Osmocote, my favorite plant food - easy peasy, complete

[OldUncleBen]

I have used Osmocote Indoor-Outdoor Plus, 15-9-12, both the 5-6 month and 8-9 month feed on many a plant material for many years - 10,000 or so tree seedlings both field and pot planted, large bearing greenhouse tropical fruit trees, new vineyard planting, veggies, and now cannabis. No other food is needed folks.

Faves never looked healthier. All I do is water the pots. They get all the necessary macros, secondaries and micros fed on an even, constant basis the way momma nature intended plants to be fed.

Just dried/cured and smoked some Cannacopia Lapis Mtn. indica. Kept up the watering schedule to the end. Smoke is very smooth, nice sweet flavor, fine high.

For more info - Doing the root pruning thing again, this time with MicroKote - #80 by OldUncleBen

I buy it by the 50# bag from A.M. Leonard taking advantage of the free shipping promo quite often.

Not a bad price from Amazon. 2 years ago this 8# was selling for $11. Inflation has taken its toll over the last 2 years. This 8# bag will do 100’s of 3 gallon pots.

Amazon.com : Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food Plus Outdoor & Indoor, 8 lb....

Uncle Ben

[Mithridate]

Osmocote is cool. My local hydro shop owner makes his own 2 part osmocote, one bag veg, one bag flow. Thats what i use outdoors, works like a charm.

[DougDawson]

This is fantastic. I have seen you speak of this stuff and it was also recommended to me by another user. Going to be starting 4 autos to put outside my cottage this year. Got too cold last year to finish photos outside properly so I plan on doing autos so I can get a mid Aug harvest from them. The plan was to use Happy Frog soil and then when transplanting I was going to fill up the holes with Ocean Forest. Is there a particular soil you would recommend @OldUncleBen? Not sure if I should be using something with less nutes in it since I will be adding Osmocote? Excuse the nube question from this indoor coco grower

[OldUncleBen]

Using Autos for your situation sounds like a good plan, good luck.

Since I mix my own soil based on what I have on hand, can’t help you. My commercial friends, growing in hoop houses, make up their own bulk blends using pine bark fines and sand - 4 to 1. Osmocote is what they use to feed. Berger BM7 soil less blend is the best and at a cheap price.

It’s hard to over apply Osmocote since it’s a slow feed. I measure it like I do making a pot of chili in the kitchen, the palm of my hand.

[DougDawson]

Ok, thanks. I have a couple bags of basic potting soil but also some Ocean Forest and Happy Frog. Maybe I will try both and see what happens. My outdoor is not something I am really concerned with honestly but something I will be looking more at when I retire to the lake so I figure I can start playing with different things and start learning. Be nice to have some of the ins and outs down. Well that and outdoor is totally new to me so it’s kind of fun to experiment and see what happens. Since I am not they for weeks at a time it’s got to be more set it and forget it so this Osmocote sounds perfect.

[OldUncleBen]

Upcan to a 3 gal. pot and sink it into a hole in the ground, like 3" deep. The roots will grow thru the drain holes into native soil. I have literally planted about 10,000 seedlings in the field and they all got Osmocote or a similar product like this one.

What’s ironical is the never ending paradigm regarding the “flushing” myth so pervasive in cannabis forums with noobs. This indica smoke is very smooth and sweet on the palate.

[Mithridate]

If your feeding with osmocote, your soil mix is mostly about texture vs your environment.

Hot and sunny will require something that holds more water without pooling vs wet environment will require something with extra drainage. Etc.

If your climate is anything like mine, we go through it all lol… so I do light mix, some water gel, osmocote and clover and can practically plant and only come back to harvest, not recommended but doable.

[DougDawson]

It’s a pretty mixed bag at the lake. Sometimes it’s dry as hell for some time while others it pours rain for half the summer. We are in a strange weather corridor, lol.

[potpotpot]

Never used osmocote, but I know people use it successfully in all perlite hempies and have success, so it really must be a well rounded feed.

Also, I frequent a botanical garden, and I have been watching this bag slowly shrink over the months in a greenhouse with citrus trees, cacti, and tropical plants including birds of paradise and coffee trees. I’m sure it’s not all they use, but it is the only thing I have ever seen there.

[Mithridate]

Yeah for sure is the same climate hehe

12c nights, 40c days, when it rains it pours, if it’s sunny it’s an oven 🫠

[DougDawson]

Yeah, last summer was quite hot and dry. The clones I put outside did pretty good considering I didn’t do anything with them other then dig 4 holes, fill with Happy Frog and dropped them in. Then I added some Osmocote on my next visit. This year I am going the Auto route to ensure a harvest mid Aug. Sept is always so iffy there and the temps usually drop quick at that time of the year.

[Mithridate]

[Oldjoints]

I have had great success using Osmocote on both indoor and outdoor plants. I highly recommend its use.

[OldUncleBen]

We bought it by the pallet at a vineyard down the road. Me and 3 other guys planted 12,000 vinifera benchgrafts (grafted grapevines). Tossed a handful at the newly planted vine and moved onto the next spot.

Another product you should innoculate your faves with in outdoor grows is VAM @DougDawson. I have both VAM and have used MicroApply for decades. https://mycorrhizae.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IAPS1-Endo-AppSpec-Sheet-v2.2-Web.pdf

It’s all about the roots.

Mycorrhizal Fungi for Cannabis

Rhizophagus irregularis aka Glomus intraradices is a species of mycorrhizal fungus. It is a beneficial fungus that is specific to and the very best for cannabis. Both hemp and marijuana profit from its use. The fungal hyphae attach themselves to the roots of the cannabis plant. This can effectively triple the root mass of the plant. The fungal hyphae extend out and basically extend the root system of the cannabis plant. It’s a win-win situation! The plants get access to more minerals and nutrients than it would have gotten without the fungus. The fungus gets more carbohydrates that it wants and needs to grow. So both the roots and fungus will grow larger, and larger roots means bigger, more robust plants with better yields.

[OldUncleBen]

@Mithridate, what’s up with the clover? Cover crop?

I’ve planted acres at my place in legumes and green manure crops - specifically Madrid yellow sweet clover (vs white Hubam), Hairy Vetch and elbon rye.

UB

[Mithridate]

Correct. Mostly to slow evaporation in spots where irrigation lines are unreliable or impossible.

Curious as to why you plant clover all over? It’s nitrogen fixing properties?

[laquiqa]

what size container would you recommend, or does it matter? Could I use this to pheno hunt in 1gals or should I use something bigger.

[OldUncleBen]

Was a prep, and yes for the N fixing. Former owner did the usual plow, fertilize, plant, harvest drill. Resulted in a hard soil pan situation with my clay loam. The clover acted as a bio soil plow due to its invasive, branching root system. Volunteers would invade my sand stockpile, greenhouse pots, etc. I hit this with my tractor’s bucket while getting a load of washed builders sand. It had a tall bunch of leaves and a deep root system.

They reseed ya know. Been going on 18 years now.

[OldUncleBen]

Use this food for any situation.

[SaintAliasKnife]

@potpotpot

Never used osmocote, but I know people use it successfully in all perlite hempies and have success

Would you know how the osmocote would be mixed in this type of setup. layered, homogeneous mix?