Fertiliser gadgets / products question

We have slates covering the border front and back and I'm thinking ahead to fertiliser.

My go to has always been blood fish and bone and then later started using chicken manure pellets on someone's recommendation. Neither I think are going to work now with the slate on. I finished off the bucket of chicken manure last year by applying it over the slate and made a pretty awful mess which took a while and a lot of rain and watering to go.

So what's the best way to apply a fertiliser with the stone on the bed? I got some liquid feed last year but tbh applying it with watering cans I find too much, it's too heavy for me and takes a lot of cans and I can't reach the back.

I started looking at some hose dilutors but very mixed reviews with regard to leaking everywhere, breaking, not being able to figure out the dilution rate and just not applying the fertiliser.


Or I thought about getting a pressurised pump sprayer which I think would be more reliable to apply but then I'm guessing I'd have to water it in with the hosepipe after because it doesn't deliver the volume of water and id just be wetting the slate

Thoughts would be appreciated. I don't know that there's much advantage over putting BFB on and watering that in with the hose until it finds it's way down through the slate ?

 

Not what you're asking, but it got me wondering about experimenting with not fertilising?

 

What type plants are you feeding .
I would think if applied now FBB would have a couple of months to get washed down through the slate by rain.

I can understand chicken poo not being idea as it leaves behind a residue.

 

I don't really apply fertiliser to any of my flowering plants after they've been planted; unless they are in containers.
Fruit and veg are a different matter as I'm taking the crop away and want a good yield this year and next.
If flowering plants suffer from chlorosis they get a dose of epsom salts.
At this time of year they are not really growing so don't need much, when starting to form flowers or flowering then why not use a soluble feed like Miracle Gro or Tomorite watered on from a watering can, diluted and at the frequency stated in the instructions. Tomorite is high in potash (K) and encourages flowers.
Unless you have a large area to treat then don't bother with sprayers or hose attachments a watering can will work fine.

 

I bought the Miracle Gro hose end feeder last year as I was having surgery and not able to carry things and I thought it would be easier. Not impressed! I could tell from the colour of what came out that it was not mixing evenly - sometimes blue, sometimes not.

 

I think I would make sure all the powder was dissolved, I don't know how much powder and water go into the container, but if difficult to get it all dissolved after plenty of shaking then try some hot water when dissolving.
Getting things to dissolve evenly and completely is a problem in many industrial and laboratory processes.

 

Thank you @NigelJ, I'm not actually sure if I have any left from last year and I wasn't intending on buying any more, but if I do I will bear those tips in mind.

 

What are you growing @OrangeHeart? If your soil was improved before the slate was added then a healthy soil should be enough for most plants to thrive on. Many perennials and grasses do better without supplementary feeding which is usually only necessary for heavy flowerers like roses, dahlias and plants in containers.

 

Herbaceous perennials and a few shrubs. Everything just looks sorry and sparse. I've been terrible at reliably feeding. So this year I'll feed. There are a lot of mature trees very nearby and their big roots run right under the bed. The hedge under them turned yellow until fed, so they seem to take a lot out of the soil and moisture as well.

I can't lift the cans anymore @NigelJ , that's why I'm needing an alternative. The beds had bark put on and a lot of chopped leaves and compost incorporated but the clay is so heavy it hasn't made any difference over the years

Thanks for the feedback on the miracle gro feeder @katecat58 . I'm wondering if @pete is right and just putting BFB on now and watering it in it'll just find it's way down and start to work by the time the growing season comes around

 

Probably just me but I see liquid feeding of garden plants very short term.
It's the kind of thing I do weekly to pot plants.
It always seems very waste full.

 

Is there a weed membrane under the slate clippings @OrangeHeart? If not and the chippings aren’t very deep can you move them aside from the base of the plants you want to feed with blood fish and bone, then move them back again? I do this with bark chippings using a long handled fork which makes it easy.

 

There isn't a weed membrane under the slates but there are a very lot of plants in. Id say hundreds in total. So I think I'd have to sprinkle it on the top close to the roots. Maybe if I do it with a scoop. Thank you all for your input. It does help in making sensible decisions.

Does anyone know how long it takes for BFB to start working and how often reapplication may be needed?

 

Hi

when do you apply the Epsom salts

 

If you apply it this month it will break down and become available for the plants to take up as they start actively growing in March/April. I use it again in early June for plants that need it.

 

Any thoughts on this product please?
Just looking at prices of BFB when I came across it. Made from leftover crops by the look.