GayRioThug
Member
Alright folks, new here to the site, but not to organic growing. This method has turned into a true passion for me, and I just love learning new methods and seeing the results of other growers. I am no expert in organic growing, but feel I am also quite knowledgeable and have enough experience to help others out who may need it. This is one of the articles that I wrote for another forum, and feel it may benefit some folks on here. Hope you enjoy and happy growing.
Organic Fertilizers
Organic fertilizers are one of the main components of organic growing. There are many ways to go about feeding your soil,which in turn feed your plants and I'll try to explain the different fertilizers and how they are used to the best of my ability. You can mix fertilizers into your soil prior to planting, making it necessary to feed only water until harvest. You can top dress fertilizers, adding them on top of the soil and watering them in. You can brew an organic tea, and water the nutrients in. However you like to grow, there is an organic method for you.
Let's break the fertilizers down into groups:
Nitrogen Fertilizers:
blood meal (quick release)
alfalfa meal
cottonseed meal (use caution with this as it can acidify soil)
Mexican bat guano (best pre-mixed or brewed into a tea)
crab meal (slow release)
feather meal (slow release)
fish emulsions/hydrosylate
Blood Meal: I like to use 1-2 TBS of blood meal per gallon of soil mix. If I want a long veg, I add about 2 TBS, if little to no veg I use 1 TBS, it just depends on how you want to do it. You can top dress blood meal, but I believe it is much more effective to mix it in with my soiless mix. Be aware that when using blood meal in an outdoor grow, it may attract animals. You can have a raccoon dig up your plant looking for the dead animal they think is there, so be careful.
Alfalfa Meal: is used in replacement of blood meal in many instances. I use 1-2 TBS per gallon of soil mix, mixed in, but it may also be top fed or brewed into a tea. Alfalfa meal is one of my favorite foliar feeds, and is also used out in my veggie garden for this application.
Cottonseed Meal: I can't say I have much experience with cottonseed meal, but from what I have read it is a great source of nitrogen. It must be known that it is available over a long period of time, but can also acidify the soil, so the use of dolomite lime to correct this is advised. I would recommend starting out small, using maybe a 1/2 -1TBS per gallon of soil mix and getting to know how your plants respond.
High N Bat Guano's: High Nitrogen bat guanos such as Mexican bat guano is a great source and choice for feeding your plants nitrogen. I like to brew my guanos in a tea and feed my plants that way, but it can also be top fed or mixed in with your soil mix. When mixing into the soil, use 1/3-1/2 cup per gallon of soil mix. When brewing your guano use the same amount for 5 gallons of water.
Crab and Feather Meals: I have never used either one of these fertilizers, they take too long to become available to the plants for my liking. But if you are one who likes to reuse soil(which is highly recommended) you might find these products useful. I would add them into my mix and also add some faster acting nitrogen fertilizers, when the faster acting one is used up after a few grows, the meals would be ready and you would have your nitrogen source covered.
Fish Products: are great sources for numerous macro and micro nutrient requirements as well as minerals. I never use a fish product without the addition of kelp. I believe these two work in harmony, and depending on the brand and mixture you get, can get you through a grow start to finish alone.
Phosphorus Fertilizers
bone meal(slow release)
rock phosphates
High P bat guanos(Indonesian or Jamaican)
Bone Meal:is very slow release so it can be safe for new seedlings or clones. I like to use 1-2 TBS per gallon of soil mix, mixed into the soil well, but again, it may be top fed or brewed into a tea. Bone meal can also be beneficial for transplant shock and roots. Like blood meal, bone meal may attract animals so be cautious.
Rock Phosphates:are also slow release but provide many minerals not found in other amendments. Use 1-2 TBS per gallon of soil mix, when mixing into the soil or top dressing.
High P Bat Guanos: Indonesian or Jamaican guanos are my favorite phosphorous fertilizers. Mixed into the soil or brewed into a tea, it is very effective. Mix 1/2-1 cup per gallon of soil mix or into 5 gallons of water.
Potassium Fertilizers
kelp meal or extracts
greensand
sulfate of potash
sul-po-mag
Kelp Meal/Extracts: contain almost all macro-micro nutrients as well as many minerals. If you buy kelp meal from a feed supplier, get the horse feed, not the rabbit feed. I really like maxi-crops powdered kelp extract, but have been turned on to a more affordable source, from KIS, keep it simple, for only $13.99 a pound. I never use kelp meal without some source of fish or greensand. Use 1-2 TBS of kelp meal per gallon of soil mix, mixed in well or top fed. Also, another great foliar applied to cuttings to help in root development.
Greensand: I don't like to use greensand as a main source of K, but when used in conjunction with kelp meal I get great results. Greensand is a natural mineral, and provides many minerals to your plants. Again, use 1-2 TBS per gallon of soil mix.
Sulfate of Potash, and Sul-Po-Mag: I also do not have much experience with these fertilizers, but I know people who swear by them. I haven't done my research so I won't spread wrong information, so use it in small doses and work your way up as you gain experience.
Pulverized Dolomite Lime- is great at buffering your ph in acidic soil, and also provides a great source of calcium and magnesium. I wouldn't recommend its use in alkaline soils, but that is not an issue in most of our soil mixes. I add dolomite lime into all of my soil mixes for the many benefits it provides. Add the lime at a rate of 1-2 TBS per gallon of soil mix.
Earthworm Castings-EWC are an all purpose fertilizer/soil amendment. I incorporate EWC into all of my soiless mixes, and also make EWC tea, which is perfect for feeding seedlings and clones as it is not harsh and can not be over applied. Create your soiless mix with about 10-20% EWC and/or mix about 1 cup into 5 gallons of water and let it "brew" or bubble for 12-36 hours. Voila, EWC tea.
Compost-It seems too many organic growers don't appreciate or don't realize the major benefits of composting or incorporating compost into their grows. Compost is natures fertilizer, it is what marijuana has thrived from for thousands of years. It is easy to compost, a great soil amendment, and can bring biological diversity to your soil. And by brewing your compost into an AACT or actively aerated compost tea, you can multiply the biological diversity in the original compost a hundred times over. I have a thread in the works on composting in the gardening forum of this site, so go check it out, I'll be updating with pics as soon as I get another camera, probably next paycheck(finally).
Black-Strap Molasses-Basically a byproduct of the sugar industry, BSM is natures sweetener. All those name brand nutrients that claim to provide the carbs plants need, or the killer taste we crave, are nothing more than overpriced BSM. I add BSM to all of my "teas" as a food for the microbes at a rate of 1 TBS per gallon of water. By feeding our microbes, we are improving our soil and helping more nutrients to become available to our plants.
There are many choices on the route you want to go to feed your plants. Each plant will have different feeding requirements, so start off small and work your way up, remember less is more. I like to use different fertilizers in conjunction with each other to care for all my plants needs. I believe it is much more rewarding to make your own fertilizers with ingredients you choose, that way you know what you plants are getting. So pick ingredients that are readily available in your area and start experimenting, you have only knowledge and experience (and some tasty buds) to gain. Thanks for reading and happy growing.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of things, but this gives you a basic outline of organic fertilizers and how they are used. Again, not trying to sound like a know it all, but having things like this laid out when I was starting would have been really helpful. Hope someone finds this useful.
GRT
Let's break the fertilizers down into groups:
Nitrogen Fertilizers:
blood meal (quick release)
alfalfa meal
cottonseed meal (use caution with this as it can acidify soil)
Mexican bat guano (best pre-mixed or brewed into a tea)
crab meal (slow release)
feather meal (slow release)
fish emulsions/hydrosylate
Blood Meal: I like to use 1-2 TBS of blood meal per gallon of soil mix. If I want a long veg, I add about 2 TBS, if little to no veg I use 1 TBS, it just depends on how you want to do it. You can top dress blood meal, but I believe it is much more effective to mix it in with my soiless mix. Be aware that when using blood meal in an outdoor grow, it may attract animals. You can have a raccoon dig up your plant looking for the dead animal they think is there, so be careful.
Alfalfa Meal: is used in replacement of blood meal in many instances. I use 1-2 TBS per gallon of soil mix, mixed in, but it may also be top fed or brewed into a tea. Alfalfa meal is one of my favorite foliar feeds, and is also used out in my veggie garden for this application.
Cottonseed Meal: I can't say I have much experience with cottonseed meal, but from what I have read it is a great source of nitrogen. It must be known that it is available over a long period of time, but can also acidify the soil, so the use of dolomite lime to correct this is advised. I would recommend starting out small, using maybe a 1/2 -1TBS per gallon of soil mix and getting to know how your plants respond.
High N Bat Guano's: High Nitrogen bat guanos such as Mexican bat guano is a great source and choice for feeding your plants nitrogen. I like to brew my guanos in a tea and feed my plants that way, but it can also be top fed or mixed in with your soil mix. When mixing into the soil, use 1/3-1/2 cup per gallon of soil mix. When brewing your guano use the same amount for 5 gallons of water.
Crab and Feather Meals: I have never used either one of these fertilizers, they take too long to become available to the plants for my liking. But if you are one who likes to reuse soil(which is highly recommended) you might find these products useful. I would add them into my mix and also add some faster acting nitrogen fertilizers, when the faster acting one is used up after a few grows, the meals would be ready and you would have your nitrogen source covered.
Fish Products: are great sources for numerous macro and micro nutrient requirements as well as minerals. I never use a fish product without the addition of kelp. I believe these two work in harmony, and depending on the brand and mixture you get, can get you through a grow start to finish alone.
Phosphorus Fertilizers
bone meal(slow release)
rock phosphates
High P bat guanos(Indonesian or Jamaican)
Bone Meal:is very slow release so it can be safe for new seedlings or clones. I like to use 1-2 TBS per gallon of soil mix, mixed into the soil well, but again, it may be top fed or brewed into a tea. Bone meal can also be beneficial for transplant shock and roots. Like blood meal, bone meal may attract animals so be cautious.
Rock Phosphates:are also slow release but provide many minerals not found in other amendments. Use 1-2 TBS per gallon of soil mix, when mixing into the soil or top dressing.
High P Bat Guanos: Indonesian or Jamaican guanos are my favorite phosphorous fertilizers. Mixed into the soil or brewed into a tea, it is very effective. Mix 1/2-1 cup per gallon of soil mix or into 5 gallons of water.
Potassium Fertilizers
kelp meal or extracts
greensand
sulfate of potash
sul-po-mag
Kelp Meal/Extracts: contain almost all macro-micro nutrients as well as many minerals. If you buy kelp meal from a feed supplier, get the horse feed, not the rabbit feed. I really like maxi-crops powdered kelp extract, but have been turned on to a more affordable source, from KIS, keep it simple, for only $13.99 a pound. I never use kelp meal without some source of fish or greensand. Use 1-2 TBS of kelp meal per gallon of soil mix, mixed in well or top fed. Also, another great foliar applied to cuttings to help in root development.
Greensand: I don't like to use greensand as a main source of K, but when used in conjunction with kelp meal I get great results. Greensand is a natural mineral, and provides many minerals to your plants. Again, use 1-2 TBS per gallon of soil mix.
Sulfate of Potash, and Sul-Po-Mag: I also do not have much experience with these fertilizers, but I know people who swear by them. I haven't done my research so I won't spread wrong information, so use it in small doses and work your way up as you gain experience.
Pulverized Dolomite Lime- is great at buffering your ph in acidic soil, and also provides a great source of calcium and magnesium. I wouldn't recommend its use in alkaline soils, but that is not an issue in most of our soil mixes. I add dolomite lime into all of my soil mixes for the many benefits it provides. Add the lime at a rate of 1-2 TBS per gallon of soil mix.
Earthworm Castings-EWC are an all purpose fertilizer/soil amendment. I incorporate EWC into all of my soiless mixes, and also make EWC tea, which is perfect for feeding seedlings and clones as it is not harsh and can not be over applied. Create your soiless mix with about 10-20% EWC and/or mix about 1 cup into 5 gallons of water and let it "brew" or bubble for 12-36 hours. Voila, EWC tea.
Compost-It seems too many organic growers don't appreciate or don't realize the major benefits of composting or incorporating compost into their grows. Compost is natures fertilizer, it is what marijuana has thrived from for thousands of years. It is easy to compost, a great soil amendment, and can bring biological diversity to your soil. And by brewing your compost into an AACT or actively aerated compost tea, you can multiply the biological diversity in the original compost a hundred times over. I have a thread in the works on composting in the gardening forum of this site, so go check it out, I'll be updating with pics as soon as I get another camera, probably next paycheck(finally).
Black-Strap Molasses-Basically a byproduct of the sugar industry, BSM is natures sweetener. All those name brand nutrients that claim to provide the carbs plants need, or the killer taste we crave, are nothing more than overpriced BSM. I add BSM to all of my "teas" as a food for the microbes at a rate of 1 TBS per gallon of water. By feeding our microbes, we are improving our soil and helping more nutrients to become available to our plants.
There are many choices on the route you want to go to feed your plants. Each plant will have different feeding requirements, so start off small and work your way up, remember less is more. I like to use different fertilizers in conjunction with each other to care for all my plants needs. I believe it is much more rewarding to make your own fertilizers with ingredients you choose, that way you know what you plants are getting. So pick ingredients that are readily available in your area and start experimenting, you have only knowledge and experience (and some tasty buds) to gain. Thanks for reading and happy growing.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of things, but this gives you a basic outline of organic fertilizers and how they are used. Again, not trying to sound like a know it all, but having things like this laid out when I was starting would have been really helpful. Hope someone finds this useful.
GRT
lol. Rize out!
