Is there any gardening product more laden with misinformation and outright confusion than fertilizers?
I do not recommend Dyna Gro products. Any company that makes false statements should not be trusted.
From their website;
Dyna-Gro
Dyna-Gro formulas contain all 17 essential macro and micro mineral elements which plants require for optimal growth. The exclusion of any one mineral element will result in abnormal growth, premature death, and or failure to complete a full life cycle.
https://hydropros.com/collecti...
There are *not* 17 "mineral" nutrients needed for plant growth.
A mineral is "a solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence."
Dictionary.com
Here are the 17 elements which have been proven essential for growth of (at least some) plants:
"The 17 Essential Plant Elements include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, chlorine, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and nickel. The non-mineral essential plant elements include hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon.
These are either taken up as a gas or water."
https://hortamericas.com/blog/...
There are only 14 essential "mineral" elements. Their claim of having 17 is false.
Plants do not obtain Hydrogen, Oxygen and Carbon from fertilizers. They take them in as water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) usually. Nitrogen fixing plants can also take in nitrogen gas (N2) from the air. Even if a fertilizer has these elements that's not where the plant obtains them.
Dyna Gro Grow is too high in phosphorus (P) at 7-9-5 . Terrestrial plants take up NPK at ratios more like 3-1-2. With 7% N, the P should be more like 2%. This fertilizer will cause a buildup of phosphorus that will be especially harmful in a potted plant with no place for the excess phosphorus to leach into. It will stunt the plant's growth.
I have had little success finding mixing rates for this product. I found this :
Easy Maintenance: Mix ¼ – ½ tsp. per gallon of water with every watering.
https://www.livelyroot.com/pro....
This may be for the Dyna Gro Foliage Pro, which is 9-3-6. That is a better ratio, equivalent to 3-1-2. If you use a Dyna-Gro product I'd suggest using the Foliage Pro.
Dyna Gro Grow varies a lot in price on Amazon. One site offered 1 quart for $23.99 (=$95.96/gallon!). Another offered 1 gallon for $42.43. Foliage Pro was $15.60 per quart on one site.
In general, liquid fertilizers are not very economic to buy. The analysis is low (only 7-9-5 for this) and it costs extra to ship the water it's diluted with.
I prefer Miracle-Gro All Purpose 25-8-16, a dry soluble granule. It lacks Mg (magnesium) and Ca (calcium), so it is not totally complete.
I suggest that you switch from spring water to either distilled or reverse osmosis. Spring water can vary a lot in pH depending on the source.
Also spring water is often "hard" because of dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium. If you're using Miracle-Gro All Purpose that could be a good thing.! But if your fertilizer is complete, those additional minerals could concentrate in the soil to excess levels.
Distilled and reverse osmosis waters are neutral in pH and do not have minerals. We have a small reverse osmosis unit installed under our kitchen sink. It has its own tap. We are on a well so this removes salts (minerals) from the water softener and the well water. We drink it, cook, and water the houseplants. A filter cartridge lasts a long time.
I think your geraniums look amazing! An occasional leaf turning brown and dying is normal especially the old leaves. If you are watering every day I don't think fertilizer is advisable every time. Maybe weekly?
Best wishes for continued successful growing!
Pat
PS I forgot you mentioned Blossom Booster. WAY too high in phosphorus! Stop using it. The idea that plants need higher phosphorus to produce flowers than foliage is a good way to sell a gardener another product. But it's not good for the plants or the soil.
Miracid might be OK instead of All Purpose except that I don't know the pH of the potting mix. I suspect it may be high. Perhaps Miracid would help lower it. I think Miracid is now "Azalea Camellia and Rhododendron Plant Food".
Analysis 30-10-10. That ratio is OK. Low in potassium but acceptable.
@Engineeringtech
