What's the best fertilzer for brugs?

Ready to start with fertilization, must be all of those bloom photos I'm lusting after.
In all seriousness, I need advice as to what you think is the best fertilizer for the brugs? I tried to access the search forum feature, but it is down. Would I want higher nitrogen (I think that is for more green growth) or higher potassium (for bloom?) Or is balanced best?
Also, how often do you apply?
Thanks ~ Jackie

I use whatever I have and I use it often!! I went to the cheapest kind HD had last year in big bags and they loved it also! I also use Osmocote, fish fertilizer, foliar feeds, you name it.

Monika has it down to a science which is probably why she gets such heavy and reliable bloom. I think she uses a 16-8-12. I think I made that totally up. LOL. Maybe not. It just camed to me. But I have no memory left so we best ask her direct! LOL Or I will look it up in her book when I get home for you!

Last year I had good results with Peter's Cal/Mag 15-5-15.
I used it in the pots which I use a soiless peat based mix and also fertilized the ones in the ground all summer.
Peter's 21-5-20 is excellant too.

I agree with Snow about the Cal/Mag. Reminds me that I need to get some ordered again. I've not tried the Peters you mention though. Maybe I should try it instead. Which would you recommend?

Where do you find the Peter's Cal/Mag 15-5-15?

OK, Monika in her brug book, recommends 16-8-22 with 3% magnesium and minors for soft water. She has 2 pages devoted to water and fertilizers! I got 2 numbers right! LOL

Shirley I had a calcium deficiency two summers ago which caused the leaves to curl and that's why I got the Cal/Mag.
Didn't have any problem last year with the leaves curling.
I used the 21-5-20 to give the smaller ones a boost.
They both worked great and this year I'll try alternating between the two.

Thank you sooo much for these posts. After doing more reading on the subject, I was thinking that the numbers might have to be higher than the usual balanced plant food. Where can I find the above-mentioned fertilizers, and Kell, where can I find Monika's book? I think I would need an English translation...I studied German in high school, but it's been over 20 years since I read or spoke it on a regular basis. LOL
Danke,
Jackie

Thanks. Sounds like a plan. Terry should probably tell you where she gets her fertilizer since you are both in the same area. You can find the book through Calalily. Just send her an email.

Thanks Shirley!!

You're welcome.

Terry, do you by chance have any photos of your leaves curling? Wonder if a few here has calcium def.?

HB, Monika's book comes with an english translation. (or at least mine did).

Mineral Deficiencies
http://www.luminet.net/~wenonah/min-def/sugrbeet.htm

This message was edited Feb 16, 2005 9:59 AM

http://www.teufel.com/detail.aspx?ID=1186 This is where I bought mine. Shipping on a 25 lb. bag was just under $7.

I found a wholesaler up north that sent me my first two bags of fertilizer however.... I received a letter from the main office asking for my license number to set up an account to continue buying wholesale.
Since I'm not licensed and don't need to buy in large amounts I make a trip up north in the summer to pick up supplies from their store. It's still cheaper for me to drive up there to get it since we spend much of the summer taking rides anyway.
Jackie you might want to ask your local nurseries if they order Peter's fertilizer. They might order you a bag when they order their supplies.
I've got a friend down the road that has a GH business and she has told me if I start running low and don't feel like making a trip up north then she will order me whatever I need when she puts in her order.
Tonny here's a picture of my calcium deficient leaves. They got real bad before I finally realized what the problem was.

Even the ones in pots were getting curled leaves. I think it was caused by using just a soiless peat based mix.
After applying Gypsum (Landplaster)for a quick fix the new leaves came out and stayed normal.
Since using the Cal/Mag on a regular basis I haven't had this problem again.

Jeesh Shirley that's cheap for shipping. I might have to start ordering from your company.
Edited to say I just visited Shirley's tuefel.com site and the Cal/Mag is the same price that I am paying. They also have lots of other neat stuff and I will definitely be ordering from them.
Thanks Shirley for posting the site.

This message was edited Feb 16, 2005 12:36 PM

This is the first time I've bought from them. The last place I ordered from charged me $18.05 for shipping. That was expensive fertilizer. I'll let you know if this place pans out.

Yes, please let us know how you make out. I don't need any yet but they have other things I'd like to order.

I was afraid to look very far. LOL!

Thanks for taking your time to post your pictures, Terry :) I am posetive, that a lot of them have calc. def. I use spagnum in the pots and all the calcium might have been washed away. I gave a dose of calc./ mg. (dolomit calcium) soluted in water and look forward to see straight leaves again soon. Also thanks Scoot :) I studied the pictures carefully for all plants /def.'s on their page. It was a learning experience. Most def.'s I had last summer was due to soil acidity complex ... darn spagnum LOL I will have to find out more about calcium dosages and intervals or change to a new variety of potting mix with a natural higher PH value :)

I just ordered the 15-5-15 fert from Shirley's link, the shipping was $3.90. I cannot believe it, easy as pie, I tried ALL summer last season and the cheapest shipping I could find was $30, if they would ship it at all. I cannot wait for it to arrive. Thanks for the link, Shirley!!!!!

You're welcome Sherry. You can get just about the same deal at AMLeonard. Shipping is very reasonable. I ordered from both places last week and we will see which shipment gets here first. I believe it will be the one from AML. They shipped the next day. I haven't yet heard from the Teufel people.

Shirley, Is there a link for AMLeonard?
Thanks for the updates, ladies!

http://www.amleo.com/ Here is one of them. You will have to look around to find what you are looking for.

Thank you Brugie,
that's if I figured out what I'm looking for LOL

http://www.amleo.com/index/item.cgi?cmd=view&Words=j15515 This is the one I ordered.

This message was edited Feb 20, 2005 5:41 PM

Shirley, thank you .... I'm glad you realized I need the version for the ordering-impaired! LOL

Nah, I just remembered it wasn't easy to find unless you figure out how they do it. It took me a couple of pages to figure it out the first time I went there. Hang on to your wallet....they have some good stuff there.

Shirley, now I have you here ... I remember once you asked about the best way to root Ida. I had the best, but slow results airlayering her, but recently I took woody log cuttings and put in a glass of water, that are now full of nubbies and seeming to be doing fine.

Terry, here is a few photos of my plants currently

Here is a pink candida

King of Diamonds does also have these curled leaves ...

EP might have something else, because the leaves also sit in tight clusters and are very light.

The previous with clustering leaves have some of the leaf stalks pointing straight downwards.

Last one have smallish leaves. Most of these have lower leaves, that first are yellowing, since fall off ... with they were tobacco plants LOL wishfull thinking :)

Thanks Tonny. I had two cuttings, but both rotted. Maybe another time I'll get lucky.

Sure glad I came across this thread and took the time to read it. I had curling leaves and was about to throw the plant away cause I thought something Bad was wrong with it. I will try the Cal/Mag and see what happens.

8o)

Dee

Great thread! So it seems that you need to have the upper and all around numbers higher than the middle one which is for the roots. I knew that brugs needed lots of fertilizer but I didn't know the combination. Thanks for all the info. Hi, Tonny!
:) Donna

Tonny does your EP look like this?
Before I knew it was calcium deficiency it ruined much of the new growth on my seedlings. The new leaves were tightly grown, light colored and curled.
Hopefully that is what is wrong with your EP.

I had curled, point down, and puckered leaves last season. I was told by my county agent that it might be irregular watering and I was guilty of irregular watering. Root said in some other thread that he watered all his brugs X times a week, I think on the same day, and gave them X amount of water. By golly I'm going to do that this year, as well as use the Cal-Meg...