In the first post you mention Espoma Tomato Tone, but I see that there's two varieties. Which one would be the proper one ? http://www.amazon.ca/Espoma-Co-4-Pound-Tomato-Tone-4-7-10/dp/B0011UEKKE/ref=sr_1_7?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1421764223&sr=1-7 http://www.amazon.ca/Espoma-Co-TO8-Tomato-Tone-Pounds/dp/B003HJ6FJ6/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1421764199&sr=1-1
First link says 4-7-10 Second says 3-4-6 This is what confused me, I thought it's different variations of ingredients.
If you scroll down to "Product Description" on the first link it says, "Espoma 4-pound tomato-tone 3-4-6 plant food" Absolutely horrible labeling/descriptions on those amazon pages. I've only ever seen one 'type' of Espoma Tomato Tone, though that isn't to say 2 don't exist. In this case, I believe the contents of the bag are the same, just different amounts.
Thanks for clearing that up. I have another question does a mix of soil when cooking/mixing smells at all ? I'll be doing a small batch, maybe in a 20 Gal container, and my wife will freak when she smells anything out of basement, she's a clean freak. Also I read a lot of people mix it in smart pot, do you cover the smart pot with anything ?
Hopefully you get a good assortment of people to answer these questions. The one thing I've noticed smelling: crab meal. Holy sh*t, I hate that smell and have to wrap my face in a bandana whenever mixing my soil (I mix in a huge storage container in my basement, though even a pile outside would suffice). It goes away with good ventilation and if I plop the lid down on the container (I don't seal it, by any means). The smell goes away with the cycling, though. I have a smartpot now that's waiting for some worms, and I've just got it covered with some straw mulch...
I love the smell of compost in the morning. I agree with Stevebomb about the crab meal it does have a rather pungent aroma. However, once it's mixed together the smell is not nearly as bad. You may be able to smell it in the room it's in but it won't stink up the whole house. ✌
Would down to earth all purpose fertilizer 4-6-2 have same use as espoma plant tone? What I'm asking is could I use dte all purpose in place of the suggested plant/tomato tone, or are they products for different use.
If unsure of quality of Compost from Home Depot and others should you mix more of quality EWC, or still try to keep it 50-50. I got access to this EWC, seems like it should be good quality, but nothing on quality compost locally, no kijiji/craigslist adds. http://www.cathyscomposters.com/
All ewc is fine if you're unsure of compost. If you want to test out the compost, the more darker and blacker it is, the better. It should have a good earthy smell to it. If it smells bad, that may be a sign that it's not fully composted. Also read what was used to make that compost. Leaves and plant matter are good thing. And the smaller the particles of the compost, the better. Any big chunks like tree bark or stuff that looks mulchy won't be worth your money. All ewc would be great. Just make sure that it's kind of moist. Not super soggy or super dry. I hope this advice is good. I'm open to corrections by anyone if I'm wrong. Good luck!!!
I don't use the plant/tomato tone, nor do I use a general purpose fertilizer in it's stead. These fertilizers use ingredients I don't want (ie blood/bone/feather meals), so I leave them out. Kelp+alfalfa+awesome humus will more than make up for what those fertilizers bring to the party.
I don't think there's anything wrong with the plant tones/ fertilizers in your soil/mix; i leave them out for personal reasons. The Kelp+Humus(EWC, compost...)+Alfalfa was referenced by me because I believe all 'nutes' should be covered in those 3. With extra stress on sourcing the best humus component you can get/afford. I posted this a few weeks ago when I built the soil I'm cycling right now, the picture I've posted above of the mycelium is on this soil. I think I'm a little light on the 'liming agents' and will probably add a little bit of lime to the mix soon. I wouldn't recommend copying my mix because It's yet to be proven on plants and I've deviated from other examples on amounts.
. Just checking. I was referencing from the formula at the beginning of this post . Just checking. I was referencing from the formula at the beginning of this post
I know this one! Kelp and alfalfa turn your plant into a snarling beast of a plant so you can face off against the zombies. Check the first page... I think I read it there.
I actually just got some in and thought the same thing. Does anyone recommend grinding it up, or just use as is?