I buy them from a wholesale greenhouse/nursery supplier on the west side of MI (Commerce Corporation, Grand Rapids). They have their own delivery truck & I also get Turface from them by the pallet.

I need the Fe chelate because my high pH irrigation water makes Fe & Mn marginally unavailable. It comes in powder form in 5 lb jugs for around $90. The STEM comes only in 50 lb bags & is around $80. Both will last for a long, long time.

I find that by using the blend I mentioned and varying the solution strength while combining with 0-0-3 ProTeKt, I have all the versatility I need to formulate fertilizer solutions for different plants & varying conditions. The 0-0-3 ProTeKt with silicon is very good at hardening plants to adverse cultural conditions like heat, cold, over/under watering, insects, and fungi.

Al

Al: For those of us who don't have the wonderful brain cells you have, is there an all-around simple solution to the fertilizer question? If you have already answered that, can you point me to it? Thanks!

This might be helpful: Fertilizer Program for Containerized Plants
If you have specific questions, I'll try to answer. Dyna-Gro makes a very good fertilizer that has all the nutrients, including micro-nutrients, in a 9-3-6 formula (which is a 3:1:2 ratio). It's called Foliage-Pro. Miracle-Gro makes soluble fertilizers in the 3:1:2 ratio, too. 24-8-16 granular and 12-4-8 liquid are both very good for trees. You'll understand more after you follow the link & read the thread it takes you to.

Al