Organic plant fertilizer?

[vash]

Growing stuff to eat. Or smoke if you’re into that

Miracle grow? Or some bat guano, blended fish emulsion concentrate?

Doesn’t a plant take out nutrients at the molecular level anyways?

Edit: I never did get my worm bins setup. Lazy.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by vash

Growing stuff to eat. Or smoke if you’re into that

Miracle grow? Or some bat guano, blended fish emulsion concentrate?

Doesn’t a plant take out nutrients at the molecular level anyways?

Yes, but there are different sources for the nutrients. There are about 5 sources for the nitrogen component (ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate etc). I haven't found any information about which source is better for this or that result. I rely on good compost for most of my garden nutrients because it as it has all the micro nutrients they took up when the composted plants were alive. I do use a little cheap fertilizer that has the analysis that I want. For most things that is a balanced blend 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. The later is cheaper to use because you only need half as much. The corn patch gets more nitrogen (20-10-10).

[Bill Douglas]

I'm no expert. But I use compost first because it's already there and it's free.

But if I am to buy some stuff I buy Liquid Kelp Fertilizer. It's full of a natural form of nitrogen.

[greglepore]

Miracle grow etc is ok, but in a container plant the salts get left behind and will build up.
Pretty much any espoma product is organic-think Holly Tone etc.
Tiger Bloom is really good, but its expensive.

[Evans, Marv]

Costco usually sells bags of worm poop this time of year. I don't think you can get better than that.

[GH85Carrera]

Horse crap is a great fertilizer for veggies.

[Rusty Heap]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Horse crap is a great fertilizer for veggies.

Too many grass seeds are passed by horse poop............llama-lizer is better as they have 3 stomachs to fully process seeds.

[billybek]

Fish emulsion. Organic if you can find it.

I used it successfully on some "crops" I had grown years ago....

[Roswell]

Super thrive. It’s magic. There is nothing better.


https://superthrive.com

[Crowbob]

Milorganite (Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen) is a patented granulated sewage sludge processi. I like it but it seems like the application is measured by tonnage, not pounds. Good stuff, use it everywhere on everything and you can't put too much (a friend dumped her spreader full and it turned into a black gooey mess but eventually dissipated). It stinks for a couple days and is not cheap.

Around here, 'Dairy-Doo' is processed cow manure which you also apply generously and can be delivered by the dump truck load if you've got the room.

[stevej37]

^^^ I use the DD all the time.
For starting new lawn seeding...it is incredible.

[MBAtarga]

Does the plant really know the difference between nitrogen, etc introduced by manure or other "organic" means, versus the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that comes in a bag?

[Arizona_928]

Blood meal

[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

Does the plant really know the difference between nitrogen, etc introduced by manure or other "organic" means, versus the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that comes in a bag?

Not in a chemical sense as N is N, K is K and P is P no matter what. What makes the difference is the delivery system and concentration. Generally, organic plant foods release the chemicals gradually and don't leach so much, meaning more of the nutrients get into the plant rather than being washed down through the soil and lost.

Actually, more specifically, in organics the chemicals aren't really released. The plant has to metabolize the compounds that contain the chemicals rather than simply absorb the chemicals straight up*. Thats why inorganic fetilizers with high N can burn stuff up. It's analogous to an injection vs digestion.


*Sort of. Bacteria, fungi, worms, insects, etc. do the metabolizing exposing the chemicals making them available to the plant. Not only do organic plant foods contain NPK, they also support the life cycles of the necessary bacteria, fungi, etc. and help to balance the pH of the soil which is a whole 'nuther thread.

[Tobra]

I put steer and chicken manure out and till it in a few months prior to planting, also have a compost heap. If there is organic material it will attract worms, which will tend to improve the soil. I also dump water from my fish tank out there, which is full of fish poop. Seems to help.

Depends on what sort of plant you are talking about. There are commercial fertilizers you are supposed to use 2-3 times a year for the citrus in the ground, more often if in container, roses and stone fruits like the citrus fertilizer too. Roses also like epsom salts, magnesium sulfate

I use miracle grow on the vegetables, usually mix more diluted than label recommends. Rotate crops, nitrogen fixing plant in the mix, snap peas this year, tomatoes, peppers. Volunteers this year, tomatillo of course and squash, butternut maybe

Have chives, basil and cilantro. I hate cilantro, but the wife likes it, no accounting for taste. Never had any luck growing that nasty stuff in the past, turns out it does not like full sun.

[greglepore]

The problem with manure for veggies is that its too high in nitrogen, the plants grow big but don't fruit as well. If you use manure, make sure its aged, and add some potassium.

[vash]

Originally Posted by billybek

Fish emulsion. Organic if you can find it.

I used it successfully on some "crops" I had grown years ago....

I’m using AgroThrive. Great stuff.

[vash]

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

Does the plant really know the difference between nitrogen, etc introduced by manure or other "organic" means, versus the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that comes in a bag?

You put my question out much better thanks.

[unclebilly]

We have about 15-30 tandem gravel truck loads of straw mixed with manure that I haul out to our compost pile every spring. We tried to do this yesterday (nice Mother’s Day project). In the first pic, I am repiling some 2-3 year old compost, it is basically very rich top soil. As it composts it shrinks to about 1/3rd its original volume.



This photo shows my disgust with the weather. In the end we hauled one load down to the pile, made a giant mess in our cow pen, amd didn’t accomplish much. It was just too muddy to steer the gravel truck so it is parked down by the compost pile with about 15 tons of manure in the box... it will be dryer today so I’ll be able to at least dump the truck out and bring it back up to the house.



That compost / organic fertilizer will get spread on our lawn and in some places on my hay field. I think I’m going to use a couple gravel truck loads to build some motorcross jumps and banked corners for my son in my north 1/4...

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

Too many grass seeds are passed by horse poop............llama-lizer is better as they have 3 stomachs to fully process seeds.

My grandfather had a "home garden" behind his house. It was about an acre of veggies. He fed most of the neighborhood with extras.

He started with a field of grass and weeds. Lots of time with a rototiller, and a few truck loads of horse manure and straw from the barns. He built a large compost area, and had two coffin sized worm beds. Grandma put 100% of all leftover food from potato peelings to plate scrapings on top. Overnight the worms ate it all.

One Christmas (1967) he said all he wanted for Christmas was horse manure. So my brother and I shoveled up a friends horse barn and the friend was real happy about that. We found all the horse dumplings in the field where the horse was kept and loaded them on a trailer. Mom had a family friend help us haul it to grandpa's garden.

Dad was in Korea for a 18 months at that time. Remember the Pueblo? Different subject.

Anyway grandpa figured he had hit the lottery. He put the entire load on his compost pile and stirred it up regularly.

In the end the soil in his garden was so rich that he just would throw down a seed and have to jump back!

Yea, mom told me a million times not to exaggerate.




Oklahoma is not a corn growing state. Mostly wheat. This is grandpa's corn patch with Corn "as high as an elephant's eye". I remember going into that field and he would have us pick our own ear right from the stalk, shuck it and throw all the husks in the compost pile, walk into the kitchen and grandma had the water boiling. We could hear the fresh corn squeal as it was dropped in. Best corn possible. One ear was never enough.