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Post by daylilydude on Apr 4, 2018 4:38:30 GMT -5
Do you fertilize your seedlings before they ever get to their final growing area or do you just wait till then? If so when, and what fertilizer do you use, and just how much if you don't care to tell us about your secret... I wait till I make my first pot up and mix a really weak miracle grow to water with just one time before they go in the garden... I'm talking like 1 tsp, of miracle grow and 1 tsp. of Epsom salt to a gallon of water... works for me, it's how I have always done it.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 4, 2018 7:21:37 GMT -5
I start my seeds in a soiless mix so it contains no nutrients. The seeds themselves contain enough nutrients to get the plants going so I wait until after they get their first true leaves and then I use any liquid fertilizer and dilute it by half. In other words I feed them with a 50% strength liquid fertilizer until they get into the ground in my garden.
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Post by paulf on Apr 4, 2018 7:25:49 GMT -5
I use soilless mix and it has a weak fertilizer. If the seedlings show signs of deficiency then a liquid plant food cut in half is added to the water, usually only needed once or twice.
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Post by octave1 on Apr 4, 2018 7:37:56 GMT -5
I do not fertilize. When I move the seedlings to larger pots, I add a planting mix that already contains some fertilizer
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Post by tomike on Apr 4, 2018 8:29:32 GMT -5
I also use a soilless mix with a weak fertilizer. No added fertilizer until 2 weeks after the first true leaves. Very week fertilizer 1-1-1 (diluted) with a special ingredient to promote rooting. The product is Bio Root.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 4, 2018 9:16:20 GMT -5
This year I was a lot more consistent about using weak liquid fertilizer with every watering on my seedlings. By weak I mean 1/8 tsp per quart = 1/2 tsp per gallon. The seedlings did worlds better - they were the nicest seedlings I have ever grown.
Consistency I think was the key. Never a strong feeding that might burn them, but always a steady supply of nutrients.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 4, 2018 9:34:01 GMT -5
Once the seedlings get their true leaves, I feed them with a very weak fertilizer, using just a few drops of a hydroponic solution, designed for vegetative growth. And I add a couple drops of the silicate additive every few waterings.
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Post by spacecase0 on Apr 5, 2018 1:00:56 GMT -5
I have serious germination issues with almost everything, not quite sure what is going on, I have noticed that some seeds do not sprout well with no nitrogen in the soil so, I have been selecting for seeds that sprout with no nitrogen. have also been trying to use soil that has everything in it for seed sprouting seeds sprout in a pretty short amount of time, so, set your soil for what you want, and things are likely not to change before germination.
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Post by september on Apr 5, 2018 13:12:53 GMT -5
I don't normally fertilize until after I move them to individual cells or cups because I don't want the mass seedings to grow too fast (unless it's a late re-seeding from previous no-shows.) But if I get delayed in separating and transplanting and they start getting too crowded, I will fertilize them so they won't stall out in growth.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Apr 5, 2018 13:17:57 GMT -5
I sprout my seeds in a 72-cell tray and then transplant after the first true leaves appear. I started using potting mix with fertilizer in it for my seed starting because sometimes life happens and the seedlings need to chill for a while before I can get them potted up.
After they are potted up, every couple of weeks I water with a very weak fertilizer until they go in the ground.
The potting mix currently in favor in my home is Happy Frog, and the weak fertilizer is their Grow Big concentrate.
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Post by guruofgardens on Apr 5, 2018 16:17:49 GMT -5
I start the seeds in a soilless mixture, transplant peppers after 4 weeks in a Fox Farms soil - this year it's Ocean Forest - and start the very weak fertilizer after another 2 weeks. Right now it's about 1/2 tsp. liquid kelp per gallon of water.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 5, 2018 17:21:36 GMT -5
Pro Mix Organic Seed Starter Mix " with Organic Fertilizer that lasts up to 3 months". Plants are loving it!
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shelleybean
Junior Member
Posts: 20
Joined: December 2017
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Post by shelleybean on Apr 7, 2018 15:29:29 GMT -5
My seed starting mix has no fertilizer in it at all. Once seedlings get their true leaves, I will almost always pot up to a larger container and begin fertilizing with a liquid fertilizer at 25% strength.
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Post by tomike on Apr 7, 2018 15:39:43 GMT -5
My seed starting mix has no fertilizer in it at all. Once seedlings get their true leaves, I will almost always pot up to a larger container and begin fertilizing with a liquid fertilizer at 25% strength. Recommended dosage divided by four appears reasonable to me especially when using a starter mix without any fertilizer.....
My 2¢ worth...... :-)
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shelleybean
Junior Member
Posts: 20
Joined: December 2017
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Post by shelleybean on Apr 7, 2018 18:29:08 GMT -5
Glad you approve, tomike. It's been working for me for a long time.
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Post by daylilydude on Apr 7, 2018 18:33:51 GMT -5
My seed starting mix has no fertilizer in it at all. Once seedlings get their true leaves, I will almost always pot up to a larger container and begin fertilizing with a liquid fertilizer at 25% strength. Hi shelleybean,That's the way i'm doing it this year too... I have decided to make my own potting mix so there is no fertilizer in it.
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