Discussion forum for environmentally-friendly alternatives to replace synthetic chemicals and fertilizers.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Cuyahoga Falls,Ohio
Posts: 818
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Sorry I know this has been asked many times,what's your favorite organic fertilizer?I have used cotton seed meal with tomato tone,and some years alfalfa pellets with tomato tone.Have not used all three together.I need to replenish my supply this spring.
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,794
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For us these days it's bone meal, kelp meal, and a dried or pelleted chicken manure product. We don't get alfalfa or seed meals here, so I can't compare. Liquid fish products and blackstrap molasses are handy for container plants. Caplin (raw fish) and raw kelp are the key fertilizers that were used here before other products were available, and lots of that has gone into my garden over the years.
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Indiana
Posts: 1,124
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I can't tell any difference in them. But I have never concocted my own "home brew." I like Jobe's Organics Vegetable and Tomato Fertilizer. Pretty reasonably priced compared to many (about $18 for a 16# bag at Lowes is what I paid). Contains their proprietary microorganisms.
Here's a link at Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0036XDP...ing=UTF8&psc=1 I do wish it had a bit more K, but back to what I started with -- I can't tell any difference in them. |
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3,892
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I like to use Tomato Tone (which I buy in the US) in the planting hole, along with some K. Mag.
Last year, I used some pelleted chicken manure later in the season and it seemed to work really well on my container 'maters. The veggie garden also gets loads of compost which is enhanced with chicken manure and left to mature for a year. Linda |
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#5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: California
Posts: 2
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I constantly fertilize my soil with organic fertilizers, but after fertilizing weeds grow at a furious rate. I also use the weed killer to get rid of the weed once and for all. I use a herbicide-based agent that is a weed killer pesticide. With the help of these products, I have significantly increased the yield of vegetables and fruits. However, in order to get the expected result - healthy and strong plants without any weeds, you need to understand how the product works and follow a few simple rules. That is why before spraying, read the expert advice on using weed killers https://grass-killer.com/reviews/roundup-max-control-365-review/ .
Last edited by bugville; May 14, 2020 at 02:53 PM. |
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#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6
Posts: 1,582
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I think it's really important to have a low amount of herbicide in the organic that you use. Unfortunately one can't really know how much, there was a test here in Germany on a bunch of organics, and some of them had traces of up to 10 different ones.
Also I tried some 'new' only plant based ones, and they seem to work surprisingly well, despite lower NPK, probably a much higher Mg and possibly more useful trace elements. My favourite is still a 7-3-10 with mycorrhizae (neudorff), very good for container gardening. |
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#7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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I tell my customers to get a bag of tomato tone or Jobes for vegetables... it is economical and seems to work well. I had some sad looking hanging baskets last year and when I was a the Walmart garden center I found some little individual "serving size" packets of Jobes and added them to hanging baskets and my oh my they burst back to life... I was seriously impressed.
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carolyn k |
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#8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Southeastern PA
Posts: 1,420
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My garden soil tests high in all nutrients so I don't use fertilizers BUT nitrogen is not tested because it is so volatile. You can not get an accurate test and it is always recommended to add nitrogen.
Bone or blood meal do not work for me because the skunks can smell those and they dug up my seedlings one year just to get at the fertilizers. Now I use feather meal 12-0-0 and the skunks leave it alone. |
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#9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SE PA
Posts: 971
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But how do you keep the feather meal from blowing away on windy days?
I had to say it... I've never heard of feather meal before. My favorite organic is definitely fish or fish parts. Primarily common carp (invasive species originally from the other side of the world), but I also use the leftovers from gamefish or panfish. Burying, composting, or making fish emulsion is not for the squeamish. |
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#10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Southeastern PA
Posts: 1,420
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Ha, ha, ha JR.
Actually I called Penn State's Ag lab and discussed my soil test results a few years ago and the Director recommended the feather meal to me. I had never heard of it before either. He said that many home gardens had an excess of nutrients especially P because they keep adding so much compost. He uses feather meal personally for additional Nitrogen. And BTW feather meal is pretty light weight! |
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#11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Cuyahoga Falls,Ohio
Posts: 818
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I'm going with Alfalfa pellets and fish liquid fertilizer.
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#12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7
Posts: 3,207
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I use:
Tons of composted horse and goat manure with composted hay. Composted chicken bedding ( I use leaves and pine straw for bedding Cotton gin compost-this stuff is amazing! Wood stove ash I have 4 big worm bins, mainly used for potting up seedlings which ends up putting the worm compost into the garden indirectly I’m experimenting with fish carcasses this year-will see how it goes burying it in rows before planting melons/squash Alfalfa meal, kelp meal,fish emulsion and dried molasses, I get in 50 lb bags from the feed store I try to rake leaves and apply each year but I don’t always get it done. I have sandy soil and I’m sure I have some nematodes in a few places so I’m really trying to build it up. I generally add 3-4 inches of compost on top of each row, at least once,so,sometimes twice a year. It’s really made a difference, I’m getting earthworms in huge amounts this year and I can really see a difference in the small area that I skipped the compost in. I also use urine, fish emulsion and liquid kelp but I’m moving more towards less purchased inputs. I’m also planting more legumes, and will plant some areas in cover crop like faves or peas this winter.I am finding that diluted urine works surprisingly well for a liquid fertilizer. I had a nice batch of garlic and onions this year using only compost and urine. I also put straight urine on the compost pile when it needs some heat. Good stuff and we were just flushing it! |
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#13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Suburban Washington, DC (Zone 7A)
Posts: 347
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I use Texas Tomato Food, though they are really slammed right now so it may not be available on their website every day. Just keep checking, they open sales as they make new product. I checked every morning and after a couple days was able to place an order.
I have also used Tomato Tone and had good results, but fruit set and plant vigor are better with TTF. Also no BER since I've started using it. |
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#14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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My best soil is in spots where big round bales of hay have rotted. I have two little potato gardens right now in such spots. I didn't till, just buried the seed potatoes in the black rotten hay.
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