Best Plant Food?

I seem to have had several different bottles and packets of plant food for specific plants. Rose food. Tomato food. Clematis food. Ericaceous food. Hanging basket food. Vegetable food. All purpose food. I could go on and on and on and on and...…………

Is Blood Fish and Bone in a tub or box the best "do all"?

 

Hi,

Think you will get a lot of views on this subject, but as you have found you can buy so many food for specific plants these days.

In general terms I would say you could have just three basic foods.

BF&B for when you are preparing the soil or digging the planting hole for perennials.
Growmore as a quick acting general food for all plants.
Tomato food for all fruiting and flowering plants.

The only other one to consider is Ericaceous food for the acid loving plants.

 

I use BF&B as Ricky says.
I use miracle grow for most pot plants and high potash tomato feed for flowering fruiting plants later in the season.

My opinion of the special feeds are they are designed to make you spend money.

Unless you are an exhibitionist.
If you get my meaning

 

I use chicken manure pellets for roses at the start of the season (late February). Blood, fish and bone as a general fertiliser for roses later in the season, and for all shrubs and herbaceous perennials. Tomato food for all flowering annuals.

 

Agree with the previous replies. I do much the same thing. Seaweed is an excellent tonic too. I used to gather tons of fresh seaweed and spread it all over the garden in the autumn and winter. In my opinion there is no better soil conditioner or plant tonic.
I also use Epsom salts two or three times a year...again as a tonic as well as a protection against magnesium deficiency
There are no “miracle” or super plant foods so save yourself some money Cindy and buy cheap as chips fertilisers

 

What a stickler? I cast my mind back to my horticultural exam days. Examiner and me. So Mr A. Fertilizers.
Me. This is where I fail.
Why?
Simply because I don't use them and if pushed, I read the lable.
OK Mike. I give you a pass. You have been honest and not wasted my time.

Since then. I have always advocated to reading the directions.

As a plant pathologist, the area of soil science is included. So as to simplify. Yes soil analaysis brings so many things into the debate. Nevertheless the main soil agents that concer us are. NPK. If in doubt, check out the details.