Your garden-variety general purpose fert (15-15-15) is fine for Crassula ovata - I use it in a 1/4 ratio. OTOH, many folks never fertilize or rarely do so. Diluting the fert ensures that not too much (particularly nitrogen) gets to the plant at once. Miracle-Gro is fine for these plants, but there are a number of others, too.I would also use it only during the growth season.

I use Schultz foliage food 10-10-10. This works great for me. I dilute it to about half for my growing plants and about 3/4 for my seedlings and cuttings. I have had a positive response with this mixture. I have been told the tomatoe food is a good fert for C/S as well but I have yet to experiment with it. Its more about the chemical breakdown than the brand or what its for. I have also heard of people using blooming ferts for the C/S but well diluted. Too much nitrogen is a general fear when fertilizing C/S but I imagine that the bark in the mix will leach extra nitrogen and the micro-organisms will take of the rest in the decomposition of the soil. But Im no expert:)
steve

The "high nitrogen for succulents is bad" thing is probably a myth, an urban legend.

A recent study, I believe at UCLA but I'm not sure, demonstrated that the ideal N:P:K ratio is 3:1:2

There is no good evidence that nitrogen is for growth, phosphorus is for flowers and potassium is for roots, or any other generalization like that. It is a very simplistic thing to make those kinds of statements.

All the nutrients need to be present for healthy growth and flowering, along with micronutrients. Succulent soils in habitat may be lacking high organics, but they are generally very rich in minerals. Every time there is a storm, lots of nitrogen is created by lightning.

One needs to be careful not to overdo it, but a well balanced nutrient regimen works very well for most succulents. High light intensity and ample wind will give your plants the character you desire, along with the proper nutrition.

I use a well-balanced but diluted slow release fertilizer with micronutrients. I also supplement with small additional amounts of Magnesium and occasionally Calcium. I also water occasionally with Algoflash, a liquid feed with micronutrients. This works for me.

x

I agree completely with xerophyte. C&S are no different than most other plants in their nutrient requirements. A 3:1:2 ratio should meet their needs quite well. That said, the ratio may not be that important since we are usually fertilizing at fairly low levels. The excessive P and K in a more common 1:1:1 formula probably won't hurt anything as long as you are leaching the soil by allowing it to drain thoroughly. I would, however, look for a fertilizer that has all the secondary (Ca, Mg, S) and minor nutrients as well, which can be a bit hard to find.

I think the simplest answer is to order a bottle of Dyna-Gro's Foliage Pro 9-3-6. It has all the necessary plant nutrients in a proper ratio. You can google it to find the best price. I got a quart size bottle for $13.70 recently, but you may find it for $11-12 if you look a little further.

There are, of course, plenty of people that grow large jades with absurd bloom formulas or without any fertilizer at all, but a complete 3:1:2 formula will give you the best results in theory, if not in practice.

Here's a thread with excellent information on fertilizer selection if you haven't seen it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fertilizer Program for Containerized Plants

I thought i read somewhere that the nitrogen warnig was a myth but was too afraid to test otherwise. As far as the simplifing what the phosphorus and potassim did...guilty.

X, If I might ask, what slow release do you use?
steve

re: "the ideal N:P:K ratio is 3:1:2"
Really? I've always thought that it was 1:2:1....

As for the comment "Every time there is a storm, lots of nitrogen is created by lightning," I had never heard that, so I Googled it. Apparently, that is half right. Nitrogen is not exactly created by lightning, but nitrogen oxides are. Nitrogen needs the high temperatures and pressures created by lightning to combine with oxygen to form nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide. To continue from the page where I found that: "Eventually nitrogen dioxide may react with water in rain to form nitric acid, HNO3. The nitrates thus formed may be utilized by plants as a nutrient."

Here's a link to the site where I found that.

I seem to learn someting new nearly every time I log into GardenWeb. :-)

plant junkie, I use Osmocote Plus 3-4 month formulation. It also comes in 5-6 month and 9+ months, but the long lasting ones end up being harmful during dormancy since you cannot leach the substrates of the fertilizer salts.

The granules are difficult to administer into small pots. In those cases I favor the liquid feed.

oklahoma tim, these forums do a good job of dispelling myths so that our hobby can progress with legitimate growing advice and techniques. I try to contribute when I can.

x

What I have heard on this subject is this: One reason why the Midwest of the USA had been considered the 'breadbasket of the world' is due to tornados. Tornados perform a vital role in tilling the soil. I had also heard that rain storms generated by tornados is nitrogen rich which in turn acts as Nature's plant fertilizer. I probably got that from the Discovery channel.

LOL!! Sage, I gotta say that tornados tilling our soil sounds funny. Ok - it probably sounds like they're a regular occurance when hundreds happen each summer. But I've lived here my ENTIRE life (ok, let me qualify - 47 of my 51 years...) and have yet to see one. And I grew up on an Iowa farm, where you'd think I surely would have seen one at some point if they were out "tillin' the soil" on a regular basis... So no, I don't think that has anything to do with it. It's the fact that we have black, rich soil here. However, you ARE right about the rain thing. After a rain, everything looks so outstandingly green, it makes my eyes feel yummy. And that applies to my potted plants. WOW...nothing like lightening to charge the rain with nitrogen. And I have to add that there is something about rainwater - if we go into a rainy spell, where potted plants are getting rained on every day, with the exception of a few, my succulents can take it. Not just take it, but look fabulous! Amazing!

But I'll add here that I use Eleanor's VF-11 these days on ALL my plants. It's more of a mineral boost than a fertilizer, and they all do fabulously. Haven't used anything else in a few years...

Denise in Omaha

I don't fertilize my succulents, but I did toss a few Osmocote pellets
into test containers (with Jades that I could stand to lose). So far, no
ill effect seems to have resulted - and, if I recall, I think Randy mentioned
Osmocote, and he grows some of the best Jades I've ever seen (and fast!).

I did *once* fertilize a Jade with Fish Emulsion...and it sure
seemed like it turned the leaves yellow. After a few waterings, the color
returned to normal. I'm careful with water, and I recognize the "dormancy"
that Jades experience during the peak heat of summer. Since then, I've not
fertilized my Jades with anything high in nitrogen, and I haven't had that problem
return.

Josh