What Fertilizers do YOU use!

[cassowary]

We only use organic matter, that way you won't over fertilise and kill the trees and OM also holds water (no fertile soil without water since plant roots can only take in nutrients when in water solution).
As the OM decomposes under the tree it creates compost with soluble minerals and also additional carbohydrates for the soil microbiome.

If someone uses the wrong fertilizer on a mango tree for instance you might not have good color on the exocarp.

[zands]

We only use organic matter, that way you won't over fertilise and kill the trees and OM also holds water (no fertile soil without water since plant roots can only take in nutrients when in water solution).
As the OM decomposes under the tree it creates compost with soluble minerals and also additional carbohydrates for the soil microbiome.

If someone uses the wrong fertilizer on a mango tree for instance you might not have good color on the exocarp.

You should throw some chem fertilizer on top of your organic matter to juice it up a bit. The slow release chem fertilzers will insinuate (chelate) into the organic matter before traveling downward. Your trees will not know the difference between chem and straight organic  that reaches their roots.

[Mark in Texas]

You should throw some chem fertilizer on top of your organic matter to juice it up a bit. The slow release chem fertilzers will insinuate (chelate) into the organic matter before traveling downward. Your trees will not know the difference between chem and straight organic  that reaches their roots.

Excellent advice Zands, doing the best of both worlds.  For the organic diehards it's hard to beat Osmocote.  Prill coating is plant based too.  Plant doesn't care where it gets its chemical from as long as all the essential elements are there.   

I think my mangos have nice color.

[bovine421]

Miracle Grow... It's all in the name...

Kevin

I was curious why there's so much stigma in the use of Miracle Grow and not Osmocote.Osmocote is a product of Scotts, the same company that produces the common water-soluble fertilizer Miracle-Gro.
 I took some bullet point notes of the grievances against Miracle-Gro.


Ammonium phosphate acids soil and is harmful to soil organisms.
Ammonium inhibit release of potassium
Potassium that contains excess chlorine
Which burns plants and inhibit uptake of nitrogen.

I have no idea if any of this is true and it's all Chinese to me.
 As a novice the one question I have is if it damages the soil-organisms out to your drip line. How long after you stop use. Would it take to recoup those soil organisms with the use of compost and wood chips?
What say you!

[brian]

I used to use Miracid (now called 'miracle grow for acid plants') for my citrus.  At some point I heard about citrus being sensitive to biuret in urea so I asked Scotts what the biuret percentage was.  I forget the exact amount but it was a little higher than the safe limit for citrus.  I never actually checked on osmocote

[Mark in Texas]

I used to use Miracid (now called 'miracle grow for acid plants') for my citrus.  At some point I heard about citrus being sensitive to biuret in urea so I asked Scotts what the biuret percentage was.  I forget the exact amount but it was a little higher than the safe limit for citrus.  I never actually checked on osmocote

IGL sells Osmocote in bulk.  I recently bought what a tech calls their "cadillac" product, a 15-9-12 with micros. Similar product to the Indoor/Outdoor Plus which I've used for years except a longer life - 8-9 months.  Long story short I doubled up on my dosage about 2 months ago to about a pound per tree.  In spite of the damage I've never seen such a fine looking, glossy deep green flush of foliage ever, flowering too.  https://icl-sf.com/us-en/products/ornamental_horticulture/osmocote-plus-standard-8-9-a903266-15-9-12/

Moro blood orange.  Whole tree is now covered in dark green leaves.



My mangos really took a hit in spite of being wrapped.  I may end up replacing 3 trees.  Shit, losses is getting old.

Reed avocado is pushing foliage 7' up from the ground.  Still can't believe it.

[brian]

Do you know the approximate bulk price of that stuff per pound?  When amazon has it on sale you can find the 8lb bags of osmocote plus for around $15... about $2/lb

[zands]

I use 8-3-9. Bananas can take abuse. 10-10-10 is OK for them

[Mark in Texas]

Do you know the approximate bulk price of that stuff per pound?  When amazon has it on sale you can find the 8lb bags of osmocote plus for around $15... about $2/lb

That's a good buy, IF, you can find it for that and what I've been using for years.  My 8-9 mo. is very similar.  I paid $110 for 50# shipped from A.M. Leonard. Free shipping deal.  https://www.amleo.com/osmocote-fertilizer-15-9-12-slow-release-8-to-9-months-50lb-bag/p/159128

[Mark in Texas]

I use 8-3-9. Bananas can take abuse. 10-10-10 is OK for them

Abuse is right.  They froze to the ground but have very nice growth now.

[brian]

...  I paid $110 for 50# shipped from A.M. Leonard. Free shipping deal.  https://www.amleo.com/osmocote-fertilizer-15-9-12-slow-release-8-to-9-months-50lb-bag/p/159128

Thanks.  Good to know I can just order this if Oscocote deals go away.   I am using a water soluble fertilizer for my in-ground trees, but I have a ton of containers that all get Osmocote so I go through about 10lbs a season.