What fertiliser

[Ladygardener]

We may already have threads about fertiliser but not for a while and I was wondering what folk would advise me to use in my borders this year. I grow a mixture of perennials with some shrubs as well and of course annuals later on. Roses I feed with specific feed and the Clematis I gave clematis food to last year.

Tomatoes get their own tomato food and plants in pots get fed tomato food as well.

For years I used chicken manure pellets but the last couple of years I've used BFB. Has anyone else changed what they feed their borders with?

Should I use something different for the allotment? I put all the compost I make onto the beds up there and add bought well rotted manure as well. I use the home made nettle and comfrey fertiliser at the lottie too.

[andy]

I don't use anything on my borders at work LG, although occasionally i might chuck a few well directed handfulls of Growmore around. I would think that any general purpose slow release fertilizer would help....Growmore, 6X, Osmocote etc An autumn mulch of mushroom compost, leaf mould, general soil improver would also benifit.

As for the allotment, that would depend on the crops. Most root veg don't like heavy feeding whereas peas and beans and courgettes love it. I used to liquid feed mine especially when dry....a daily half strength feed with Miracle grow really does make a difference, and you'll notice how green and nice everything looks within a week or two. Once things start to flower and fruit, a tomato feed high in potash will promote your crops

[Jilly]

I just use the bags of manure I can buy at the GC, mixed with a few handfuls of BFB Ladygardener, I mulch all the borders with that mix once a year & then just feed the roses & clems with Rose feed twice a year. The mulching doesn't take that many bags of manure as like you there aren't that many gaps to mulch 

[Tig]

The borders usually just get a scattering of BFB or Chicken Manure Pellets depending on what has been on offer. The clems also get a bit of BFB in February, and I do now buy a rose fertilizer and they get two doses when RF tells me the time is right If anything looks a bit weak or sickly I will give them a tonic of tomato food or miracle grow to try & perk them up.

[Ladygardener]

Ladygardener,andy,Jilly,Tig, Thanks very much for your input. I'll have a look and see what is on offer next time I'm at the GC and buy some more manure as well.

I used to use Miracle Grow on all my pots andy and then I'd read that Tomato Food is just as good. You would recommend I go back to the Miracle Grow then would you?

I've got some leaf mould at the allotment which is about 2 years old now and I'd thought to save it for my Acer and Hydrangea, anyone think of anything else that would benifit especially from it?

[Rosefriend]

Feb 6, 2015 12:19:50 GMT Tig said:

I do now buy a rose fertilizer and they get two doses when RF tells me the time is right

Will do - if you remind me - hahahaha!!!

A rose fertilizer is really worth the money I think - one year, many years ago I hadn't got any and used something else - it was really noticeable....

One thing that I am definitely going to do this year is to fertilize my Dahlias and Begonias with tomato food....I used cow pellets last year and we hardly had any flowers at all !!

I am also thinking of using tom food for all my tubs - well flowering ones anyway...

[Jilly]

I always use tomato food on all my flowering pots, I haven't got the room to have loads of different bottles on the go & it always gets them flowering well. Plus I can usually get an offer at the GC or Homebase for huge bottles of tom food or 3 for 2.

[andy]

Miracle grow is a general fertilizer used for foliage, flowers, fruit and anything else whereas tomato food is high in Potash which promotes flower and fruit growth.

The reason(s) i'd use Miracle grow on flowers is that it helps with disease resistance, good strong health plants as well as flowers and fruit where Tomato feed really focuses on just getting the fruits....which is at a time when most leaves have been removed from the toms and there's no importance on what he tomato plant looks like.

Miracle grow is quite a bit cheaper too

Ideally, tomatoes are fed with a balanced fertilizer until the first fruits are set and then you move on to the high potash feed.

[Ladygardener]

I've grown tomatoes for years and only ever fed them tomato food, when they're setting their 1st fruits and either weekly or 2 weekly after that.

I always buy the tomato food when it's on offer and even if I dont' get it on offer, I can usually get it at a reasonable price. I do think it's great for all the flowers I grow too. I don't like the way Miracle grow turns your hands blue and half time I can't be bothered wearing gloves. I think it works out more expensive too andy.

It's good to know what everyone uses 'tho and I like to use my comfrey and nettle feed at the allotment anyhow. I'll add some bfb to the soil for the potatoes.

[Rosefriend]

I use powdered tomato food - the only liquid tomato food here smells like cough mixture and is dark brown and I can't see what it does, except make a hole in your purse...
Once a month I add a level teaspoon to the toms - in 12l buckets..

[Ladygardener]

I've tried using powdered tomato food but did'nt like using it either Rosefriend. I think I just like liquid food that I can add to my watering can.

[Geranium]

I feed my roses and clems with BF &B in early spring and again in July. I try to mulch with compost and I use tomato food on my containers once a week when they're in flower.  I use slow release pellets when I repot with summer flowers. Chicken manure pellets get mixed in to the back fill compost when I plant anything from spring onwards.

[Ladygardener]

For the 1st time, I've bought some slow release pellets and I'm going to do what you do Geranium and put some into containers that I'm using for summer flowers. Dahlia will continue to be fed with tomato food.

[Geranium]

The only trouble with  that is  that I get through a container in no time flat, Ladygardener, and it is quite expensive.

[Ladygardener]

Yes I could see how that would happen Geranium.

[Geranium]

Never mind,  Ladygardener, I'll wait until my next lot of vouchers arrive and spend them on two pots! That should be enough.

[totp]

I thought I'd read somewhere that comfrey and nettle feed were just as effective as the inorganic stuff. However, the smell is a bit of a drawback.

[Ladygardener]

Feb 9, 2015 21:29:13 GMT totp said:

I thought I'd read somewhere that comfrey and nettle feed were just as effective as the inorganic stuff. However, the smell is a bit of a drawback.

I use both of them at the allotment totp, they do smell when they're in the container they're made in but once you've diluted them to use, they only smell a bit and not at all the next day. Well worth making, especially if like me you have the space to grow the Comfrey. I also put their leaves around the fruit bushes and add my mulch on top of them if I can.

[Rosefriend]

I remember last year on Beechgrove Jim did a test and it turned out that Comfrey fed the toms better than a commercial bought one..

www.thebeechgrovegarden.com/images/factsheets/Factsheet_20_2.pdf

Just scroll down a bit to the toms...

I wouldn't dare use it here as it would smell at the back of the garden and people walk along the road there...