FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

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Discuss fertilization techniques here. For advanced growers only!

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By Bill Phoenix
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Joined:  Sat Sep 11, 2021 10:26 pm
#397680
is maxsea a replacement for feeding or is it more like a supplement with feeding?
if it's a supplement, would it be better to carefully feed sundew seedlings fish food instead of maxsea if it has more nutrients?
and is maxsea put carefully on the leaves (of sundews) like insects or sprayed?
:|
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By ChefDean
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#397694
It kinda depends on the size of the plant, but Maxsea isn't necessary at all as long as the plants are getting decent enough light.
That being said, for seedlings, I usually don't do anything as they're so small even a little bit of Maxsea in a 1/4 tsp per gallon solution can be too strong and burn them out. For bigger plantlets, a light foliar spray works well. For juvenile to adult plants, I use a small syringe and put a single drop on a few paddles per plant.
Time of year can also play a factor. Winter time, shorter photoperiod and sunlight filtered through a window, is when I do it just to give them a little extra through the lean months. Maybe a couple light applications in the Spring as well for my temperate dews as they are waking up.
If you have fish food, use it, but just enough to feed a paddle or two as a lot of fish food has copper and other trace metals, as well as added sodium, that can be harmful to carnivorous plants, and vegetative ingredients that are useless to carnivorous plants.
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By Bill Phoenix
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Joined:  Sat Sep 11, 2021 10:26 pm
#397697
ChefDean wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 4:08 pm That being said, for seedlings, I usually don't do anything as they're so small even a little bit of Maxsea in a 1/4 tsp per gallon solution can be too strong and burn them out.
I was thinking along the lines of burmannii, which I heard needs/really likes to be fed, or would Maxsea still burn them?
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By ChefDean
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#397703
You still run the risk of burning them out because of the difficulty of giving them a small enough amount that they can handle. A couple people have shown what they use, a small crafting syringe with a tiny pointed end, to put a very small droplet right on a paddle, but they've been doing it for years and know almost by feel when to stop.
My suggestion for seedlings is to do nothing with fertilizer, put them in a bright spot, and wait for them to grow more. Burmannii tend to stall out at the seedling stage, then some will just take off. Wait for that to happen, and focus on those.
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By thepitchergrower
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#397704
Burmannii are pretty slow. I tried fertilizing one of them, it ended up killing it. (turned yellow then brown) So, follow chef's advice.
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By TrapsAndDews
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Joined:  Sun Nov 14, 2021 2:20 am
#397709
Will feeding bugs hurt them? Also, if the fertilizer is too strong for them, could you get a small amount and dilute it with water, then use it?
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By nimbulan
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Joined:  Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:03 pm
#397717
D. burmannii is a voracious eater. Mature plants will chow down on whole betta pellets like they're nothing, and easily handle far stronger Maxsea applied to the leaves. Supposedly they even like soil fertilization but I've never tried it.

Personally I feed even tiny seedlings my normal strength (1.5 tsp per gallon) Maxsea and generally don't have any problems. I think people are far too cautious with fertilizer concentration. You do need an appropriately small applicator and a steady hand though, since if the fertilizer gets into the soil it can easily kill a seedling. I prefer it over solid food because there's no risk of fungus, which can easily overwhelm plants after even minor overfeeding with solid food.
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By Dan V
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Joined:  Tue Oct 26, 2021 4:32 am
#398225
Do you think your Maxsea dilution will work for flytrap seedlings which are just putting out their 4th traps?
How often do you apply the Maxsea to the seedlings? (every two weeks?)
I have a squeeze bottle with a 27ga blunt needle and have used it with a 1/4 tsp dilution and I did notice that the 6-week-old traps had a positive response to the first application but, the second application did little in terms of growth for some reason.
Does the rhizome need to "catch-up" with the top before more growth can proceed?
Will Maxsea applications stimulate rhizome growth in addition to leaf growth?
Thanks
By PetreckStere
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Joined:  Sun Feb 06, 2022 3:34 am
#399546
I have been using full strength Maxsea on my Mexican Pinguicula, South African Drosera, Nepenthes, & Cephalotus 2-3x a week for many years with great results. I originally only gave full strength maxsea to my pings but tried it a few times on the rest and noticed no ill effects. My flytraps outdoors will get it sometimes in the summertime but otherwise I leave them to their own devices.
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