On Oct 3, 12:00 pm, Jim Kingdon wrote:
just use epsom salt (formula non-standard, but which has the benefit
of being something I already have.)

Well, it is 0-0-0 but that's only because those three numbers only hit
3 of the nutrients, not the other dozen or more things which plants need.

Epsom salt provides magnesium (only). So it is apples and oranges
compared with something like triple phosphate - you might need both,
or neither, or just one. Won't harm anything, at the recommended
dosage, though.

Ack! I'm only now finding this... (Oct 13) 'need to find a better way
to track relevant activity here!!

Anyhow last night I finally found a store which carries the "Triple
Super
Phosphate whatever" (I was on the verge of trying TSP, but I couldn't
find
that either)

$7 for the smallest package however, and reading the fine print
(everything is
fineprint now adays, or maybe I just need new eyes?) it is to be
"Worked into
the soil ... AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE PLANTING." -Oops.

Anyhow they (McLendon's Hdwr) also had "Liquinox 0-10-10 No Nitrogen
BLOOM (etc)",
a liquid to be applied with water @ 1 tablespoon/gallon, under $4 for
a quart.
I'll apply it next watering cycle and see. But I am wondering if
pollination can
occur this late in the year regardless: the only bugs remaining are a
few
disoriented Fungus Gnats who attack my computer screen;~/


Incidentally I moved the wildly-growing peppers and tomatoes (now
almost 5' tall,
in 3-4 gallon buckets, 2-3 per) to the floor and hung a new
fluorescent light
just for them, but lost about 70% of the pepper flowers in the move.
And I thought
I killed the tomatoes. I still don't know if any of the pepper flowers
will
produce, (? pollination), but the tomatoes recovered nicely despite
another major
broken stalk, and several branches that I chopped before they could
cause more
stalks to break.