All round fertiliser.

Chicken and rose manure pellets does it for me.

 

Are we talking on this thread fertiliser for beds? or for pots that will need a lot more feeding (weekly) opposed to beds that don't need feeding, apart from a slow release feed in the Spring.

Come mid-August, I will be looking in my local supermarket that will sell off liquid feed at better than half price. Last year I bought a load of miracle gro and Westland Boost, the year before lots of Tomorite, I simply keep it for the following year.

A pointed out by another poster I made a mistake by putting Growmore on my beds this year, where i should have used Fish, Blood and Bone instead. I may even use the Vitax next year, which is new on me.

 

Whether in the ground or in pots I use blood, fish and bone for growth - foliage and roots, and tomato food for flowering. This is right across the board from annuals to shrubs but I only feed shrubs when necessary. I also use tomato food for indoor plants.

 

I use blood fish & bone in pots and for any new plantings in the garden. I top dress with growmore in spring on established pots. Later on i use seaweed extract fortnightly.
I used to use chicken manure pellets but found that local wildlife liked it and dug in pots and around new additions to the garden.

 

That's great, but what do you use on the plants.

 

I use blood fish and bone when planting, chicken manure pellets on the veg plot.
Miracle Gro and seaweed extract in the greenhouse and on pots until flowers appear and then Tomorite and seaweed extract.

 

I'm much the same as you @NigelJ , although I don't use the chicken manure. Many of the liquid feeds are similar, so it often comes down to preference and budget. I don't often use seaweed now, as most foliage plants here do well in the climate, and since I've started using home made brews, nettle feed does the same kind of job as seaweed. Comfrey is a good all rounder, but it's good for anything flowering/fruiting, so I've used it on the tomatoes.
I read yesterday that borage stems make a good feed, made in the same way as the nettle/comfrey ones, so I'll have a go at that as I have loads of borage. I don't always put it in the compost bin as the stems are really sharp and bristly!

 

Further to some previous comments, I looked at two lots of slow release granules in a GC a while back. One was packaged as a general season long blend the other as specifically for high demand flowers such as roses, Dahlias etc. When I looked on the back at the analysis they were exactly the same. So I bought the cheaper one.
I agree beds and borders get mulched, pots need feeding throughout the season.

 

I've given up on FBB, never had much luck with it, maybe I never dumped enough on, but I dont think its all it's cracked up to be.

 

I only use FB&B for initial planting @pete , and usually just for shrubs/trees - anything woody. My soil is now in good condition after years of mulching etc, so perennials don't usually get anything. I don't use it in the front garden though - too easy for foxes to get in and start digging!

I'd agree with what you say about those slow release products @Allotment Boy. Call me cynical but- it's a cushy number for manufacturers to put the same product in a variety of packaging.
I'm sure there was a thread recently about it because someone asked about all the products they'd seen in a GC and they didn't know what to buy for the specific plants they had.
Anything in a pot is totally different in it's needs, compared to being in the ground though.

 

Does any one have problems in using chicken manure pellets? I put some in a plant hole and next morning it looked like a fox had been digging holes to get at them.

 

Yeah they will, the product says it all, it smells of chickens.

 

I try to prepare the soil well before planting with manure, compost, BFB and perhaps a handful of slow release granules for roses, and then promptly forget about feeding.

I invest in clearance all purpose liquid that is ok for house plants, outdoors containers etc, but usually remember to use it perhaps once a year.

Seaweed liquid seems to be quite good for indoors plants and cacti after they have had their initial waterings around February. It seems to green things up.

As long as the compost is good and well nourished to start with, and the plants look healthy, I don't see any point in remembering to fertilize.

 

My view is that even if it didn't damage roots, it would damage the complex ecosystem of the soil.

 

I never dig anything in @Esoxlucius, but I assume you're meaning organic stuff like compost, manure etc though, and not extra food as such?
I certainly don't mix that into soil. If I did use it, it would just get scattered on the surface, and then lightly mixed in with the top layer of the soil itself, or another light layer of compost etc sprinkled over it. If anything needs a little boost, I tend to use a liquid feed though.