Actinovate and mycorrhizae

[VitaVeggieMan]

Thanks dice and fortyonenorth. I wasn't sure of the application rate for the TSP because my bag had ripped and I put the rest of it in a ziplock. Now, if I can just figure out the math to convert 2 lbs. per cubic yard to cups (or TBS) per 5 gallon container! I think I'll give it to my teenager as a homework problem :>)

[fortyonenorth]

If my math is right (and there's no guarantee here )....

1 cu. yd. = 27 cu. ft. = 200 gal.

2 lbs per 200 gal. = 32 oz. per 200 gal. = .8 oz. per 5 gal.

Rather than discarding the soil you already fertilized you could just figure out how much total you added and then mix the fertilized soil mix with a large amount of unamended soil mix.

[VitaVeggieMan]

That looks right to me! Now I just have to weigh 0.8 oz. of the stuff to figure out how many cups/tablespoons. I'm guessing it's around 1/8 cup, so it sounds like I used about 4 times more than I needed. Yikes!

Unfortunately, I think it's too late to fix it this year as the peppers have been planted in the buckets for two weeks now. Maybe that explains why they haven't shown much growth yet. I hope I didn't doom my peppers to failure!

By the way, where did you find the application rate of 2 lbs per cubic yard for containers for TSP?

[fortyonenorth]

Here you go: http://www.growercentral.com/UPLOADS...ch%20sheet.pdf

[dice]

Originally Posted by dice

For inhibition of mycorrhizae growth by phosphorus in the soil
or growing medium, I would expect that one would need the
quantity of phosphorus specified in parts per million (ppm, the
way you see it in soil tests).

So, I researched this a little, and I discovered this document
( http://mining.state.co.us/TechnicalB...orusLevels.pdf ), which says that
mycorrhizae infection of the roots is maximized at around 50 ppm
phosphorus, and above 100 ppm it drops off.

In a document for orchid growers, I came across this online (javascript)
calculator that translates fertilizer N-P-K levels and teaspoons per gallon
(1 tablespoon = about 3 teaspoons) to ppm in the soil or container media:
http://www.firstrays.com/fertcalc.htm

Figure that this is going to be a fuzzy measurement, as what happens
to the phosphorous once it hits the soil or container media depends
on media pH, what other nutrients are already there, what the CEC
(cation exchange capacity) is, and so on. But it can give one a clue
about how much P in how much liquid or water soluble fertilizer
is grossly too much for mycorrhizae to provide any benefit to one's
plants.

It does not help much with granular or pelleted fertilizers, because
they are not added to the growing media in "teaspoons per gallon".
Total PPM of phosphorus would depend on rainfall, irrigation, volume
of container media if using containers, drainage, release rate of
phosphorus from the fertilizer, as well as the other factors mentioned
above. A soil test may specify P in ppm, though, and testing for
available phosphorus at various times of the season may tell you
what the P ppm in the soil is at beginning, middle, and end of season
given a particular fertilizer regimen.

(I just wanted to post the calculator URL. It seems really useful if you
have target ppm levels of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and/or
potassium (K) that you want to achieve and you use liquid or
water-soluble fertilizers.)

[z_willus_d]

I'm curious, for those of you using the Actinovate/Myco-Grow/Biota-Max combo and Great White and a Root stimulator, like Root Excelurator...exactly how does that work for you, seedling to pot-up to transplant out?

Is it something like this?

Start seedlings out straight. When potting up to say 3"/4" cups, apply the Root enhancer.

During final transplant, mix up the Myco-grow, 1/4-tab of Biota-max, Great White, and maybe the Actinovate, and use Ami's method of wicking-up/draining from a gallon of the mix? Or, do you segregate the Great White and/or Actinovate application from the other two? Is Great White just fully redundant or simply a superior super-set of the Mycogrow/Byota-max combo? Are we just throwing all four to five of these products at the plants to maximize results even if they overlap?

I'm guessing after the initial transplant (cups to final beds/tainers/etc), there could be follow-up applications through to flowering, when the P is usually bumped up.

Later on, maybe use a combo of Actinovate and Exel LG as a foliar spray against fungal and other ailments?

Any input on an application regiment to maximize effectiveness of these products (Root Excelurator, Great White, Myco-grow, Biota-max, Actinovate, and Excel LG) is most appreciated.

Thanks,
Naysen

[botanophilia]

Actinovate is compatible with synthetic fertilizers. A high concentration of soluble salts may cause issues with symbiosis, but probably a concentration that would cause more problems with the plant itself.