Over thinking plant food selection?

COVIDgotmegardening

Hi all,

I’m currently using Levingtons Tomorite, Vitax Liquid Seaweed and Miracle Gro Rose & Shrub feeds. For a good while I exclusively used LT, but it was suggested and I saw it on that BBC show that Seaweed feed was also recommended. So for the last few weeks I’ve been using just the VLS feed and laid off the LT. I had a look today at the NPK values for Vitax but couldn’t find any. The Rose feed is just used for my Roses at the moment. So am I over thinking the feed choices and should I stick to just the one?.

Pete.8

It depends on what plants you're feeding.
Tomato feed is for plants that produce flowers and/or fruit.
MG Rose & shrub will be similar.
Both will have high potassium content.

Seaweed extract varies in its composition, so often NPK values aren't given, but Seaweed is a tonic rather than a complete plant food, but just about all plants will benefit from it. It's great for houseplants too.

I use seaweed on all plants every few weeks

Most feeds have NPK values
N - Nitrogen for healthy leaves
P - Phosphorous for root growth
K - Potassium for flowers/fruit

So you can tell just by looking at the values for NPK what the fertilizer is for

COVIDgotmegardening

Thank you. I’ll consume the seaweed food then just stick to the Tomorite, as it’s done me well up to now. Plus it also gives the NPK values and the Vital does not.

Pete.8

Seaweed is very good for plants.
It doesn't list the NPK because each batch of seaweed is different, so the NPK values will be different. The NPK values for all seaweed products is low.
I use only seaweed on a number of plants and they thrive, so don't give up on it.
Seaweed contains a huge amount of micronutrients that plants need but may not be available in the soil. It really does give them a boost.

I use tomato feed on tomatoes and some flowering plants.
I use seaweed on many plants but as it's gained in popularity the cost has increased dramatically so I ration it now.
I use Miracle Grow or Phostrogen as a general purpose feed.

If you give your plants a dressing of a general fertilizer in Spring such as Blood, fish and bone (or Growmore) that will give them most of what they need for at least 3 months.
The only plants I actively feed are those in pots, my tomatoes, chili, peppers and cucumber.
Everything else gets on fine with just BFB and some seaweed now and then