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Binkalette
- Senior Member
- Posts: 139
- Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 11:53 pm
- Location: Minnesota - zone 4a
Fertilizer questions
Okay, so I'm wanting my garden/yard to be all organic. Now as far as fertilizers go are Blood Meal, Bone Meal and Fish Emulsion considered organic? Can you over fertilize with them and burn the plants, or do only chemical fertilizers burn? Thanks for any help!
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Yes all of those are organics -- come from life. It would be very difficult to burn plants with any of them. But you can over-fertilize.
Fish emulsion is mild fertilizer, that breaks down quickly in the soil. That means it is good for quick action but has to be reapplied fairly often. But its formulation (NPK) is 5-1-1. That means if you were REALLY over-doing it with the fish emulsion, you would be giving too much nitrogen. What that does is encourage leaf growth at the expense of fruiting.
But since it breaks down quickly all you would have to do in that case is stop using it and things should go back to normal.
Blood meal is similar but even more so, fast acting high nitrogen.
nitrogen 13.25, phosphorus 1.00, potassium 0.60. It can be a bit intense for new young plants. https://www.the-organic-gardener.com/blood-meal.html
Best organic fertilizer is your home made compost!
Fish emulsion is mild fertilizer, that breaks down quickly in the soil. That means it is good for quick action but has to be reapplied fairly often. But its formulation (NPK) is 5-1-1. That means if you were REALLY over-doing it with the fish emulsion, you would be giving too much nitrogen. What that does is encourage leaf growth at the expense of fruiting.
But since it breaks down quickly all you would have to do in that case is stop using it and things should go back to normal.
Blood meal is similar but even more so, fast acting high nitrogen.
nitrogen 13.25, phosphorus 1.00, potassium 0.60. It can be a bit intense for new young plants. https://www.the-organic-gardener.com/blood-meal.html
Best organic fertilizer is your home made compost!
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Binkalette
- Senior Member
- Posts: 139
- Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 11:53 pm
- Location: Minnesota - zone 4a
Thanks! So phosphorus is what helps them bloom? If I end up with an excess of nitrogen, can I just add more bone meal to help them bloom and stop with the fish emulsion/blood meal?
Also, would it benefit my compost pile to add these things to it, or should I leave them out and just add them to the garden soil again next spring?
Also, would it benefit my compost pile to add these things to it, or should I leave them out and just add them to the garden soil again next spring?
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
If you want your compost pile to run hotter, adding some blood meal should help.
But I'm not an expert on any of this, because I don't personally use any of it. To me (just my opinion!) it's more "tinkering" than I'm into, to try to feed nitrogen early and then phosphorus. I just give them compost early and mid season and organic mulch. The compost is very balanced enrichment with all the different macro/ micro / trace nutrients and the plants can just take what they need when they need it.
Best thing for your plants is just good rich organic soil.
I'm a very simple gardener... compost and mulch and nothing else ...
works for me.
But I'm not an expert on any of this, because I don't personally use any of it. To me (just my opinion!) it's more "tinkering" than I'm into, to try to feed nitrogen early and then phosphorus. I just give them compost early and mid season and organic mulch. The compost is very balanced enrichment with all the different macro/ micro / trace nutrients and the plants can just take what they need when they need it.
Best thing for your plants is just good rich organic soil.
I'm a very simple gardener... compost and mulch and nothing else ...
works for me.