Fertilizer Concentration, Formula & Frequency

[Ray]

While all of these suppositions are interesting, there are just SO many variables, that it seems pretty unlikely we'll "know" the optimum for the "best" blooming.

Plants with identical nutritional regimens might bloom entirely differently, due to differences in lighting, temperature, humidity, or - gasp! - genetics.

So how are you supposed to attribute anything to a single variable? It's not like any of us have the resources to raise thousands of a single clone in order to eliminate the other variables. Even university or commercial grower studies are not that rigorous. So...

What we have to do is try stuff and gain a general assessment, and draw oh-so-tentative conclusions to guide us going forward.

I started this thread to provide a very elementary, yet scientifically valid approach to control of feeding. The rest of this is speculation.

[Dorchid]

Interesting discussion. One thing I know for certain, is that this shit stinks!

[Orchid Whisperer]

Gwyn, thanks for the references in your post!

[kvet]

Originally Posted by Ray

When reading through the threads here, you'll often see comments like "feed weakly" or "feed at 1/4 strength". The first is totally meaningless and the second only has meaning if you know the formula. "1/4 strength" of a 20-20-20 formula is identical to "full strength" of a 5-5-5.

THIS. So much this. If you use 20-20-20 and fertilize weakly weekly, but don't qualify what fertilizer you use, and I show up as a newbie with some 2-2-2... that's already weaker than 1/4 strength 20-20-20.

Also, after preparing a table to better understand fertilizers, I think consumer ones are a marketing scam, especially the organic kind.

[Keysguy]

Dorchid.......

curios why you say this.

One thing I know for certain, is that this shit stinks!

[Dorchid]

I mean literally; I can’t stand the way it smells Smells like b vitamins.