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The staff at the local garden center tend to be minimum wage employees and they don't know squat about gardening, what to use, or how to prune a fruit tree. they have been hired because they are strong enough to tote around heavy potted plants. I wouldn't take their advice on anything and seriously recommend that you decline their offer to prune your bare root fruit tree for you.
There is nothing particularly wrong with Miracle Grow, except it is high priced. If it has the nitrogen balance that you want, it is just as good as any other commercial fertilizer.
I don't like commercial potting soils because they tend to be very heavy on the peat moss. Raising anything in a pot using peat moss just makes your job a lot more difficult. but as far as commercial potting soils, I think it is better than the cheaper brands.
If it has the nitrogen balance that you want, it is just as good as any other commercial fertilizer.
What's the balance that you like? for your soil and your fertilizer?
For fertilizer I've seen:
espoma 4-12-0.....MG 24-8-10.....Osmocote19-6-12....10-10-10......Organics Mechanics 4-6-4...RootBlast 2-1-2
And of course there are many many more.
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Miracle Grow, except it is high priced.
High priced? It's cheaper than anything I've seen at the organic market.
I think Miracle Grow high priced, too, although for us, probably a lot of the cost is in the shipping to get it here.
We now have a hutch of bunny rabbits to provide fertilizer for us. 100% organic, the plants really thrive on it and there are so many earthworms now it is amazing. The bunnies eat the weeds pulled out of the garden as well as the carrot tops and other plant parts we don't want and in turn feed the garden. Best gardening tip I have is get a few bunnies. Or friends with bunnies and get manure from them if you can. They might sell it dried, too, perhaps? Wouldn't adding commercial versions of manure be better than some sort of chemicals?
The folks around here who grow coffee get real persnickety about "micro-nutrients" and not just the three main numbers on fertilizer packages. A lot of them add composted macadamia nut husks around their orchards, too. Although, again, we may be in some sort of special situation due to shipping distances to get commercial fertilizers here. Between the cost of fertilizer going up several years ago along with increased shipping rates, the use of commercial chemical fertilizers dropped significantly. At least, that's what I hear from the coffee growers.
This exact quote comes from a seller of organic products which in turn was word for word what someone posted in a garden web forum posting (with no credit to the original) much like some of the outlandish claims made here on a regular basis.
I wrote that that particular excerpt came from another gardening forum. No one said it was a claim. The idea was up for discussion, which is why I posted it. Re-read my post.
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The garden store sales associate was a moron and shouldn't be allowed to give any advice.
That garden store sales associate works for a well reputed CA garden store chain, whose sales associates are all well trained. It's not some fly by night place or the garden center of a big box store like Kmart.
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In hotter areas impatiens may also grow rapidly getting spindly looking when it stays really hot in midsummer. Impatiens look delicate but they are pretty resilient in the right place. Simple cutting back will usually result in improved plants within 2 weeks, especially if it is over fertilizing that caused the problem and you have stopped.
The "leggy" problem had nothing to do with heat or cutting back the stems. And they hadn't been fertilized in months. That's why I posted the problem.
I think Miracle Grow high priced, too, although for us, probably a lot of the cost is in the shipping to get it here.
We now have a hutch of bunny rabbits to provide fertilizer for us. 100% organic, the plants really thrive on it and there are so many earthworms now it is amazing. The bunnies eat the weeds pulled out of the garden as well as the carrot tops and other plant parts we don't want and in turn feed the garden. Best gardening tip I have is get a few bunnies. Or friends with bunnies and get manure from them if you can. They might sell it dried, too, perhaps? Wouldn't adding commercial versions of manure be better than some sort of chemicals?
The folks around here who grow coffee get real persnickety about "micro-nutrients" and not just the three main numbers on fertilizer packages. A lot of them add composted macadamia nut husks around their orchards, too. Although, again, we may be in some sort of special situation due to shipping distances to get commercial fertilizers here. Between the cost of fertilizer going up several years ago along with increased shipping rates, the use of commercial chemical fertilizers dropped significantly. At least, that's what I hear from the coffee growers.
Micronutrients are critically important to all plants. I think there are nine of them, and a deficiency in any one of them will cause a plant to suffer. That is called the "Law of the Minimum" in horticulture. Fortunately, most soils contain adequate amounts of most micronutrients. I think the one most commonly added by gardeners is iron.
What's the balance that you like? for your soil and your fertilizer?
For fertilizer I've seen:
espoma 4-12-0.....MG 24-8-10.....Osmocote19-6-12....10-10-10......Organics Mechanics 4-6-4...RootBlast 2-1-2
And of course there are many many more.
High priced? It's cheaper than anything I've seen at the organic market.
After soil testing, if the soil is not deficient and needing specialized additives:
The best ratio is 3-1-2, in any multiples, with added trace minerals.. I buy 9-3-6 for my potted plants. However, you will find that fertilizers with that balance are expensive. My Foliage Pro for my precious potted plants is close to $50 a gallon, by the time I pay for shipping.
For my outdoor plants, they get 12-12-12 time release with added trace mineral. $17 for a 50 pound bag at the farm supply store. I have some expensive stuff for my best flower collection, and the blueberries get a fertilizer for acid loving plants, plus additional sulfur.
If you are a plant nerd, you actually change the ratios of the fertilizer, depending upon what you are growing. I don't go that far. Generalized fertilizers have always worked well enough for me. But I am not growing to compete at the county fair (at least not with my plants. I enter my poultry)
Miracle Grow is a chemical fertilizer, so you compare its price to similar quality chemical fertilizers. It's high priced. You pay for all that advertising.
Organic fertilizers are not chemical fertilizers and all the organic certification is expensive to maintain. You pay through the nose for organic fertilizers. Many organic gardeners produce their own fertilizers because they are so expensive to purchase.
After soil testing, if the soil is not deficient and needing specialized additives:
The best ratio is 3-1-2, in any multiples, with added trace minerals.. I buy 9-3-6 for my potted plants. However, you will find that fertilizers with that balance are expensive. My Foliage Pro for my precious potted plants is close to $50 a gallon, by the time I pay for shipping.
For my outdoor plants, they get 12-12-12 time release with added trace mineral. $17 for a 50 pound bag at the farm supply store. I have some expensive stuff for my best flower collection, and the blueberries get a fertilizer for acid loving plants, plus additional sulfur.
If you are a plant nerd, you actually change the ratios of the fertilizer, depending upon what you are growing. I don't go that far. Generalized fertilizers have always worked well enough for me. But I am not growing to compete at the county fair (at least not with my plants. I enter my poultry)
Miracle Grow is a chemical fertilizer, so you compare its price to similar quality chemical fertilizers. It's high priced. You pay for all that advertising.
Organic fertilizers are not chemical fertilizers and all the organic certification is expensive to maintain. You pay through the nose for organic fertilizers. Many organic gardeners produce their own fertilizers because they are so expensive to purchase.
Lots of wisdom here. I'm glad there are a few thoughtful people left.
Plant nerd yes, not for competing though, just because I care about my plants looking healthy. I do a soil test and then decide what is needed. I also use different fertilizers for different plants because they all grow differently and have different needs. I won't make the mistake again and try and explain that. For people don't want to work much to understand it any simple all purpose balanced fertilizer (all 3 numbers are close or the same) generally will be alright. For plants grown for food I lean to a balanced fertilizer that is organic if it can be purchased. This is after amendments have been incorporated and a soil test made.
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Originally Posted by CA4Now
I wrote that that particular excerpt came from another gardening forum. No one said it was a claim. The idea was up for discussion, which is why I posted it. Re-read my post.
I discussed it, even though there was no invitation to "discuss." It was not based on fact no matter that 2 other people beside you copied and pasted it verbatim without attributes or checking facts. If you prefer it to the truth please go right ahead. Take a microbiology course or two, as I have, and you can learn how hard it would be to sterilize any soil using far harsher products.
That garden store sales associate works for a well reputed CA garden store chain, whose sales associates are all well trained. It's not some fly by night place or the garden center of a big box store like Kmart.
Please let me know what their training consists of and how long. I'd like to go to the same university to get additional credentials in the field of horticulture since my degrees are surely lacking when compared to a sales associate. I stand by my first assessment if that was the entirety of what the highly educated sales associate said. If you prefer his or her advice by all means keep going back for it. I really don't care if you listen to anything I have to say, it isn't my garden and I don't have to look at the result.
The "leggy" problem had nothing to do with heat or cutting back the stems. And they hadn't been fertilized in months. That's why I posted the problem.
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My Impatiens were very "leggy" after using Miracle Gro last year and I asked the staff at the nursery about it. They said that Miracle Gro is like a steroid for plants and they discouraged the use of it. So now I'll have to find something else; they recommended an organic product.
The above is a direct quote about your problem that was made by you. Nothing mentioned about not fertilizing, in fact you said it was after using Miracle Gro last year. Either you fertilized too much or not enough and caused the problem but it can't be both. The single most common reason for leggy impatiens is too much fertilizer. Too frequent applications of the fertilizer, especially if it provides a lot of nitrogen can and will cause leggy impatiens. They usually form many stems and even some big leaves but very few flowers when they get too much nitrogen. Other causes can be watering changes and high heat. The shearing advice is what you can do to shorten them and allow them to grow in from the bottom and usually the additional advice is to stop fertilizing them when you sheer them down. The real process is far more complicated than that and I'd explain it in depth to you; explaining about the uptake of minerals, chloroplast formation, hormone changes and so on in this process but then I would be accused of writing too much.
Please let me know what their training consists of and how long. I'd like to go to the same university to get additional credentials in the field of horticulture since my degrees are surely lacking when compared to a sales associate. I stand by my first assessment if that was the entirety of what the highly educated sales associate said. If you prefer his or her advice by all means keep going back for it. I really don't care if you listen to anything I have to say, it isn't my garden and I don't have to look at the result.
Okay...
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The above is a direct quote about your problem that was made by you. Nothing mentioned about not fertilizing, in fact you said it was after using Miracle Gro last year.
Do you like to argue with people? Last year = several months ago.
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Either you fertilized too much or not enough but it can't be both. The single most common reason for leggy impatiens is too much fertilizer.
Around here when impatiens get too leggy we just mow them shorter. Gotta watch out, though, that all the cut off pieces don't root and grow or you end up with impatiens all over the place. I kinda like them, but they can get overwhelming sometimes.
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