ORGANIC GARDENING INGREDIENTS
Organic Fertilizer Products
There are lots of organic fertilizer
products on the market. Some are
designed to provide a few of the
essential components plants need,
while others are sold as complete
fertilizers. Let’s take a look at
some popular ingredients used by
organic gardeners:
Feather Meal – Another
by-product of the food
processing industry, feather
meal is made from
ground-up bird feathers.
It’s a surprisingly good
source of slow-release
nitrogen at 7-12%.
Blood Meal – A by-product of
food processing, blood meal
is animal blood that has been
sterilized, dried and powdered.
It adds easy-access nitrogen
to the soil, which can be
beneficial for depleted
soils or for early spring
planting when soil
organisms are just becoming
active. Without proper caution,
blood meal can burn plants. It has
an N-P-K rating of 12-0-0.
“
In addition to providing
nutrition, organic fertilizers
also replenish the soil by
increasing its porosity and
oxygen content, and by
supporting a rich network of
beneficial micro-organisms.”
Bone Meal – Used as a source of
phosphorus, bone meal is made of
powdered bone matter, a by-product
of food processing. It is safe to use and
typically has an N-P-K of 3-15-0.
Corn Gluten Meal – A slow-release
nitrogen fertilizer, corn gluten meal
has an N-P-K of 9-0-0. Before it has
a chance to completely decompose,
which will take up to four months,
this product may prevent seed
germination.
Cottonseed Meal – A cotton industry
by-product, cottonseed meal is a slowrelease fertilizer that provides nitrogen
and phosphorus. It has an N-P-K rating
of 6-0.4-1.5. It’s on the acidic side, and
is often recommended as a turf and
acid-loving plant food.
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Maximum Yield USA | December 2015
Fish Emulsion – Made from heat and
pH-treated fish waste, liquid fish emulsion is packed with micronutrients and
offers an N-P-K of 5-2-2. This product
is typically mixed with water. Although
some gardeners prefer it, fish emulsion
usually has an unappealing smell.
Fish Meal – Made from heat-sterilized
fish waste, solid fish meal is a good source
of nitrogen, with an N-P-K of 10-6-2.
There are also household additives that
can feed plants. They include:
Epsom Salt – A good source of
magnesium and sulfur.
Molasses – Blackstrap molasses
contains magnesium, potassium, sulfur,
calcium and iron, as well as other
micronutrients. You may have it in
your kitchen to use in your baking, but
it’s also available as a plant additive.
Kelp – Seawater contains many of the
dissolved micronutrients plants need.
More than 70 known micronutrients are
present in ocean water. Because kelp
grows in this rich environment, kelp
fertilizer delivers a boatload of micronutrients to plants. It contains
negligible concentrations of
macronutrients and is available
in liquid and powdered form.
Manure –
Animal waste is
considered a
slow-release
fertilizer with
multiple benefits. Nutrient
concentrations in manure can vary,
and may be difficult to quantify.
With the exception of dog and cat
waste, most types of manure can be
added to the garden. This includes
manure from cows, chickens,
horses and sheep.
Wood Ash – Wood ash from fireplace
wood (not pressed logs or coal ash) is
a good source of potassium.