Espoma products?

Vindicated

Well-Known Member
I use Kellogg products myself, but I've seen Espoma. They're look pretty solid. The only reason I went to Kellogg is because it has the NPK ratios that I wanted (4-4-4) and it was a few dollars cheaper, but Espoma has Plant-tone that's 5-3-3, which I'm sure is just as good. If Espoma is on sale, I'd pick them up, but usually they are priced the same or Kellogg will be $1-$2 cheaper.

Kellogg is also OMRI listed while Espoma is not. It's not really a big deal because they're almost identical products in slightly different ratios, but hey, if they're the same price, why not go with the company that supports having their products verified by a third-party?

Still, you can't go wrong with Espoma. It's a good fertilizer and they have lots of ratios to pick from. Great for the gardener that likes to experiment without breaking the bank.
 

farmerjoe420

Well-Known Member
Ever since that article by Jeff from WSU, I'm now iffy on teas. Plus the directions from Espoma say to mix it in with the first four to five inches of soil. I'd follow Espoma's advice. Here's the link to their direction's page so you can read for yourself:

http://www.espoma.com/p_consumer/fact_sheets.html



that reccomendation is for flower beds. for potting mixes it is 1 cup per cu ft but it used to be 2.75 cups per cu ft. i used at a higher rate since this is meant for flowers and veggies. the espoma rep told me it had been changed since they found 1 cup per cu ft is enough for proper innoculation but in my experience the amount i used worked fine.
 

Hasbroh

Well-Known Member
I mix it in the soil about 12" for all of my general garden area and usually plant at the same time. It is a little hot that way and some of the plants will burn or sit, then eventually take off. Others will like it right away and jump.

I recently mixed some Kellogs in a 4" layer about a foot down in some big pots, sort of a supersoil. Above that the soil is a mix of Happy Frog, Roots, and Kellogs (soil) and Espoma or Kellogs fert. Planted peppers, gomphrena, salvia, and vinca. They sat for about 8 days in the hot desert sun, stunned by the uv and extra fert but they did not burn. This morning I can see they are all about to take off. I wanted to see their response to the intense desert sun and extra fert - they seem to be doing very well.
 

davidjwest

New Member
can you use full recommended dosages or do you need to cut them down...if so how much.... i'm dealing with
plant tone, blood/bone meal/green sand/...etc
 

AliCakes

Well-Known Member
Delahaze @ 24 days. Grown in an organic no-till pot, she has been given ONLY Espoma Plant-tone, homemade Earthworm compost, water, molasses, and one dusting of sulfur (pH was raising a bit). This is only one little bud, but the plant is big and healthy, plus the smoke was strong and flavorful on my last go round with her.

Organic methods used in your outdoor garden will work just fine indoors. Just be careful with the really stinky stuff :)

 

AnimalMother1974

Active Member
I got some garden tone on clearance at walmart. Does it need to be "cooked" before using or can I just dump some on the soil and water it down?
 

youraveragehorticulturist

Well-Known Member
Should be good to go.

Maybe "sprinkle" instead of "dump" the first time, to see how it works out.

I have also dumped a cup of that stuff in 5 gallons of water, then watered that mess in a few days later.
 

SSHZ

Well-Known Member
Espoma products are mainly for outdoor gardens as they take months to break down into usable ingredients. Indoors they are almost useless for a 3 month garden.
 

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
I switched from Epsoma 5-3-3 to Organicare 6-6-5 because it is OMRI listed. The feather meal and chicken manure in Epsoma is not necessarily from organically fed layers.
OMRI doesn't really mean better or fully organic.

The inspectors that come out have a little wiggle room. Depending on the person, one may let something get listed that another may not.

I understand your concern though. I don't think its an issue with Espoma products.

I shall look into Organicare products. How much does their products cost?

I like "Down to Earth" products to. I have used their all purpose and its pretty good. They are OMRI listed.
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