Tried to give plants a boost with......

Osmocote? There's indoor/outdoor & then flowers & veg., I think. Are they good to use? I've heard that Fish Emulsion & Flower Boost. are very good?.....Becky G. Is one better than the other? Or are you basically going to get the same results? Anyone who knows....please tell. I feel things could be blooming that are not yet!! Help please? Thanks....Michelle

Are there certain plants you're having trouble with? It's really hard to generalize when talking about fertilizers. Also, the names of the fertilizers don't matter as much as the numbers that represent the Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium contents and the micronutrients that are included. Different plants can have very different requirements.

Oh wow, this is getting deeper. Okay, but they don't all list #'s. I use a liquid drop fert, by MG. That's my general one, when I donl' know what they get. I don't know how strong it is, but I'm assuming weaker than the powder. Now can I use that & Osmocote beads? Or will that burn the plants? Just a thought. I want to see a lot of blooms, but don't want to use the wrong stuff and over do it. Michelle

They're required to at least list the N, P and K on the label, maybe it's in fine print but it ought to be there. It's hard to give advice without knowing what you've got. When in doubt, I'd stick with just using one fertilizer and use it according the package instructions, that way you won't accidentally burn anything. Also keep in mind fertilizer isn't a magic bullet to make things bloom. Your plants may just not be quite ready yet because it's too early in the year, or if they're perennials that you just planted recently or even last year, sometimes plants take a couple years to really get going (there's a saying first year they sleep, 2nd year they creep, 3rd year they leap) which really is true for some perennials. And if they're recent transplants of anything even annuals, they may be working on getting their roots going and will bloom in a little while once they get themselves established.

Maybe it's because I've seen too many plants burned by Miracle-Gro products or maybe it's because I despise the Scott's corperation as a whole, but I try to stay away from that stuff if at all possible. For people who do choose to use Miracle-Gro I recommend that they only use it on annuals. It's essentially junk food for plants; it gives them a lot of energy at one time but it's just a temporary, quick fix. For perennials, shrubs and trees I recommend Espoma products like Planttone, Hollytone and Flowertone. They're organic and slow-release so it makes it hard to over-fertilize or burn plants.

Hi. -Plantfreak, I wouild try any of those you listed. Do you know where I can purchase these products? Does Lowes carry them? Michelle

You may be able to find a few Espoma products at Lowes but I would encourage you to patronize your local garden center instead. You can find a source in your area at this address: http://www.espoma.com/finddealer.aspx

Thanks Plantfreak. I will have to check that link.

Checked it! But there's not a place selling it for like 100 miles!! I need an online place to order from. If u know one of those kinds of places, that'd be great! Thanks, Michelle