I use Foliage Pro as well and use a gallon jug to make my fertilizer mix. I put in about 1/4 tsp. per each gallon I make. I don't remember what the recommendations are on the label but I think I remember I was doing it at half strength.

-Erica

When you measure a quarter teaspoon do you use measuring spoons?

I use a medicine cup...the kind for taking cough medicine, et cetera. For succulents, I use 1/4 strength, which is 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water.

Full strength measured in your watering can would be 1.3 teaspoons Foliage Pro.

1/4 strength for your watering can would be .325 teaspoons.

Josh

Great idea thanks.

You can buy dispensing syringes (no sharps) from eBay for extremely cheap. I use the 5mL size for fertilizer measurements.

One day I'll have to get my hands on some foliage pro and check the EC for different concentrations. Just wish it wasn't so hard to get/$$ in Canada.

I do use measuring spoons. I have a set just to keep with my plant supplies.

I really like Foliage Pro. I got it because it was highly recommended by members here for succulents in gritty mix.

-Erica

Check at nearby pharmacies. They normally have children's oral dosing syringes and will probably just give you one.

Nicholas - Technically they aren't supposed to (in Canada at least), but I never had a pharmacist say no.

Just when I need a couple they look at/ask me suspiciously what they are for. It's awkward and embarrassing, but I'm sure your local pharmacists vary!!

The larger (50mL+) ones with Luer lock stainless dispensing tips are great for watering small plants (aka expensive Haworthia and Mesembs).

You can buy a 10ml/2tsp syringe at CVS. Walmart has Safety 1st syringes marked down right now - 2 syringes for 81 cents. So they aren't expensive.

I had a syringe for my son when he was a baby. It came with the medicine.

So - is it really critical to measure this precisely? I am still using MG fertilizer (I have a lot of it since my hubby bought it at Sam's!) I'm usually in the ballpark, but I know I am not as accurate as y'all are talking.

Mayo,

I bought Foliage Pro off Amazon.ca last winter, it was inexpensive, especially since a little goes a long way!

Crenda - I don't think it's very critical on precisely measuring fertilizer out. As long as you're fairly consistent and the levels aren't too high, I don't see any harming out of it.

The biggest advantage of syringes is really making it easier to extract from the bottle and not spilling it everywhere when you use a spoon/tiny measurement cup.

Breton - Thanks for the heads up! I'll take a look.

Ah - Thanks, ewwmayo!

Eww, I'm not sure of Canada law but there's no law about it here that I'm aware of. I hand them out all the time. Keep in mind these are oral syringes not ones with neeldles. The ones with needles are up to the pharmacist if they are comfortable selling over the counter.

Super precise measuring is not essential for most plants/crops. When I fertilize my Citrus and peppers, I'll use 2 teaspoons per gallon occasionally, especially at the beginning of the season.

For succulents, though, I would rather err on the side of caution and use a weaker dose more frequently.

Josh

I started out measure things quite accurately, but now I usually wing it.

It was probably harder because when starting out, I did not know the exact amount per gallon.

So I got those liquid droppers you get from CVS, measure out how many drops is per teaspoon (about 5 drops) and tablespoon (about 10 drops) add them into a used poland springs gallon bottle, then fill it up with tap water.

Pretty straight forward, but I always make sure to refill with fresh tap water, as water sitting in the bottle too long have little oxygen content in it, and doesn't flush the roots as well.

Hope this helps.

Drops per teaspoon and tablespoon can vary depending on the viscosity of the liquid. I know with things like eye drops and ear drops you can get about 15 drops per ml. But fertilizer is probably quite a bit thicker since it's a suspension.

Here are some useful conversions for anyone that's interested:
Teaspoon = 5ml
Tablespoon = 15ml
Ounce = 29.57 (always rounded to 30ml)
Pint = 473ml (usually rounded up to 480ml)
Gallon = 3785ml

Easy math to figure out proper amounts of fertilizer:
If you're using 1 teaspoon per 1 gallon of water but aren't using a full gallon just use 5x ÷ 3785 where x is the amount of water you're using in ml. (answer will be in ml of fertilizer to add to your water)

I'm sure the majority of you know the above information already but maybe someone will find it useful :)

Nicholas, perhaps I've been under fertilizing.. but I've always assumed 1 drop as 1 ml. Lol

And when I see white deposits on my pots, I know I'm fertilizing too much..

Bernard

Better under- than over-fertilizing...as Josh said above. Unless you want succulents on steroids :) I am guilty of not fertilizing at all :(

Rina

I have, for some reason, saved all the droppers from previous fertilizers. I measured a dropperful once and determined it to be half of recommended dose for 2 liters, which is my favorite watering can size. The dropper doesn't screw onto the little jug of foliage pro, damn, but it makes my watering/ fertilizing life easy and measure free. I'm sure there would be a way to drill an appropriate hole in the jug's lid to seat the dropper, but I haven't tackled that just yet. I usually do 2/3 of the dropper (which is 1/2 recommended strength at the whole dropper) every 3rd watering which I perform a few days early to prevent burn.

Bernard, you could be getting a full ml from each drop or at least close to it. Fertilizer is much thicker than pharmaceuticals, which is where that rule comes from. And it also depends greatly on the dropper being used. Larger openings create larger drops, think of it like the soak setting vs the mist setting on a hose.

No matter your method of measuring, if it works, stick with it.