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Old December 16, 2021   #10
AKmark
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Wasilla Alaska
Posts: 2,010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zeuspaul View Post
What fertilizer do you use for the 5 gallon containers?
We have trialed a few, but we have not found an adequate one part, although some are close like Flora Nova grow, 7-4-10. We had best results if we supplemented 3-5 ml of Cal-Mag per gallon with it at full strength. Maxigrow-bloom is okay too, but still add Cal-Mag. These are easy to use, are complete fertilizer mixes in one bottle or container.

For production 4-18-38 is awesome, its our gold standard now. We use 8 oz per 100 gallons, then add 8 oz of CaNO3, as well as 5 ounces plus of MgSO4.
Masterblend has a cute little kit we sell where they add the Epsom Salt in with the fertilizer the Calcium Nitrate is separate. (Two parts). You follow the directions and mix one into a bucket then stir it up. Then you add the second part. then mix them up together. This is a complete mix that works well in a container. I tested a mix following the scoop directions in the kit, and it was a 2.2 EC. This is right inline with our numbers we get when we use injectors using the mix numbers above. We do add a touch more Epsom Salt for our area, Mg is central to the chlorophyll molecule and we have extremely long days. I do use this as continuous feed in a container, some use it in dirt once a week or so, and have great results growing different veggies.
Jacks has a good mix, Technigro, Grow more, all professional grade fertilizers.

There's so many ways. What we are seeing in the business is this, people have an interest in growing in small spaces/ urban gardening. It's gone crazy, the public, city included, wants to put away food. We go to large conventions a few times a year, the industry leaders are even set back at the scale the interest in gardening has increased.

One thing you will have to be careful about when growing paste tomatoes is some will get BER if your watering is off, but no worse than Early Girl hybrid for a comparison. I'll tell you another goodie, a well grown paste tomato like a San Marzano, and spins can be great flavor wise, Opalka is good, Jersey Devil is very good, some Roma spins are good, several I thought have excellent complex flavor.

Your vines will explode if you follow this, you should keep them pruned somewhat, even a determinate, or you had better have alot of water. Keep in mind, they will take up a space, a bigger container means a bigger plant, the sky is the limit, but economic threshold is something to keep in mind too.

Container growing in long seasons is not as easy as growing in grandma's garden. The first year one will learn alot, identification of nutrient deficiency as well as antagonism of elements causing deficiency. If you really want to produce, you will soon own a pile of pH meters, EC meters, etc, partly joking, but it interesting, and pretty easy to be accurate and dismiss guessing from your program. The directions are no fun.... lol

One last thing, if you follow a program like this DO NOT TAILOR YOUR MEDIA. Use something like Pro Mix HP, Coco, etc. I swear, 90 percent of mishaps I see on these programs start with the home spun twist. These products mixes are at the upper thresholds of elemental distribution. In other words you can get antagonisms when you add to a media.

Last edited by AKmark; December 16, 2021 at 08:31 PM.
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