Osmocote 5 Stories: Orths Nursery, Australia

Orths Nursery in Victoria, Australia, was willing to trial Osmocote 5 even though the nursery was comfortable with their current ICL fertilizer: Osmocote Exact 8/9 months. Hans Orth, owner of Orths Nursery, decided to trial Osmocote 5 (8-9 months) on four different varieties of Gardenias. Hans: “We were keen to see if we could gain any benefits from the new Osmocote 5.”

All trial crops were potted from 140mm pots to 200mm pots and grown in a multi-span polyhouse over the summer and autumn period. The control batch included the standard potting media with 5kg/m3 Osmocote Exact (8-9 months). The Osmocote 5 crops used the same potting media, but with two different application rates of Osmocote 5: a batch of 5kg/m3, and a batch of the higher rate of 6kg/m3.

“The batch using Osmocote 5 at the higher rate of 6kg/m3 were very noticeably larger and very much greener.”

Osmocote 5: Grower’s experiences

Hans is positive about the results of this trial. He explains: “Within the first 8 weeks we noticed the plants in the media with the Osmocote 5 were both greener and I thought, better structured.” In the following 8 weeks, the difference seemed less apparent, with plants that all looked lush green and healthy. Although Hans did notice a marginally closer leaf node spacing on the stems of the Osmocote 5 crops.

The real difference became visible in the 8 weeks after that. Hans: “It was hard to call a visual difference between the Osmocote Exact and Osmocote 5 batches using the 5kg/m3. If anything, the plants with the Osmocote 5 application were structured a little better than the ones using Osmocote Exact. However, the batch using Osmocote 5 at the higher rate of 6kg/m3 were very noticeably larger and very much greener. We are happy to move forward using Osmocote 5 in all of our production with selected crops at this higher rate.”

“We are happy to move forward using Osmocote 5 in all of our production with selected crops at this higher rate.”