I'd like some advice if possible on foliar feeding. I was doing a bit of reading on the topic and generally I've gathered the following.
-Only foliar feed in the morn or evening as the pores of the plant close off on hot days.
-From my own experience in the past from spraying my lawn and being a farmers son I know that when spraying weeds its better to do so when the soil is on the dry side. Applying that to this I'm thinking that I should only water my plants after I have foliar fed them?
Also is it safe to foliar feed all of my plants or just certain ones? In my garden this year I have corn (I'm not going to fertilize it at all, it'd just take too much fertilizer and its doing fine on its own) The rest of my veggies are:
tomatoes, peppers, onions, asparagus, fennel, cabbage, brussel sprouts, strawberries, pole beans, watermelon, cantelope, tarragon, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary.
Thanks in advance for any advice anyone might have. I'm quite new at this and I don't want to screw anything up. I'm going to use 0-5-4 fertilizer in a very light/dilute amount according to the chart. I counting on the fact that I don't need much nitrogen anyway because of the very fertile soil that I have. Plus I want to encourage fruit growth and from what I understand N encourages leafy/plant growth and not necessarily fruit/flower growth.
Any help would be much appreciated. I'm going to go mulch now gather some soil samples and maybe take a few pics of the garden so that I can share them with the rest of you.
Foliar feeding can be used as a supplement to regular soil fertilization. Actually the water soluble fertilizer is much better taken up by the roots of the plant than by the leaves. However, it can be very expensive, once the fertilizer goes past the root zone and leaches down not only is it no longer available to the plants, it can cause other issues if large amounts of excess nutrients accumulate.
Foliar absorbtion varies from plant to plant depending on temperature.
The most economical way to fertilize is to get a soil test. You will then get a recommendation for the amount of fertilizer that you need. I only get soil tests every couple of years. I find that the soil almost always tests about the same except for pH which does vary. By applying only what you need you will have a healthier soil and cause less damage to the ecosystem from buildup and possibly fertilizer runoff into groundwater, streams and oceans. If your plants look healthy and are productive, let them be your guide. You probably can save quite a few bucks not applying fertilizer you don't really need and the plants are probably still getting all that they require and can use.
https://puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalke ... eeding.pdf
Foliar absorbtion varies from plant to plant depending on temperature.
The most economical way to fertilize is to get a soil test. You will then get a recommendation for the amount of fertilizer that you need. I only get soil tests every couple of years. I find that the soil almost always tests about the same except for pH which does vary. By applying only what you need you will have a healthier soil and cause less damage to the ecosystem from buildup and possibly fertilizer runoff into groundwater, streams and oceans. If your plants look healthy and are productive, let them be your guide. You probably can save quite a few bucks not applying fertilizer you don't really need and the plants are probably still getting all that they require and can use.
https://puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalke ... eeding.pdf
imafan26 wrote:Foliar feeding can be used as a supplement to regular soil fertilization. Actually the water soluble fertilizer is much better taken up by the roots of the plant than by the leaves. However, it can be very expensive, once the fertilizer goes past the root zone and leaches down not only is it no longer available to the plants, it can cause other issues if large amounts of excess nutrients accumulate.
Foliar absorbtion varies from plant to plant depending on temperature.
The most economical way to fertilize is to get a soil test. You will then get a recommendation for the amount of fertilizer that you need. I only get soil tests every couple of years. I find that the soil almost always tests about the same except for pH which does vary. By applying only what you need you will have a healthier soil and cause less damage to the ecosystem from buildup and possibly fertilizer runoff into groundwater, streams and oceans. If your plants look healthy and are productive, let them be your guide. You probably can save quite a few bucks not applying fertilizer you don't really need and the plants are probably still getting all that they require and can use.
https://puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalke ... eeding.pdf
Linda Chalker Scott often speaks tripe .... that is the same lady who says that applying actively aerated teas to your veg and plants is a waste of time .... yet the guys who grow world breaking giant sized vegetables all use AACT .... the guys who grow cannabis swear by AACT
everything she does is 'peer reviewed, and she is 'sponsored' by companies such as Montsanto (Miracle gro etc) .... they don't want you brewing AACT, as it costs pennies .... they want you to buy their products
as for foliar feeding, I have been practising this for several years (I am a full time landscaper/gardener) .... use products such as seaweed extract (cold pressed), or fish hydrolosate ....
apply late in the evening, and buy a decent sprayer .... you can use it once a week if desired and its cheap to use ....
many assume that you only need NPK when fertilizing ..... forget that tripe .... plants also need minerals etc .... thats why I use volcanic rock dust on all my plants (over 76 minerals)
if you want to learn about this form of gardening, search the medical cannabis forums .... or search google for 'High brix Gardening' .... you will learn lots there (those guys know more about fertilizing than most PHD's like Linda)
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rainbowgardener
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Re: ? In my garden this year I have corn (I'm not going to fertilize it at all, it'd just take too much fertilizer and its doing fine on its own)
Of all the things you mentioned growing the corn is the most likely to really need on-going fertilization. It is a heavy feeder, that has to produce big leafy 6 ft tall plants with 100's of seeds. It is known as a heavy feeder which requires 1 or 2 mid season applications of some kind of soil supplement.
It has waxy leaves that don't take up foliar feed very well, so macro-nutrients like Nitrogen are best supplied via the soil/ roots.
Of all the things you mentioned growing the corn is the most likely to really need on-going fertilization. It is a heavy feeder, that has to produce big leafy 6 ft tall plants with 100's of seeds. It is known as a heavy feeder which requires 1 or 2 mid season applications of some kind of soil supplement.
It has waxy leaves that don't take up foliar feed very well, so macro-nutrients like Nitrogen are best supplied via the soil/ roots.
I forgot to mention that my garden is below a cattle yard and it had about 50 yrs of nitrogen runoff on it. Plus in the time that I've owned I've mulched the lawn for 10yrs and basically I couldn't have composted better soil. Anyway I'm off to haul in a soil sample now. I'll grab a couple of leaves too in case they do tissue samples.rainbowgardener wrote:Re: ? In my garden this year I have corn (I'm not going to fertilize it at all, it'd just take too much fertilizer and its doing fine on its own)
Of all the things you mentioned growing the corn is the most likely to really need on-going fertilization. It is a heavy feeder, that has to produce big leafy 6 ft tall plants with 100's of seeds. It is known as a heavy feeder which requires 1 or 2 mid season applications of some kind of soil supplement.
It has waxy leaves that don't take up foliar feed very well, so macro-nutrients like Nitrogen are best supplied via the soil/ roots.
But yeah if anything I was more worried about nitrogen burn that I was about nitrogen insufficiency. But yes I don't plan on adding any nitrogen.
Oh and I found some ALG-A-MIC and some liquid guano!!
So I'll start foliar feeding tonight once the plants cool down The university extension service near you is usually the best place to get a soil test and the most reasonable. The cost depends on what tests you want done. A standard test for me that gives me pH, major nutrient levels and also does tissue samples if submitted costs $25. I live in Hawaii where nothing is cheap except a local phone call. If I ask for organic recommendation they will give me that too and it does not cost any more. If I want to do additional test for virus or nematodes then that can get pricey.