MSU fertilizer schedule

September 20 foliage-basket exceptions

P31 / #7 Peperomia Bicolor and P32 / #8 Tricolor oyster plant have their own nutrient plan. On September 27, the owner confirmed that both had just been watered when collected on September 20. The exact watering times and whether that nursery water contained fertilizer are unknown; do not classify it as a plain-water or feed event. Nursery medium, any existing fertilizer charge, root condition, and completed repot status remain unrecorded.

Use partial drying for #7 and the upper 1–2 inches drying for #8, with the usual plant-readiness check. A cactus plateau, purchase anniversary, or proposed feeding never establishes watering readiness.

September 27 Foliage-Pro starting plan

Use SUPERthrive Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 liquid fertilizer, the product family already named in the collection's money-tree feeding history. This recommendation applies to a bottle marked Foliage-Pro 9-3-6; other SUPERthrive products require their own instructions.

The next otherwise-needed watering for each plant should be plain RO, no nutrients, while the nursery fertilizer charge and establishment remain uncertain. Let that ordinary watering/drying cycle and healthy new growth establish a useful first feeding opportunity. Before the first feed, check any known nursery or replacement-mix fertilizer information during normal care. If slow-release fertilizer is still supplying the pot, the mix has a fresh fertilizer charge, or establishment/feed suitability remains unclear, continue plain RO and reconsider at a later ordinary watering. Do not disturb roots or add daily checks to obtain feeding eligibility.

Once feeding is appropriate, both plants can share this gentle starting recipe:

• Dose: 1/4 US teaspoon per US gallon of RO water (approximately 1.23 mL per 3.785 L).
• Frequency: feed at most every second actual ready watering while healthy new growth continues; use plain RO between feeds. Each pot advances through its own completed watering events, even when they share a batch. This is a collection starting recommendation, not a manufacturer requirement or a claim that both pots dry at the same rate.
• Fallback: use plain RO when growth pauses, roots or stems are stressed, mineral buildup is evident, or the fertilizer charge remains a concern. Resume only when feeding is appropriate; do not make up a missed feed or increase the dose automatically.
• Watering remains separate: #7 needs partial drying; #8 needs its upper 1–2 inches to dry. Do not water early to feed, wait for a cactus plateau, or request extra weights to maintain this plan.

The original Dyna-Gro manufacturer data sheet gives 1/4 teaspoon per gallon with each watering as a maintenance option. This plan uses that dilute concentration less frequently. It is not the stronger production or concentrated monthly application rate. RHS also supports dilute feeding during active Peperomia growth; the collection's event-based alternation is an adaptation, not a cultivar-specific published trial.

Measure the liquid by volume with a graduated syringe or measuring spoon. Its density has not been measured, so these are not gram doses. Add it to the measured water and mix only the amount needed for the session. Keep the stored RO jug plain. Use Foliage-Pro as the only complete fertilizer in that batch; do not add MSU, separate Cal-Mag, sulfur, or another complete feed. Wet the mix evenly at an otherwise-ready watering, let it drain, and empty retained runoff. Extra flushing is not part of this new-plant plan.

When a feed is actually completed, record the Water event with Nutrients: Yes, product SUPERthrive Foliage-Pro 9-3-6, and amount 1/4 tsp/US gal. Count any other complete fertilizer as a feed too. An unknown nursery feed remains unknown, and a recommendation is never a completed event. The owner's lower weighing priority for #7/#8 remains unchanged; a convenient weight during real care is optional, not a condition of feeding.

September 21 leaf-cycle exceptions

September 23 repot record: P35 / #9 shared Lithops and P36 / #10 split rock are outside automatic cactus feed/plain-water alternation. Both are now repotted into setup 2 with 80% Molly's Succulent Mix + 20% perlite. The repot observations describe nearly rootbound nursery roots, Dry medium, four firm Lithops heads, and one firm split-rock leaf pair. Previous feeding remains unrecorded; neither September 23 repot batch records watering or a feeding. Establish their individual leaf-cycle readiness and a supported nutrient need before choosing any feed; the repots assign no dose or fertilizer schedule. See the collection watering exceptions.

Short answer

• Do not fertilize the cacti at every watering by default. Alternate one dilute MSU watering with one plain-RO watering while compact new growth is visible. A warm room or a due watering does not, by itself, prove active growth.
• Use 0.75 g of MSU powder per US gallon of RO water on a cactus feed day.
• The first post-repot cycle is complete. All 18 August-14 repots (P01-P18) received plain Beauchamp's RO water with no fertilizer at 4:22 p.m. on August 26. Their Wet setup-2 weights were recorded between 12:14 and 12:20 a.m. on August 27, about eight hours later, so retain that interval when comparing the first baseline with later 30–60-minute drainage readings.
• Do not add separate Cal-Mag, sulfur, Foliage-Pro, or another fertilizer to the same gallon. This MSU formula already supplies calcium, magnesium, and micronutrients.
• Water only a dry, ready pot. Fertilizer changes what is in an otherwise due watering; it is never a reason to water early.

If an individual cactus has a soft or dark base, a fresh open wound, newly cut roots, or another possible rot sign, hold that pot out of the group watering and inspect it first.

Why the dose is lower than the package direction

Tezula lists this product as 13% nitrogen, 3% phosphate (P2O5), 15% potash (K2O), 8% calcium, 2% water-soluble magnesium, and a complete set of listed micronutrients. The product is explicitly formulated for RO, rain, or tap water. Its retail directions give one teaspoon per gallon, and Tezula suggests two or three fertilized applications followed by a plain-water root drench.

That is a general product rate, not a cactus requirement. University extension guidance consistently describes cacti and succulents as light feeders. UC guidance calls for a low-nitrogen fertilizer at about one-quarter strength; Minnesota Extension recommends only one or two cactus feedings during active late-spring or summer growth. The collection uses a weak, measured compromise because its medium is soilless and the plants remain under controlled light.

At 0.75 g per US gallon, the declared analysis supplies approximately:

These are calculations from the guaranteed percentages and a 3.785 L US gallon, not a meter reading. Product density can change how many grams fit in a teaspoon, which is why the gram scale is the collection standard.

First cycles after the August 14 repot

This table records the starting sequence after the August 14 repot. For each pot's next decision, use its actual watering and feeding history, dryness and new growth rather than restarting the sequence or assuming a seven-day interval:

Keep 0.75 g per gallon as the normal cactus rate through at least two successful feed cycles. 1.00 g per gallon is an optional future ceiling, not a scheduled increase. Consider it only if several cycles show compact active growth, a normal dry-down, no mineral crust, and a reason to suspect the lower dose is insufficient. It provides about 34 mg/L nitrogen, 21 mg/L calcium, and 5 mg/L magnesium.

When growth slows with the shorter seasonal light program or cooler room conditions, use plain RO and stop feeding. If the cacti continue producing clearly healthy, compact new growth through winter under the grow light, a conservative exception is 0.50-0.75 g/gal no more often than every third ready watering. Never fertilize a cool, resting cactus merely because the calendar says a feeding is due.

Measuring a batch

Use the 0.01 g pocket scale. The larger 0.5 g-resolution pot scale is not precise enough for this dose.

The five-gallon HDPE jug remains the plain-RO storage jug. Do not turn the whole jug into fertilizer solution just because the math is convenient.

1. Use a clean, dry weighing cup; tare it on the 0.01 g scale.
2. Weigh the powder. Do not estimate a fraction of the included scoop.
3. Put about three-quarters of the final RO volume in the clean one-gallon pitcher.
4. Add the powder and stir until no granules remain. Top up to the final gallon mark and stir again.
5. Apply at room temperature in two slow passes a few minutes apart, continuing until the entire root ball is wet and solution exits the drainage holes.
6. Drain 30-60 minutes, empty every saucer, and discard any unused solution the same day. Rinse the pitcher and weighing cup with plain water.

For the Garden Logger, record Nutrients: Yes, product Tezula MSU 13-3-15, amount 0.75 g/US gal, and the actual observation date. On a plain-water cycle, record Nutrients: No. A fertilizer entry does not replace the Water and Wet-weight events.

Other plants in the collection

Do not automatically pour the cactus batch into every pot:

Sources

• Dyna-Gro Foliage-Pro manufacturer product data sheet, 2014, hosted by ZipGrow: 9-3-6 liquid fertilizer and the dilute 1/4-teaspoon-per-gallon maintenance option. This is historical manufacturer documentation, not a freshly inspected current bottle label. The current SUPERthrive manufacturer website was unavailable during the September 27 review; follow the actual bottle label if its instructions differ.
• RHS: How to grow peperomia: partial drying and dilute feeding during active growth. The #7/#8 frequency above is a conservative collection recommendation.
• NC State Extension: oyster plant: upper 1–2-inch drying and well-drained container culture; this source does not prescribe a Foliage-Pro dose.
• Owner clarification and plan request, September 27, 2026: both foliage houseplants were watered at their September 20 pickup; set up recommendations for the existing SUPERthrive product. No nursery fertilizer details or new completed feed were supplied.
• Tezula: MSU 13-3-15 Tap/Rain/RO fertilizer analysis and flush guidance
• Tezula Amazon listing: one-teaspoon-per-gallon retail direction
• UC Agriculture and Natural Resources: low-nitrogen, one-quarter-strength succulent feeding
• University of Minnesota Extension: modest cactus/succulent nutrient requirements and active-growth timing
• Nebraska Extension: active-season cactus watering, feeding, and dormancy