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Now that my plants are all within the 2nd to 5th true leaf stage I really need to start thinking about fertilizers that I am going to have to get and use. What would be a cheaper, efficient fertilizer I could get to maximize the growth of my seedlings. I have seen bone meal or blood meal and heard good things about them. No-online ordering from me, just want to run to a local store to pick them up. I wanna know also what's the best for pumpkins at this time too? N or P or just plain old water? Thanks for your help!

5/26/2005 7:37:55 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

what was your soil prep before and the soil test results..tough to give advice without knowing what was already applied and to what it was applied to..early N and P will give ya vine growth and root development...cutting back on N will give ya flowers..kicking in K towards the end will give ya fruit...but playing with these without knowing what ya got is crazy..when your not sure, water when it's not raining is the best advice going. Don't let it get dry and don't let it get to wet..

5/26/2005 9:30:51 PM

Picton,ON (j.vincent@xplornet.ca)

Kyle
A lot of this depends on your soil test and how much manure and other organics you have a added. Pumpkins are heavy feeders on nutrients and they need to get them from some where. The best fertilizer is always manure. I say this and I sell fertilizer for a living...lol. On my patch last year I started with no added manure or compost. I soil tested and added commercial fertilizer to meet the needs of the pumpkins. This year I added about 20-25 tons of composted manure to my patch and I will only use water soluables and fish, Sea Weed and some foliers.
Bone and Blood meal are excellent products but are very low in available nutrients. It may be difficult to supply enough using only these products. Many of the "organic kooks" claim that commercial fertilizers are bad for the soil. There is very little scientific evedence to support these claims. In fact most comercial fertilizers are naturaly occuring elements in a more concentrated form. You cheapest most efficient nutrients are these commercial granular fertilizers however, I would need to know more information to make a recomendation.

5/26/2005 9:56:19 PM

Macomb County

Read my post "New/ Struggling Grower Alert". Whichever brand or N-P-K you decide to use, remember to go very light until the 12th leaf. If I couldn't go with better, the cheapest I'd go is fish/ seaweed + Miracle Gro. Right now, you should use only the fish and seaweed at 1/4 strength of what it says on the label. in 2 weeks 1/2 strength and at 12 leaves, full strength and begin adding 1/4 teaspoon Miracle Gro. Just like that every week for the rest of the season.

5/26/2005 11:35:44 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Kyle, Plant Products from Brampton, has water soluable ferts at Canadian Tire stores. I believe they are as good as any. CTC also sells fish emulsion too.
Toll Free: 1-800-387-2449 for Canada
http://www.plantprod.com/

Humic acid can be purchased at Home grown Hydroponics.
http://www.hydroponics.com/
1-800-INFO-GRO

Sea weed extract, kelp meal, Jersy Greensand can be found at BIO-AG. You can call them to arrange for a mutual pick up point.
http://www.bio-ag.com/
Bio-ag Toll Free 1-800-363-5278

Dave McCallum (DAVER) has neptunes fish and seaweed through the GVGO club.

Calci-max is found at the Bradford co-op right in town from the loading dock store front.
(905) 775-3317

5/27/2005 11:53:38 AM

Rhode Island

kyle

not sure whats lacking (if anything) from your soil but a store bought plan would be to use a 10-60-10 water soluable early on once a week, 20-20-20 in june once a week, and a 15-11-29 or 5-10-40 during august( again any can be applied every seven to ten days )

iwould also add some water soluable kelp or fish in with the weekly applications ( note- if the new growth starts to get to dark green you should back off a week on the applications)
no fertilizer applications starting one week before pollinations and a week after

you should also research a "soil soup " or manure tea program for your patch ( dozens of systems are available to research and if made and used correctly is very good for the soil and, in turn the plant by fighting soil born diseases )---- you could also add the water soluable products i mentioned into the brew once it has completed its fermentation process ( just before you apply the tea )

a lot of growers do not realize the value of organic tea mixtures and the benefits it brings to the soil( good bacterial spores to battle the disease spores, ( YOUR OWN MILLION MAN MARCH TO GLORY - LOL )teas also help the plant to uptake locked up nutrients

chemicals have there place and always will but to keep your soil working for you a combination of the two is necessary

5/27/2005 12:08:48 PM

Canada

This year I did different then last, I started with 10-52-10 and have since switched over to 20-20-20 for remainder of June now that plants are vineing. come July and Aug I'll be on and off with 20-20-20 and 15-15-30 for remainder of season along with switchings of drenches with seaweed / mollases but will stick with foilers of neptunes and mollases for entire season



Dave

5/29/2005 11:05:28 PM