I just got back from the Greenhouse,I picked up my Banana.
I was talking with my friend there,and he is going to fix me up with bulk fert.
Which one of these two will be best for my Brugs?
20 10 20
Fert Question
Or 15 5 15 4cal 2 mg.
Hey, Root. I'm using the 20-10-20. I asked Monika if it was OK and she said she would use it. I don't know anything about the other one.
I thought the second was closer to the numbers she had in her book,I do not have my copy to look at.
Rooty, the 15+5+15 has Calcium added. It is recommended for soft water. If you use hard water, than the first would be better.
Edited to say, that the 15+5+15 has more Magnesium as the first. You may have to give a small Dosis of Epson Salt seperate if needed.
This message was edited Apr 18, 2004 10:11 PM
Ok Monika,I will go with the first one,I am sure our hose water is hard.Thanks.
I just located this thread and have asked this same question on another thread the good Doc posted. If you know of any place on line that I can order 15-5-15 and 20-10-20, please let me know. I have enough 20-20-20 for several years, maybe a decade, but I'm having a terrible time locating the others. BTW, the fert talk makes me hypervenolate, I think I'm afraid of my plants - afraid I will hurt them by doing too much or too little. Ya think I'll ever get over this and settle down??!! I have three blooms that have been in the process of opening for about four days and we had a big wind yesterday, but they made it through it just fine. Do I continue to fert twice a week while they are blooming, there are tons of baby buds on the plants, I mean tiny babies. Any or all info will be sincerely apparciated!!! SherryLike, coming to you from zone 8a, with soft water.
You will settle down Sherry,I am getting my Fert from a Warehouse Greenhouse.
Those million Mini Buds,,,,,,They take forever!!!!!LOL!!
Sherry, you will be fine and so will your brugs. Don't worry yourself over them. I can say that, now that I've already been through that worry period. Yes, once in a while something comes up that causes me a little stress, but I've learned that almost every brug out there can be replaced if it need be and that stressing over them only shortens my life, not theirs. LOL!! Any fertilizer will work, just stay away from those with the high middle number. I believe you can use it once a month without trouble, but it is just easier to forget about using it at all. Can't wait to see your blooms.
I use both... alternating like...
they are both very good quality...
my ferns and all acid loving plants tend to prefer the 20-10-20 whereas many other plants prefer a lil more 15-5-15 as it promotes harder growth.
Along the lines of harder growth, I tend to use the 15-5-15 during winter or cool spells and the 20-10-20 during periods of rapid growth.
ohh, don't try to combine the two.
drew
Drew, can you tell me what you mean by not combining the two? Isn't it okay to alternate fertilizers? Inquiring mind here........LOL!
Shirley posted: Drew, can you tell me what you mean by not combining the two? Isn't it okay to alternate fertilizers?
Hi Drew!! I was going to ask the same question. SherryLike
I took it as meaning not to mix the two in the same barrel,say if there is a half barrel of one,don't top it off with the other.
Am I close?
Just curious as to what would happen if I did that?
My friend at GH was saying something along these lines,the Mag may negate one of the more benificial nutrients,I will ask him next week.
You can buy those type fertilizers here
http://www.hummert.com/catalog.asp?C=65&SC=7&P=1385
i'm no chemist... maybe ask calalily the EXACT reason chemically speakin.
if you were to make up a stock container, half and half with each of these ferts, certain chems in them react and form a solid, it almost looks like a clearish sludge at the bottom of the stock container. These same nutrients are not available to the plants in this form.
thats why.
Sounds good to me, Drew!
Wow, I didn't know that. You may have saved me from myself. LOL!
I wonder how much it costs to ship the fertilzer Mary.
I have no idea, lol. I ordered from another website that I forgot to mention.
http://www.growersupply.com
I think I got mine the first time from Mary's link and if I remember right, the UPS charge to get it here was $18.05. Almost as much as the fertilizer.
Shirley posted: I remember right, the UPS charge to get it here was $18.05. Almost as much as the fertilizer.
That's what I figured. It can only be delivered here by a truck - well, ya know, UPS has trucks, huh??? I guess this means an 18 wheeler is going to drive up to deliver me a 25 lb bag, ya think??
SLike
was wondering the same thing! LOL
Drew,That was close to my friends exact words,Thanks.
I am just glad I found a close source.
ohhh the 20-10-20 peat lite from peters costs like $20 a bag.
15-5-15 does too (and this is me buying from a big ole wholesale supply company) Course they deliver it for free, which is a bonus.
i just wanted to mention, I discovered a knock off on the 20-10-20... it is by Miller as opposed to Peters... it's about $12.50 for a 25lb sack. not bad $7.50 less per bag... ya might wanna look into it.
If I recall, Miller is out of Pa somewheres... if ya want I can snap a shot of the bag... same contents as the 20-10-20
DeepRoots posted: it is by Miller as opposed to Peters... it's about $12.50 for a 25lb sack.
My pal has a beautiful yard, she says her hubby says the nicest yard in TX, and the photos are beautiful and I would send one but I lost them when my computer crashed. They are retired and very tight with their bucks, very, and they told me that in the case of fertilizer, to go with Scott or Peters, that it is one thing you can depend on and that it does make a difference. Ya think there is anything to that?? Except for my brugs, I'm using all my left over fert and I'm using something different everytime. I can't tell the difference but most of it is MiracleGro and I've always thought that was a good brand. Frankly, I cannot see why in the world not to use a cheaper brand if the contents are identical, huh?? SLike
Rootdoctor oh buddy oh pal o mine;)LOL Umm ya think I can sponge/buy some of that bulk fert. you are buying? I was going to get the Peter's 20-20-20 you told me about, I'm glad I read this post.
BTW, You having any luck with your trapping adventures?
I hope so. I haven't heard from you inna while. We just spread out 8 yards of topsoil and manuer along the fence lines I showed you and filled up all the existing beds with it too. I also added Bonemeal and muriate of potash to get the N and K values in the soil ammended so we didn't have to rely on all fertilizers. Now the soil itself is also full of nutes and innoculated w/ tons of micro-organisms ie. beneficial bacteria that our plants interact with via the roots to get all the important trace elements available to the plant's. This should be the best year ever here flower bed wise.
Adios all, Jeff
Can anyone explain why we need a lower middle number. I thought you wanted the middle number to be high for blooms.
I just bought 20-20-20 is this not o.k. to use? I think I've read the posts,and I know Brugs. need lots of Nitrogen, but don't understand why Phosphorus should be less. When most flowers need higher Phosphorus than Nitrogen or Pottasium.
I must have missed this somewhere.Is it more important to get growth from the plant until it y's and then it can bloom? I've been using Miracle Grow, but wanted a basic fertilizer to use on all plants,andI thought 20-20-20 would be good.
Bonnie
Bonnie...I have the same question....I did a search and found this post about peters excel 15-5-15...
http://davesgarden.com/t/416027/peters+15-5-15
I need to read it to, but hopefully we can find out the answer here!
bonnie, After reading the link thoroughly...it does not look like it answers our question! Sorry, I will look further.
I believe it gives the plant a more treelike substance,I am trying to grow them as standards,the blooms will come,I am not going to rush them to bloom,just grow.
Dear hearts, Bonnie, Margie, Root, I'm of the same opinion. I know the experts have to go over, and over, and over, and over with all this stuff, with, we, newbies, which is why I started the thread re which fert to use. If, like with rockwool, or any other product, if I could read all the different applications, I could make my own choide. Could it be, like some cooks, that duplication of recipes is strickly forbidden???? LOL. Hey, if so, I TOTALLY understand!!!!!!! SLike
SherryLike: One thing that you might want to consider is that what works for Root in KC, in his soil and growing conditions might not work for Kell, wherever she is...LOL, or Brugie in Iowa. Climate and soil and plant location should to be taken into consideration. I think that after you have grown these for a while, you'll find what works best for your brugs. I'm a newbie, and growing 60+ brugs in what I consider to be extreme conditions -- drought, heat, wind, humidity. They are planted in very alkaline soil which has special requirements that someone else might not have. So what is working for me might not necessarily work for anyone else outside this area. I hope this is helpful to you, that's my intent anyway... Gretchen :)
What a nice post, thank you, Gretchen!! Like you said, all this, I'm figuring out. Where is 8b and where are you located???? SLike
All I know is that someone said that if the middle number is high, like it is in the bloom booster fertilizers, it will keep the salts from dissolving and you don't get the benefit from the other nutrients. I've used 20-20-20 for years and have had no problem with it. I believe it was said someplace that the lower middle number is more agreeable with the versicolors, but I could have been dreaming again. LOL! You aren't going to hurt your brugs by using 20-20-20 in my opinion. What got the brug growers excited about the 15-5-15 or 15-7-15 is that TLynn got brugs to bloom from seed in 5 months using it. That doesn't mean that it will happen for the rest of us even if we copy exactly what she does. I think it is easy to become absorbed in doing what everyone else does and we forget that our climate and conditions are not the same. Just grow them and enjoy them. Don't worry about doing the same thing that someone else does when it comes to fertilizer. Like Kell said one time....use whatever is the cheapest. Also, when they are planted in soil and not soilless mix, they don't require as much fertilizer or you can do what Gretchen does and amend your soil and let nature do the work.
This message was edited May 5, 2004 8:59 PM
Thanks Sherry. I live in the Texas Hill Country, where they will hopefully grow as herbaceous perennials for me...
This is a good thread about fertilizers
http://davesgarden.com/t/230961/
Gretchen posted: I live in the Texas Hill Country,
I should have known there were hills in TX! I have family and dog pals in TX. I've always gotten along well with you Texans, except for a couple of football games, ha, I'm really not into football, whew. My cuz played to UofT and I loved Daryel Royal...
SherryLike: I know nothing of football. I'm never out of my garden long enough to watch it! LOL