Greening up seedlings?

[Rajun Gardener]

That is a good tip Pure Harvest, I weigh mine out and use hot water in an old Mayo jar, shake to dissolve it and then mix them together. Since I starting growing in a Dutch Bucket Hydro system, I've been using the fert solution on seedlings and haven't had any problems. The solution is Masterblend, CalNit & Epsom Salt.

I know this is a little off topic but I was so impressed with the hydro fert solution I started looking for something to replace the masterblend that I wouldn't have to mix and be a slow release. I found Essential Minor Elements from Southern Ag and started using it last year, I prep the garden, sprinkle it in with triple 8, till and plant.

I use CalNit and Epsom Salt as a weekly feed and I don't mix it, just sprinkle about a tablespoon around the plant and water it in. They love it. They don't just grow foliage like some people may suggest and I never worry about BER.

Here you can see the 1st 2 clusters and new flowers all within about 15" from each other, this is a Creole plant. I didn't get good fruit set due to the rain. Planted in ground at about 18" tall on Mar 28th

[pecker88]

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

That is a good tip Pure Harvest, I weigh mine out and use hot water in an old Mayo jar, shake to dissolve it and then mix them together. Since I starting growing in a Dutch Bucket Hydro system, I've been using the fert solution on seedlings and haven't had any problems. The solution is Masterblend, CalNit & Epsom Salt.

I know this is a little off topic but I was so impressed with the hydro fert solution I started looking for something to replace the masterblend that I wouldn't have to mix and be a slow release. I found Essential Minor Elements from Southern Ag and started using it last year, I prep the garden, sprinkle it in with triple 8, till and plant.

I use CalNit and Epsom Salt as a weekly feed and I don't mix it, just sprinkle about a tablespoon around the plant and water it in. They love it. They don't just grow foliage like some people may suggest and I never worry about BER.

Here you can see the 1st 2 clusters and new flowers all within about 15" from each other, this is a Creole plant. I didn't get good fruit set due to the rain. Planted in ground at about 18" tall on Mar 28th

there is a lengthy thread around here somewhere by user: Carolyn (I think) that details greenhouse tomatoes that get fed with dry calNit.

So, you use the same dry calNit that you would dissolve in water with masterblend & magSul, but just sprinkle it around the plant?

[Rajun Gardener]

Yes and if you look around your feed stores, they sell it in 50# bags. My local store has it for $28.00 and the little 5# bag from Southern Ag that many places sell is $9.00.

I really think the Essential Minor Elements helps too. I just goggled it and now HD is selling it but it's an order only item, I had to get it at the feed-n-seed. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Southern-...3188/202530657

[pecker88]

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

Yes and if you look around your feed stores, they sell it in 50# bags. My local store has it for $28.00 and the little 5# bag from Southern Ag that many places sell is $9.00.

I really think the Essential Minor Elements helps too. I just goggled it and now HD is selling it but it's an order only item, I had to get it at the feed-n-seed. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Southern-...3188/202530657

I'll roam around my dad's work shop this weekend. He said he just spend $178K on fertilizer/chemical for this growing season; he obiv. farms!

thanks!

[Merediana]

Can someone please tell me the right amount of epsom salt and calcium nitrate for spraying my plants?
I've googled it and found so confusing results. Some say 3-6g (less than a teaspoon) per gallon, others say 60g per gallon...

I'm planning on spraying calcium once a month because I'm growing in containers where you are more likely to get blossom end rott... And our water here seems to be very low in Mg so I'll need a little extra help.

Oh and from what I've found you shouldn't use them together at the same time but as I already said, lot's of confusing informations...

[PureHarvest]

Originally Posted by Merediana

Can someone please tell me the right amount of epsom salt and calcium nitrate for spraying my plants?
I've googled it and found so confusing results. Some say 3-6g (less than a teaspoon) per gallon, others say 60g per gallon...

I'm planning on spraying calcium once a month because I'm growing in containers where you are more likely to get blossom end rott... And our water here seems to be very low in Mg so I'll need a little extra help.

Oh and from what I've found you shouldn't use them together at the same time but as I already said, lot's of confusing informations...

Mix calcium nitrate into your water. Stir or shake.
Then add magnesium sulfate (Epsom) and stir it in.
Do not dump them into your water at the same time.

I can not confirm a rate for spraying it on. My thought is feed the roots and let them send it where it needs to go.
But anyway, for the seedling stage up to the second set of flowers, I am using what would be about 1 gram per gallon. That is, 1g of cal nitrate and 1g of mgsfate in 1 gallon of water.
From second fruit cluster and up I would bump the calnit to 2g per gal and keep the mg at 1g.
Again, I am not spraying this on, but doing a daily drip feed with these 2 along with a base fertilizer that adds all the other elements.

[Tracydr]

Since I started to use pond water for my seedlings I haven't needed to fertilize them at all.

[Rajun Gardener]

Originally Posted by Merediana

Can someone please tell me the right amount of epsom salt and calcium nitrate for spraying my plants?
I've googled it and found so confusing results. Some say 3-6g (less than a teaspoon) per gallon, others say 60g per gallon...

I'm planning on spraying calcium once a month because I'm growing in containers where you are more likely to get blossom end rott... And our water here seems to be very low in Mg so I'll need a little extra help.

Oh and from what I've found you shouldn't use them together at the same time but as I already said, lot's of confusing informations...

I have dutch buckets going and I mix CalNit 2.4 grams per gallon and Epsom Salt 1.2 grams per gallon. I haven't tried to spray my plants with it but I do use it in a spray bottle to water young plants/seedlings and I never noticed damage from the accidental spraying of leaves. Check my earlier post, it's easier to sidedress at watering than mix and spray. Maybe it's just me but I hate to wet the plant to avoid disease.

[taboule]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

Since I started to use pond water for my seedlings I haven't needed to fertilize them at all.

It must be the best. Do you have fish in the pond, which also adds their digestive by-products to the water.

[Gardeneer]

From time to time I dissolve about 1 TBS per gallin and and feed my plants.
I think , probably for foliar spraying you will cut back. How Much ? I don't know exactly. I would try 1/3 as a test.

Gardeneer

[Lindalana]

Ca nitrate and Epsom salt can be sprinkled around the plant and lightly worked in the soil. Then watered in.

[Cole_Robbie]

Getting rootbound is what makes my seedlings turn yellow. When I re-pot from 6-packs to 4" pots and add Osmocote, they green up within a week.