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  • From: Jim Fruth <jfruth@uslink.net>
  • To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Container grown plants
  • Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 08:26:54 -0600

On January 14, 2005, Charles Paradise wrote:

What I notice about the local farm stand is that they can grow virtually
anything in a container - whether it be a summer flower or chrysanthemums or
'flowering kale' for fall sale.

I know they use a commercial expensive potting mix that comes in bale sizes
and I suspect, but don't know, if they add conventional fertilizer. What I
know for sure is their results are almost always superior, presentable
enough for gifts and their customers shell out the dollars to buy and take
away.

What I'm getting at is I wish I knew what they knew - of course they've been
doing this for 4+ generations vs. my fooled around with container growing
for 15 yrs or so. I do grow trees in tubes and am reasonably successful.
I wish we had a "fruit growers boot camp" we could all attend so we could
advance our starting line point in our horticultural endeavors.


I've been selling container-grown plants at farmers' markets for years
and the trick is to sell them when they are at their prime. Of course, they
are quite root-bound by then. I tell my customers that the plants need
re-potting AND. if you want them to thrive, you must give them a complete
fertilizer (emphasis on the 'complete'). I recommend 1/4 teaspoon per
gallon of water with every watering. Once per year root pruning usually
helps too.

Jim Fruth
Pequot Lakes, MN




  • [NAFEX] Container grown plants, Jim Fruth, 01/15/2005

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