Which fert for strawberries in containers with Mel's mix.

[ID jit]

Have been looking at rose ferts to add into my Mel's mix when I load up my containers for strawberries. Looked at several different options and the NPK values are all over the place, form low single digit sets to sets in the mid to low teens.

Have read Osmocote in a lot of different places, but which one..... there are a lot of options.

Pretty sure any slow release stuff will work well enough, but I would like to get maximum return out of the effort I am putting in - takes the same mount of time and effort to mix in the wrong fert into the mix when I fill the containers, and I would like to avoid that.

For what it is worth:
The compost is screened to 1/2" and is from a pretty diverse accumulation of materials. I have enough vermicast to add 1/2 gallon of vermicast to 9 gallons of Mel's mix (My lazy worm farms have been busy). The peat is just generic sphagnum peat moss. Perlite is course grained. Have the mix done and in trash bags at a barely damp stage. Plan on mixing in the vermicast and fert when I load the containers, then fill up the containers and let them sit for a week or so and get hydrated, (Am expecting the levels to drop once the stuff is hydrated and has settled a bit.) then add the plants and top off the containers. Still have a bit of time to wait because half of my plants are currently under snow.

Need help picking out a specific fert. Please advise.
Thanks much.

[ButterflyLady29]

I use a balanced organic fertilizer for roses. They are related. Wal-mart carries a good one but I can't recall the name of it. I'll go look in a little while when I go downstairs to pot up my moonflower seeds.

[ID jit]

Out of laziness I ended up going with Jobe's 8 lb. Organic Knock-Out Rose (3-4-3, organic, fast acting with a fair list of traces...) Probably wont kill the plants at 2 cups per container, so I am going to call it a win.

Just have to go fetch the lumber and build the racks for the containers now.

Found out yesterday that Nourse Farm is OUT of Albions!

[imafan26]

Organic fertilizers are becoming more available everywhere with a lot of options. But you have to remember it takes almost 2 years for most organic fertilizers to completely release and their numbers are slow to start with so you will need to apply them more often and they need to have a healthy soil web that is well developed to convert the fertilizer into inorganic forms that the plant can absorb. That means adding compost after each planting.

[ID jit]

Was very heavy handed with the screened compost when I was mixing up 75 gallons of Mel's mix and am set up to brew about 10 gallons of compost tea at a time as soon as it gets a little warmer. Am planning on refilling my sips with a dilute tea.

Planned fert strip is 3 cups of organic and 1/2 gallon of vermicast mixed together per 6 plants.