Naysen,

I use Biotone all the time when transplanting my plants out and I am very happy with this product. Less than a dollar per pound at ozbo for the 20 pound bag. Just watch the expiration date on the package re: potency.

Raybo

[QUOTE=rnewste;338685]Naysen,

I use Biotone all the time when transplanting my plants out and I am very happy with this product. Less than a dollar per pound at ozbo for the 20 pound bag. Just watch the expiration date on the package re: potency.

Raybo[/QUOTE]

How much bio tone are you adding to your earthtainers? On the EB forum they are calling for six cups per box.

To clarify - I am not using Biotone as the fertilizer strip. There I use the old Tomato-tone, or something like Fertilome as the main fertilizer. I am adding 1 cup of Biotone into the top 6 inches of the Grow Media as I am blending the Pro-mix with the microbark and Perlite in my mixing container.

For the actual fertilizer strip, I use 3 cups of the main fertilizer. Keep in mind that the EarthTainer holds about twice as much Grow Media as the Earthbox, for reference, hence the larger quantity of fertilizer on a cubic volume basis.

Raybo

[QUOTE=rnewste;338795]To clarify - I am not using Biotone as the fertilizer strip. There I use the old Tomato-tone, or something like Fertilome as the main fertilizer. I am adding 1 cup of Biotone into the top 6 inches of the Grow Media as I am blending the Pro-mix with the microbark and Perlite in my mixing container.

For the actual fertilizer strip, I use 3 cups of the main fertilizer. Keep in mind that the EarthTainer holds about twice as much Grow Media as the Earthbox, for reference, hence the larger quantity of fertilizer on a cubic volume basis.

Raybo[/QUOTE]

I understand what you are saying. They are saying six cups to innoculate the box as well as using a fertilizer strip(whatever kind you use). Six cups just seems like a lot to me. I think I used two cups of bio tone last year when setting up my boxes.

I think someone on that Forum has confused the innoculation amount with the main fertilizer strip requirements. If one adds 4 cups to the fertilizer strip plus 6 cups of Biotone, I guarantee you that nothing will grow in that over-fertilized unit, which holds approximately 1.6 cubic feet Grow Media - this doesn't pass the "sniff test" in my opinion.

Raybo

[QUOTE=rnewste;338800]I think someone on that Forum has confused the innoculation amount with the main fertilizer strip requirements. If one adds 4 cups to the fertilizer strip plus 6 cups of Biotone, I guarantee you that nothing will grow in that over-fertilized unit, which holds approximately 1.6 cubic feet Grow Media - this doesn't pass the "sniff test" in my opinion.

Raybo[/QUOTE]

I thought it seemed like a lot and I trust your findings.

6 Cups in an Earthbox !
 

Crissykin,
I do all my gardening in 40 Earthboxes and other containers and am active on the EB Forum.

I did find the thread you are referring to mentioning 6 cups when I seached on EB again and the post you are referring to I believe was from 2009-10, prior to the changes in TT and does not sound like a real recommendation from those experienced gardeners. No one has mentioned it in now 3 years.


Also to add 4 cups of TT and 6 cups of BioTone ??? Raybo is right...nothing will live in that medium.

I was a casualty last year of the TT changes and remember discussions about using 2 cups of TT with 2 Cups of BioTone as one of the suggestions. I commented then that 4 cups is alot of fertilizer in an EB fertilizer strip since you want it beneath the ridge and not too low in the box so the wicking works effectively.

This year to use up some of my TT in the boxes since I have 30lbs left, if I use it at all, I was planning on 2 cups TT and either 2 cups BioTone, or 1 cup 10-10-10 or High Yield.

Thanks,
Judi

Judi,

The 2 Cups plus 2 Cups sounds about right. I did the same amount for a CukeTainer (2 NTT plus 2 Plantone) and 1 Cup Biotone mixed in the upper 6 inches and so far, things are looking fine. Your numbers in the EB should be good.

Raybo:D