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Post by binnylou on Jan 13, 2019 2:16:46 GMT -5
Mumsey , you coulda been rich...or richer. I've been searching the net for your Mumsey Mix recipe and it is out there. If only you had patented it. Some call it Mumsey's Magic Mix, some call it Mumsey Mix, and some don't call it anything except good for tomatoes. I've found it on gardening blogs. I've found it on other garden forums. I've found it in various proportions. I have a page printed from a post made on 11/1/2005 by Tomato Z . It's all folded up nice and tidy stapled to the interior wall of my garden shed. That recipe is: 1 part bonemeal 1 part cornmeal 1/4 part Epsom salt 1/2 part powdered milk I use 1/2 cup of the mix in the very bottom of the tomato hole. DON'T get any of the mix outside of the planting hole. Raccoons love this stuff.
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Post by Mumsey on Jan 13, 2019 3:56:11 GMT -5
binnylou, Yeah, well I guess I missed my ship coming in! I might add that I use it for eggplant also, and peppers when I have enough mix. It has evolved over time, the recipe above was concocted way back when money was tight for us. And powdered milk was expensive, for us anyway. I have changed the powdered milk to 1 part, I found this helps to reduce blossom end rot better. It is certainly not a scientific formula and no rocket science was used! To keep things simple, I have also changed the "part" to 1 cup. About 6 weeks after planting, it can be used as a side dressing. Work it into the soil and water well. Critters do love it. Once I left my bucket in the garden while I went to the garage, when I came back The Princess was into it having a feast! Forgot to put the lid on it. She never digs though. And we don't have raccoons. We had them in the country but they didn't bother the garden. We had outdoor dogs then.
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Post by desertwoman on Jan 13, 2019 10:34:11 GMT -5
And the recipe I have (from around 2006) is:
1 part bone meal 1 part cornmeal 1/2 part epsom salts 1/2 part powdered milk
I put a big handful at the bottom of each planting hole
I have made it with reduced bone meal at times. (depending on what I had on hand) So the recipe is flexible, it seems. What's important is that I see a big difference in my tomatoes and chiles
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Post by binnylou on Jan 13, 2019 10:48:41 GMT -5
For those gardeners who like to plan ahead, it's time to gather the ingredients. You can go ahead and mix it up...just be sure to store it in a tightly closed container. I use a five quart ice cream bucket...from years ago, I might add. It has a nice opening for scooping.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Jan 13, 2019 11:20:41 GMT -5
It is certainly not a scientific formula and no rocket science was used! That may be but recently and I can't tell where I saw this , either tv or Facebook...using epsom salts because of the calcium in it to reduce blossom end rot. I have the tv on for some noise in my house(so I don't have to talk to myself to hear something) and usually have something educational on but also Facebook comes up with helpful hints such at this. There is something to say about learning as we grow with any project what might make things better through trial and error. 1 part bone meal 1 part cornmeal 1/2 part epsom salts 1/2 part powdered milk I have this same one.
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Post by octave1 on Jan 13, 2019 15:38:09 GMT -5
I have used this mix (thanks Mumsey), but I adjusted it over time to better meet my plants' requirements. To all of the above I add kelp and aspirin, in various amounts. I use more Epson salt for peppers, and drop the cornmeal. I've also added inexpensive calcium supplements in lieu of powdered milk. It all seems to work.
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Post by binnylou on Jan 13, 2019 15:47:06 GMT -5
octave1, I too have substituted calcium tablets for the powdered milk. I put two of them on a brick and smash them with another brick.
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Post by lisaann on Jan 13, 2019 16:56:24 GMT -5
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Post by octave1 on Jan 13, 2019 21:18:24 GMT -5
binnylou, yes, I don't even smash mine, but if they are in the form of gelatine capsules I open them and sprinkle the content in the plant's hole.
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Post by Latitude33 on Jan 13, 2019 21:43:58 GMT -5
Will experiment with Mumsey's Mix this season and yes, a new year's resolution,....I will post pics.
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Post by Tomato Z on Jan 14, 2019 15:59:07 GMT -5
I have amended my Mumsey's Mix over the years adding 1/2 c. dried kelp, 1/2 c. Tomato Tone, and worm castings when I have them. I usually multiply the ingredients by 5 or more, mix them in a 5 gal. bucket, and put the lid on until planting time. I like binnylou,'s substitution of calcium tablets for powdered milk, which can be very $$$$. Last year I added 1 water soluble aspirin to 1 gal. water when fertilizing every Friday. Don't know if it helped with the blight or other disease, but it didn't hurt. We had hail 5x last year, so I'll try it again and hope for the best.
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Post by binnylou on Jan 14, 2019 16:20:05 GMT -5
If I ever find them for the price I'm willing to pay, I'm going to try these.
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Post by ahntjudy on Jan 14, 2019 17:45:13 GMT -5
I've used it... What type of cornmeal do y'all use in it?... Grocery store?...Horticultural?...
And, yes, the price of powdered milk has certainly escalated over the years...
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Post by Mumsey on Jan 15, 2019 10:05:03 GMT -5
ahntjudy, Just off the grocery shelf, though I'm wondering if it comes as a GMO.
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Post by desertwoman on Jan 15, 2019 10:28:11 GMT -5
I use organic cornmeal from the grocery store ahntjudy,
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