Hi Jack:

I fertilize - always and never.
How that?!
I simply add a little quantity of liquid fertilizer to every watering can (1000 ppm = 1mL/L lukewarm water) every time.
With that addition I just egalize the imbalance of the qualitative mineral content of the tap water (essentially and in relevant quantitiees, respectively - only Ca++, Mg++ and SO4-- or - in other words I just substitute the missing minerals which the water does not contain itself - by the fertilizer, mainly NO3+, K+, and H2PO4-.

You can apply this revalued water preparation even on freshly planted bulbs.

Hans-Werner

Hi Jack! Yes this is the time to fertilize them when they are actively growing. Actually, I start fertilizing my bulbs once leaves start to show up but very mildly though. I only use half of the recommended dose of the fertilizer every time I water them. Just being careful to not to overfertilize them and burning roots. Just like us, they need their regular dose of nutrients or vitamins.

Hi Hans& Mariava7
I think that only you could figure out the percentage of fertilizer to use AFTER one has their water tested for
mineral content, that's too deep for me.:>((..
I will have to be content with the fertilizers that are
sold locally, and as Maria has suggested cut back the
percentage of fertilizer till we can get them outside.
One thing I DID do, was repot these flowering plants into
10 inch pots, with the idea of eventually repotting into
a 18 inch pot in the future.
I see many on this forum are also using fertilizer with
a high middle number,with success,even though the concentration
is cut back, middle # is still high, but as long as they keep on flowering,we hope in the long run that we are not
causing any harm to our bulbs.
Hope to find more suitable fertilizer when the summer stock
arrives...Thanks Hans & Maria.....:>) Have great weekend..
Jack
PS Hans, how about 1 mm fertlizer whatever I have to 1 litre of H2O every time I water???

Rosegrower, i only have and use one fertilizer with my roses and Amaryllis. It's a 10-60-10 ...talking about high middle #... It's suppose to have both micro and macro nutrients and having only Ammoniacal Nitrogen, no Urea Nitrogen. Why so? I have read before that if you are using a soilless potting mix, urea based nitrogen is useless to the plant because this kind of nitrogen needs the help of soil bacterias before it can be available to the plants. I successfully raised thousands of African Violets using soilless potting mix before following these. My fertilizer brand...Schultz.

Hi Maria:
I defer to you as you apparently know more about Nitrogen than I do....Thought Nitrogen was just that.
Didnt know that there was different Nitrogen for different
soil mixes...
As to the high middle #, refer to Hans recommendation
of a 6 3 6 proportion for proper fertilizer for Amaryllis.
Here fertilizers such as you use, and 10 52 10 are used
as plant starters for a month or two.
Have great weekend ...Jack

Thats right rosegrower, fertilizers with high middle #s are very good for starter plants too. The middle # is for blooms and roots. I avoid getting different kinds of fertilizers, I don't have that much time to make different kinds of fertilizer mixes specially when spring comes. So far that fertilizer worked for me thats why I stuck with it. I use the 30-30-30 though with my non blooming plants.

I just checked Miracle Gro All Purpose Plant Food: 24-8-16.

Since my last post in this thread, I have tried other fertilizers (both organic and inorganic) with different formulas except Miracle Gro. So far, the amaryllises loved it. I should get one of that Miracle Gro and try it. Thanks for the tip Soultan.

For bulbous plants, the Nitrogen content of 24% is too high in relation to Phosphorous and potassium ;)
This is a fertilizer for leaf plants ;)

Hehe. The package says for flowering plants. Maybe not for bulbous... I am starting to go cuckoo here... I want to sleep!

Now I'm confused all over again!

I have several types of fertilizers, and a bottle of Superthrive.

I have:
Osmocote 19-6-12 Slow Release
Schultz AV Plus 8-14-9
Miracle Gro 8-7-6
Fish Emulsion 2-4-0.5
Schultz Bloom Plus 10-54-10

Which is best? I know that plants, all plants, go through different growth phases throughout the year... and probably require, or use, different amounts of different nutrients at certain times...

So... overall, which would be the better set of NPK numbers to use for most of the year? Or is it not that simple?

I have baby bulbs, adult bulbs just beginning to flower, and adult bulbs slowing growth for winter rest... I also have a couple of recuperating bulbs that need to grow new root systems...

Clearly, I need to dive headfirst into researching how plants intake nutrients and which nutrients they intake at what growth stages... this is starting to feel like "work"!

My concern is that if I use the wrong fertilizer, I might hurt my bulbs, and I don't want to do that... (sigh)

Input regarding my fertilizer list would be welcomed!

None of your fertilizers is good for bulbs which need a lot of Potassium (3rd number)

Schultz's formula, extremely hig in phosphorous is in my eyes simply a joke.

Something with the basic relations of approximately 1.5 : 1 : 2 can be regarded as well balanced. It is realized for example in the formula which Veronica from GB recommended, a Phostrogen formula of 14:10:17

IF someone here is capable of raising seedlings of knight star lilies into the blooomable stage in a high percentage (>70%) within a time span of less than 3 y while using one or a mixture of the above, imho inappropriate formulas, for example that miraculous Miracle Grow - then I shall be convinced that these are NOT inappropriate. BUT, in the meantime I continue using Substral Pflanzennahrung (6:3:6; liquid) Hakaphos spezial (16:8:22; solid)...
and, SOMETIMES Wuxal (8-8-6; liquid;) because it contains some Vitamin B1 (Thiaminepyrophosphate)

Vitamin B1...At least we got that right Jodic with Superthrive...LOL!

I wish it were as easy as going to the local store and grabbing a bottle or box of the stuff Sir Hans recommends... but I don't think I'll find any German fertilizers on the shelf!! :-)

Are you familiar with any American product that would be close to your recommendation? I'll check out the local garden center first... they seem to have a long shelf of different products that I haven't, as yet, looked at.

If I can find the products you use on the internet, I might be able to order them... I will do some checking...

And thank you, kind Sir, for all your help! :-)

Well, Maria... at least we've been giving them their vitamins! :-)

I am taking Vitamin B myself. Maybe it is not B1, but B neverthelesds... Good. At least I am covered if I turn green.

It's probably a B-Complex, Soultan... you need that for energy... but don't take it if you have high blood pressure!

I don't. I am quite healthy. Every doctor tells me so. I am taking Super B Complex.

That's good... I'm glad to hear you're in good health! I take a B-Complex every day, along with Echinacea, Glucosamine Chondroitin CSA, purified Fish Oil, and a Woman's one-a-day from Optimum Nutrition.

I don't have blood pressure issues, either... just Lupus, which makes my immune system about useless! Larry has blood pressure issues, although, if he sticks with the Optimum Nutrition program he's on, it stays fairly normal and he doesn't have to take a prescription blood pressure medication. It's pretty amazing what certain vitamins and minerals can do for you, health-wise!

I am having an idea about fertilizer and am interested in your input. How about hibiscus fertilizer? Based on the Hans' 1.5:1:2, and Veronica Read's 14:10:27 (I was able to borrow that book from my state horticultural society!) I found a hibiscus fertilizer that is 18:10:28 and am thinking I may do an experiment. A concern I have is pH, apparently hibiscus like a somewhat lower pH however the fertilizer didn't mention it and I haven't found info on the pH hippeastrum prefer. Could I assume tropicals are similar in pH desires? If anyone has any ideas on this I would certainly appreciate your input. Thanks in advance.

Salpal - I don't know about PH, but the 18-10-28 fertilizer is closer than anything else I've seen lately... I'm going to look for Hibiscus fertilizer next time I'm in town... that just could be the ticket! Thanks for mentioning that!