On Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:55:59 -0800, "David E. Ross"
wrote:

Some 20-25 years ago, I bought a 5 lb bag of zinc sulfate. It was
packed by Bandini, which is no longer in business. I use only a little,
on my four dwarf citrus and on my gardenia. Now that the bag is almost
empty, none of the nurseries around me carry it.

Does anyone know of a retail source of zinc sulfate in relatively small
packages? No, I don't want it mixed with iron or boron. And I'm
looking for it in the form of dry powder or granules.

It seems that, in recent years, it's becoming harder and harder to find
single-nutrient fertilizers. All I see are combinations. However, even
the combinations are incomplete. For example, most commercial citrus
fertilizers contain no zinc although citrus is well-know to require
extra zinc. One commercial citrus food contains 0.02% zinc; 0.50% or
even 1.00% would be better.


A 5-pound bag of zinc sulfate is a lot of zinc. Plants use very small
amounts of some elements. I'm sure if you just use zinc metal
filings, there would be millions of zinc ions available. You should
be able get zinc sulphate at any chemical supply house or obtain a
small quantity from a science school supply. I have zinc strips on my
roof (to prevent mold and algae), so I know my backyard is getting
more zinc than it needs.

Also, you could crush up a Centrum vitamin--plenty of elements,
including zinc, in one pill. The formula for men has more zinc.