forget all time release ferts.. IMHO .. the are engineered for use in pots.. where water flushes the pot repeatedly .... its too expensive ... and unless you research and buy the proper release time for your zone.. you could very easily be applying fert at the wrong time of year .... like in sept when your plants should be slowing down and hardening off for winter.. not going great ganzo with vegetative growth ...

beyond that.. you fail to mention your soil ... if you have well developed soil .... and you add compost over the years.. you probably do NOT 'need' anything ...

a little of this or that will usually not hurt anything.... and i really mean just a little ....

over the years.. i have used ... 12-12-12 .. 16 cubed.. and 19 cubed ... lesser amounts the higher the number ...

a teaspoon or tablespoon around each plant... in june and july.. is about all you need ...

these are plants.. not children .. they do NOT need to be fed .... unless you have really bad soil ...

i would use up what you have... and then go buy the cheapest you will need in the future ... i wonder what a 50 pound bag of 12 cubed is going for this year at the mill store or tractor supply .... there really isnt any need to pay for the branch name stuff .... unless you just like spending money ... i prefer to spend it on more plants ...

and if you dont want to use the chemical type fert. .. just invest a truckload of compost ... and feed the soil... instead of the plants ....

good luck

ken

PS: i tried gerber daisys three times .. years ago .. they do NOT faithfully return from winter in my version of zone 5 ...

Thanks Ken
It's like I'm conditioned to fertilize. I get anxious if I don't have an additive. I do add compost every year though not a lot. Do you think adding a bunch of compost with each planting will be enough to make these annuals stand up tall and burst with blooms? If I do go with fertilizer do you think I should go organic or whatever non organic is called?
Thanks again!
Dale

thanks for the personal note ... more thoughts for those sitting on the edge of their chairs.. waiting for more .. lol:

hey dale

personally ... fert is fert .... used minimally ... i dont care chemical versus organic .... never really understood the difference .. nitro is nitro is nitro ... know what i mean ...

ergo .. cost is the only determinitive issue .... so i can buy more plants ...

the best thing... plant 12 of the same thing.. in groups of 4 ..... 3 feet apart ... give one group nothing... one group a teaspoon of whatever.. and the third group.. a tablespoon ... and keep note.. and decide for yourself.. in your soil.. in your yard ... what difference it all made by the end of the season ... experiment .... all given the same sun and water.. etc.. all other things as equal as possible ...

dont buy anything a snake oil salesman tells you .. fert is fert ... any brand name isnt better... etc ...

but it really sounds like you have some nice soil .... and i wouldnt be surprised if you couldnt skip a year or two completely .. and not see a difference ... if the plants dont need it.. its just going down to the water table ... so go easy .... experiment.. and use as little as possible... to get the result you want ....

i used to do the brand name 4 bag system for the grass ... and after a year or two.. realized i didnt need the weed part of weed and feed ... one less expensive bag to buy .. replaced with plain ole 16 cubed .... then realized i didnt need the bag of crabgrass preventer ... since none was left ... one less bag of expensive replaced by generic ....and then i realized.. if i cut out one bag per year.. i spent less time complaining about having to cut the lawn every 4 days.. because it was growing a foot a week ... and then i decided that 16-16-16 ... 50 pounds for 12 bucks.. did just as good as the brandname for $25 bucks time 4 bags ...

last time i fert'd the lawn .. which i do NOT do on 5 acres .... i put one load down in late spring ... and one in late fall .... spring to juice it going.. and fall to grow some roots ... the lawn just didnt need the other 50 pounds of fert [2 bags] ....

does that make sense????

you say you get nervous if you dont feed the plants.. i get so.. when i forget to feed the kids.. i really dont worry about feeding the plants.. they take care of themselves in good soil .. most of the time.. if i just make sure they get water ... its a whole new world when you move from half acre in suburbia to 5 acres in the country ... you just forget to worry about some things ... lol

thanks for the private note.. i will post this back to the forum also ... as a followup ...

take care ...

ken

I vote with Ken. Go for the compost. It's the only thing that will both improve your soil AND feed your plants all at the same time. And it's usually fairly inexpensive. Honestly, I don't know the real cost because we had a store here last fall that was trying to get rid of its stock, and I negotiated that I would take all its stock of composted cow manure off its hands for just .89 cents per 20 pound bag, and I ended up with 37 bags (you can't get cheaper than that!) On the other hand, I have 20 acres, and lots of places to use it! When I do my annual beds, I work in a lot of compost, and then MAYBE I'll hit it with some of that spray on fertilizer about mid-summer -- maybe -- if I remember. As I work my perennial beds, I clear away weeds and side dress the plants with compost. You really don't even have to work it into the soil much. The worms will take care of that. The difference in my soil since I've started using compost is like day and night -- but of course I've been doing this for a few years now, so it's had the benefit of an additive effect (and the underlying soil was mostly clay). Vegetables are a little different -- I do use fertilizer on my tomatoes because they are such heavy feeders, but I also use compost there too. Hope this helps. MacThayer

Hey Ken and MacThayer

Yep, you make sense. I'm going to Agway tomorrow. I plan on buying lots of compost and/or manure, more Gerbera Daisies and return the fertilizer.
Is there a difference between general compost and dehydrated horse manure? My Dahlia site, as I am growing Dahlias for the first time this year, says not to use compost, only use the manure. What's up with that?

Thanks!

Dale