Osmocote - opinion required

[Nino_G]

Thanks Mike,
I also have an idea to mix some of the powder with water into a thick paste (as you would to plaster walls) and let it set/dry. Then I could crush it into chips and mix it in the substrate. It seems to me that would be long-lasting solution. Do you think that would work?
Regards,
Nino

There is only one way to find out....

Very true

[Nino_G]

I have another question that may appear to be a strange one:
Yesterday in a local supermarket I found a fertilizer for tomatoes (please see the pictures below). It appears to have composition much better than my "specialized cactus fertilizer" so I wanted to share it with you and see what you think of it:

N:P:K = 5:4:8

Total N(5%): 2,7% nitrate, 1,3% amoniac, 1,0% amide
Total P(4%): P2O5
Total K(8%): K2O

I did the math I learned from Steve and it seems to be alright (usable P/N ratio is 1.744/5 = 0.34, usable K/N ratio is 6,64/5 = 1.33)

Trace elements:

B - 0.02%
Cu - 0.002%
Fe - 0.02%
Mn - 0.015%
Mo - 0.002%
Zn - 0.015%

[Steve Johnson]

Looks good, and certainly much better than the Uhlig Kakteen fertilizer. Whenever we see fertilizers "specially formulated for cacti and succulents", all it tells us is that the formulators know nothing about what cacti and succulents actually need.