diy ferts for plants.

**genocidex** · 01-06-2013, 09:51 PM

so i was looking around to see what i could see about doing some root tab like ferts for my tank as some of my plants would like some more nutrients... any ways i read a few articles on using osmocote ferts in a pill capsal. im guessing the caps stop the fert from disolving till it is buried.

my question is:
has any one tried this before?

**dmagerl** · 01-06-2013, 10:06 PM

RootMedic is like that. Squibs inside a gel cap. You have to get it under the substrate pretty darn fast to keep it from dissolving.

Another way is to make icecubes containing the squibs. You push the cube into the substrate where it melts, releasing the squibs. I found that too had to be buried pretty quick or else you had sqibs all over the place.

You also have to use the right Osmocote product. I believe its Osmocote Plus which contains both major and trace nutrients.

**genocidex** · 01-06-2013, 10:09 PM

yes i was looking at that as well i think if i do this im going to make them with a little more iron in them (at least a few) because i have 2 plants that need more iron... lol.... and yes i was looking at the osmocote plus...

**Lady Hobbs** · 01-06-2013, 10:37 PM

You do not want to use any household ferts because they contain phosphates and you'll have an algae problem.

**Sake** · 01-06-2013, 11:19 PM

I bought some powdered red clay just for this purpose. I make a clay ball, and shove a few Osmocote balls in it, then let it dry. You can make it a spear shaped clay rod so it's easier to insert also. Gets the ferts where I want them, and gives it a bit more boost of iron from the clay.

**funkman262** · 01-08-2013, 03:20 PM

I dose nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, potassium, iron, and trace nutrients into my tank. I purchased the powders separately, made my own solution based on how much of each I want to dose, and add the solution directly to the tank. Phosphate does not automatically mean algae. If the plants aren't receiving a balanced amount of each nutrient, then they won't be able to utilize any of it, and that's when algae can out-compete the plants. But LH is correct in that it may contain too much phosphate. The problem is when you don't know exactly what you're dosing which is why I make my own.