LOL, forgot due to age. I like that one.

Yes, you can scratch it into the top few inches. Water and gravity will move it downward over time.

What are you using as a source of micro-nutrients? Soluble sources can be included in your nutrient supplementation program. Insoluble granulations, as noted, can be incorporated into the top layer of soil with very little difference in effectiveness. Be sure powder residue is washed from foliage & stems soon after application though.

Al

What are you using as a source of micro-nutrients?
That is the problem - nothing, I just plain forgot to get any, I need to purchse something tomorrow. I see both soluble and insoluble are fine, any suggestions for the most optimal product(s) found in garden centers. I will be growing mostly winter sowed annual flowers and veggies.

You'll not likely find micronutrient supplements per se in garden centers. Your best bet is to look for a fertilizer blend that suits your plant material and contains the minor elements. Fish/seaweed emulsions & preparations like "Earthjuice" are said to be rich in micronutrients as well.

Good luck.

Al

This may be a regional product but Medina (known here in Texas for quality fert with an organic or organic base is now offering 5 pound bags of micronutients. (I wish scotts would do this with micromax:(. I just started getting it for my garden center and my customers and feel that it can function for containers or for ground applications quite well. The mix has (reading directly from the label.

nitrogen 1%
calcium 2%
magnesium 1%
sulfer 3%
copper 1%
iron 5%
manganese 0.5%
zinc 2%
This product is mined from a rich zone of clay deposits located in Mexico. Used with an n-p-k program will provide all the nutrients for an optimal soil fertility program.
It goes on to say that the nitrogen is from ammonium sulfate, zinc is derived form zinc sulfate, iron, magnesium, calcium are derived from fuller clay, other micronutients are derived from montmorillonite clay.

Not wanting to hijack this thread and I will post this as its own if this would be better for feedback? The labeling doesn't do a good job with volumes needed based on cubic feet or yards like Micromax but other than boron seems to have the micros down pretty well. I am a little concerned the copper is a little high in relation to others micros and it is untested from personal experience as of yet but I do think it is a consumer level micro package that would work for containers and landscape applications with some testing to decide best levels for the mixes recommended and used by growers on this forum. What say you!
Happy Growing David.
P.S. I am using it on a variety of potted up containers this spring did several yesterday but it will in most cases be a while before I can say how it is working for me so I would suggest this as an idea to be tried but as yet unproven. I am using it at 1/4 cup to 4 CF of media .I do know lots of folks that swear by medina products so I am testing myself to see how it works for me.
I am retailing it at $9.99 which is expensive relative to micromax but who uses 50 lbs of micronutrients in a year or even two except larger production nurseries and maybe a few larger landscapers

FWIW:

Micromax:
Iron (FE) 16%
Magnesium (Mg) (Total) 3.0%
Manganese (Mn) (Total) 2.5%
Copper (Cu) 1.0%
Zinc (Zn) 1.0%
Boron (B) 0.1%
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.05%
Calcium (Ca) 5.0%
Sulfur (S) 12.0%

Al

Al and other forum patrons
I think it has possibilities. What do you think over all? The calcium, sulfer, and magnesium can easily be added in other forms (gypsum, dolomitic lime, epsom salts as examples) and as mentioned earlier using seaweed and fish emulsion offer good micronutient values, but the manganese and zinc are harder for the avarage joe gardener to get. I do use gypsum, alfalfa pellets, greensand, and rocket fuel (a mix of rock phos, bat guano, brewers yeast, greensand) as part of my regular potting regime so I offer the plants multiple slow and quicker forms of secondary and micronutrients already. What I am looking for with the addition of this medina product (Mezfer Crown makes it for Medina, is a easily incorporated micro package for the average gardener that isn't into all the complexities and subtle interaction of these micros for their plants health and/or bloom cycles. I haven't used micromax for many years because I can't justify the 50 lb bag expense and storage issues. I also seek some simplifcation to the mixes I use and look at this as a possible option. I will continue to mix certain things in such as alfalfa because I can't think of any single product that offers so much to plants at such a small expense and I use it throughout my property to feed the soil and help bloom my plants without disrupting the microherd in the soil. Container growing as has been mentioned is inherently more challenging to do organically but I do utilize it as a major portion of my growing technique. Usually osmocote is the only chemical I use in my containered plants, as at least it is not going to leach too fast plus it ferts during wet periods when a soluable would be less than desirable.
Searching for answers as is anyone that cares about their plants and then trys to share ideas with others when something works or seems worthy of exploration. This forum has been a wealth of information and I have gleaned many useful concepts and ideas from it these last several months. I would like to thank you all for your ideas and input as this is how all get better at what we love beyond our own little part of the world we live in:) Thanks for sharing:)
Happy Growing David

I've always used Neptune's Harvest fish/seeweed mix with good results, but as I check the label there is no mention of micro nutrients. For whatever reason I always thought they contained minor elements.

Minor elements means the same thing as micro nutrients. They are also called trace minerals. ;-)

rhizo I understand that and agree, what I was saying is the NeptuneÂs Harvest fish and seaweed label only lists major nutrients, I thought and probably never read the label that it contained trace elements but I guess it does not.

BTW, I have a package of Vigiro non-soluable rose food that contains several minor elements along with the three majors, sorry cannot remember the major elements ratio. Any reason it can't be used for other plants. I realize certain plants have certain needs and this is geared toward a roses needs, but if it has both major and minor nutrients why not use it on other plants.

Rich, Neptune's does contain the minors, they aren't on the label because they didn't have any way to standardize a natural product (I presume). Their fish emulsion/seaweed combo has even more of each minor.

To be confident, why not shoot them an email?

There is no way to standardize the quanities of micro-minor-trace elements in fish or seaweed is true. The company would also have to pay to prove the amount that are in it to claim that it is in it. Labeling laws are skewed toward chemical precise formulas not for organics that can and always will be variable to some degree. Seaweed contains some amount of almost every element know to man and many of these science hasn't through scientific method proven and or understand how it relates to plant or human health for that matter.
Rich as to the rose food: I have used all kinds of "plant food" for all kind of other plant and had very workable results. I tell my customers all the time to not pay attention directly to who and what any company "claims" there particular product is made for. Learn to read the small print o the back and compare the nutrients ratio as well as type of chemical form it is derived from and you will better far better of than buying something based on that it says for (fill in the blank) This is almost pure marketing with very little in real truth to it. Yes I know there are at least grains of truth but that is it just grains. Give me a tomato and I will produce great tomatoes from rose, citrus, flower, or almost any other food the company wants to claim it is good for. Can you optimize production from using a type designed for that use maybe but not the average gardener. Are there better "plant foods" based on soil or media content no doubt about it but there is so much more to plant nutrition than any one company will cover or be practical. Highly organic soil/media will allow certain elements to be adsorbed or absorbed at differnent quantities by the plant or the media. Same is true for a sandy soil/media that it will adsorb or absorb at a different rate. Acid or alkaline media the same is true.
Use the rose food on almost any other plant and I bet it will do just fine. Use it exclusively on any given plant, rose included and it may become toxic or lack given optimum levels for that given plant at some point in the future.
I hope some of this makes sense and give anyone reading some plant food for thought:)
Happy Growing David