Ah, I understand where you are coming from now. What you see on the bag is the result of CRF (controlled release fertilizer) having been added to the mix. Trying to maintain a set amount of nutrients in the mix is going to prove close to impossible without precision testing. Using a dilute water soluble with each watering and ensuring each watering is to run off is about the closest one can come to maintaining a consistent level of nutrients in a practical sense. Now, if I take a bag of Bovung (1:1:1) and mix it with an equal amount (by weight or volume, I'm not sure) of sand, does it make sense to think of the resulting mixture as 0.5:0.5:0.5 Yes, it does, but it doesn't really mean anything when those nutrients are not immediately plant available, but instead will be released over time. To know the relative concentration of each nutrient (lets say in parts per million) would still require precision testing. And then, what is the ideal NPK for my lettuce flat soil? Does it make sense to think of soil this way? In my opinion it only makes sense to think of it the way you are if you are doing hydroponics and have the relevant test equipment to ensure each parameter is within the specs you set. So maybe a much simpler question is how much urea to dissolve in a 1/2 gal of water with which to water/saturatea 18" x 18" x 4", and how often should I feed my lettuce flats this way. Sorry, but I am going to have to decline to answer this as I really don't know. I am not familiar with how effectively granular urea dissolves in water. Is the product coated? If you wish to persue this approach you still need a reliable source for all other nutrients major and minor. If you wanted to do some research and math I am sure you could work it out. Look at hydro sources for recommendations in parts per million for N and then figure out the actual amount of N in your product and do the math to figure out the amount you have to add to the water to get the ppm in range.

Frank - It is a joy to have a new AV grower joining us! In my opinion it doesn't matter if you have your soil fertilized or not at that point. Unfertilized vermiculite works OK too. Or water. The leaf uses its own resources to grow roots. When the new plantlets are hatching - they will need fertilizer to grow and to grow green. I read the recommendations of using half-strength fertilizer - so if you use 1/4 of a teaspoon per gallon in every watering - you can use 1/8th. Fish emulsion works really well too. How many days will take to start roots - they sure start fast in spring. If you put a heating pad under the tray - it will help too. Medium aged leaves root faster than old - that's why it is recommended to take a leaf from the middle row if you are rooting it. And different varieties have different rooting speed. And the last one - if the mother plant is healthy - off they go, if you are trying to save a leaf from a weak and sick one - it takes longer or it just dies. There is always a discussion - to use rooting powder or not - but looks like rooting powder increases the mass of roots at the expense of plantlets. Patience-patience! Irina

If you examine the ingredients list on a bag of Miracle Gro potting soil, I believe that you will find that it contains "locally" obtained ingredients. That implies that the quality will vary with manufacturing location. I have had bad results using Miracle Gro potting soil bought in the Chicago area. Last year, I used a home made mixture of 2/3 peat moss and 1/3 perlite (by volume) without lime and it worked fine, but, note that my fertilizer solution contained calcium. I buy peatmoss on sale at Menards for about $5 per 2.2 cubic feet. Perlite is $10.23 per 4 cubic feet at http://www.bfgsupply.com/UserFiles/2008Catalog/5_Soil.pdf. That is cheaper than any premix you can buy.

Alas.....she is a NOID. I call her Common White. Huge inflos producing massive clusters of shocking white flowers with bright yellow centers and a heavenly fragipani frangrance. I love her!! I have 32 named varieties ranging from very common to very rare and she is still my all time favorite. In addition.....Jack Morgan can say all he wants but the proof is in the pudding. My trees and plants never experience any of those issues listed. You just have to be diligent in your fertilization routine. I do it EVERYONE other Monday morning. Without fail. I am not trying to sound like a jerk, but I live in Dallas and my plants look better in person than ANY container grown specimens I have ever seen. And I have seen many over the years. Oops....that pic posted in an awkward spot. Anyway, this epiphyllum would not bloom at all and was really frustrating me. The grower told me to never use Super Bloom on it. Ever. Well.....I finally stopped listening to him and used it at half strength about 3 weeks ago. This is the first open flower.....with about 30 more starting to form! Super Bloom rocks!!!