Welcome to the Melbourne Community Daily Discussion Thread.

  • melbaboutown
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    1 year ago

    Good idea, I remember having Powerfeed years ago and diluting that. Would it be good to dilute the foliage spray and use it on the soil?

    It has chelation stuff in it to improve absorption through the leaves (seems to be things like iron copper and zinc) so I don’t know how it differs from the standard stuff.

    Oh yes, the carp fertiliser would be dangerous. Melbcat would be attracted to stinky fish and the potassium etc would be bad for her kidneys.

    • Taleya
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      1 year ago

      Dilute, dilute dilute. This will be a bad year to foliage spray

      • melbaboutown
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        1 year ago

        Crap. I just did a test spray on the parsley as it already looked stressed and wilted. It’s up on the bench away from furry hands, it might stay inside tomorrow

    • Thornburywitch
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      1 year ago

      Most plant food is based on NPK, that is, nitrogen, potassium and whatever K stands for (calcium I think but can’t remember off the top of my head). The extra iron, copper & zinc is an improvement in my view as Australian soil is mostly fairly poor in trace elements. This is why I like Seasol. Copper in particular is lacking in a lot of Aus soils and having enough makes a huge difference to plant health. I wouldn’t worry about the chelation ingredients, the soil will also benefit from that. If you want a cheap soil-friendly plant food to put on or mix in with the soil, the good ol’ blood & bone from the supermarket is very good. So is dolomite dust, but this costs more and is harder to find but lasts a whole lot longer.

        • Thornburywitch
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          1 year ago

          Thanks! The letters for the elements are so bloody hard to remember! And while logical in historical context, they are not logical in terms of initial letters.

          • Taleya
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            1 year ago

            Lol know how i remember? A friend in 199fucking 5 randomly said ‘The K stands for fire!’

      • melbaboutown
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        1 year ago

        Thanks, I was considering just grabbing the normal Seasol in my next Woolies order… but if it really won’t harm it.

        Is the dilution ratio the same?

        • Thornburywitch
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          1 year ago

          Pretty much. I would mix as advised on the bottle, then add maybe about half as much again water. It lasts pretty well in a watering can for several days. After a week, I don’t put it on pot plants, but donate it to the lawn or the nature strip trees. I tend to eyeball measurements, but as most of my plants are outside and get extra dilution from rain it’s not a huge issue for me. For inside plants, maybe use it at ‘cordial’ concentrations - that is, for each half cup of pure seasol, add 1 litre of water or more.

          • melbaboutown
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            1 year ago

            It’s in a spray bottle labeled for foliar use and is meant to be sprayed on undiluted, does that still apply? This is the one I was brought https://www.seasol.com.au/products/seasol-foliar-spray/

            Next time I’m just digging slow release granules through the soil before planting and being done with it. -_- I would have but they had spoiled/bloomed, potentially from moisture getting in

            • Thornburywitch
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              1 year ago

              Dilute in half for soil use I think. That is, one cup of spray to one cup of water. Then soak soil every 3-4 days. The mixture will keep for at least a week or longer in a closed container in the fridge or even in cool spot as the weather is about to fall on its ear again. I would discard any diluted mixture after a week of hot weather if kept at room temperature. Or possibly donate it to the street tree or another outside plant.

            • Taleya
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              1 year ago

              Be careful with those, a lot have bullshit levels of cadmium. Worm casings are always good, and you already have mycorrhizal going!

              • melbaboutown
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                1 year ago

                D:

                I’ve ordered some Powerfeed as apparently that’s a fertiliser and Seasol is a soil conditioner… and they’re meant to be mixed? I’ll just have to be careful a certain someone doesn’t try to taste