A garden is only as good as the ground that it's planted in. Discussion forum for the many ways to improve the soil where we plant our gardens.
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September 13, 2011 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NW Indiana
Posts: 1,150
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NPK of organic ingredients
I found this on www.thechileman.com. It's a very comprehensive list of NPK values for organic ingredients. Did I say it was comprehensive?
Alfalfa Hay: 2.45/05/2.1 Apple Fruit: 0.05/0.02/0.1 Apple Leaves: 1.0/0.15/0.4 Apple Pomace: 0.2/0.02/0.15 Apple skins(ash) : 0/3.0/11/74 Banana Residues (ash): 1.75/0.75/0.5 Barley (grain): 0/0/0.5 Barley (straw): 0/0/1.0 Basalt Rock: 0/0/1.5 Bat Guano: 5.0-8.0/4.0-5.0/1.0 Beans, garden(seed and hull): 0.25/0.08/03 Beet Wastes: 0.4/0.4/0.7-4.1 Blood meal: 15.0/0/0 Bone Black: 1.5/0/0 Bonemeal (raw): 3.3-4.1/21.0/0.2 Bonemeal (steamed): 1.6-2.5/21.0/0.2 Brewery Wastes (wet): 1.0/0.5/0.05 Buckwheat straw: 0/0/2.0 Cantaloupe Rinds (ash): 0/9.77/12.0 Castor pomace: 4.0-6.6/1.0-2.0/1.0-2.0 Cattail reeds and water lily stems: 2.0/0.8/3.4 Cattail Seed: 0.98/0.25/0.1 Cattle Manure (fresh): 0.29/0.25/0.1 Cherry Leaves: 0.6/0/0.7 Chicken Manure (fresh): 1.6/1.0-1.5/0.6-1.0 Clover: 2/0/0/0 (also contains calcium) Cocoa Shell Dust: 1.0/1.5/1.7 Coffee Grounds: 2.0/0.36/0.67 Corn (grain): 1.65/0.65/0.4 Corn (green forage): 0.4/0.13/0.33 Corn cobs: 0/0/2.0 Corn Silage: 0.42/0/0 Cornstalks: 0.75/0/0.8 Cottonseed hulls (ash): 0/8.7/23.9 Cottonseed Meal: 7.0/2.0-3.0/1.8 Cotton Wastes (factory): 1.32/0.45/0.36 Cowpea Hay: 3.0/0/2.3 Cowpeas (green forage): 0.45/0.12/0.45 Cowpeas (seed): 3.1/1.0/1.2 Crabgrass (green): 0.66/0.19/0.71 Crabs (dried, ground): 10.0/0/0 Crabs (fresh): 5.0/3.6/0.2 Cucumber Skins (ash): 0/11.28/27.2 Dried Blood: 10.0-14.0/1.0-5.0/0 Duck Manure (fresh): 1.12/1.44/0.6 Eggs: 2.25/0.4/0.15 Eggshells: 1.19/0.38/0.14 Feathers: 15.3/0/0 Felt Wastes: 14.0/0/1.0 Field Beans (seed): 4.0/1.2/1.3 Feild Beans (shells): 1.7/0.3/1.3 Fish (dried, ground): 8.0/7.0/0 Fish Scraps (fresh): 6.5/3.75/0 Gluten Meal: 6.4/0/0 Granite Dust: 0/0/3.0-5.5 Grapefruit Skins (ash): 0/3.6/30.6 Grape Leaves: 0.45/0.1/0.4 Grape Pomace: 1.0/0.07/0.3 Grass (imature): 1.0/0/1.2 Greensand: 0/1.5/7.0 Hair: 14/0/0/0 Hoof and Horn Meal: 12.5/2.0/0 Horse Manure (fresh): 0.44/0.35/0.3 Incinerator Ash: 0.24/5.15/2.33 Jellyfish (dried): 4.6/0/0 Kentucky Bluegrass (green): 0.66/0.19/0.71 Kentucky Bluegrass (hay): 1.2/0.4/2.0 Leather Dust: 11.0/0/0 Lemon Culls: 0.15/0.06/0.26 Lemon Skins (ash): 06.33/1.0 Lobster Refuse: 4.5/3.5/0 Milk: 0.5/0.3/0.18 Millet Hay: 1.2/0/3.2 Molasses Residue: 0.7/0/5.32 Molasses Waste: 0/0/3.0-4.0 Mud (fresh water): 1.37/0.26/0.22 Mud (harbour): 0.99/0.77/0.05 Mud (salt): 0.4.0/0 Mussels: 1.0/0.12/0.13 Nutshells: 2.5/0/0 Oak Leaves: 0.8/0.35/0.2 Oats (grain): 2.0/0.8/0.6 Oats (green fodder): 0.49/0/0 Oat straw: 0/0/1.5 Olive Pomace: 1.15/0.78/1.3 Orange Culls: 0.2/0.13/0.21 Orange Skins: 0/3.0/27.0 Oyster Shells: 0.36/0/0 Peach Leaves: 0.9/0.15/0.6 Pea forage: 1.5-2.5/0/1.4 Peanuts (seed/kernals): 3.6/0.7/0.45 Peanut Shells: 3.6/0.15/0.5 Pea Pods (ash): 0/3.0/9.0 Pea (vines): 0.25/0/0.7 Pear Leaves: 0.7/0/0.4 Pigeon manure (fresh): 4.19/2.24/1.0 Pigweed (rough): 0.6/0.1/0 Pine Needles: 0.5/0.12/0.03 Potato Skins (ash): 0/5.18/27.5 Potaote Tubers: 0.35/0.15/2.5 Potatoe Vines (dried): 0.6/0.16/1.6 Prune Refuse: 0.18/0.07/0.31 Pumpkins (fresh): 0.16/0.07/0.26 Rabbitbrush (ash): 0/0/13.04 Rabbit Manure: 2.4/1.4/0.6 Ragweed: 0.76/0.26/0 Rapeseed meal: 0/1.0=2.0/1.0=3.0 Raspberry leaves: 1.45/0/0.6 Red clover hay: 2.1/0.6/2.1 Redrop Hay: 1.2/0.35/1.0 Rock and Mussel Deposits From Ocean: 0.22/0.09/1.78 Roses (flowers): 0.3/0.1/0.4 Rye Straw: 0/0/1.0 Salt March Hay: 1.1/0.25/0.75 Sardine Scrap: 8.0/7.1/0 Seaweed (dried): 1.1-1.5/0.75/4.9 Seaweed (fresh): 0.2-0.4/0/0 Sheep and Goat Manure (fresh): 0.55/0.6/0.3 Shoddy and Felt: 8.0/0/0 Shrimp Heads (dried): 7.8/4.2/0 Shrimp Wastes: 2.9/10.0/0 Siftings From Oyster Shell Mounds: 0.36/10.38/0.09 Silk Mill Wastes: 8.0/1.14/1.0 Silkworm Cocoons:10.0/1.82/1.08 Sludge: 2.0/1.9/0.3 Sludge (activated): 5.0/2.5-4.0/0.6 Smokehouse/Firepit Ash:0/0/4.96 Sorghum Straw:0/0/1.0 Soybean Hay: 1.5-3.0/0/1.2-2.3 Starfish: 1.8/0.2/0.25 Sugar Wastes (raw): 2.0/8.0/0 Sweet Potatoes: 0.25/0.1/0.5 Swine Manure (fresh): 0.6/0.45/0.5 Tanbark Ash: 0/0.34/3.8 Tanbark Ash (spent): 0/1.75/2.0 Tankage: 3.0-11.0/2.0-5.0/0 Tea Grounds: 4.15/0.62/0.4 Timothy Hay: 1.2/0.55/1.4 Tobacco Leaves: 4.0/0.5/6.0 Tobacco Stems: 2.5-3.7/0.6-0.9/4.5-7.0 Tomato Fruit: 0.2/0.07/0.35 Tomatoe Leaves: 0.35/0.1/0.4 Tomatoe Stalks: 0.35/0.1/0.5 Tung Oil Pumace: 6.1/0/0 Vetch Hay: 2.8/0/2.3 Waste Silt: 9.5/0/0 Wheat Bran: 2.4/2.9/1.6 Wheat (grain): 2.0/0.85/0.5 Wheat Straw: 0.5/0.15/0.8 White Clover (Green): 0.5/0.2/0.3 Winter Rye Hay: 0/0/1.0 Wood Ash: 0/1.0-2.0/6.0-10.0 Wool Wastes: 3.5-6.0/2.0-4.0/1.0-3.5 |
September 13, 2011 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: zone 6b, PA
Posts: 5,664
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Ooo...great info- thanks for posting this.
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September 13, 2011 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: San Diego
Posts: 1,255
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Thanks 41n... on the Alfalfa Hay (Alfalfa Hay: 2.45/05/2.1) do you think the 05 for P is supposed to be 5% or .05%? I'm guessing .05%. or maybe 0.5%
Looks like I need to find a truck load of dried shrimp heads Steve |
September 13, 2011 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NW Indiana
Posts: 1,150
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I assume it means 0.5%. It would probably be in the same ballpark as alfalfa meal, which has an NPK of 2.8-.3-2.4 - at least according to the Grass City forum.
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September 13, 2011 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: San Diego
Posts: 1,255
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Thanks, I'd bet you're right. I use quite a bit of alfalfa hay because, even at $20/bale, it is cheaper to buy alfalfa than to pay for the water to grow a cover crop/green manure crop. Thanks for the info.
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September 13, 2011 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Southfield, Michigan
Posts: 318
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Thanks fortyoneorth. great info......Fabulous
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September 14, 2011 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E
Posts: 5,041
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Good Stuff. Ami
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Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!' |
September 30, 2011 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7
Posts: 3,207
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I love using alfalfa cubes because they are cheap. My main source of compost is my four horses manure, which is nearly straight manure with a little much needed desert sand ( I'm on clay, the horses are boarded on sand) and a bit of the alfalfa they don't eat. The alfalfa is non-GMO and weed free. It composts down to beautiful soil when mixed with my never- ending supply of pine needles. I add the pine needles to prevent the manure from getting too dense and compacted. The plants seem to love the mixture. This fall, I'm building and also topping off some beds. Also adding some wood shreds/chip pings from my pines and lemon trees, African sumacs. I have a mountain of branches I'm chipping and shredding, in addition to pine cones I'm shredding.
When added to the horse manure, it's amazing how fast this stuff composts. Even when I do it lasagna garden style. The bottom layers of the garden are rich, black dirt within six months, full of red wigglers. |
December 19, 2011 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Posts: 2,593
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Thanks for the NPK table. I wonder why the figures are quite a bit different than this table?
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/c...t_content.html I had heard so much about goat manure, I was disappointed to see it listed so low in N. |
December 19, 2011 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Posts: 2,466
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Like so many other things in nature, there are no absolutes. The NPK of manure will depend on diet among other things I'm sure.
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December 19, 2011 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Posts: 2,593
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Sure, but it would be good then to publish ranges, not single point estimates. Just a quibble, but could make a big difference to results if there is wide variation.
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December 19, 2011 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NW Indiana
Posts: 1,150
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Two things to keep in mind.
First, even though the various manures have low NPK ratings, you're going to be adding a LOT of manure, when compared to how much synthetic or organic fertilizer you might add. If you were using blood meal, for example, you might be adding ounces per 100 sq. ft. whereas with manures you'll likely be using pounds. Second, manures (and compost) promote a biologically active soil which, in turn, helps to release nitrogen from organic matter and humus. So, the real-world "N" value (and "P" and "K" for that matter) are greater than what's printed on the label. |
March 3, 2012 | #13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7
Posts: 3,207
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How do you easily compost orange skins? Will the food processor do a good enough job! I don't want to ruin the food processor so I've just been dumping huge amounts of citrus hulls after juicing. Thinking I'm waiting a very good resource that could go in my lasagna garden.
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March 3, 2012 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Burbank, CA
Posts: 196
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We have two huge trees and between the two fresh oranges year round. We throw loads of juiced orange rinds into a very active compost bin that is continuously added to and turned frequently. The rinds break down very quickly, less than a month even in winter.
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March 4, 2012 | #15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7
Posts: 3,207
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Good to know they break down quickly. I'm just going to start throwing them in. I always thought they were a no-no for some reason.
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