Premium Vigoro Bone Meal

[Decado]

I was reading the back of this package and under the NPK values it says "derived from: bonemeal". So does this mean that this bonemeal actually isn't organic?

[gixxerific]

Good question I see these Miracle Grow "Organic" products and wonder how "organic" they really are.

[Decado]

What other types of bone meal are there? This vigoro stuff and the miracle gro stuff are the only bone meals I can seem to find.

[Kisal]

Fertilizer factories use bones from many different sources to make bone meal. I think it would be impossible for them to keep the bones of the animals that were raised organically separate from the bones of all the other animals. It probably wouldn't be very feasible, either, from a financial point of view. JMO.

[gixxerific]

Fertilizer factories use bones from many different sources to make bone meal. I think it would be impossible for them to keep the bones of the animals that were raised organically separate from the bones of all the other animals. It probably wouldn't be very feasible, either, from a financial point of view. JMO.

The next question is "they are bones does it even matter"?

[top_dollar_bread]

Fertilizer factories use bones from many different sources to make bone meal. I think it would be impossible for them to keep the bones of the animals that were raised organically separate from the bones of all the other animals. It probably wouldn't be very feasible, either, from a financial point of view. JMO.

The next question is "they are bones does it even matter"?

theres lots of bone meals but i stick with fish bone meal and steamed bone meal. Always look for the OMRI approvel when second guessing

here's some info on why i choose steam over normal bone meal

http://www.vitasoil.com/steamed.htm

Steaming vs. cooking

Steaming once was the accepted method for producing bone meal. But now most companies have switched to short-time cooking to produce a bone meal with higher nitrogen levels and to increase profits. While there is a perception that a high level of nitrogen is good, it is also the reason these bone meals can become rancid and provide an environment for the formation of harmful bacteria. All bone meal products have some meat byproducts remaining since it is impossible for all of it to be removed during processing. That's why any product showing more than 1% nitrogen can be considered "unclean".

The bones used to produce all VitaSoil bone meal are processed under 43 pounds of steam pressure for three hours. At this point all protein is decanted off and the bones are steamed for an additional hour to sterilize them and destroy remaining bacteria. VitaSoil Bone Meal is derived from a food processing plant where all bones are 100% USDA inspected. Few, if any, other bone meal brands can make this statement. An added benefit to steaming over cooking is that the process makes the phosphorous more readily available to a plant's roots. And you will use less VitaSoil Steamed Bone Meal in your feeding program because it contains a higher amount of available phosphorous than other bone meals.

IMO use certified bone meal or go with steamed

[Decado]

How do I know if it's certified? I think this stuff I got must be steamed because it's 1-11-0, hardly any nitrogen at all. Also, all I can find is the vigoro and MG stuff .

[cynthia_h]

1) If a product has been certified as "organic," there will be a logo somewhere on the packaging showing the certifying authority's name.

2) This article from the San Francisco Chronicle several years ago lists alternative sources for potassium and calcium, as recommended by John Jeavons (author of How to Grow More Vegetables...): http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... /green.DTL

Gotta run! sorry...

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[The Helpful Gardener]

OMRI Certified is the best bet, Oregon Tilthis also good. They can steer you to certified product...

HG

[top_dollar_bread]

Also, all I can find is the vigoro and MG stuff .

try looking up whole sell nursery's in the yellow pages. Nursery usually carry organic amendments and whole sell nursery give out better prices. Last time i visited one they had a sell of 50% off organic amendments i definitely took advantage.

I don't think MG bone or blood meal will have a negative effect on soil health. I recently got handed down some bone meal from MG and though it wasent certified, it didnt contain any high amounts of metals.
Maybe some one can chew me out and explain that im wrong but from my point of view i don't see any harmful ingredients in those amendments..
But for a caution gardener, stick with certified amendments

[gixxerific]

Chew chew chew, just kidding TDB

I beleive I have the MG Organic Bone meal either that or Vigoro. I would hope they are good. But labeling can be deceiving we all know that.

[The Helpful Gardener]

That's the salient point here, Gixx, if you get certified, it's from a company that cares enough to do so, a good sign, methinks.

When you get it from a chemical fertilizer company, and they don't bother to certify, despite being a good deal richer, then one wonders, doesn't one?

As example, a lot of folks have been using Espoma brand products for decades assuming just it blood meal or bone in all the Tones (which it was), but they had added chemical fertilizer as well (a process, I am happy to report they are ceasing in thier new organic lines). It was pressure from consumers and an opening market to TRULY organic fertilizers that convinced them to do so...

As Gandhi said, become the change you wish to see...

HG