I just purchased a fertilzer that is just for citrus. Boy was I shocked to find that. Went in to find a fish emulsion, fish fert... whichever ya wanna call it and there it was... big ol box of citrus and avacado fert.

What I want to know.. is if it is anything decent. I've read a few posts where a "citrus" fert wasn't always the best. esspecially for a container.

The brand is Lilly Miller, all natural.

heres the break down.

Nitrogen, 10%
3.5% ammoniacal nitrogen
3.6% urea nitrogen
0.7% water soluable nitrogen
2.2% water INsoluable nitrogen

Avaliable phosphate 6%
soluble potash 4%
calcium 4%
sulfur 2%
Boron 0.02%
iron 2%
Maganese 0.05%
Molybdenum 0.0005%
Zinc 0.05%

Derived from Dried poultry waste; urea; alfalfa meal; ammonium sulfate; Calcium and boron Borate; ferrous; manganese, and zing oxcides; sodium molybdate; and ferrous sucrate.

I know its missing magnesium, but I can easily add that in form of empom salts. So... is it decent? please say yes... was so excited to find it in this area. I think the reason it was carried is that the stores employee/owner grows avacados indoors.

the fish fertilizer I got... also curious about it.... its all purpose, organic. "Alaska fish fertilizer" 5-1-1 ratio what do ya'll think of fish ferts.

I don't know what the term "all natural" is suppposed to mean, as every thing, no matter what, can be called "natural." My guess is that the word "natural" is used to make the buyer think that it is environmentally friendly. Zinc is normally added as a sulfate so that it is highly soluble. I have never seen the trace mineral zinc, and the other trace minerals in the formula supplied as oxides. Same thing with Ferrous (iron) it is commonly either a chelate or a sulfate, not a sucrate. The label does not say what type of calcium is used, there are soluble calciums, and non soluble calciums. Calcium has to be in the soluble form before the plant can use it. Not a big fan of urea as a nitrogen source. Myself I would never use alfalfa meal as a source of nitrogen. The alfalfa meal must represent the 2.2 percent insoluble nitrogen. The product is partly "organic" and partly non-organic. Lastly 10% nitrogen is quite low. I have never been a big Lilly Miller Fan. - Millet

To bring it closer to 5-1-3 ratio, you would need to buy Muriate of Potash. Alas, I cannot specifically answer this, unless you can give me the specific analysis of the specific brand of Potash that you get, and they are quite variable content depending on fillers or source, as most of it are from mineral clay.

As it stands, the K content should be boosted in order to approach the 5-1-3 ratio.

It was a decent price... as far as ferts go... worth buying even if I may have to add a bit to it. 4 pounds for 4 bucks. It definatly was an impulse buy... not often you seen anything citrus related to buy up here... unless its the fruit in the grocery stores.

Betty,

Those citrus/avocado ferts are better than the more common fertilizers and often works well in our area, which of course, most of our citruses here are inground. I now find them more expensive than when I try to make my own fertilizers from the cheap ones that I can get.

Regards,

Joe

Joe, the other form off water soluble potassium is Potassium Nitrate. I have always tried to stay away from chlorides such as Potassium Chloride, Ammonium Chloride, Calcium Chloride and the like, because of the high salt content. I don't think citrus and chlorides go together well. - Millet

Millet, I concur, especially if you have alkaline sodic soils like ours. For sandy soils, the Cl should leach out well. Potted plants should have good drainage and you allow some leacheates to come out and should be okay, unless the media retains most elements and high anion exchange sites.

Here are also better alternatives to Muriate of Potash:
Potash of Sulfur: K2SO4 and can be taken from various minerals:
Schonite K2SO4.MgSo4.6H2O
Leonite K2SO4.MgSO4.4H2O
Langeinite K2SO4.2MgSO4
Polyhalite K2SO4.MgSO4.2CaSO4.2H2O

Problem is even if I knew all about these, and knew that these minerals are literally "dirt" cheap, we cannot obtain them easily in the US and if ever available, they would be like priced in gold.

Another source of Potash which are almost free are from wood ashes, but the problem is the tendency of wood ashes to contain other heavy metals, and also increasing the soil pH.

Wood ashes can raise the PH. The older people made lye soap out of hog lard and wood ashes.

This is true. Wood ashes are a fair source of potassium but they contain even more lime. Good stuff for many things here in Florida but maybe bad news for you folks in a more arid climate.

.....Alan.