Best MiracleGro-type plant food for Lettuce & Endive?
 

[FONT=Arial]Something new to me. I'm going to grow standard seedling flats of leaf lettuce (mix of 14 kinds) and in separate flats an endive/escarole mixture. Strictly for fresh salad greens that will be cut when 3 to 5" and start again. (maybe a 3 week rotation) Am very happy with the 15-30-15 blue stuff for my tomatoes and peppers. Wally World sells a generic 24-8-16 'all purpose'. Is this OK, or is there something better?[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]jt[/FONT]

[quote][FONT=Arial]Wally World sells a generic 24-8-16 'all purpose'. Is this OK, or is there something better?[/quote]
Girl that is way tooooo strong! If you plant any kind of lettuce in that, you will wind up with terribly big plants and no flavor. Besides; they will grow so fast, they'll make seed before you get a chance to harvest any. Lettuce grows like a weed, barely without any fertilizer.

HTH,

~* Robin
[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][FONT=Verdana]Polar_Lace writes:[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][quote][FONT=Arial]Girl that is way tooooo strong! If you plant any kind of lettuce in that, you will wind up with terribly big plants and no flavor. Besides; they will grow so fast, they'll make seed before you get a chance to harvest any. Lettuce grows like a weed, barely without any fertilizer.[/FONT][/quote][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial]They are in a new soil-less mix (ProMix BX) so do not have any additional nutrients other than what they get from water and their little seeds.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial][quote][FONT=Arial]...way tooooo strong![/FONT][/quote][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I never use MiracleGro at more than 1/2 (usually 1/4th) the recommended strength and usually abt 1/2 the recommended intervals. If I use at much less strength would that help? Is the formulation OK?[/FONT]


[IMG]http://www.fototime.com/F773E2CE90F64AD/orig.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks for reply!

jt

[FONT=Arial]MiracleGro at 1/4th strength is good for the lettuce seedlings. [/FONT] For about [FONT=Arial]1/2 the recommended intervals.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]
[/FONT][FONT=Arial]MiracleGro at 1/2 strength is only good for the [/FONT]outside plants.
[FONT=Arial]
The Wally World [/FONT][FONT=Arial]generic 24-8-16 'all purpose'[/FONT] is only good if you have barren soils, like clay or sand, and have no time to improve the soil before planting time in your area.

The 24 is the nitrogen, too much can cook the tender leaves and roots.

~* Robin

Polar_Lace,

Thanks again!

The seed flats will be the lettuce final home. The cells will be harvested one at a time probably alternating cells to lessen crowding. Perhaps will end up moving every other cell to another tray. Will see how it grows out.

1/4 recommended strength fert it will be and only if looks like plants need it.

My last question is do I use the 24-18-16 or the 15-30-15?

jt

I would use the 15-30-15 diluted to 1/4 strength or at least 1/2 strength for the bigger plants.

~* Robin

Robin,

Thanks again. I'm glad I saved the receipt for the 24-8-16 and will bring it back. Really simplifies things too as I use the 15-30-15 for everything else I grow. (container gardener)

And I just noticed a typo I made earlier post. 24-8-16 is correct.

Happy growing to you!

jt

Happy Gardening to you too; JT. :yes:

~* Robin