All Purpose 10-10-10

[nnjjohn]

Okay, previous seasons , I neglected amending my beds thinking the stable mix alone would suffice.. also relyng on liquid 15-30-15 the sugary looking blue stuff that you mix one teaspoon per gallon and water around the plants.. little did I know it wasn;t enough and my plants produced but not many as I would have thought. Certainly not like some of the tomato beds I've seen the same season in my region. So the weather is ruled out. QUESTION: If it is recommended as an amendment,,and only if it is a good idea and not risky.. how does one use All Purpose 10-10-10 granular fetiliizer? I know it can burn roots but what if I distribute say a coffee can over 10x10=100sq ft one month before planting? After several rains it should makes its way down into the soil.. shouldn't this be the way to amend a garden bed? tia,

[RebelRidin]

First... I would describe the use you are proposing as fertilizing the garden, not ammending. Ammendments improve soil structure and balance. Synthetic fertilizers do not do anything to aide structure, they strictly look at short term nutrient availability. As you noted, they can do harm if improperly used.

I have used 10-10-10 many times over the years (prior to installing the raised beds). I can not locate it now but I once read an ag extension document that stated something to this effect....

If you have a garden soil of unknown fertility it was safe to apply 1 to 2 lb of 10-10-10 per 100 sq ft in a broadcast application and incorporate in the top several inches of soil. I did that 1 lb for many years when I flat gardened with productive result. I also followed up with side-dress applications or banding applications.

You might want to go through a number of ag extension sites for guidance on using the chemical ferts. You can find info in just about every state and you don't have to limit your reading to yoour own...

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1601.html

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-323/426-323.html

[nnjjohn]

Thank you George, really appreciate your expertise help, will read those links.. Just so you know, I'm going to take my time with these fertilizers.. and although my soil looks rich dark because I did amend them using scotts humus and free stable horse/bedding manure with wood chips.. and a few times free dark bark mulch from my town center .. did this last three season. This February only added another inch of stable manure mix in two of five small beds . After a few seasons all this turned good as any compost garden.. added a mix today few 5 gallon buckets of vermiculite (clay soil here) and small amount 1.5 cu ft of peat moss between the two beds.. also a 4 cups of blood meal spinkled per on 100 sq ft beds so I'm taking it slow..not adding too much of anything too fast.. it also rains enough here to help the microbes process . cheers!

[Worth1]

I am using 16-16-16.
I just sprinkle a little around each plant and a wee bit in the general area.
I will also be using this in an other area rather liberally for corn really soon.

No measurement I just happen to know what it is supposed to look like on the ground.

Worth

[PaulF]

We have used 10-10-10 for several years as a general all purpose fertilizer. I think any balanced fertilizer would be very effective. I usually use the Worth method. Our problem is that the only place in our area we can find 10-10-10 is at a big box store (Menards) and they only stock it once in the spring, so when it's out, it's out. We are making the 70 mile trip to load up today. I hope there is some left.

[lakelady]

John, can you even buy 10-10-10 in NJ? We have such strict laws now on fertilizers from all the runoff into the lakes and waterways. I think I did look for it 2 years ago before I was amending the soil and believe (could be wrong) that you actually can't get it in any quanitity due to the change in laws which happened in 2010 or 2011. I'll have to look, but I believe it was on the EPA website or something, I had printed it out and gave it out at one of our meetings here. All these "lawn" people just sprinkle lawn fertilizer liberally right at the end of their property which ends up in the lake (ugh). And then as residents, we pay a lake management company to treat the lake and try and undo all the damage. Yup, I thought I had them kind of scared about the potential fines until the idjit on the board said "well who's really gonna police that anyway?". oh well. fools they are.

Anyhow,I digress and I believe here you can only get very small amounts of fertilizer in with any high amounts of phosphorous. Like one of those MG type tomato fertilizers or something.

New York doesn't have it either from what I remember, they too have stricter controls now.

[nnjjohn]

Originally Posted by lakelady

John, can you even buy 10-10-10 in NJ? We have such strict laws now on fertilizers from all the runoff into the lakes and waterways. I think I did look for it 2 years ago before I was amending the soil and believe (could be wrong) that you actually can't get it in any quanitity due to the change in laws which happened in 2010 or 2011. I'll have to look, but I believe it was on the EPA website or something, I had printed it out and gave it out at one of our meetings here. All these "lawn" people just sprinkle lawn fertilizer liberally right at the end of their property which ends up in the lake (ugh). And then as residents, we pay a lake management company to treat the lake and try and undo all the damage. Yup, I thought I had them kind of scared about the potential fines until the idjit on the board said "well who's really gonna police that anyway?". oh well. fools they are.

Anyhow,I digress and I believe here you can only get very small amounts of fertilizer in with any high amounts of phosphorous. Like one of those MG type tomato fertilizers or something.

New York doesn't have it either from what I remember, they too have stricter controls now.

yes the home depot has/had it in paterson.. i stopped in for stuff and noticed it was 17 dollars a forty lb. bag.. all purpose 10-10-10 for trees shrubs lawns vegetable gardens.. i remember my neighbor showing me how he sprinkles it outside the perimeter of the plant hole as not to risk burning the roots.. he always gew huge tomatoes this way.. of coarse his bed is river bed on a farm valley where anything and everything grows.. it is so fertile upstate ny. but our jersey soil here is great too.. i just have to figure out what i did that isn't working too well for two of the four beds. going to have a soil test so i can get them right or at least know., got to roll, bbl, john out

[Worth1]

I'll send anybody anything they want.


You should be able to go to a real feed store a d get it.

Worth

[feldon30]

I've used Osmocote in the past. I want to say it's 14-14-14. Once I had my beds established, I have generally moved away from chemical fertilizers to organic ones.

[lakelady]

Last year I used the tomatotone and fox farms tomato food, along with soil amendments like lots of compost, etc. and my tomatoes did great. Only my neighbor next door complained that I "sure didn't get as many tomatoes for the size of the plants". I got plenty, I just had to swipe them off the vines before the chipmunks did, so you never saw lots of reds on the vine. And he was just wishing he got more of them !

John, I think you can get ANYTHING in Paterson, lol. I drove up to Sussex a few years ago to the Tractor Supply thinking they would have it. Then again, maybe they DID have 10-10-10 but I believe that might have been the highest number for the P in NPK you can buy here. No 14-14-14 or anything like that.

[nnjjohn]

Originally Posted by lakelady

Last year I used the tomatotone and fox farms tomato food, along with soil amendments like lots of compost, etc. and my tomatoes did great. Only my neighbor next door complained that I "sure didn't get as many tomatoes for the size of the plants". I got plenty, I just had to swipe them off the vines before the chipmunks did, so you never saw lots of reds on the vine. And he was just wishing he got more of them !

John, I think you can get ANYTHING in Paterson, lol. I drove up to Sussex a few years ago to the Tractor Supply thinking they would have it. Then again, maybe they DID have 10-10-10 but I believe that might have been the highest number for the P in NPK you can buy here. No 14-14-14 or anything like that.

Yes Antoniette, agree about Paterson..lol.. it happens to be close and it works for me so far.. Anyway , glad we are getting heavy rain..it will help break down what i sprinkled.. (about a coffee can per bed) that is all I'm doing for now until I see what the plants do after a few weeks in the beds. I added this fertilizer last week along with a little blood meal in hopes that when the spring rains fall , it drains down into the bed soil to promote microbes to help breakdown the organic horse manure wood chip mix..i figure a few more weeks before planting time , I should have an idea (NPK) or what is needed for my beds. Yes about those chipmunks and other pests.. I usually take them going reds off too fearing to birds /mice/chipmunks.. whatever they are.. I use wire garden fence but it doesn't stop the little pests// perhaps a cat or bird feeder with seeds will deter them from robbing the garden?

[Father'sDaughter]

If there is an Agway store within driving distance (I see some listed in northern NJ), their most recent flier has 50 pound bags advertised for $16.99. I bought a bag the first year I planted garlic because the "how to" pamphlet the farmer included with the seed stock recommended one application of it in early spring. I had very successful garlic harvest, so I've continued the practice. I never tried it on anything else.

[nnjjohn]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

If there is an Agway store within driving distance (I see some listed in northern NJ), their most recent flier has 50 pound bags advertised for $16.99. I bought a bag the first year I planted garlic because the "how to" pamphlet the farmer included with the seed stock recommended one application of it in early spring. I had very successful garlic harvest, so I've continued the practice. I never tried it on anything else.

yes, I remember reading about growing garlic next to tomato plants will deter deer. Not sure about the little critters that go for the seeds in the red tomatoes. I hope these cats I'm seeing around the yard stick around. I see rabbits in the yard. The small family of deer eat everything they can in our densely populated urban.. the poor things really haven't much wood after recent developments. Around here the deer have to eat gardens..not much wood lots for them anymore.