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Trumbull, CT 06611, USA

I want to take a survey of how many times a week people fertilize there patch after the fruit set. What are you using, how much, how big is your patch.

I am using 13-0-44, 1 oz per gallon, every day of the week. My patch is 1200 square feet.

12/12/2004 9:39:48 PM

Key West, FL

what counts as fertilizer? fish and seaweed?

12/12/2004 10:05:28 PM

No Place Special

Once a week with 20-20-20 (Lesco Macron)with 50 fluid oz's of powder mixed in 700 galons of water over 130 x 75 area.

12/12/2004 10:17:51 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

I guess for me here it depends on how much rain we get because rain water usually produces the best plant results that I've ever seen except for maybe spraying the leaves with fish/seaweed which I do at least once a week here at the home patch but only a few times out in the remote patches. I haven't produced any huge pumpkins yet though but I think I'm hampered mostly by the bad weather and my soil was never up to par yet. I also water with lukewarm
burning nestle (spelling?) tea whenever the soil is starting to dry out. It stinks a lot though and I've even received two letter from my neighbor's lawyer about it but no worries....it's allowed at a farm-house here...sort of...LOL!

12/13/2004 3:14:59 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

By the way!
I plan to kill the evil witch neighbor the same morning I hop back on the plane to move to the states in two years!

Does anyone know if they have an extradition agreement between the US and Germany? I sure hope not!
LOL!

12/13/2004 3:18:00 AM

Roanoke Il

The more I read on oranic gardening I have come to the conclusion that there is no need for chemical fertilizers one can obtain beter results with organic means.. The problem with chemical fertizers they push to hard the plant and the fruit grow way faster than they should leaving the plant more subseptable to insects and fungal problems.. pluss the fruit walls grow unevenly causing weak spots where they tend to split. Can one get everything in the soil by spring I think they can if not there are fish and seaweed and other organic fertilizers that can give the desired effects. The problem with chemical fertilizers other than the uneven growth is that they leave high levels of salt behind in the soils which can give you problems the following year. The jury is still out on weather I'll go total organic when it comes to insecticides and fungicides.. There are products Like neem extract where I've had some good results. Companion planting may also help to control bugs plants like marigolds dill and garlic inter planted in the patch i'm sure will help... mark

12/13/2004 7:43:36 AM

Western NY

no chemical fertilizers here. only time i fertilize is when i water. i mix in very low doses of fish and/or kelp with the water. and the occasional organic calcium products.

12/13/2004 8:44:18 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Fish, Kelp and Molasses here...plus a dose of Calcium..2-3 times a week.

12/13/2004 9:13:15 AM

Key West, FL

fish, kelp, and calcium!

12/13/2004 1:53:55 PM

Montoursville, PA

1000 sq. feet gets 4-6 inches of manure in the fall and two inches of finished compost tilled in with lots of leaves.
Included are 10 lbs of 4-2-4 organic fertilizer, 10 lbs of kelp meal, 10 llbs of corn meal and six ounces of molasses to a gallon of water. The molasses goes on weekly untill cold weather takes over. We add lime only if our PH has slipped .5 or more to raise PH to the 6.5 - 7.2 range.

In the early spring we us a bio product with a light inclusion of humates, 10 lbs of trace minerals (one only Ironite, green sand or azromite by Fretrell, 10 lbs of 4-2-4 organic, 10 lbs of corn meal and ten pounds of kelp meal.
we water in with six ounces of molasses to a gallon of water once a week up to seedling planting time. We continue the molasses keeping ten feet ahead of the growing vine at all times untill we fill the patch.

Foliar feeding is daily using fish, kelp, molasses and the specific program of AGRO-K.

We will continue experimenting with aerobic tea in an effort to learn how to keep a surface occupation of live bacteria living to combat the fungi and some bacterial problems that may be there to haunt us if we give it a chance. Last year we applied weekly. This year we will apply monthly as long as we do not apply harsh chemicals. We are still using hand pump applicators.

12/13/2004 4:34:44 PM

[email protected]

There you have it Ray. The person who gave you that rate has a personal best of what....????

12/13/2004 6:48:51 PM

Montoursville, PA

My personal best to this point in my second year has been 710. My average above 500lbs. The above also created an 845 for a new grower, in a neighboring patch using similar methods of soil building.

I am in a serious poison removial and soil building program to eliminate synthetic products from my soil namely Merit, a water base newer form of Warror insecticide and a fungicide called Eagle which I elected to use after hearing the wonders, of the above on BP. The above greatly upset my biological ballences and has left me with a very difficult rebuilding. The above imballance was created with modest use for just one year...used in carefully applied moderation under the advisement, of a very good synthetic sales person...who has yet to grow a decent pumpkin, in his own backyard. I have friends who grow watermellons that would beat some of those synthetically inflated pumpkin efforts.

Meanwhile one of my mentors Dan Carlson just grew one of the largest ever grown on absolutely nothing but manures and composts. While no one is expected to duplicate large numbers like that it is a bloody fact that if the weather is right and the seed cooperative his soil remains sustainable and ready to produce another....any time the luck factors all come together one more time.

It is indeed hatefull that some few continously down play and raise doubts about the noted organic trends and leanings of a fair number of growers. It would not seem so easy to see through or apply the possible reason if the shooter of the bullets were not selling the scientific wonders questioned and largely eliminated by those wishing to have sustainable soils.

12/13/2004 9:53:19 PM

No Place Special

For the record, I dont think I would have seen 1000 lbs this yr without the 20-20-20 I used. Maybe if your soil is perfect you dont need it but id say most of us dont have perfect soil. Tremor I will always be in debt to you for your help this year. Allyour advice and you didn't make a cent off me. Tremor offers advice to those who seek it and one minute on the phone with him will tell you he is VERY knowledgable about what he does and is pasionate about it. He is here to help others, not to make money. Doc, not trying to say that you are wrong bud! Everyones needs are different and both of your opinions are valued. Mike Frantz

12/13/2004 11:14:12 PM

Puyallup, WA

I thank the Good Lord that I am free to choose what ever I want to put on my patch! I am grateful that I do not have a government agent telling me what to do. God Bless the
USA!

12/14/2004 1:04:59 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

Ditto Stan!

A few people on this thread mentioned to add fish/seaweed and Calcium.

Isn't it important to add a certain amount of Magnesium to maintain a certain Calcium/Magnesium ratio? I remember reading the proper ratio somewhere but maybe someone could post it again here.
Thanks!
Michel

12/14/2004 3:06:47 AM

Ohio

Ditto here too Mike, I used the same 20-20-20 in soil that I have never grown in before(hard clay) and grew a 374 and a 572. Never has he ever pushed anything, just gives the facts as he knows it and the rest is up to you to decide. The man is a walking Dictionary!
I have used almost the exact same thing as the person Dwain is refering to and have managed to grow a pumpkin bigger then a watermelon, but I did have the advantage on him only because I had more the 50% sunlight a day and also didnt have neighbors 50 feet away who hires a company to come in and spray every three weeks for weeds.

12/14/2004 7:07:12 AM

Cologne / Germany

20-20-20 after fruit set sounds different from what was suggested to use in earlier posts here on BP. Especially to reduce N feeding in late summer.
However it´s great to see how good it worked for you!

12/14/2004 8:32:39 AM

[email protected]

Yikes! Let's read the posts.

Dwaine, I was referring to the guy who gave Ray the rate for the 13-0-44 that he is using. The guys PB is over 1400 lbs.

This was Ray's question & it has gotten a bit off course.

Mike's dead-on. I don't use 20-20-20 post fruit-set. Too much organic matter in my soil for that. Indeed I only applied 4 ounces (1200 sq ft) of synthetic Nitrogen this year & still had Nitrogen related aborts. This was confirmed with real deal tissue nutrient analysis from a lab.

12/14/2004 9:22:25 AM

[email protected]

Sorry Dwaine. After re-reading that post I can see where it looked like I was referring to you. I wasn't. Sorry

12/14/2004 9:29:42 AM

[email protected]

Hey Ray,

There's one element missing. How many gallons per plant?

12/14/2004 9:31:16 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

I think we might be trying to re-invent the wheel on this post aren't we?

I thought lots of P to promote root growth, a boost of N to get the plant green and then K to push the fruit. Timing is of course important...

I know from experience only that too much N leaves me with no set fruits but other than that I'm clueless.

12/14/2004 1:25:49 PM

Trumbull, CT 06611, USA

Why is there always someone taking offense to eveything here at BIGP. You people really need to grow up. Steve should not have to defend himself every time he talks about fertilizers. Steve don't apologize. No one is knocking the use of organic gardening and please do not knock those who use fertilizers. THIS IS NOT GREEN PEACE FOLKS!!!!! If you do not like it, GET OUT!!!!!!!! Sorry, but people who constantly complain ruin it for everyone

This was a simple post to get opinions and hopefully help EVERYONE grow a personal best.

12/14/2004 7:01:08 PM

Cologne / Germany

"this is not green peace" LOL Ray...

Let´s start some outing here - I admit I used non organic "blue grain" fertilizer this spring which you can even use to write things on your lawn like "I love you" and all your neighbours will see it.
Yup, the grass was much higher where I spread the blue grain than elsewhere. Yup, the pumpkin plants performed gooderer than before. Yup I had biggerer pumpkins than ever. It´s truer than what I had the years before, believe me, so it was my truest season so far.

Just joking. Do what you want and what is best for you. I´m years behind of what the Don Carlson patch probably looks like. Still no patent for a perfect patch. Just MHO.

12/14/2004 7:41:07 PM