Fertilizer No No

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FredBW
Posts: 178
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:52 am
Location: Kansas City

Fertilizer No No

Post by FredBW »

Wow. Is this stuff as bad as I think it is?
Reading the archives I am seeing how this just isn't good.
https://www.amazon.com/Dynamite-82170-C ... B07FBCWJQB
Dynamite cactus and succulent food
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But But but it says cactus on the label :D
18-6-8 yes 18% nitrogen.
I have this in quite a few of my cacti. Kind of explains why some are growing kind of long.
I knew what the numbers meant at one time long ago,but forgot.
Says "promotes flowers and growth". Well yea :D
Probably not exactly what you want for a slow release cactus food.
Thought i would put it up,so others don't make the same mistake I have.
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Steve Johnson
Posts: 4514
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:44 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)

Re: Fertilizer No No

Post by Steve Johnson »

Yes, it really is that bad -- for cacti and succulents K should be 1.5 times higher than N, so the fert you just saw guarantees Nitrogen "bloat" and unnatural growth. Fert manufacturers know absolutely nothing about the nutrient requirements for good cactus growth, so any fert that claims to be "for cacti and succulents" should be avoided. There is just one exception I'm aware of:

https://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewto ... 37#p382937

MikeInOz gets the Osmocote cactus and succulent formulation in Australia, but unfortunately it's not available here in the US. As our horticulturalist-in-residence, Mike is the best explainer of ferts I've ever seen, and I learned a lot from him in 2020. I don't want those lessons to be lost, so I may put a presentation together which details the lessons learned for the benefit of our members now and new members in the future. If my teaching skills are any good at all, I think posting it as a sticky in the Cultivation forum should be helpful. And in the event that Mike catches me in any factual errors, he should be there to correct them.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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