Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Fertilizing regimen?, 1 by WillowWasp

WillowWasp wrote:
Sorry to take awhile to get to your post Andy..... I use Peters 15-15-15, and have just introduced Messenger. I don't use the bloom buster fertilizers as I think they are a little to harsh, and don't feel they gave me more blooms for my buck. I have tried granular type fertilizers and they didn't produce the blooms I wanted so I left them alone. I have also tried the Alfaha pellets and not much was good there either so I dropped that. I think those are good in a garden plots to break up soil and add some nutrients not brugs in a pot. But some swear by them.
The way I fertilize is about 1 1/2 times the strength recommended, 2 to 3 times a week during the summer months. Now if it is getting hot, hot like the month of August will be and the brugs dont' want to bloom I do cut back and only fertilize once a week. If I increase the strength or fertilize to much during the summer when it is really hot the leaves will yellow and start to fall off. I think with the extra strength and heat it is just more than the brugs can tolerate.

I pick it back up at the first of September to get ready for the fall blooming season.
Then again I change during the fall when the temps drop. I go with the same strength 1 time a week and that seems to do good for me and give me growth and blooms like I want to have.
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Winter when we are cool I don't fertilize at all, like the month of January and Feb. I just let them rest. I start up again about the first of March and go through December with about the same routine.

Now remember my growing season is 10 months or more out of the year so I can fertilize longer and maybe stronger than others in cooler parts of the country or when you are anticipating first frost in maybe September- October.

And yes I do get caught from time to time with a lot of new growth and it is usually killed back to good wood or what ever was protected just depending on how much frost we had. This is not a bad thing to me because Brugs can rebound quickly and I dont worry about that to much.

This is not an exact science and you have to kinda play around and see what works best for you and your climate. What works for me or someone in the North may be different and you may find it does or dosent work for you.
The strength is kinda up to you. I know some growers double the strength and more and some go strictly but the directions, I think it is what you are comfortable with and what give you the results you are happy with.


I hope this has helped.

Dee