Ok probably a stupid question but I bought a bag of 16 16 16 fertilizer at local market...it is in the form of small pellets that are light blue color.

And of course there are no instructions on the bag and other similar bags instructions are in Thai which I can't figure out....so question is do I mix the pellets with water and then use that to water the plant or do I put the pellets into the soil with the potted plants?

And if mix with water, how much water / pellets...if mix with dirt how much to put? Don't want to burn and kill the plants which are in big black plastic pots...

thanks for advice.

You have a general purpose fertiliser 16% each N,P and K. It should be soluble so you could apply it with a watering can. The quantity of water is not critical but there is only so much water that you can give to each pot. Work out how much fertiliser the plant needs and dissolve that in enough water for the pot.

You have a general purpose fertiliser 16% each N,P and K. It should be soluble so you could apply it with a watering can. The quantity of water is not critical but there is only so much water that you can give to each pot. Work out how much fertiliser the plant needs and dissolve that in enough water for the pot.

OK thanks....I presume it makes sense to start off with a weak solution and then work up from there? I don't want to kill or burn the plants. So maybe about a half a cup of pellets in a couple of gallons of water would work...or is that too strong or too weak? I'm not sure how to work out how much fertilizer each plant would need?

You have a general purpose fertiliser 16% each N,P and K. It should be soluble so you could apply it with a watering can. The quantity of water is not critical but there is only so much water that you can give to each pot. Work out how much fertiliser the plant needs and dissolve that in enough water for the pot.

OK thanks....I presume it makes sense to start off with a weak solution and then work up from there? I don't want to kill or burn the plants. So maybe about a half a cup of pellets in a couple of gallons of water would work...or is that too strong or too weak? I'm not sure how to work out how much fertilizer each plant would need?

yep...thats an ok mix. But at first i wouldnt go any stronger.

For a small mix...try a teaspoon full to 2 ltrs

Edited January 19, 201511 yr by weegee

You have a general purpose fertiliser 16% each N,P and K. It should be soluble so you could apply it with a watering can. The quantity of water is not critical but there is only so much water that you can give to each pot. Work out how much fertiliser the plant needs and dissolve that in enough water for the pot.

OK thanks....I presume it makes sense to start off with a weak solution and then work up from there? I don't want to kill or burn the plants. So maybe about a half a cup of pellets in a couple of gallons of water would work...or is that too strong or too weak? I'm not sure how to work out how much fertilizer each plant would need?

I don't have much experience with chemical fertilisers, but half a cup of soluble fertiliser in a couple of gallons seems way too strong to me.

Try different strengths on different plants and see how it goes. You will learn what is best

This type of fertilizer should not be mixed with water, there are soluble fertilizers to do that, in various formulations ...

Before doing any fertilizing make sure soil around plants is moist, and then sprinkle the granular fertilizer dry around the plants and water in afterwards...

A small plant say about 6" to a foot high, use about a teaspoon around each plant... more depending on the plant size... If one gets fertilizer on foliage make sure to wash off...

How often it is done, depends on the crop or plants ... generally I would say every month to six weeks, but it depends on soil, if very sandy, it may need to be done more often... (rotted organic matter will help "hold the fertilizer! ) .... a little less is better than too much at one time.... Experiment and see !

Edited January 19, 201511 yr by samuijimmy

SJ is right,this type of fertiliser is intended to be spread on established crops. But since you have it already, waste not.

16-16-16 being commonly used second on rice when two applications are used. The first being Urea (46-0-0).

Half a cup is way to much. A rice crop in our area gets 100kgs of N, 80kgs of P and 60kgs of K PER HECTARE. A pinch per pot is enough for both P and K. More will just get locked up in the soil. Find a better nitrogen source for a continuous feed every few weeks. Generally the colour of the leaves will tell when it is needed, green is good. Nitrogen is volatile and most is lost so a little bit more often is the way to go.

Plants need different nutrients at different stages of growth. Vegetables different to fruit trees or flowers. Do a search for the type of plants you have.

Edited January 19, 201511 yr by IsaanAussie

That blue stuff will burn your plants with pleasure, you have to get the dosage right. Give it to a farmer and buy some liquid fertiliser at BigC or at a gardeners' supply shop. If you can't read the label, send us a foto of it.

As noted, different plants require different types and amounts of fertilizer. Based on my experience using 16-16-16 for jalapeno peppers and tomatoes they both like a lot of nitrogen, water and sun. Water rapidly depletes the nitrogen in the soil. Fertilizing every 15 days for these two items works good for me. A major problem in growing vegetables are fungus in the soil and small spider mites on the back side of the leaves of peppers. Leaf spot and wilt are other big problems. If your plant is exposed to a virus such as tobacco virus there is not much that can be done.

Organic liquid fertilizer diluted properly can be sprayed directly on the plant but remember that the roots do most of the plant feeding.

The Agriculture Department has branches in each province and are very help full regarding insecticides and organic fertilizer. Not related but the Fisheries Department are also very help full.

OK thanks for all the tips/advice...I did 1/3 cup of pellets in four gallons of water and so far so good...

hello, so we have to spread these blue balls on top of the plants pots ?

 

Anything better or more natural to use ?

 

thank you.

On 10/28/2019 at 7:17 PM, plfomylo said:

hello, so we have to spread these blue balls on top of the plants pots ?

 

Anything better or more natural to use ?

 

Yes.  

Organic Totto's "bokashi" fertilizer. 

 

https://www.organictotto.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=article&Id=539114073

On 1/19/2015 at 4:17 PM, DonaldBattles said:

As noted, different plants require different types and amounts of fertilizer. Based on my experience using 16-16-16 for jalapeno peppers and tomatoes they both like a lot of nitrogen, water and sun. Water rapidly depletes the nitrogen in the soil. Fertilizing every 15 days for these two items works good for me. A major problem in growing vegetables are fungus in the soil and small spider mites on the back side of the leaves of peppers. Leaf spot and wilt are other big problems. If your plant is exposed to a virus such as tobacco virus there is not much that can be done.

Organic liquid fertilizer diluted properly can be sprayed directly on the plant but remember that the roots do most of the plant feeding.

The Agriculture Department has branches in each province and are very help full regarding insecticides and organic fertilizer. Not related but the Fisheries Department are also very help full.

Believe it or not, one reason that you have all these pest and disease problems is the frequent use of the high NPK chemciial fertilizer. It creates conditions that make the plants susceptible to these problems. 

 

https://blog.nutri-tech.com.au/interview-with-a-master-agronomist-stephan-timmermans/

Stephan: There is no doubt about it. The mismanagement of nitrogen is the biggest player. If you want pests and disease, just start pouring on the nitrogen. Growers put too much importance on this mineral. My most successful growers focus upon having their nitrogen as low as possible. You don’t ever want to undersupply nitrogen, but so many times it is overdone