Have any of you tried that fertilizer all of the seed catalogs are hyping now, Algoflash, I think it is? If so, what do you think of it? Did you get a Jack in the Beanstalk Brug?
Jeanette
fertilizer
Jeanette
I was looking at that one too, but I see that the numbers seem kinda low (6-6-6) for the brugs, if they are in fact, such heavy feeders.
Jackie
Hi Jackie, is it really tho if you feed them 3 times a week. Maybe you wouldn't want a higher one. don't know. Jeanette
I think you will find that buying a water soluable (dry) fertilizer will be cheaper in the long run. I generally use something three times as strong as the one you are asking about and I use it twice a week until they start blooming. The only reason I cut back then is because it gets so hot and I get lazy.
I appreciate honesty Brugie! And I can relate!
Shirley, thanks for the advice ~ by midsummer, my motor slows down considerably.
Thanks Rich. It is a priority of mine. You're welcome Jackie. Good luck you guys. I'm sure no matter what you do, you will see success and that's what we all look for.
If you try it Jeanette, let us know. I love to try new things. What would be great, is something that pushes the first bloom of seedlings. It is so sad to have to winter over your seedlings and not know what they look like.
You know Kell, I usually can't resist trying new things. Especially something like that that is sold in ALL the seed catalogs. One of them, I found it, Parks has 5 different ones designed for different uses., but they all claim 100% mineral base. If I decide to try it I would pick one or 2 that I have duplicates of and use it on just those.
Jackie, I have never found any NPK quotes on the ads. Where did you see it as 6-6-6? I think that with a lot of us with real short seasons that if this works it would be wonderful.
They say that it has just been imported from France. I wonder if Monika has tried any. Maybe they , in Germany, got some before we did.
On the advice of Scooterbug I bought some minerals and I only used it twice, but guess What!!! I found my first buds last night.
I have never had one bloom. The plant, Versi pink, is only about 15 inches high. I am not claiming the minerals did it. I don't fertilize much because I don't have enough room for them to get big. I still have a half dozen, including this plant, in apple juice bottles.
Go figure. I will let you know if I get some. I think the one for Flowering Plants in Parks is the one I would try.
Jeanette
Jeanette,
For me, everything is trying something new LOL.
I found the info at www.parkseed.com, when I searched for AlgoFlash. A local friend here suggested it to me. They go into detail on the website, which might be helpful. The "Flowering formula" is 5-9-14, while the 6-6-6 (creepy huh?) is from the "all-purpose formula."
Check out the Park's Get Up and Grow combo....that looks really cool. The best of both worlds, liquid and slow-release.
Jackie
No, Jackie, I think the Algoflash for flowering plants is where it's at. I can't remember where it was, maybe Kell or Brugie would know, but somewhere I read that the slow release Osmocotes, etc. are wasted because of the need to fertilize 3 times a week.
Right now I use Peters, which I would stick with on all but the 2 I picked to use as guinea pigs with the Algoflash. As I said before, for those of us with the real short seasons it might be the answer.
I sure am sorry I placed my order with Parks last night. I would order some with my order for another company but they only advertise the all purpose.
Will let you know. Jeanette
I'm going to try something different this year. I've just purchased a case of the timed release tablets for flowers. They are supposed to be good for two years. I'm going to put the correct number for the size of pot in my brug pots and see what happens. I'll probably still use one of the water soluable fertilizers every week though unless they show signs of burning.
This message was edited Mar 17, 2005 12:36 PM
I read somewhere last year that if you feed plants that have already had a timed-release product applied ,
that the application of MG or whatever, will hasten the Time Release plant food to dissolve.
Then possibly over feeding and wonder why your plants look funky ?
I did not look into it further, never used TR fert.
Anyone ? ? ?
What you guys are saying makes alot of sense...the addition of the slow-release might in fact do more damage than good.
Jeanette ~ I guess the flashy title of the Get Up and Grow combo sounded too good to be true. LOL
The AlgoFlash Flowering formula sounds like it just might feed your "guinea pigs" very well.
I do like the suggestion of the Cal/Mag from the fert thread the other day... in retrospect, I think maybe a few of my previous plants may have had deficiencies.
The science part of growing any plant does make it interesting, but a little frustrating. :O
Jeanette ~ Good luck with your trials! Please keep us posted.
I have always used Osmocote and fertilized with water soluable as well and never had a problem. Will see what happens. I could be that since brugs are heavy feeders, it wouldn't make that much difference if they got more food.
this past week I used the Miricle gro, I used the small end of the measure spoon, to 1/2 gal water, but my Brugs are drooping , and loosing leaves was it too strong
I am just going to have to go back over all of the recent fertilizer posts, and figure out the right course of action. My little head is confused. :)
What is the small end? A teaspoon? I use miracle grow all the time Doris. I use a juice pitcher inside. I am so bad, I just pour the miracle grow in and I also add a big splash VF-11. So I use lots more than that!
If you get fertilizer burn you know it. The leaves look burned. I have only gotten burned leaves from the Rose systemic and fertilizer granules from Bayer. And then it is bad!!
I always make sure my dirt is not too dry before I fertilize. That can cause a burn if they drink up too much too fast.
Have you checked the roots? Maybe too much water? Too muchl ove and attention!
Jackie, do not worry. Brugs are tough. Not much you do will kill them.
Doris, there is no way that the fertilizer hurt your brugs. The small end of the measuring spoon doesn't hold enough. You could use a tablespoon with a gallon or less of water and it wouldn't hurt them. It was probably more a change in humidity or light that has made them wilt and possibly, like Kell said, wet roots.
Just thought about it, only thing different is I was using water from Kitchen it goes through the water softner, now I an using hydrent in Gararge that does not, would that make a difference.
kell I always watch how much water, usually do it once a week to the small plants, twice a week to the larger ones.
Doris , your schedule should only be a 'guide'
Requirements can vary due to many environmental factors.
Myself, I can tell just by lifting the pot if it needs water or not.
Good luck
I do that too Scoot, I lift the pot. Well, not outside on my big ones. LOL
Maybe you have an additive that can hurt Doris. I do not know enough about it. But I do think soft watermakes brug flowers pink! I hope I am not making that up. LOL
So are the better today?
I have a friend who used softened water on her brug seedlings and killed them. I would sure not use it.
softenend water has most of the Ca. removed . Ca is mostly what makes the water hard.
And a lot of the trace minerals are also reduced.
Soft water is SALTY !
I never use it for human consumption or ag applications.
Well then Doris!! If they are still wilted, maybe you better rinse them well with clean water and do it fast. Then if they look too waterlogged, I would take them out of their pots and place where warm so the roots dry out. No direct sun on roots. I did this last year when I smothered my brugs with alfalfa with molasses. You never saw such sad looking brugs. I didn't lose even one!!
And if the worst happens, I will replant your garden with smiles! Did you get your babies too?
Gee, makes you wonder if you really want to be drinking that water. Here they have added something to our water that kills fish if you have them for pets. Gives me pause as I drink it!
well kell they do a lot to our water, I hate the taste of it, but we have to live with it, Maya is doing OK nothing changed about her, maybe I have just used too many things, Ironit, Hydrogen Peroxide, but I did get rid of the gnates LOL
Oh no, operation a success but patient dies! LOL
Hey listen Doris, watch out for that ironit, if it is the right brand. I read on here last year that it is toxic. Very toxic. Let me go look for the info. I tossed my ASAP when I read about it.
This message was edited Feb 17, 2005 12:11 PM
kell, nothing on the bottle that says it is toxic, just says never water without it, for all flowering plants
It won't say it is on the bottle. One brand is very toxic I read. They are trying to get it off the market. It is the one wiht the green and yellow bag I recall. Dave's search engine is dead and I tried to google it. I think it was Badseed who posted about it. I will try to locate the info later.
This is what I have, but if it is toxic I will get rid of it
Well that is the kind. Maybe Scoot remembers. She seems to know this stuff!
http://www.envirolaw.org/poison.html
here is one
more
Testing 10 samples of Ironite brand fertilizer purchased from home and garden stores in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno, an accredited independent laboratory found lead at three to four times the concentration that would require the fertilizer itself to be disposed of as hazardous waste. All ten samples also exceeded the hazardous waste criteria for arsenic, some by more than two times the standard. Thirty percent of the Ironite samples equaled or exceeded the hazardous waste criteria for mercury, and another 50 percent were barely below the standard. An average Ironite sample contained seven heavy metals, with average levels of lead at 3.7 times the hazardous waste threshold, arsenic at 1.9 times the threshold and mercury at 95 percent of the threshold.
http://www.ewg.org/reports/asyousow/ExecSumm.html
I sure thank you kell, and darned glad I mentioned what I was using, the bottle is now in the toxic waste box, but the company should be sued for still selling it,
Jackie, how many plants did you use it on?
Kell, you were right again. Remember I use the Rose Pride systemic and food? I had one plant that has leaves that as you say, "looks burned". I think I accidentally dosed it twice.
So Jackie, I took that plant out of it's pot. 4 incher. and held the roots under the faucet until all of the soil had washed off. Then I repotted it in a 6 inch pot.
The roots looked real healthy, nice and white. So, I am glad I did that.
What made me think about it was when Kell said earlier that she had done that with the Bayer systemic.
Thanks Kell. Jackie I hate to tell you but that might be what you better do. Sorry, Jeanette
LOL Doris, they are being sued!!
http://www.envirolaw.org/poison.html
Yes Jeanette, you can save them from a bad fertilizer burn but you have to move fast and wash the roots. I have burned a few in my day! LOL
Thanks again kell, this must be one of those law suits that will be on the shelf for years.
Oh no, Jeanette, don't be sorry! I appreciate all the advice I can get.
I will do that this morning.
Thank you guys for the information because it is very helpful.
Jackie
I just checked my Ironite..It is in a green /white/yellow bag..I have been using it for years with no problem. BUT..I use 1/4 of the dose they say to use.and mix it with soil sand and peat..And I use this manely on my banana's and canna's when they show signs of stress and Iron def. I have use some on a few brugs they seemed to slow down and look sickly so I do not use it on my brugs. I use osmacote 4 month time release and MG with my watermixer on hose end I have never measured I just pour it in..Brugs use so much water that unless they sit in fert. they never seem to get to much.For things in the house I keep a spray bottle of MG light and use it on everything. Even just to mist . Good luck all, even where you live means a difference of feed. I would love to try worm castings and mushroom.. Oh well can't use them all. cinnabor