Skip to main content

Organic Fertilizers for Your Home

Organic garden fertilizers consist of decomposed plant and animal compounds that are broken down by microbes into a form that living plants can use, usually dissolved in water and taken up through the roots. They are naturally occurring chemical compounds, unlike chemical fertilizers that are compounds created in a lab. Some organic fertilizers contain mostly one main nutrient, for example bat guano has high nitrogen content and very small amounts of phosphorus and potassium. Organic fertilizers also contain other nutrients and trace elements. When you select an organic fertilizer, you need to know where it falls on the N-P-K range so you know on what plants it should be used and when in the plant’s life cycle it will offer the most benefit.

What makes good fertilizer?

“N” = Nitrogen, “P” = Phosphorus, “K” = Potassium.

Represented in that order, these are the numbers you find on fertilizer packages. 10-5-5 is an example.

Some plant based organic fertilizers are Compost, Humus, Alfalfa meal, Cottonseed Meal, Corn-gluten meal, Soybean meal, and Kelp/Seaweed products. Check labeling information to be sure that the source plants were raised organically. Some meal crops such as cotton are heavily sprayed with pesticides, and traces of the poisons may be retained in the meal. Compost and humus should be finished, soil-like products when applied to your garden.

Want to make your own compost? Check out our guide here

Animal based organic fertilizers are Manure, Guano, Blood meal, Bone meal, and Fish Emulsion products. Guano may come from bats or seabirds, and is available in pellets or dried powder. Its high nitrogen value makes it quite potent, and it can easily burn plants if not used properly. Fish emulsion is my personal choice, because it is diluted and used when watering plants, or it may be used as a foliar feed. Fish emulsion is gentle enough even for tiny seedlings. It provides all the nutrients they need for a strong start, and is well-rounded enough to use all season. Blood meal is the dried and powdered blood from slaughterhouses, and is a real benefit for green leafy vegetables. Some people say that blood meal attracts dogs; it is also known as a deer repellent. Bone meal is powdered bones and is very high in phosphorus and calcium. Root crops benefit from bone meal, as do flowering bulbs and roses. Broccoli is one vegetable that is reportedly high in calcium, and the only way broccoli plants can get calcium is if the soil they are grown in contains calcium. I dust bone meal in the soil when I set out broccoli plants, and I feel like it increases the health value of my broccoli by increasing the calcium content.

Plants also need minerals. Most mineral fertilizers contain additional micronutrients. Epsom salt is a very good source of magnesium and sulfur. It can be used directly in the soil in granular form, or you can dissolve one Tablespoon of Epsom salt in one gallon of water and spray it on plants for a foliar feeding. Tomatoes, peppers, and roses will really respond to Epsom salt feeding. Greensand, Gypsum, Hard-rock phosphate, Soft-rock phosphate, and Limestone are other mineral fertilizers. A soil test should be done before you add mineral supplements, since some can affect the pH balance of the soil.

The post Organic Fertilizers for Your Home appeared first on Downtown Homestead.



from Downtown Homestead http://downtownhomestead.com/organic-fertilizers-for-your-home/
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Air Condition Your Garden

July, it is the time of the year when air conditioning is as important in the garden as it is in the home. You, as the temperature rises, can cool off with an electric fan, a cool drink or by hiding away in a cool spot. Your plants are not quite that lucky; yet certain gardening techniques can be employed to help your plants through the summer months. The benefits of air conditioning in your garden will show up in the form of increased production, greater resistance to disease and pests and, in general, a more attractive vista. An improper over-heated environment during the warmer months often leads to wilt, dropping of buds and yellowing of foliage. Aeration of the soil is concerned with its exposure to the air. If this is lacking then your plants very likely will suffer this summer. Believe it or not but there are millions of tiny spaces between the soil particles and this is where air resides. Soils that become water-logged force out this air, a condition that leads to souring of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Plumbing Noises In Your Home: Your Pipes are talking to you

To diagnose plumbing noises, it is important to determine first whether the unwanted sounds occur on the system’s inlet side-in other words, when water is turned on-or on the drain side. Noises on the inlet side have varied causes: excessive water pressure, worn valve and faucet parts, improperly connected pumps or other appliances, incorrectly placed pipe fasteners, and plumbing runs containing too many tight bends or other restrictions. Noises on the drain side usually stem from poor location or, as with some inlet side noise, a layout containing tight bends.   Common Plumbing Noises Hissing Pipes Hissing noise that occurs when a faucet is opened slightly, generally signals excessive water pressure. Consult your local water company if you suspect this problem; it will be able to tell you the water pressure in your area and can install a pressure reducing valve on the incoming water supply pipe if necessary. Thudding Pipes Thudding noise, often accompanied by shuddering pipe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Organic Edible Gardening With Kids

Teach Kids to Grow Vegetables and Herbs Without Chemicals Composting You can start an organic garden with your child any time of year by composting . Playing in the dirt is elementally satisfying to children, so give them children’s garden tools to help you hack away at your mound, introducing oxygen and hastening the breakdown of your scraps. If you live in an apartment, consider a small vermiculture station in the kitchen where red wiggler worms turn vegetable scraps into rich garden soil. Red worms appreciate paper bedding, so the child can shred old homework and tests to get the bin started.     Seed Starting The smallest toddler can get in on the gardening game when you start a flat of vegetable seeds at home . If a child is dexterous enough to pick up oat cereal circles, he can grasp a bean and drop it into the soil. Arm your child with a watering can whose rose delivers a very fine spray, so he doesn’t dislodge the seeds with his exuberance. Deter damping off ...
Post a Comment
Read more