Epsoma products... anyone have experience with them?

Hey everyone,

I realize that Epsoma products aren't 100% organic, but I am trying to get away from the "blue chemical soup" that I have been using for years, and I'd like to give the Epsoma products (Plant-Tone, Flower-Tone) a go.

My question is how much to use? I'm talking about outdoor plants, rooted in the ground, eventually getting to 6 to 8' tall... the directions on the label are not exactly suited to our purposes. Does anyone have experience with these products, and if so, what application rate do you/did you use? Thanks a ton in advance for any help....

H.

Espoma is how you spell it. And yes they are 100% all natural and almost totally organic. It comes in a milorganite (human waste) based pellet form and contains zero inert ingredients. Lots of people swear by the stuff and is it definitely affordable. All the application directions are on the back of the bag.

bud23 said:

Espoma is how you spell it. And yes they are 100% all natural and almost totally organic. It comes in a milorganite (human waste) based pellet form and contains zero inert ingredients. Lots of people swear by the stuff and is it definitely affordable. All the application directions are on the back of the bag.

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Huh, that's funny, I must be a little bit dyslexic, my girlfriend has been using the stuff for years, and I've always read it as "Epsoma"... weird.

Anyway, the application directions are what I am questioning... do I follow the directions for shrubs? Flowers? Does anyone have a routine they use for application for large plants? Thanks again...

H.

Ok my friend if you are using Espoma make sure you using their all organic amendments and not "quick solutions"... This product line is my primary source of everything, and my result as far as quality, are top notch..

If your gf has been using it as long as you say she should be a better help than most. But be easy with their product and expand your gardening knowledge cause if you misuse this stuff you will get mad ph shift...

Don't add planttone to your soil use it as a top dressing, it get hot when it breaks down cause the alfalfa and kelp..
I add a half cup of their granulated lime to all 5gal containers...
As far as flwring I use Sub's super soil, so I use Espoma blood and bone in that.. and I also use a real good base soil so I don't typically need to use a ton of product at a time.. I hope I help, if not my B... Hope some else can, I just kinda wing it with instinct and it seems to work, you find your niche...

Oh and I'm a dick didn't read your first post right. Plant in the ground are different story, ok I can't remember the instuction on the back but I believe it says for bushes or somethin like that... go with those... or you could get out the old pitch fork bout 2 week before flowering poke a couple hole in the ground, scatter a comfortable amount around the ground around your meristem, and let it breakdown....

bkgmitts19 said:

Oh and I'm a dick didn't read your first post right. Plant in the ground are different story, ok I can't remember the instuction on the back but I believe it says for bushes or somethin like that... go with those... or you could get out the old pitch fork bout 2 week before flowering poke a couple hole in the ground, scatter a comfortable amount around the ground around your meristem, and let it breakdown....

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Hey thanks a lot man, good info in there, I will be careful with it... already mixed some Plant-Tone into the soil I transplanted moms into, hope they'll be okay, I definitely won't feed again until they show some yellowing. I followed directions on bag, hopefully it'll be ok.

H.

2 cents

I really like Espoma's Bio-Tone bacterial starter. I used a bunch of it to treat some use promix that I recycled, and so far I believe that it really does break down salts. It also was a good started in place of liquid karma when I cooked the mix.

Now every ~1-2 weeks I add 1 Tbsp / 2 gallons of Bio-Tone along with a cap of Miracle Grow Organic 8-0-0 fermented beat molasses fertilizer, and 1/2 cup of earth worm castings. It smells like ridiculous fart if I left it stew for over a day, but the plants love it.

MrBaker said:

2 cents

I really like Espoma's Bio-Tone bacterial starter. I used a bunch of it to treat some use promix that I recycled, and so far I believe that it really does break down salts. It also was a good started in place of liquid karma when I cooked the mix.

Now every ~1-2 weeks I add 1 Tbsp / 2 gallons of Bio-Tone along with a cap of Miracle Grow Organic 8-0-0 fermented beat molasses fertilizer, and 1/2 cup of earth worm castings. It smells like ridiculous fart if I left it stew for over a day, but the plants love it.

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Thanks for the tip! I haven't seen Bio-Tone I don't think, I'll have to look for it next time I go to the store.

Harlequin said:

Thanks for the tip! I haven't seen Bio-Tone I don't think, I'll have to look for it next time I go to the store.

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You should try and fin the bio-tone, its some of the best stuff you can get.
More beneficial bacteria than you can shake a stick at.

Non-Plant Food Ingredients:
Contains 5,678,688 colony forming units (CFU’s) per lb. (378,579 CFU’s per lb. each of the following 15 species):
Bacillus subtilis
Paenibacillus polymyxa
Bacillus licheniformis
Pseudomonas alcaligenes
Bacillus megaterium
Pseudomonas chlororaphis
Bacillus marinus
Pseudomonas putida
Bacillus coagulans
Acidovorax facilis
Bacillus thuringiensis
Arthrobacter agilis
Bacillus pumilis
Rhodococcus rhodochorus
Bacillus lentimorbus Ectomycorrhizal Fungi: 44,200,000 propagules/lb. of the following 8 species:
Pisiolithus tinctorius (40,000,000 propagules/lb.)
Scleroderma Citrinni (1,000,000 propagules/lb.)
Scleroderma Cepa (1,000,000 propagules/lb.)
Laccaria Bicolor (200,000 propagules/lb.)
Rhizopogon Roseolus (500,000 propagules/lb.)
Rhizopogon Subscaerelescens (500,000 propagules/lb.)
Rhizopogon villosuli (500,000 propagules/lb.)
Endomycorrhizal Fungi: 1,200 propagules per lb. of the following 2 species:
Glomus aggregatum (600 propagules/lb.)
Glomus intraradices (600 propagules/lb.)

Sizes: Available in 4 lb. and 25 lb. bags
Bio-tone® Starter Plus is an all natural plant food enhanced with biostimulants, beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizae. This proprietary formula works naturally within the soil to help plants establish fast, withstand environmental stress, promote deeper roots better blooms ,and improve soil structure.

Microbe enhanced all natural plant food
Includes both Endo & Ecto Mycorrhizae
Grows larger root mass to help plants establish fast
Reduces transplant loss

Harlequin said:

Thanks for the tip! I haven't seen Bio-Tone I don't think, I'll have to look for it next time I go to the store.

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I didn't notice it either until they put it next to some other stuff I buy.

smppro's post is very informative. I'm glad to see someone else is a fan.

Just one note: I usually use the liquid variety of Bio-Tone. It comes in a pouch about the size of a CapriSun(remember those fruit drinks in pouches). Although I've seen the 4 and 25 lb bags in more stores.

MrBaker said:

I didn't notice it either until they put it next to some other stuff I buy.

smppro's post is very informative. I'm glad to see someone else is a fan.

Just one note: I usually use the liquid variety of Bio-Tone. It comes in a pouch about the size of a CapriSun(remember those fruit drinks in pouches). Although I've seen the 4 and 25 lb bags in more stores.

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Yeah i copied that from another post on another forum but its just the standard labeling. Ive never seen liquid bio-tone, ill be on the look out for that.

Sounds like good stuff, I'll see if I can find some this weekend, thanks again.

H.

I mixed up some promix hp, worm castings, lime, perlite, and Epsoma Garden tone...I went with what it said on the package for potted plants...1.5 tbls per quart......

Anyone think this is too hot for seedlings ? Or, am I ok ?

thanks, SC

Call me the nay sayer, but 100% All Natural means absolutely effin nothing! It can be GMO corn sprayed with glyphosate and still 100% natural.

Derived from: Hydrolyzed Feather Meal (chicken slaughter house waste), Pasteurized Poultry Manure (they must be on a chicken farm - more chicken waste - them organic chickens?), Cocoa Meal (where does cocoa come from, and exactly what are their regulations? Uh huh), Bone Meal (slaughter house waste), Alfalfa Meal (organic?), Greensand, Humates (soft coal, not the good stuff), Sulfate of Potash, and Sulfate of Potash Magnesia.

Sounds like some good stuff - real easy!
P-