Re:[CH] container growing question

Shaun aRe (shaun_are@zenlunatics.co.uk)
Tue, 18 Oct 2005 10:48:01 +0100 

"Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 16:39:51 -0400
From: Matt Evans <tmattevans@gmail.com>


I don't use any chemical pesticides on any of my plants, but (as you
can tell) I am pretty liberal with the chemical fertilizers.  If you
prefer to be fully organic (sounds like you might be already), I would
recommend that you just up your fertilizer applications significantly.
 The problem, obviously, is that this gets expensive -- thus, I use
chemical fertilizers.  If you're already composting, use this compost
as your mulch and use some to make a tea every time you water -- this
is dilute fertilizer, but it's free.

I'm not a horticulturalist, I just play one on the internets, but good luck.

Matt"

Hi Matt/John!

All I've ever done is container growing, and the plants seem to do juft
fine - my only problem this year has been due to slow germination and poor
rates, leaving the plants flowering late so they aren't going to have set
many fruits before the flowers start dropping. However the plants are all
looking very healthy and are full of flowers. This year I just used pots of
under 1gal, maybe down to about 1/2 gal. Ordinary potting compost, feed with
tomato feed, starting fairly early, quite dilute and ramping it up as the
get bigger. The pots are buried with an inch above the dirt - I can pull
them and move them should I need to (just pulled the biggest of the choc hab
plants and put it into the in-law's conservatory - it's COVERED in flowers
but only one fruit - in that rather warm place it should produce well
instead of drop all the blossoms), but the ground helps retain the moisture.

As far as organics, a good organic fert I've used (that costs virtually
nothing) on chiles with success, is one my FIL makes up for tomatoes (but
uses elsewhere too) - just made from comfry - there should be plenty of
references in books/on the web (a lot of folk use it) - basically, he has
one plot on the allotment, about 10 x 10' full of comfry plants - they grow
fast and with lots of bulk - when they get big he cuts them back quite hard
and puts the stuff into a big plastic barrel, wetted to rot down (best to
have a mesh/grill layer near the base, with a drain tap below it) - as it
rots he collects the liquid and bottles it. He's never had to re-plant the
comfry nor feed that patch in years and years, so he has a steady supply.

 BE WARNED!

This stuff >*STINKS*< to all hell. It is foul. It is so rank even satan
would wrinkle his nose at it. One big whiff right up the nose can empty the
contents of even most cast iron of stomachs. Makes for bloody good tomatoes
and chiles though. <G!>

Cheers folkses!

',;~}~

Shaun aRe

"Life is the dream you wake up to."