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| Despite my water efforts, some of my royal catchfly continues to get more and more yellow from the bottom up. I am thinking about trying a bit of fertilizer to see if it will change anything. Part of gardening is experimenting, right?
Frankly, I have avoided using any fertilizer at all, preferring to use brush compost, but have used liquid fertilizer in house plants. I was wondering, if something like Schultz plant food plus is harmful to worms and frogs, since I see both in my yard. Paul |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Sat, Jul 16, 11 at 17:03
| What about using seaweed extract instead? That's what I use along with worm p**p. Seaweed extract helps foliar growth while fish emulsion aids root growth. Worm p**p is just plain gardener's gold. A fellow gardener at work has a worm farm and gave me a coffee can full last year. I use it sparingly. I make a tea from seaweed extract and worm p**p that I give my plants in containers through the season. |
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- Posted by donnabaskets 7b-8 MS (My Page) on Sat, Jul 16, 11 at 18:21
| I once read in a gardening book that the salts in synthetic fertilizers can burn earthworms.... I have found that my plants love a stinky drink of fish emulsion better than any synthetic liquid I have ever used, including Miracle Gro and Schultz. I mix it in my watering can and just water. You'll see results in a couple of days. In my area, fish emulsion is far easier to find than seaweed. |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Sat, Jul 16, 11 at 18:59
| Both seaweed extract and fish emulsion are sold at the local garden center where I buy bird seed, flower seed and many other garden items. Last year I noticed they sell both fish emulsion and seaweed extract so I checked to see what the difference was between them and selected the seaweed extract since my plants never seem to have a problem developing healthy roots. They also sell worm "castings" which I expect is just dried worm p**p. I'm fortunate to have healthy, sandy loam soil thanks to my parents practicing organic gardening for 50 years before me. Everywhere I dig there are huge, fat, healthy worms so I know the soil is good. I'm very careful what I use to feed my plants and generally try to select those that don't need much in the way of supplemental nutrients (which = thrive on neglect). If it ain't broke, don't fix it so I try not to disturb the healthy soil that's already sustaining my garden. |
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- Posted by echinaceamaniac 7 (My Page) on Sat, Jul 16, 11 at 23:36
| Fish emulsion attracts animals to plants due to the smell. Raccoons are digging in the plants since I used it. The stuff smells so bad that I almost had to vomit when mixing it. It's ok, but there is a negative to everything. I have seen no harm to worms with Miracle Grow. I have lots of them in the soil. It also works wonders for my roses and other flowers. To each their own. |
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| Fish emulsion + cats = disaster |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Jul 17, 11 at 9:46
| man i hate these 'i read somewhere once' ... thoughts ... been there.. done that ... crippled me from taking action ... stick your hand in dry liquid fert .. and it will 'burn' any open cuts or hangnails.. just like table salt .. or vinegar properly dilute it .... and stick you hand in the bucket.. nothing.. or at worst.. you have a blue or green hand .. lol .. in my warped world.. its all about proper dilution.. if you care to experiment .. find some slugs.. salt them ... while drooling.. lol ... they will basically slime themselves to dehydration and death trying to get the salt off ... [if you really want to get rid of them.. i would recommend the saute in in garlic butter thingee .. lol] .. now take a plate.. and pour in a little [not to drown them.. but to make them crawl across] some properly diluted liquid fert.. and i would not be surprised that they crawl right out.. and head for you prized plants ... rather than relying on third hand 'things' .. try the 800 number on the package ... growing a lush thick garden .. is going to be better for your wildlife.. than cowering in fear and not maintaining a thriving environment .... that will be conducive to the wildlife you want to attract ... and this of course is all about PROPER application.. you start throwing handfuls of fert around the yard.. sure.. i would not doubt you could create salt mines that are a negative ... but that scenario really isnnt what you are talking about.. and by that time .... your plants will start dying from over-fert'g look at it this way.. under the hypothesis that all salt is bad.. one would expect.. up here in the rust belt ... that there would be no beneficial animals.. anywhere a road/driveway/sidewalk is salted ... and i just dont believe that is the fact ... if you can go organic.. all the power to ya.. i just dont buy that some properly diluted liquid fert is going to be a negative ... ken
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| Yes, I think I want to stay away from fish emulsions, one night I look out and see a family of raccoon roaming through my yard and the neighbors complaint that they have been fishing in his pond. I think fish emulsion will result in damaged plants. The seaweed extract sound like a good idea, but doesn't that stuff contain salt (salt as in NaCl)? After doing some research, it appears that liquid fertilizer is probably OK in the short term. I'll give that try to see if it helps the plants and if it does, I'll try to replace it with some organic substitue like seaweed extract or worm castings. Thanks everyone. Paul |
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| Could it be that you are just overwatering? It's just that I noticed the first line of your post - "Despite my water efforts". If so, fertilizer is a moot point. Maybe they are just getting too much water? I am not familiar with royal catchfly, so maybe not, but just a thought... :) |
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- Posted by donnabaskets 7b-8 MS (My Page) on Sun, Jul 17, 11 at 19:25
| What a shame that there is no way to hear expressions when reading posts. :) Ken, if you could have heard my head you would have known that I was merely putting forth one "expert's" opinion. I do use Miracle Gro occasionally and my soil teems with earthworms. I personally believe that moderation in all things is the greater part of wisdom. I do occasionally use synthetics and even pesticides and some herbicides, but only when all other possibilities have been exhuasted. As to the fish emulsion, it is true that it can attract pests, and cats too, for that matter. But only occasionally has this been a problem for me, and that in pots. During severely hot weather like we are having right now, I rather believe that a very mild boost of food like fish emulsion is probably easier on the plant than a knock your socks off jolt like Miracle Gro will surely give. |
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| any chance of images? |
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| I have always steered clear of fish emulsion due to the fear of attracting unwanted critters. but when I want to give plants an organic splurge, I mix up some of Espoma's BioTone Starter liquid. Its full of goodness and is 4-3-3. Sometimes I have added a small amount of M-Gro too. |
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| Here's a picture of the plant. It's grown quite bit since I planted it. It started out about 6 inches tall.
It's doubtful that I am overwatering, it's like 95F with no rain for the past couple of days. The stem is bending due to the wind. Currently, they are on a program of watering with a weak solution of schultz Plant food plus to see if the nitrogen will makes a differences. According to several cannabis growing sites, this may be the cause of yellowing leaves (not that I actually grown any cannabis, but those site tend to have a lot of useful information). If after a week or two, the plant is greener, then it's a nitrogen problem. If it doesn't help, well it's something else :-) Paul |
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| Paul, your last message gave me quite a laugh. Good thing the police aren't monitoring your internet usage! |
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| I do not know this plant from personal experience but I looked it up and discovered it is an Illinois native plant. That would lead me to think that it doesn't need any extra feeding at all and probably no extra water. However, it does seem to be in a rather cramped spot up against the house overshadowed by the day lilies. I believe it grows naturally out in the open in prairie-like conditions with plenty of sun. Your specimen seems to have rather long internodal stems compared with pictures I've seen and this also implies it is reaching for the light. If it were my plant I think I would move it. Give it some fresh air and light, leave it unfed and stop watering it. Just my thoughts based on reading about the plant's nature. |
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