Water soluble fertilizers?

[DocBrock]

I've got plants in earthboxes with tomato-tone as my fertilizer strip and I've had pretty awesome results. However I still have some peppers, watermelons, and tomatoes in buckets and im having trouble applying the granular ferts because the root growth is so dense that I have to cut roots to put it below the surface of the soil. I was using dr earth 3-2-2 home grown liquid but I'm out. What I ordered was supposed to be 4-6-2 but for some reason it arrived as 3-2-2, not really sure how that works but it makes me Leary of the company having 2 formulations that I don't know which one will arrive. I've used 5-1-1 Alaska fish on transplants, but I wanted to switch to something with more p and k once the plants blossom. Would I be in good shape to continue to use the 5-1-1 on young plants and move over to one of the Neptune's Harvest products? They've got a rose/flowering formula that's 2-6-4. I've read great things about Texas tomato food, but something in it isn't organic and I want to stay 100% organic if Im able to. Any suggestions beyond the products I listed are welcome. Thanks!

[DocBrock]

I take that back, I definitely need a new suggestion. The Neptune's flowering blend isn't organic like their other products. Possibly their regular hydrolyzed fish?

[kurt]

gs plant foods liquid kelp organic seaweed fertilizer,plus fish guts from central Florida.

https://www.gsplantfoods.com/



These guys are not too far from us,local,money stays here.win win

[DocBrock]

Originally Posted by kurt

gs plant foods liquid kelp organic seaweed fertilizer,plus fish guts from central Florida.

https://www.gsplantfoods.com/



These guys are not too far from us,local,money stays here.win win

I will look into those products. Thanks Kurt! I like supporting small local companies. I've considered making my own fish emulsion with baitfish I catch with my castnet, but I'm not sure my wife would be too pleased with the barrel sitting around the yard. Any experience trying it or whether the species of fish matters?

[kurt]

When younger we spent time in California.On a lot of the more remote stretches of coastline you will and see a 55gallon drum up on drift wood,with a heavier than usual lid.I in my youthful curiosity,we and siblings decided to investigate.Yes,fish,all kinds,all parts,different fermentation’s.Will never forget that day.Knocked me over,brother and pops laughed so hard,and still at all our get together.You been warned.In 10 b the same thing happens.

[DocBrock]

Those 55gal drums are a blessing and a curse at the same time. Who knows what's in em that will pollute the environment, but on the other hand, I've caught more mahi off of floating drums and pallets than I can remember. Micro-ecosystems in a giant blue desert.

[Barb_FL]

I just dump the dry ferts on top and don't etch them in. I water immediately afterwards. Dry ferts can be: Tomato Tone, Plant Tone, Garden Tone.

This spring, I bought for the first time Neem Seed Meal and mixed that in with the mix / Earthbox, trying to stave off those soft insect bugs on the plant level.

I've dumped Neem Meal on top too. Yesterday, I mixed the Neem Seed meal with one of the tones and dumped on top of all of my containers. Then water.

[zipcode]

Originally Posted by DocBrock

They've got a rose/flowering formula that's 2-6-4. I've read great things about Texas tomato food, but something in it isn't organic and I want to stay 100% organic if Im able to. Any suggestions beyond the products I listed are welcome. Thanks!

TTF is pretty much not at all organic. And you don't want such high P, on the contrary, that will just accumulate in the soil in time. Usually a good ratio is considered 2-1-3.
Here in Europe the organic liquids are so expensive it's really not feasible to use on such heavy feeders.
Try to find liquids based on molasses, those are great for tomatoes.

[Worth1]

Just because something isn't listed as organic doesn't mean it is bad.
What it does mean is someone paid big bucks to get it listed as organic.

On top of that many organic products do more damage to the overall environment than some that aren't just because of where they came from.

Not trying to push or not push anything but a person has to step back and look at the big pictuer.

Take Alaska fish food for example.
It not only is it a by product of commercial fishing which is sucking our oceans dry but the ships have one heck of a carbon footprint and many times exploit people on those ships.
To me it is more important not to use bad insecticides and that is where the whole organic thing started anyway.
Plants take in elements they dont care where it came from.
Also shutting down Nitrogen and dumping heavy loads of the other wont do your plants any good at all as was said.

[DocBrock]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Just because something isn't listed as organic doesn't mean it is bad.
What it does mean is someone paid big bucks to get it listed as organic.

On top of that many organic products do more damage to the overall environment than some that aren't just because of where they came from.

Not trying to push or not push anything but a person has to step back and look at the big pictuer.

Take Alaska fish food for example.
It not only is it a by product of commercial fishing which is sucking our oceans dry but the ships have one heck of a carbon footprint and many times exploit people on those ships.
To me it is more important not to use bad insecticides and that is where the whole organic thing started anyway.
Plants take in elements they dont care where it came from.
Also shutting down Nitrogen and dumping heavy loads of the other wont do your plants any good at all as was said.

Yea I guess you're right. I just want to keep it as clean as possible. I understand there's big bucks to pay to be certified organic after talking to vendors at farmers markets who say they are organic but can't afford to be certified. So should I just stick to something that is closer to 2-1-3? those Jobes don't look too bad though and I know I've seen them at my local lowes.

[HudsonValley]

Both of these water-soluble, organic fertilizers did well in my containers last year:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Jobe-s-Orga...Food/999906489

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Jobe-s-Orga...Food/999909571

[Worth1]

Thank you for not misunderstanding my reply.
Sometimes I feel it is better to ask questions instead of telling things and I try to do better.
I should have asked why do you want to be organic, but I didn't.
I would have learned more to better respond instead of running my trap about stuff.
But it was early in the morning.
Some of us here like myself call our stuff environmentally friendly not organic.
When I started thinking that way it allowed me to look up stream not down stream as to the products in every aspect.
What may be organic for me down stream may not be environmentally friendly up stream.
Everyone has free will to do as they choose and I choose either way sometimes.
That was the point I was trying to get across.
As for nutrients equal parts is a good start but soil testing will get you were you need to be most of but not all of the time.

[DocBrock]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Thank you for not misunderstanding my reply.
Sometimes I feel it is better to ask questions instead of telling things and I try to do better.
I should have asked why do you want to be organic, but I didn't.
I would have learned more to better respond instead of running my trap about stuff.
But it was early in the morning.
Some of us here like myself call our stuff environmentally friendly not organic.
When I started thinking that way it allowed me to look up stream not down stream as to the products in every aspect.
What may be organic for me down stream may not be environmentally friendly up stream.
Everyone has free will to do as they choose and I choose either way sometimes.
That was the point I was trying to get across.
As for nutrients equal parts is a good start but soil testing will get you were you need to be most of but not all of the time.

Basically I try to live my live as close to how we were created as possible. Foods from God, not from man. We've managed to screw up everything so bad as people that food isn't even the same as it was 50yrs ago. I'm not off the deep end as far as a prepper goes, but I try to be self reliant. I haven't purchased meat in years unless I'm at a restaurant or going to a get together with other couples. My wife and I have been able to live off of the meat and fish that I've harvested myself, whether it's deer, ducks, geese, pheasants, or fresh caught fish. Venison isn't even organic anymore cause they gorge on pesticide laced gmo'ed corn these days, but I take pride that I'm the only one who ever laid hands on the animal. I even do my own butchering. I guess I'm trying to carry that over to my garden, where I only add fertilizers that are in a form found naturally. Putting it the way you did worth, I think you're right about environmentally friendly and organic not going hand and hand. I just don't want to eat man made chemicals, even though npk all cause the same environmetal problems when put into a watershed whether they came from conventional or organic products.

[mobiledynamics]

The tones need the micro org in real dirt to work effective. Not really a container product IMO

[DocBrock]

Originally Posted by mobiledynamics

The tones need the micro org in real dirt to work effective. Not really a container product IMO

I've actually inoculated all my plants and containers with a micro org root dip and soil drench that I got at the hydro shop. Stuff reeks and I regretted putting it in my pots, but I think it saved one of my plants that had root aphids. I can't recall the name of the product, but I can check later if you're interested. It's a local company from Cape Coral, FL. I've used tomato-tone in my earthboxes per Marsha's recommendations and have had really great results even in the ones I didn't use the microorganisms.