Fertilizing succulents?

[Steve Johnson]

I started a new c&s collection last June. Most of mine are cacti, although I do have a few succulents as well. The cacti will get their first feeding in spring with the MSU orchid fertilizer as recommended to me by A. Dean Stock. I kinda assumed that succulents don't have the need for fertilizer as cacti would. Is this assumption wrong? (Knowing me, the word is probably "yes".) And if they do need at least annual feeding, would the MSU fertilizer be just as good for the succulents, or is there another one that's more appropriate? If you need some info on the MSU fertilizer, go to:

http://www.repotme.com/orchid-fertilize ... index.html

Thanks!

Steve

[peterb]

That looks fine. I like to fertilize all my plants, succulents and cacti, as long as light is very strong and the plants are actively growing. 13-3-15 seems like an interesting NPK ratio for C and S. Two seasons ago, I used Jack's Classic at the standard 20-20-20 and it really made a difference for a few plants that had stalled. I have also used Schultz Cactus Plus, with an NPK of 2-7-7 and was pleased with that, as it is more gentle when used repeatedly (lower in nitrogen). A 20-20-20 is too much nitrogen to use more than maybe 3X max in a growing season, but the 2-7-7 Schultz is great when used with every watering.

These are my experiences where the plants get a lot of rain in between waterings.

peterb

[iann]

Some succulents need much more fertiliser than cacti. Some don't. If it is big and leafy then fertilise it. If it is small and slow-growing then not so much fertiliser.