EasyBloom Forum

I just got my EasyBloom. I like it so far but I was wondering what exactly I could expect if I subscribed to the fertilizer part. The plant suggestions are interesting to say the least but it does come off as a marketing oppurtunity for burpee more than anything. It make me wonder if I paid for a subscription I would just be paying for the oppurtunity to spend more money when I could ask the garden center folks for free.

Jim- Congrats on your new EasyBloom! If you activate your fertilizer capabilities, everytime you take a reading, the EasyBloom will let you know if you have too little, just right, or too much fertilizer. It will also tell you what fertilizer is best for your plant. I personally use it for my Meyer Lemon tree, which had too little fertilizer. I fertilized, and now it's growing more! (it also helps that it's spring). Let me know if you have more questions. Edith

Thanks Edith - That sounds pretty good but I would like to see some other users chime in and let us know if they find it worth while.

I agree this seems like a marketing ploy by burpee. I find all the features kinda lame and very lacking. A cheap hand held soils or a kit analyzer would give more info. As for the library - any good magazine or basic gardening book will give you more info.

Jim, I must also add that this unit does not tell you about the actual condition of your soil such as if the soil lacks minerals, organic matter, or if the PH is way off. Basically, you can be told it needs a fertilizer mix of say 3-3-3. But you can add this till the roots rot and still have poor plants if your not seeing the whole picture. This unit can help the novice but if you want your garden to shine - you need alot more info than this can provide. But as a suggestion to the EB people - this unit should have the capibility to moniter your plants in real time with alot more information. You should not have to leave it in the ground then pull it up and hook it to your computer agin and agin to get each reading.

I think the fertilizer function is too basic. It would be ideal if the system would make nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium recommendations.

I see this is an older post, however if anyone is looking. Will the fertilizer subscription feature read organic soils and fertilizers? I read somewhere it reads the salts in the soil, I thought salts were generally used in chemical but not organic fertilizers. I don't want to pay for it only to discover it won't work in my yard.

Hello L.A. Gavin, To answer your question ~ Yes the fertilizer feature will work with organic fertilizers. Even organically derived fertilizers are in salt form that become soluble when watered. When the fertilizers become dissolved in water that is the state that they are measurable by our sensors and are available to the plant itself.

The pro of the fertilizer is it gives you a general high/low level the big downer is it can't warn you if you're off balance. Basically all fertilzers have 3 core values xx-xx-xx nitroget, phosphate, potasium as I recall some plants require different balances. Easy bloom just says high/low so make sure you use the proper fertilzer with the proper plants and easy bloom's rating is useful, just "winging it" could cost you a plant. (though I believe easy bloom would rate your fertilizer as too high in most such cases) (Basically generally fruit plants excluding citrus 15-35-15 fairs well, leaf plants like lettuce, cilantro, etc a balanced blend works 10-10-10, obviously there are tons of exceptions so look up your plant and see what others recommend)