Hi again queenskitchen! The cheapest I've found it online is on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Scotts-279010-Osmocote-Purpose-4-5-Pound/dp/B0011VM3T8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364590751&sr=8-1&keywords=osmocote+plus

The Scotts website has a store locator that might help: http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/osmocote-plus-multi-purpose-plant-food/prod140020/

Last time I had True Value hardware order it for me, but I don't see it listed online anymore. Maybe call your local branch and see if they still carry it? Let me know if you find it, I'm also looking for it.

hello to you all.
i was at home depot and i found osmocote plant food in a green cap bottle and jugs.i am not quite sure how much is it but it is around the same price of amazon.at least you will save the shipping.
i seen it also in Lowes bay ridge.most the nurseries and garden center i checked has them.

I was able to order it online through Ace Hardware and have it delivered to a local store at no charge. The price was better than Amazon. Note that the Osmocote most big box stores sell is not the Plus version, which is the only one I know of that has all trace elements plus calcium and magnesium.

ohiofem-thankx for making that clear i always wondered what is the difference between the different kinds of osmocote.
wouldnt it be the same if you supply Ca and Mg through egg shells or lime and epsom salt for the Mg?

The Plus version has 15-9-12 NPK (a 5-3-4 ratio), plus calcium and magnesium in the correct proportion to one another, and also 7 other trace minerals in the correct proportion to one another. And it lasts longer than most controlled release fertilizers. If you make your own potting mix and use dolomite lime, you may not need the extra calcium in your fertilizer, but you do need the other trace elements. Many fertilizers, including most other osmocote formulas, do not supply them. And forget the egg shells. It has been proven that they don't break down to a form plants can use in the ground or in containers.

Foliage Pro soluble fertilizer does supply all the same nutrients in the right proportion. It also is difficult to find and costs more than many other choices. I use both on my tomatoes in containers and think the improved results are worth the price.

I just ordered foliage pro but wanted osmocote too for when it rains a lot and I am not watering with FP. The plus is orange cap I think

Are you guys sure that Ace has Osmocote Plus? I just did a search on their website and all that comes up is regular Osmacote?

I worked at an ACE Hardware for several years. We were able to order just about anything for customers, and I don't recall ever charging extra. Consult the ACE catalogues and have them order in the product.

Josh

I definitely ordered it twice last summer, but I cant find it on their website now. Josh is right about the many things they can order for you if you ask in the store. I've even gotten pine bark fines from them. Another option, if you need a lot, is a gardening wholesale outlet. BFG Supply in the Midwest and northeast carries 50 pound bags for $100. That amount would last me two or three seasons. I'm tempted. I've bought other stuff from one in my area. They don't cater to individuals, but they will sell at a discount if you show up at the warehouse.

Here is a link that might be useful: BFG supply locations

Osmocote plus analysis:
TOTAL NITROGEN (N)*â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦..15.0%
Ammoniacal Nitrogenâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.7.0%
Nitrate Nitrogenâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦8.0%
AVAILABLE PHOSPHATE (P2O5)*â¦...â¦9.0%
SOLUBLE POTASH (K2O)â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦...12.0%
MAGNESIUM (Mg)*â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦..1.0%
SULFUR (S)*â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.2.3%
BORON (B)*â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.0.02%
COPPER (Cu)*â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦0.05%
IRON (Fe)*â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦0.45%
Chelated Iron (Fe)*â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦0.23%
MANGANESE (Mn)*â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦0.06%
MOLYBDENUM (Mo)*â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.0.02%
ZINC (Zn)*â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦0.05%

this is the break down of nutrients.if you notice there isnt any (Ca).there is calcium phosphate in the ingredient but so is the regular.as for the foliage pro..it does have trace elements and minerals including calcium.so pairing both osmocote and foliage pro is a must to supply all the nutrients needed.if you use both it doesnt matter which osmocote you use. using any on its own it shouldnt be sufficent or to be exacct it will be limiting,even according to the bucket example that Al gave before.
God knows i am not trying to start an argument here..questioning is the best sure way to learn.and this is my goal for being in here.
please correct me if i am wrong..God Bless All
Ahmed

Egyronin: The analysis you give is not the same as that on my jug of Osmocote Plus. I sure hope they haven't changed the formulation. See the label I just scanned.

Drat! I just googled for the formula and found two different ingredient lists, neither of which has calcium. Bummer! This is similar to what happened to Tomatotone. What's up with that? Scott's/MiracleGro is not trustworthy.

Whoa! Thx Ohiofem & egyronin for the info! Good to know.

I buy my timed release fertilizer from the local farm supply. They carry several osmocote brand but I buy a different brand because they do not stock the ratio I want. Over the last ten years 50lbs bags have gone from $50 to $70. Still a better deal than the garden center. I keep my bag in a 30 gallon plastic garbage container, where it lasts at least two years. Al

Al: I'm curious about what brand you choose and why. I've been using the Osmocote formula with calcium to make 5-1-1 for all my vegetables and annuals in pots for the past two years. I chose it especially because I thought it would work well for tomatoes. I make about 500 gallons a year, so it can get quite expensive.

hi ohiofem-i got this info from scotts website..ya it looks like the one you got thy are not selling any more.
dont you hate that..thy produce a new line and then thy cancel the product that you are already used to,so you will go out and try the new and improved-ya right-then you wonder what happen to your plants..

but what do you think about buying the regular one and pair that with foliage pro?
worse mention i mix fish emulsion with it to supply all the trace elements and aslo cause i got.the soil also get couple of spoon of rock dust..i kno josh one time said it not gonna work in containers but last year tomatoes tasted alot better,the size and looks was overall better.improvement in taste on its own is a big reason to reuse it.

share your ideas about osmocote(reg)+foliage pro regime?thankx to you all for helping.
miss mudpuppy-glade to be of help.god bless
Ahmed

Ahmed: I did use Foliage Pro with the old kind of Osmocote Plus on my tomatoes last year. But I used Miracle Gro 24-8-16 on some of my other (less loved) vegetables and all my flowering annuals because it is cheaper. That MG version has no magnesium or calcium, but it has all the other trace minerals in amounts similar to FP and Osmocote Plus. The big difference with MG 24-8-16 is that 20.5% of its 24% nitrogen comes from urea, which is why it's cheaper. My understanding is that nitrate is better than urea. FP has the highest proportion of nitrate. And even the "new" Osmocote contains nitrate.

I also do add some organic amendments to my vegetable soil because I grow them in large fabric aeration containers. These wick to the earth and can be treated a bit more like mini raised beds. So, in spite of the advice I've heard from some highly respected forum members, I add greensand or kelp meal and rock phosphate to my potting mix for vegetables. I have also replaced part of the peat in 5-1-1 with compost.

Ohio and I are both proponents of Foliage Pro and Osmocote (or MG with the missing stuff supplemented).

In most container environments, long-term trace minerals are unlikely to be available to plants when the plants need those nutrients. Smart money says that the increased results, Ahmed, were due to something else in your environment or methods of care.

There are a lot of "organic" gardening gurus out there these days, often advising folks to add things like bone meal to their seedling potting mix. But we know, in general, how long bone meal takes to break down and become available to plants, and we also know that seedling plants will be re-potted and out of that mix long before the nutrients are available. I feel the same about most insoluble additives - and I would rather folks save their money and use methods that are known to work.

Josh

Ahmed: Thank you! God bless you too. Hope you are enjoying today :-).

To Al, Ohiofem, & Josh: Where would I be without people like you to steer me in the right direction? Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge! :-)

Good night everyone.

I found what appears to be left of the old Ace Hardware online store, now called Life & Home. The about us page says the site was once Acehardwareoutlet.com. They are one of several sources Amazon lists for the Osmocote Plus 15-9-12 they sell in the 4.5 lb. jug with a orange cap. On the Life & Home website, the information says it has 12 essential nutrients, which would mean it still has Ca and Mg. But in tiny print below, it says product images may differ from the actual product appearance. The price -- $20.99 -- is similar to Amazon's, but if you order $50 worth of stuff from them, shipping is free. I'm going to check it out and will report back.

Here is a link that might be useful: Osmocote 15-9-12 at Life & Home

i actually just ordered it from somewhere else on amazon today. it came to $50 give or take with 2 containers. i did see that website but was hoping a website i knew would have it.

Not to take this thread sideways, but as an alternative to Osmocote Plus......

I usually can't help grabbing a jug of this MG. Available and reasonably priced.

Ed: A couple years ago I used that on a couple of my tomatoes while using Osmocote on most of the others because I couldn't find the Osmocote when I was making the last of my 5-1-1. I felt that it wasn't as good. I thought it might be because of the N source (more than half urea). I researched nitrate vs ammonia vs urea and concluded that nitrate was easier for plants to access than urea. I can't find the sources I found then, and I have no scientific proof, but it seemed conclusive at the time. Maybe someone knows more about this issue and can share?

Well, in a bit of a panic, I bought some from Amazon for about $26 with shipping and some from Life & Home for $20.99 (free shipping). Then I found a jug at Meijer for $14.99. All of them have the same label I posted above. I have enough for this season, but I suspect I could have saved a little money by taking more time to look around.

Helo all. Quick question: Does Osmocote Plus have a "shelf life"? I found some at a local store but it may have been there for a year or two. Wondering how long this stuff lasts?

Thanks.

If it hasn't gotten wet, it should last for years. I have decided to use the Dynamite All Purpose Select I described in the other thread on this subject, which is linked below. It has all the minors including calcium, it's close to the ideal 3:1:2 NPK ratio and it doesn't contain urea. Plus it supposedly lasts nine months.

Here is a link that might be useful: Osmocote Plus alternative

Thanks for the fast post Ohiofem. Much appreciated. I'm just starting to get into this container growing business and made a rough approximation of a 5-1-1 mix for a fir tree I was given.

I didnt even know anything about this Osmocote Plus until last week when I read this thread, and I walk into a store and see a few containers of the stuff. It was a bit dusty, so I know its not a new shipment. I didnt want to spend $20 on a bottle of it and have it "expired". So it should stay viable for many years as long as it stays dry?

Yes I saw the posts about the Dynamite All Purpose Select as well and when I come across some of that I might try it. Perhaps I should pick up a container of the Osmocote Plus just in case I decide to use some in my soils next spring?

Thanks

YG

While wandering through the local big box store (Menard's) today I came across a couple containers of Osmocote Plus. They were on clearance for $7.99, instead of the usual $16.00. So of course I had to grab one and give this stuff a try.

I know many of you are switching over to other products, and if I keep using CRF I will have to do the same. But if you are searching for Osmocote Plus and you are lucky you might still find some.

TYG

Yard guy got lucky....especially with the price. Can't find it in any of my garden centers and I live near a bunch.

What's the consensus on the Dynamite All Purpose Select? Is if a worthy alternative?

Here's a pretty recent post about it --

Here is a link that might be useful: Dynamite

which brand of osmocote or shake an feed or dynmight food has the most cheleated micronutrients?

If you follow the link in the message immediately above yours you will be able to see the labels for the old Osmocote Plus (no longer available), the new Osmocote Plus and Dynamite All Purpose fertilizers that have been recommended by others on this forum. The only reference to chelated minerals on those labels is for iron. The Dynamite has 0.16% chelated iron. The new Osmocote has 0.23%

Since no one's mentioned it, Osmocote Plus is available at Walmart. I've seen the 2 lb size at the one I go to (West Hills, Ca) and there is a 15 lb bag at some other Walmarts.

I get mine at 'Griffiths Greenhouse Sullies' by the 50lb bag...It would take dozens of bottles to fill a bag and a much lower price, and I mean much lower...

Nice price point Mike ( even though you may have forgotten to mention price per 50 Pds LOL) I imagine the driving distance for you is shorter than it would be for others Hopefully you get my hint.

Mike: The Osmocote Plus talked about at the beginning of this thread is no longer available in a form that includes Calcium. There are several different formulas called Osmocote Plus. The consumer version of Osmocote Plus does not come in a 50 lb. size, and according to the manufacturer:

"While the consumer product is available in just three formulas, the professional product is
produced in nearly 50 formulas because professionals require a broader range of NPK analyses
depending upon the crop they are growing and local growing conditions."

Which version are you using and how much does it cost?