution of plant food concentrate with seaweed extract for giving to the plants every 2-3 weeks in summer time, so do i need to use fertilizer release sticks too, I keep hearing about these. but have no idea if i need to buy them or is what i have enough?


Also hanging baskets, when i make them up, do i use the growmore fertilizer for them added in soil, then do a 2 weekly feed? or do i need release sticks, im rather confused.

[andy]

The growmore is a controlled release fertilizer and should last for a couple of months and there's usually enough fertilizer in the compost for around 6 weeks.

So if you want your bedding plants to continue looking good right into september and october, i would start a weekly liquid feed of something like miracle grow from august onwards. Don't forget to remove the dead or dying flowers/seed heads, that will prolong their life too.

Personally, don't worry about the feed sticks, just put the growmore in and then a weekly liquid feed and dead head.

[wendya]

Thank you Andy

[Chuckles]

I always found this info handy that andy posted a few years ago

There are two main types of feed....liquid feed and slow release. I tend to prefer using slow release for the longer term plants such as shrubs in tubs while the liquid feed is pretty much instant and you will start to see the benifits within a week or two.

I use miracle grow.....no particular reason why, phosphagen, tomerite, tescos own etc are probably as good. I also tend to feed every time i water now too. Possibly a bit extravagent but if you water with a full strength soloution for a week or two then cut it down to half strength every watering, it keeps the plants ticking along nicely.

Tomerite is a liquid feed especially designed for better flowers and fruit on tomotoes. However, tomerite doesn't know whether it's being applied to a tomato or a marigold.....and as a result, improves the flowers of bedding plants no end.

Plant foods are split into the 3 main nutrients....N, P and K

N - Nitrogen: promotes the growth of leaves and vegetation
P - Phosphorous: promotes root growth
K - Potassium: promotes flower and fruit growth

Most fertilizers whether it's a liquid feed for flowers or a granular feed for lawns will have a ratio of NPK....typically shown as eg 10:10:20.
This would indicate a high potassium feed whereas the nitrogen and phosphorus are at normal equal amounts.
If you were growing plants for foliage such as bamboos, bananas etc, you look for a plant food higher in nitrogen.....eg 15: 10 :10 (too high nitrogen can cause more problems than benifits)
However, if you wanted plants to produce a good root system....possibly for dahlias or cannas, you'd look at a higher phosphorus level....although you'd want good leaves and flowers too so a 10:12:10 fertilizer might be better.

Miracle grow is 24:8:16....which indicates high nitrogen, medium potassium and low phosphorus.

I would imagine that if Tomerite wasn't so expensive (pound for pound) it would be used almost universally for bedding plants.

But Miracle grow is a very good substitute and i apply it to the soil only....not as a foliar feed (seaweed extract is the better foliar feed).

As for the tomerite on leave.....providing you aren't feeding in the mid day sun, i wouldn't imagine it would make a lot of difference.

[wendya]

Thanks Chuckles.

[Chuckles]

You're welcome wendya I often have to look back at these things to refresh my mind and I've been gardening for years

[Ladygardener]

Me too, thanks Chuckles.