OK,my DH called me from the one place that sells GH type stuff here.He asked what I needed(I told him everything.....LOL)
I told him to ask them if they carried Peters Excel(I think thats the name of the stuff that everyone said was so good)
they said they had Peters and Jacks and told my DH that they felt jacks was better(same Price)
When I got home and read the bag it says its for continuious feed.......SSSSOOOOOO now what do I do?
Can I mix it up in a 2 gallon can?
I do not know CC,I am glad you started this thread,I am going to hunt down the best fert I can find,I want to order before spring.
It will be good to see what is recomended.
So what's the deal gang,what is the best fert?
And lets' discuss the Minors,how much?
CC,I could not enlarge the pic enough to see all the contents of this one.
I'll take another shot and see if I can zoom in on it....
I think it is made by Peters. I'm sure you can mix it by the gallon CC. It appears to be in about a 25 lb. sack. My guess is that the 1 TBS. per gallon of water will work just fine. I've always bought my fertilizer at a greenhouse in the past and there are no instructions for per gallon mixing. I've done the 1 TBS to a gallon for years and got along fine and that is changing brands a few times too.
Boy, I feel silly. Jack's last name is Peters. I don't know if it is one and the same as the Peter's fertilizer we are used to or not.
This message was edited Jan 31, 2004 10:56 AM
I wasn't sure how much per gallon or even if this is the right stuff....
heres the close up of the ingredients
I use 21/5/20 Excel, I bet this is the same. I also mix 15/5/15 Cal-Mag, 1 part Excel to 1/2 Cal-mag. I saw this in the catalog when ordering for the greenhouse and almost got a couple of bags to try it, let me know how it works for you. They also have a tropical mix for Boron sensitive plants. I used Poinsettia fertilizer all winter so far, and the brugs love it, it is higher in the minors.
OK,what are boron sensitive plants?
Tracey, where can we find the Cal-Mag? Our Farm and Garden shop acts like they don't know what we're talking about. He told me to use Espon Salts.
that fert would be acidic in nature...
The nitrogen is NOT Calcium nitrate.
run a google on peters 15-5-15 20-10-20... you should be able to pull up the label in pdf form.
drew
So this is a bad thing?
I shouldn't use it?
Nitrate based nitrogen is normal. I don't believe this is going to be a problem fertilzer to use. If it were too acidic, it would say that it was for acid loving plants.
I would be tempted to test it on just a couple of plants first.
tough choice of who gets to be the Guinea pig.
The following information came from this site... http://orchidplanet.com/culture/fertilizer.htm
UREA VS NON-UREA BASED NITROGEN:
While the first number of the code on the label tells you what percentage of the fertilizer is Nitrogen, the number alone does not tell you the entire story. There are 2 primary sources of nitrogen which fertilizer manufactureres use; urea based, and non-urea based nitrogen.
Urea is a nitrogen based chemical. There is some evidence to indicate that, in its natural form, the nitrogen contained in urea is not able to be utilized by plants. In order for the nitrogen in urea to be used, it must be broken down by a chemical process and normally, this process is accompolished by bacteria residing in the soil or potting medium.
Non-urea based fertilizer is believed to be a more readily usable form of nitrogen, than urea based nitrogen. While there is much debate surrounding whether or not urea based nitrogen can be absorbed by plants, there is no one who will dispute the fact that non-urea based nitrogen is utilized by plants without further need for chemical decomposition. Two common used non-urea based nitrogen components of fertilizer are Ammoniacal Nitrogen, and Nitrate Nitrogen.
Why the debate over urea and non-urea based nitrogen? What it really comes down to is cost. If urea based and non-urea based nitrogen cost the same abount, there would probably be no debate. Most people would probably just use non-urea based fertilizers. However, urea is a bi-product of a chemical manufacturing process, and so urea is abundant and available at a very low cost. This makes urea derived nitrogen fertilizer relatively inexpensive to produce, compared to fertilizers derived from more costly non-urea based chemical components. Ultimately, you will have decide for yourself, whether or not the added expense of non-urea based fertilizer is justified.
sssssssoooo mine is a non urea based nitrogen and will break down to be used by the plant without a chemical process?Or did I read that wrong?
From what I gather from reading most tropicals are boron sensitive. I think I knew Calcium Nitrate was not Nitrogen, note the mixing part...... Cal-Mag contains a higher amount of the minors I need for the Brugs.
Your plants always look so good T!
Sounds to me like the bacteria in the soil causes the breakdown so the nitrogen can be used. I'm sure you have bacteria in your soil or soilless mix, so I sure wouldn't be afraid to use this. When I can get out to the garage, I'll check the bags I have, but I'm pretty sure they are going to be almost identical to yours in the chemical analysis or whatever it is called. LOL! Can you tell I'm not a technical person??
me either....
I need Susie!!!!!
About this boron thing...will it hurt ,say, my nanas?Mandi's?
jassimine?
passiflora?
and the Cal Mag......where do i get that?
Karyn, all my plants, tropical and otherwise, get the same fertilizer. So far I've not had any problems. I just checked three bags of fertilizer that I have and the CalMag and GreenCare have more nitrate based nitrogen than Peters Professional. Peters Pro. has more urea based nitrogen and I've used it for years and years with no problems. As for purchasing the CalMag. It can be done, but since it is on the list of hazardous materials for shipping, it has to go UPS and shipping for one bag of 26 pounds cost me a little over $18. If you want a place to order from, send me an email.
well, none of the above mentioned ferts are Urea based.
I mentioned the acid thing because this fert, over time will make the soil more acidic...
not a problem with small plants, but a brug might be in a container for many years... over a years time I've seen a soil go from 7 to 4.
no biggy, lil lime fixes it, just something to be aware of.
also of note:
there are two different Peters 20-10-20
one is the standard, and one I use 'florida special' has a higher nitrate content.
Ammonia nitrate is not bad perse, it tends to promote softer growth than a calcium based mix like 15-5-15.
I tend to alterate them as the 15-5-15 is somewhat more pricey.
on average for a 25lb bag
20-10-20 should cost no more than $20
15-5-15 should cost no more than $25
I get them both for around $10 a bag in pallet quantities (80bags)
drew
