What fertiliser do you use on your cacti ?

[oatis]

just wondering what kind of fertiliser you guys are using on your cacti ?

[Optimystic]

Some of my best performing plants got the worx this year, a bunch of PC Pach's I just thought i'd test with a super rich manure based mushroom compost with added blood meal, bone meal, worm castings and azomite and .. bam impressive growth really so I think everything gets potted into the worx from now on lol the soil was so rich that I only watered with water usually but occasionally a dose of kelp ... no need to fert those for a while ... I was really afraid to overdoit but maybe thats not so ez to do lol they've handled a few freezes pretty well already too even with very wet soil so im a happy camper

I do have some older plants in a crappy mix which is probably about spent, and I use this ladybug stuff I get locally which is fish emulsions/kelp and maybe some other stuff ... I've had nearly the same stuff but with a completly different name so I think its a common mix though I haven't seen a fish kelp mix at the box stores... I watered with some of that a couple times this year and alot of those plants pupped alot like the ones in the worx did.. I water everything with Kelp a few times in the growing season.. I had every intention of doing feeding with worm castings tea this year but thats something that got past me this year.. i've only heard about good results when using it and it makes sense to feed while simultaneously giving life to the soil.. I do think that triches specifically are very sensitive to minerals and so Im gonna be using rock dust more regularly even in seed starting mixes...

[Auxin]

Low salt vegan hippie pee.

Its a good thing I'm a hippie, because the law frowns on milking hippies for pee in the park.

[Gunter]

I have used a lot over the years. I worked in a nursery and tried some of everything.

Blood, bone, guano, compost, feather meal, cottonseed meal, rock dusts, synthetics, semi organic etc.

It all worked but I found completes with 1:1:1 ratios for NPK pleased me the most.

I often used very high N rates experimentally and the cacti loved them and never had a problem.

There is a direct relationship between growth rates and feeding.

[katu]

Osmocote as a slow release, regular doses of fish emulsion and seasol..

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

this in the mix when potting up

this when they arrive yellow and very ill from lack of nitrogen

this is their normal feed, feeding is 6x the strength recommended

(but only due to the CC ability of the mix)

and seing as that cactus food's been discontinued from manufacture, a switch to thisis underway already

all in a rich solution of fish shit :3 from this

and to add a touch of spiritual magick

the mix consists of a sexy square pot, wherever applicable, with the following;

to block the holes to stop the kitty litter escaping... either

or 1" of thiscompressed to "bung" the holes since the media is so airy anyway

the "media"(DE -silica)-pummice is a good equivalent if you can source it cheaper but seriously... this stuff is the cat's ass!

this.. and occasionally sand; to add weight(for top heavy fattys)

this to decrease weight-perlite(almost stopped using it at all now)

additionally ... this is the sowing mix used for seeds

and I find a pull toward using washed river sand/inert silica for the aquarium in the mix for astrophytums

there's some nice coloured sand that is chemically inert often available at aquatics stores here

coal black and pure white ones are very appealing to the eye

there's even luminous greens and pinks too :3

Edited November 26, 2014 by ☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ

[franky]

I use aquasol from bunnings, simple soluble powder works great!

I add seaweed and humic acid to my feedings as well.

[DiscoStu]

i've been using gogo juice so far, might switch to something higher in nitrogen,

used gogo juice/nitrosol on about a tri-weekly/monthly rotation last year and was pleased with the results

[oatis]

Thanks a lot guys this is very very useful love the replys

[naja naja]

Gogo juice is more a probiotic than a standalone fert. But I always use it with seaweed and powerfeed

[nut]

You guys using this on trichos,what about your Mexicans,I see pics of say strombocactus disciformis that don't look disciformis in anyway,I apply ferts but to some almost none .a strombo as an example that looks like a ball is odd to me.

[Jox]

I have had hard grown L.fricci's split a few weeks after feeding ferts ( 2 so far), L. williamsii seem to handle the ferts ok. My tricho's love being feed !!

[oatis]

this in the mix when potting upDSC00002.JPG

this when they arrive yellow and very ill from lack of nitrogenDSC00004.JPG

this is their normal feedDSC00005.JPG, feeding is 6x the strength recommended

(but only due to the CC ability of the mix)

and seing as that cactus food's been discontinued from manufacture, a switch to thisDSC00006.JPGis underway already

all in a rich solution of fish shit :3 from thisDSC00007.JPG

and to add a touch of spiritual magickDSC00015.JPG

the mix consists of a sexy square pot, wherever applicable, with the following;

to block the holes to stop the kitty litter escaping... eitherDSC00008.JPG

or 1" of thisDSC00003.JPGcompressed to "bung" the holes since the media is so airy anyway

the "media"(DE -silica)DSC00009.JPG-pummice is a good equivalent if you can source it cheaper

this.. and occasionally sand; to add weightDSC00010.JPG(for top heavy fattys)

this to decrease weightDSC00017.JPG-perlite(almost stopped using it at all now)

additionally ... this is the sowing mix used for seedsDSC00011.JPG

and I find a pull toward using sand in the mix for astrophytums

where abouts do you sorce your tomorite from ?

[coolname]

I give pretty much all my cacti miracle gro at different strengths depending on the species. My L. Williamsii get it at about 1 tenth to 1 fifth dilution, and my trichocereus get it at almost full strength about once every month or two, or whenever I think of it. And I alternate between that and thrive flower+fruit (14:2.6:21) at the same dilution rate. And I give them all some seasol occasionally aswell. They love it

[gtarman]

Back in the day when I still had a garden I was getting really good results with my potting mix and fert regime.

After much experimentation I realized that the key thing in potting mix was NOT re-inventing the wheel. Just used Torsten's recommendation of roughly 70/30 sieved potting mix (to get the really chunky wood bits out) and sieved and washed "sharp" coarse river sand (to get the fine dusty shit out). My only addition to this mix, which I think made a big improvement, was to add a good handful or two of Alroc granular mineral fertilizer...apparently cacti are very much "rock-eaters". Alroc is basically like rockdust but in granular form (not crushed right down to a powder), so helps with drainage and doesn't set like concrete or wash out <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_smile.png

Then during growing season I'd fertilize weekly alternating between Seasol one week, and then Powerfeed (fish emulsion) the next, all at standard strength. I'd also check the pH every now and then and ocasionally add some liquid gypsum or liquid limestone fertilizer from Bunnings.

Aside from that, simply watered them whenever the soil dried out. They were all very healthy, happy plants and going gangbusters. I miss those days <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_sad.png

Edited November 26, 2014 by gtarman

[Distracted]

I've used powerfeed for a bit, pretty easy to split loph grafts without much use at all.

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

where abouts do you sorce your tomorite from ?

amazon <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_smile.png

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

You guys using this on trichos,what about your Mexicans,I see pics of say strombocactus disciformis that don't look disciformis in anyway,I apply ferts but to some almost none .a strombo as an example that looks like a ball is odd to me.

I was just discussing this the other night with a SAB'er ...

using "this" on everything cactaceae - tall or ball - (and some succulents too)

the only difference is frequency of application

I use exactly the same media and feed for my lophs as my trichos now , and virtually every other cactus and non-rainforest plant

-cept maybe 2 schlumbergera which are in 100% ericaceous with 1" kitty litter topping- they get about a quarter of what the trichos get , ive a suspicion i may have read that schlumbergera is a rainforest plant but frgot

exactly the same strength of feed too though ..

the only difference is the temperature, lights, humidity ~(or lack of)

... and very many fewer waterings ...at approximately one 25th of the "tricho" frequency

i.e. I fully watered my trichos 75 times this year

I fully watered my lophs 3 times this year...

watering tiny lophs/balls <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_innocent_n.gif with a 5ml baby medicine feeder syringe barrel..

that way its imposs to overwater accidentally ...

a 2" (5cm) potted dry loph would get maybe 2-4 shots, same as one in a 3" pot

a 4" (10cm) potted dry loph might get up to 6 shots

just dribbled in each corner and then in 2 sides (alternating)- (square pots)

this would equate to a flood and drain on a 2" pot with virtually no wastage,

and nicely calculate roughly to; 1-2 shots max ..per inch squared... of pot size

(great for the non-"full dip"-intermediate waterings that these smaller pots appear to require)

the above is for the williamsii and Aztekium-grafted-to-trichos.., pelecyphs get half of this frequency... as does the only "own root" aztekium I have...

the echinata diffusa perhaps gets 4x5ml all year though

the fricii gets twice as much as echinata and neither of them get the "full dip" watering at all

on a side note, loph' will' caespitosa drinks like a fish compared to the others <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_tongue.png even enjoyed 5 mins in the shower with me once this year...

and that's about top middle and bottom of it I think...

feed stays same pretty much unless you notice it crystallising on the media

, just match frequency of waterings to your plants needs...

and every watering contains feed

(give or take a few in case crystals form on the media from surplus feed that hasnt been taken up - in which case it would be just rain in the following watering)

umm yeah and they're all; always allowed to dry out between waterings....

and get hardly anything .. if any at all from mid nov-december, january and february-mid march

but in may/june july and august/sept if its hot enough... trichos can be watered every day you might find...,

if its warm/dry enough where you grow them.

if i got a hot april or october I might begin earlier/extend later but those occasions would possibly be few

but certainly do happen more than expected on the krill in which I live

Edited December 19, 2014 by ☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ

[naja naja]

Does any1 ever consider the independNt hardware/ nursery stores? Binning doesn't have the most ethical business system

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Sure do, can't get Dino pellets anywhere but the I dependants ;)