i doubt you will see a difference ... the formulas are just not that different ... buy whatever is cheapest.. but of course.. not something way out of whack like a high nitro lawn fert ....

but i would be more concerned with mimicking their media they have in the pot.. rather than the food ...

you will get much further with a primo media.. rather than by the addition of fert ...

whats in your pots ???? is it fresh this year.. etc ...

plants are not children as i like to say ... and they do not need to be fed.. nor clothed.. nor edumacated .... it has to do more with growing a vibrant root mass.. rather than weak roots and trying to make up the difference with food ...

its not that you will hurt them by feeding them.. like grandma demands they clean their plates.. i am just saying its not the place to start ... when you contemplate it all together ...

make any sense .... or am i just rambling??

ken

Oh, thanks, I never thought of it that way. Well. I do reuse potting soil year to year, but I try to add a big scoop of compost to the mix when I plant. I wonder if that does enough, or if I need to start with fresh potting soil each year?
Also, what about annuals in the ground, among the roses etc.? should I feed them any differently? Always wondered that...

I disagree re: feeding. I'm assuming we're talking about annuals here - ?

In my experience, fertilizing DOES make a difference in bloom power of annuals - so feed them!

I'm lazy, though, hate watering and have lived with myself enough years to know I'm not going to do this "fertilize every time you water" nonsense. So I buy Osmocote (slow-release fertilizer), sprinkle it around my plantings (most of which are in containers) and call it a season - can't get any easier than that.

If you want to go through all that routine with the fertilizer you bought, though, have at it, although I think you'd be fine just putting down the fertilizer, scratching into the top surface of the soil and watering in well. :0)

One must fertilize container grown plants. The potting medium provides little to nothing of nutritional value whatsoever and our plants rely totally on what we provide them. Compost, though it may be very beneficial for in ground plantings, doesn't really offer much for container grown culture.

The reason why it is strongly advised that you use fresh potting medium at the onset of each year is that the porosity of that medium is diminished over time. The potting medium collapses as the particles decompose. Smaller particles mean decreased drainage, soil oxygen levels, gas exchange, etc. Provide a coarse-textured mix with lots of large pore spaces and you're guaranteed to have a strong root system.

Your plants will probably do better with the (so called) tomato fertilizer ratio. There is no reason at all why you can't use it for everything, in containers or in situ. But I urge you mix it with water according to the directions (or less), and never sprinkle it on the surface as a powder.

I use Miracle-Gro Tomato Formula for my tomatoes and for my outdoor zinnias. It has extra added magnesium, which apparently both the tomatoes and zinnias appreciate. I apply it as a foliar spray, mixed according to directions, and I apply it liberally so that some of it runs off as a drench for the roots.

sure fert will help pots..

but dont you think the root of her problem is re-using potting media forever.. and hoping that a handful of compost will make it OK ...

no fert is going to overcome the problems associated with 'spent' media ... starting with failing drainage ...

when she would be better off buying a $20 bale [huge] bag of fresh media.. and replacing the media.. every spring.. rather than HOPING that some miracle will happen with the right fert ...

are you all arguing this thought???

i go to the best nursery with greenhouses.. and ask them what they use in their pots.. and if they will sell me some of THEIR stuff .... not the tiny bag brand name stuff ... the giant bale ... they usually sell it at the wholesale price ...

then i take a dry bale home ... and dump it into a plastic garbage can ... and store it dry for a decade or two .. and whenever i need some.. i take it out.. wet it properly ... and use it.. and after that plant is gone ... wherever ... i toss out that media.. and start fresh ...

2 years is the max amount of time to use ANY potting media .... can you get away with longer.. maybe.. depends on the plant ... but to do it right ... you replace media ... and 99% of your problems will go away .. and that little extra fert will really make them jump out of the pot ....

ken

Ken, I rather think we all agree with you. It's just that in your first post, it could have been easily construed that you were saying it is absolutely not necessary to fertilize (maybe even a bad thing). I suspect that's where the disagreement is.

Cbf, if you take the totality of this post, you should have great experience with your pots. You need good media AND fertilizer to get best results. There are obviously different ways of doing it: slow release added once a season, liquid fertilizers applied at half strength weekly, liquid fertilizers applied at full strength every other week, etc. To some degree, the greatest success will depend on the specific plant. Some plants need more fertilizer than others. But, in general, all of the above regimens, plus some that have not been mentioned, will work just fine.

Quote: "Ken, I rather think we all agree with you. It's just that in your first post, it could have been easily construed that you were saying it is absolutely not necessary to fertilize (maybe even a bad thing). I suspect that's where the disagreement is."

This is how I interpreted Ken's first post, as well. :0)

hey!!!

shoot for the target once.. if you miss ..

shoot again ... lol ...

i guess what i was trying to get to with the first.. [third try...lol] ... was that fertilizer is not some panacea remedy to all problems known .. they are not going to recover if you fill their bellies.. they are not children ...

fert is just the icing ... but if the cupcake is carp.. than it doesnt matter what kind of icing [or tomato fert] you put on it.. there is still a media/cupcake issue.. hows that for a mixed metaphor... lol

ken

...ken...I think that between the bunch of us....we've hit the target... :-) i am a big proponent of finding....or making...a great potting medium...and treating your plants to it every year..