TOW: Tender Bulbs in Cold Climates -- or in containers anywhere
J.E. Shields (Sat, 12 Apr 2003 17:16:36 PDT)

Ken Kehl is right in most regards. The only quibble I might have is over
the forms of nitrogen. Nitrite is not generally available, as far as I'm
aware. The choices are usually between ammonia-based nitrogen (including
urea) and nitrate based nitrogen, especially as potassium nitrate and
calcium nitrate. For bulbs, the nitrate is preferable to the ammonia
based, since fungi can use ammonia nitrogen more readily than nitrates, and
vice versa for plants -- nitrate is the preferred form for most plants
under many conditions.

If you flush your pots occasionally with plain water, you will have a tough
time generating fertilizer burn. The salts in soluble fertilizers are just
that -- soluble. They dissolve and wash away when the pot is flooded.

Using granular slow release fertilizers is an entirely different
situation. I can't offer any advice on using such, because I absolutely
refuse to do it.

I put "organic" plant foods in the same banned category but for different
reasons: Adding nutritious organic matter to bulb pots can encourage the
growth of fungi and bacteria, which in turn can be the death warrant for
delicate bulbs being grown far from their native haunts.

Regards and good growing!
Jim Shields
in central Indiana (USA)

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Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. +1-317-896-3925
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