ok

first.. with 10 cubed.. you are going to have to pour about a quarter bag ON A PLANT to burn it ...

but you arent going to apply it ON THE PLANT... you will spread it around the crown .. to soak into the roots ...

next.. get a tblspn measure.. think dollar store ... and dip into the bag ... and put 2 tbs in your other hand.. to 'see' what it looks like ... it will probably just barely cover your palm ...

then grab into the bag.. and see if that is a pinch. a scoop .. etc ... you dont really have to measure this stuff..

and just make a circle about 3 inches out from the plant ...

rubber gloves help avoiding touching it ... as the nitrogen.. can dry your hands .. and if you have any cut or hangnails.. will make them sting ..

i avoid sticking my arm in the bag, covering myself to the elbow with dust .. ... by pouring it into a pail .... with the wind to my back.. insuring that i dont breathe it in ...

they are paying double for half as much buying brand name ...

they can get 12-12-12.. 50# for about $15 at the feed store ... it stores FOREVER .. in a 5 gallon deli bucket.. one with a rubber seal in the cover ...

again.. at 10 cubed.. just do it.. i doubt you can screw it up.. other than dumping it on wet leaves ....

hand claw rake with 3 tines.. if you insist in scratching it in ...

and IMHO.. you are at least 30 to 45 days EARLY for fert in zone 5 .... if it activates the plants.. and we get a freeze or hard frost ... well.. that could be a problem ...

now.. let me propose.. that they are trying to teach you how easy it is.. and you run to the computer.. to check their theory ... might i suggest.. they know what they are doing.. and you should not question their wisdom... lol .. [arent they the ones that also had the grape hyacinths you were worrying about ]

well ... for one thing.. dont tell them you posted the ???

sounds to me.. like you have some local mentors.. if you can just get past the inlaw part.. lol ..

ken

ps: there is basically no difference between 10 cubed and 12 cubed in this application ... and it is impossible for the brand name to be any different than the generic ... so the link shows 40# 12 cubed for $15 ...a quick google on 'Espoma Gardner Food 10-10-10' .. shows 5 pounds for $10 .... and that is marketing brilliance .... [and no.. the type of nitro doesnt matter to me.. for anyone who cares to argue] .. earn their respect by saving them some money ..

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Hi Ken,

Thanks for your help. I am renovating my in-laws yard because they have allowed it go to weed. It's mostly creeping charlies these days and they are a pain to get rid of. They also have a bunch of maples, buckthornes, hogweed, and mustard plant, you name it. They also have a giant silver maple on the front yard.

They are not really gardeners so I am helping them out. I have no local mentors other than remotes ones on this forum. My mom gardens, but I did not learn from her. Her yard appears to be able to grow anything (for her region). I haven't done anything in her yard and the grass is always green. She just randomly plant stuff I give her and they all do well.

To give you a background about why I am afraid of burning plants. A few years ago, I was given a lucky bamboo. It's basically a weed that grows in Malaysia area. Because it is a weed, it was easy to take care of. It even tolerated the times I forgot to water it. In any case, after a couple of years, I decided that it needed it needed a bit of fertilizer, so I added some but measured it wrong and it turn yellow and died in a few days. I managed to kill off a weed!

Since then, I have been somewhat weary of fertilizers. I always worry about over doing it and then to use half strength when I feed the house plants. Outside, I just use compost because you can't kill plants with compost accidentally.

On another note, I did use my bare hand to sprinkle the fertilizer and accidentally breath it a bit of the fertilizer, hope that doesn't mean I'll died in a couple of days.

Paul

On another note, I did use my bare hand to sprinkle the fertilizer and accidentally breath it a bit of the fertilizer, hope that doesn't mean I'll died in a couple of days.

==>>> not in my world.. its an OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD ... read that.. repeated exposure in large amounts ... i mean really.. corn will kill you .. but most of us are not working in a 50 foot silo.. to worry about it ...

any garden glove is fine ...

anyway.. though i am not adverse to ferts ... i really dont think it is necessary 99% of the time ...

they are plants.. not children.. they really dont need to be fed on some schedule ...

if you have any kind of decent soil.. the plants will get what they need.. and grow very well ... and unlike crops.. will not deplete the soil ...

even in my mineral sand [which is a fancy word for course beach sand] ... as benign as it is.. i dont fertilize ... and everything grows to specs ... its simply a waste of money to make you feel good about feeding the kids ...

unless i see some chlorosis [yellowing] .. or a plant shrinking in size over the years.. i simply dont bother with fert ...

but most of my knowledge comes from when i had over 100 T roses .. now those foo foo kids.. need fert every 30 to 45 days ... plus a complete regiment of sprays .. and when the kids rolled around.. i just quit them ... moved.. and left them there ...

gardening is supposed to be relaxing.. and on some level.. you worry too much .. try to let go of that..

plant things.. roots down.. and water .. and 99% of the stuff will thrive.. and you know when to water.. when you insert your finger to the second knuckle.. and it is dry or hot [as hot means it will be dry in a day or two] ..EVERYTHING ELSE is just icing on the cake ...

it is much better.. to add a few inches of compost to your soil, once in spring and once in fall .. rather than fert ... build your soil.. and the plants will follow ...

ken

ps: and your failure with the weed grass.. was somehow getting it into your head.. that a weed NEEDED to be fed ..WHY??? ... why did you think it needed food ... was it not growing vigorously enough ... try to get out of that mindset ...

As an experiment, I tried sprinkling a few granular directly on the leaves of weeds (thistle) growing in the yard. I came back a few days later and the leaves were shriveled up. Nothing like experimenting to verify :-).

As for the weed grass, it was growing in water for several years and I thought. Hey, it's got no nutrients in the water, lets add some fertilizer. This was before I even knew what compost was. Back then, I thought that was something you put on pancakes.

Paul