Best alternative to Fish Fertizlier/Algae for indoor grows?

T

toastmasta

Member
Looking for organic/natural fertilizers to compliment my Kellogs Patio Organic Mix; problem is I can't really find much besides Fish Fertilizer and Algae Fert, and they both stink Only other option is Miracle Grow; which is know is taboo to use. Are they are any other "readily" available alternatives that I might be able to use for indoor grows? Or should I just use a heavily diluted MG for now? I'd use the Fish Fertilizer but my girlfriend hated the smell and afraid my cat will go after the plants.

Thanks for the tips.
 
delvite

delvite

Well-Known Member
Five of the best…natural and organic fertilisers​









Chemical free and perfect for an organic kitchen garden, Jeff Holman rounds up the organic fertilisers that will leave your plants blooming gorgeous


For years, gardeners have been told to use chemical fertilisers with their high nitrogen, potash, and phosphorous content; the three main elements that plants need in order to grow. But according to Ben Raskin of the Soil Association, many chemical fertilisers contain more than triple the amount of minerals that your fruit and veg actually need. ‘This is problematic,’ says Raskin, ‘because the excess minerals are then washed away by rain and irrigation and find their way into water sources used by both humans and animals, creating a major pollution risk.’ Unlike farmers, most of us aren’t growing food for sale; so don’t need turbo-charged chemical fertilisers; particularly when the large number of eco-friendly alternatives is taken into account. Here are five of the best.


Kelp
Kelp-based fertilisers contain potassium and a little nitrogen but the true benefits are the long-term effect they can have on your plants. Kelp has been shown to stimulate soil development, which in turn enables plants to thrive and increases overall yield. It also enables plants and crops to develop a higher tolerance for extremes of temperature such as ice and prolonged periods of sunshine. While you can buy kelp in garden centres, the cheapest way to get your hands on some is to gather and compost it yourself.


Cow manure
The most commonly used type of muck; cow manure is rich in nutrients that feed plants and soil alike. As with chicken manure, applying fresh directly to plants can burn them, so you have to properly compost it before use. If you’re using it on fruit and vegetables, it’s worth searching for manure produced by organically farmed cows, otherwise you risk putting chemical antibiotic residues, among others, on your plants.


Alfalfa meal
Alfalfa meal is another plant-based fertiliser that benefits the garden in subtle ways, although it does contain a decent amount of nitrogen as well as some potassium and phosphorous. Alfalfa’s real benefit is that it helps improve soil quality and enables production more nutrients for plants to feed from, which increases plant growth over time. It works particularly well on roses and can be bought from most garden centres.


Limestone
Limestone fertiliser is usually a healthy addition to soil but benefits differ depending on the source of the stone. Used to balance PH levels in soils with high acidity, limestone also contains calcium, which helps with overall plant growth, and magnesium, which encourages stronger, healthier plants. With limestone fertilisers, it’s important to test levels of acidity in your soil to determine how much, if any is needed before application.


Chicken manure
Chicken poo contains more nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous than any other type of manure and it’s a great source of other nutrients such as calcium and magnesium to boot. The manure can be bought in pellet form or you can ask a friendly farmer for leftover chicken muck and compost it yourself. However, you must make sure that the manure is properly composted before use as the high nitrogen content can burn plants if the manure is raw. Also, as Raskin points out, make sure that your fertiliser comes from a free-range chicken farm in order to maintain the organic and nutritional value.

;)
 
crazyhazey

crazyhazey

Well-Known Member
delvite said:
Five of the best…natural and organic fertilisers​









Chemical free and perfect for an organic kitchen garden, Jeff Holman rounds up the organic fertilisers that will leave your plants blooming gorgeous


For years, gardeners have been told to use chemical fertilisers with their high nitrogen, potash, and phosphorous content; the three main elements that plants need in order to grow. But according to Ben Raskin of the Soil Association, many chemical fertilisers contain more than triple the amount of minerals that your fruit and veg actually need. ‘This is problematic,’ says Raskin, ‘because the excess minerals are then washed away by rain and irrigation and find their way into water sources used by both humans and animals, creating a major pollution risk.’ Unlike farmers, most of us aren’t growing food for sale; so don’t need turbo-charged chemical fertilisers; particularly when the large number of eco-friendly alternatives is taken into account. Here are five of the best.


Kelp
Kelp-based fertilisers contain potassium and a little nitrogen but the true benefits are the long-term effect they can have on your plants. Kelp has been shown to stimulate soil development, which in turn enables plants to thrive and increases overall yield. It also enables plants and crops to develop a higher tolerance for extremes of temperature such as ice and prolonged periods of sunshine. While you can buy kelp in garden centres, the cheapest way to get your hands on some is to gather and compost it yourself.


Cow manure
The most commonly used type of muck; cow manure is rich in nutrients that feed plants and soil alike. As with chicken manure, applying fresh directly to plants can burn them, so you have to properly compost it before use. If you’re using it on fruit and vegetables, it’s worth searching for manure produced by organically farmed cows, otherwise you risk putting chemical antibiotic residues, among others, on your plants.


Alfalfa meal
Alfalfa meal is another plant-based fertiliser that benefits the garden in subtle ways, although it does contain a decent amount of nitrogen as well as some potassium and phosphorous. Alfalfa’s real benefit is that it helps improve soil quality and enables production more nutrients for plants to feed from, which increases plant growth over time. It works particularly well on roses and can be bought from most garden centres.


Limestone
Limestone fertiliser is usually a healthy addition to soil but benefits differ depending on the source of the stone. Used to balance PH levels in soils with high acidity, limestone also contains calcium, which helps with overall plant growth, and magnesium, which encourages stronger, healthier plants. With limestone fertilisers, it’s important to test levels of acidity in your soil to determine how much, if any is needed before application.


Chicken manure
Chicken poo contains more nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous than any other type of manure and it’s a great source of other nutrients such as calcium and magnesium to boot. The manure can be bought in pellet form or you can ask a friendly farmer for leftover chicken muck and compost it yourself. However, you must make sure that the manure is properly composted before use as the high nitrogen content can burn plants if the manure is raw. Also, as Raskin points out, make sure that your fertiliser comes from a free-range chicken farm in order to maintain the organic and nutritional value.

;)
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i would also add worm castings and bat guano, both have worked wonders for me. worms can be used to break down almost anything in your compost and it makes your soil rich with N and K so worm castings are generally better for veg but the high microbe count is always great for your roots, you can get even more microbes by making compost tea, i add a handful of compost broken down by worms, some roots from the fastest growing plants in my yard(theyre growin that fast because the microbes love em) and about a tablespoon of unsulphured blackstrap or organic honey, then throw in a air stone so the microbes can reproduce, this takes about two, maybe three days and i use about 3-4 gallons of rain water each time. theres also bat guano thats good for veg and another for flower, i believe its fruit bats that produce the guano with higher P and K, also pretty high in microbes depending on how long its been sitting on the shelf, you can always recolonize the microbes by letting them sit in a compost bin, id suggest putting it under a tree so it catches leaves also, putting holes in the bottom of it can help earthworms find their way in(you could just buy them but i usually just put holes in my compost bin and bury it a few inches into the ground, it seems like earthworms can smell rich soil)and it helps with drainage so theres no stagnant water left over, stagnant water usually means disease and a bunch of other bad stuff you dont want.
 
B

bob jameson

Active Member
Mixing some composted manure and bone meal with the soil before planting will give you nice slow release organic nutrients. It won't stink.
 
sandmonkey

sandmonkey

Well-Known Member
There are several brands offering good crtified organic nutrients.

I've had good experience with BioBizz and General Hydroponics' General Organics range.

I use liquid bat guano, algae, humic acid, worm castings and other goodies from such brands. Even the algae doesn't small that bad, and the worm castings and guano are virtually odorless.

I personally don't have the space nor time to make teas and composts, so these nutrients are the easiest way to grow organically.

Remember though, what truly seperates organics is the aspect of growing in a living medium. The greatest thing I've done in my 4 years of growing is making the most our of symbiotic microorganisms.
 
T

toastmasta

Member
Ok guys thanks for the responses. I should have been a little more clear with my question.

I already have two cloned plants that need nutrients, so making a soil mix with nutrients isnt that plausible right now. They are both in veg stage, so that's why I want to use the Ak Fish Fertilizer 5-1-1
The Kellogg's Soil Mix has Chicken Manure, Kelp Meal, Worm Castings, Bat Gauno and other Organic products. I'm looking for something to add to this, as opposed to making a whole fertilizer mix from scratch.

In the past, I have grown from seeds and not had to use fertilizers for awhile; as the organic soil provided nutrients. However since I have clones about 5-6 weeks and have only fed them once; so need something else.

Looking for a liquid based one ideally so I can add to established plants directly. I'll check BioBizz. But any other insight is appreciated.
 
crazyhazey

crazyhazey

Well-Known Member
toastmasta said:
Ok guys thanks for the responses. I should have been a little more clear with my question.

I already have two cloned plants that need nutrients, so making a soil mix with nutrients isnt that plausible right now. They are both in veg stage, so that's why I want to use the Ak Fish Fertilizer 5-1-1
The Kellogg's Soil Mix has Chicken Manure, Kelp Meal, Worm Castings, Bat Gauno and other Organic products. I'm looking for something to add to this, as opposed to making a whole fertilizer mix from scratch.

In the past, I have grown from seeds and not had to use fertilizers for awhile; as the organic soil provided nutrients. However since I have clones about 5-6 weeks and have only fed them once; so need something else.

Looking for a liquid based one ideally so I can add to established plants directly. I'll check BioBizz. But any other insight is appreciated.
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that soil sounds good and should provide a good amount of nutes for a while, dont feed until they ask, however since its been sitting on a shelf you dont have lots of microbial activity going on. earth juice is supposed to be pretty good and its cheap.
 
T

toastmasta

Member
crazyhazey said:
that soil sounds good and should provide a good amount of nutes for a while, dont feed until they ask, however since its been sitting on a shelf you dont have lots of microbial activity going on. earth juice is supposed to be pretty good and its cheap.
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You mean the organic materials aren't being broken down to usuable nutrients for the plants? I'll check Earth Juice out and thanks for the input + rep

EDIT: Re-read the posts above. Would you actually add worms to an indoor growing medium? Interesting idea though and would also help aerate the soil as I live in a fairly humid environment 60-70%

Thanks again though, glad I wasn't flamed right off the bat for mentioning commercial fert's (MG) in a forum about making your own organic mixes.



EDIT #2: Found some Earth Juice Grow on Amazon. Gonna try that out and let post the results.
 
crazyhazey

crazyhazey

Well-Known Member
toastmasta said:
You mean the organic materials aren't being broken down to usuable nutrients for the plants? I'll check Earth Juice out and thanks for the input + rep

EDIT: Re-read the posts above. Would you actually add worms to an indoor growing medium? Interesting idea though and would also help aerate the soil as I live in a fairly humid environment 60-70%

Thanks again though, glad I wasn't flamed right off the bat for mentioning commercial fert's (MG) in a forum about making your own organic mixes.



EDIT #2: Found some Earth Juice Grow on Amazon. Gonna try that out and let post the results.
Click to expand...
basically you could say that, thats a big part of most microbes jobs but they also make food more readily available to the plant. you can recolonize them with those compost teas, bontaicare's ZHO is also pretty good if you dont like brewing the compost teas and its pretty cheap at most hydro stores however you could probably get the same microbes(probably more) by taking the roots of the fastest growing plants in your yards and putting it on your topsoil, but id honestly say the best way to get the most microbes is the teas because they are given a good environment to reproduce at a rapid rate. also try to find some blackstrap molasses(unsulphured) or organic honey to feed the microbial colonies in your soil, a little less than a teaspoon per gallon will do fine.

since these gals are just startin off though you have some time to start a compost bin, just letting the soil sit is good for it since its constantly breaking down and by doing this you let the microbes establish a strong colony, feeding them sugars will speed up the process as well and adding earthworms will only make your soil more rich with both nutrients and microbes.

and yes, i would add worms to your medium, they bite off root endings and inspire new growth, 1 root ending is replaced by multiple so you wont go root bound. and since you live in a humid place like me, heres another tip. next time you transplant try adding a layer of perlite towards the bottom, this will really help with drainage and aeration. poking holes deep in the top soil(stay a few inches from the main stem, dont wanna damage the tap root) with a pencil can also help moisture wick out faster and breaks root endings much like the worms do, once theres almost no moisture these holes lose form and collapse on themselves, letting you know that its almost time to water. id also make holes on the sides of the pot and if they collapse right when you take out the pencil/poking device its probably a good time to water, always check the bottom 3 inches of soil before watering so your not drowning her.

and i know what you mean some people really hate MG on here, i honestly got fucked good by MG my first two runs but that was my fault for not adding 50% perlite. their slow release nute balls is what pisses people off. but people use it, and hell they can get really good yields with it. saves a shit ton of money and i dont have a problem with that. hope you enjoy using earth juice though, just remeber to pH it before you let the plants get any, ive heard the pH can be wack sometimes but my friend down here uses it with rainwater and doesnt have a problem, he told me hes had to add a few drops of lemon juice once when the pH fluxuated after sitting in his fridge for 3 days(idk why but some people premix nutes for later on).
 
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