I just got a sample bottle of VF-11 in the mail yesterday .... says it makes @8 gallons! I mixed up about 3 gallons today (at half strength) and watered a lot of things! Look forward to seeing how it works! I think I'm going to go to my local Ace Hardware store and ask them to order it, as it said in Eleanor's flyer to do!
Lin
edited to say: I read where you say not to use it with any other fertilizer .... I'm afraid some of my plants might have Osmacote in the soil ... will it hurt my plants having put the VF-11 in with Osmacote already in there?! I sure hope not. I sure don't relish the thought of having to repot everything with fresh soil? That would take days! Oh, please don't tell me I have harmed so many plants!
This message was edited Dec 16, 2006 6:32 PM
Thanks V_T for VF11 suggestion
LIn I'm not sire what Osmacote is? You can also leach your plants or do like Maureen has and wait to feed.
When I first got VF-11 a few years ago I ran out of food and had bought this great soil-less mix from local group. I had also learned all my plants were in pots too large. So I trans-planted them and it was about a month before I got my VF-11 after using my sample. At that time I ordered a case from ELeanor I think a gallon was like only 19.99 after shipping but it was slow ship that was ok.
Happy growing !
Oh I also use mine full strength wit no problem not knowing what Osmacote is ? , I'm just guesing your 1/2 strength should be fine .You could always call Eleanor and ask her !!
Osmacote is a granular slow release plant food .... in the form of little beads/pearls, that you scratch into the top layer of soil. I believe it's made by Scott's and It's supposed to last for four months. It's a 19-6-12 formula and guranteed not to burn. It's for both indoor and outdoor plants. I've been using it for a long time, but wanted to try Eleanor's VF-11 after reading about it on DG.
Lin
Osmacote sounds good. How long has it been in your pots ?
Sounds like its gentle and if you don't put anymore into your pots you should be OK ? this is just a guess. If you get a chance call Eleanor she is real nice . Or you could email her.
A few years ago we bought it by the case and her sprayer and we used it for our lawn and garden beds. Out yard never looked so beautiful. We grew everything . Our Dalhias ( SP) would stunning , roses and everything never a black mark or any problem, everything blooms all year long ! What ever seed, bulb, or plant grew out of this world ! Even Marigolds and Zinnias were out of this world :))
Here's an old picture. The vines were crazy too.
one more I have about 500 flower pictures from then lol :)
We sold this home two years ago and left everything and the new owners did not take care of the yard :))
Where can I buy some Dahlias bulbs do you know ! ??
We had about a dozen different ones !
We did have better health then and a corner lot that had only weeds when we bought that home and gutted it out four years ago and we filled it with zillions of flowers and VF-11 help !
Check this Zinnia out !
Sorry to go crazy with our garden memories !
Oh Allison ..... What a BEAUTIFUL garden! I am so envious, maybe I should buy a few cases of Eleanor's VF-11 for my yard! That is a wonderful testimony for her product, she should use you and your photo's for advertising! WOW! Everything looks so healthy and the colors are so vivid!
I have never grown Dahlia's but I will check around and see if anyplace in my area has them. I didn't know they would grow in Florida. Don't know why I would think that .... seems like most anything will grow down here in the heat and humidity!
Great Photo's!
Lin
Lin I had bought like 12 named tubers . I think on Ebay . I'd like to find a vendor to get some just one or two would please me. Lin they grew so easy with little to no care. They bloomed their heads off even all winter threw Spring summer ! We had Roses everything . Lots of the plants the people dug up and trashed :(( they did not like Florida and the home has been empty a year now waiting to be sold . It looks so lonly. Still some Hibiscus three that were Vareigated forget the name right now and a yellow one doing good, some Plumeiras, Mexican Sunflower few other things everything else die or replaced with yuky stuff :(( If we had know we would have dugged up thousand $$$ of bulbs and plants.
Our Dahlia's big blooms well large bouquets full I man hundreds at a time big all different ones ! I 'm looking for one special pictures hope I can find it. Might be on a different disk. But I am hoping to get some more !
This was the prettiest Av I forget her name . She was in a two piece pot and I gave her to a neighbor like this in the pot in bloom so it would be easy for her to grow. It was grown in natural light, I was not growing by leaf then nor did I have lights or stands.
Lin Dahlia's are easy to grow. We have not fount anything to be honet we could not grow in Florida :))
I fount an old disk and wow I must find some Dahlia's I'm a hunting now :))
I use Eleanor's VF-11 too and have had good results, but I have to say that I don't recommend using it on Polyscias plants (AKA Ming Aralias, Balfour Aralias).
All 5 of mine went into some severe shock after using it on them, and the VF-11 is the only reason I can seem to narrow it down to.
My big 4 ft. P. fruticosa, which had 2 big, fat stems and several branches, is completely DEAD.
(I'd owned it 5 years!) (I gotta tell you, that is one plant loss that I'm just *sick* about!)
I had repotted some of these plants and I did not use any other fertilizer on them.
Bottom line is - I think Polyscias, for some unknown reason, (I have NO IDEA what it could be!) are sensitive to this particular fertilizer.
PLEASE keep in mind, though, that I do use Eleanor's VF-11 on other plants with great results, so I'm not knocking Eleanor (who is wonderful, I completely agree!) or her product, just making you all aware that you shouldn't use it on Polyscias plants....there are many fertilizers that particular plants are sensitive to.
Lin...I think your plants will be OK if you only made one application, but I wouldn't use any more fertilizer of ANY kind until the Osmocote is 'spent'.
Nan: Thanks for the heads up on that! I don't have any Polyscia's. I already used the VF-11 a few times, at half strength .... on almost everything! I don't think I will use it again for awhile, will wait and see if there are any adverse effects since most of my plants already have Osmocote in the soil! I sure hope I didn't do any damage! I will be watching all my plants closely in the next week or so! I am always kinda afraid to try something new, but had read so much about the Eleanor's VF-11 and since it is guaranteed not to burn, I am hoping for the best from it. I didn't even remember or think about having used Osmocote a month ago! Oh well .... live and learn ... I'm pretty sure all my plants are okay.
Lin