On Friday 02 August 2013 14:27 Spider wrote in uk.rec.gardening:

Hi,

I couldn't see your link, Tim, but I use a liguid ericaceous food when
watering. If I'm blending compost, I mix in granular food with the
soil. Use whichever suits your watering system. As you surmise,
ericaceous food can be used at a weak dilution to soften hard water, as
well as at instructed dilution for feeding.

Aside from ericaceous plants, most plants (esp. in containers) need a
general purpose feed to start the year. However, many specialised
'container' composts come with added fertiliser *and* water retaining
gel. Read the packaging to see when/if you need to start feeding. High
Potash fertiliser (Tomorite, etc.) is used to promote flowering and
ripening of the plant and its fruit. After the end of July, do not use
any nitrogenous feed as it will promote soft growth which will be
damaged by early frosts.

I look ed hard at the Gardena inline fertilizer unit - it's pretty dumb. It
basically has a little tank and an in and an out port. I summised that it
basically loads the entire load into the first 1/2l of water that goes
through - ie it is a "one shot, but for all the plants". You have to load it
once every X days.

After that I concluded that it would be easier and better just to go around
with a watering can once a week and give each plant what it actually needs.

Unlike watering, a missed session will not kill anything.

It's worth mentioning that if your home water supply has an added water
softening device, then it is likely to be harmful to your plants.

Good point - no I don't.

I was considering adding a very simple/inexpensive carbon block/ceramic
cartidge filter to the outlet of the water computer to knock out most of the
the chlorine and some of the hardness.

A filter element is likely to last a year at the flow I'm likely to use.





On another tanget, seems most of my herbs would like good sun (with the
exception of coriander which apparantly makes more leaves in part shade)
- so they sound like good candidates for the front, which is handy as
that's where the kitchen is anyway!



Yes, that's generally true. The sun intensifies the natural plant oils,
giving better flavour. If you grow marjoram and thyme, it is worth
letting them flower (or growing spare plants) because it attracts both
bees and butterflies. Read up on freezing herbs, too, so you have some
to use in the winter.


Cool

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