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ChrisC_77
- Senior Member
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2013 6:00 pm
- Location: West Virginia (Zone 6)
Fertilizing suggestions needed
I have not fertilized very often. Really I just used some Miracle Gro AP-Vegetable fertilizer I had in the garage. But it was old. In any case. Most of my veggies are doing well without fertilizer. Corn is yellowing a bit on some stalks. Corn looks a bit weak so might be "N" depletion. Tomatoes, Cukes, Beans, Carrots, Cabbages (except for the caterpillars winning that battle) and peppers seam to be doing well. I do mix up small batches of tea, coffee grounds, and egg shells I throw around the plants. No compost ready at this point. My only concern seems to be feeding the corn (if it's not too late), musk melons, and watermelons and sugar pumpkins. Could I safely use the same fertilizer on all of these and can you recommend a ratio and frequency of feeding? Fruit is starting to set on all of these now.
Personally I use fish emulsion as it's natural and not petroleum based. (you can get it at most hardware store. You only need to dilute it in water first, usually 5ml for one liter of water) No chance to burn or overfeed your vegetables with it, so it's pretty nice for that. I use it once per week during the growing season.(It's 5-1-1 so you do need to apply it more often)
If you are using compost and teas, you are building up the soil and it is the soil bacteria that ultimately make the fertilizer, especially nitrogen available to plants. That being said nitrogen is the hardest thing to provide organically. Fish emulsion and blood meal are probably the biggest sources.
Since most of your plants are doing well, and don't show signs of deficiency, your program probably works pretty well.
Corn is a heavy feeder. I usually side dress the corn with nitrogen (I use sulfate of ammonia, my soil has a pH 7.4). Rotating corn with beans also helps. The nitrogen fixing bacteria and the residue from the bean crop will help increase nitrogen for the following corn crop. Inoculate the beans to increase nitrogen fixing unless you are lucky to have a good supply of micorrhizae already resident in your soil. To fix even more nitrogen it is actually best to till in the cover crop at the flowering stage when nitrogen fixation has peaked. Harvesting the beans, means you are taking nitrogen out of the cycle, but the crop residues will still help. The nitrogen fixing bacteria do not release their nitrogen until they die and are incorporated, so planting corn and beans side by side, does not necessarily benefit the current corn crop although they are good companions.
Since most of your plants are doing well, and don't show signs of deficiency, your program probably works pretty well.
Corn is a heavy feeder. I usually side dress the corn with nitrogen (I use sulfate of ammonia, my soil has a pH 7.4). Rotating corn with beans also helps. The nitrogen fixing bacteria and the residue from the bean crop will help increase nitrogen for the following corn crop. Inoculate the beans to increase nitrogen fixing unless you are lucky to have a good supply of micorrhizae already resident in your soil. To fix even more nitrogen it is actually best to till in the cover crop at the flowering stage when nitrogen fixation has peaked. Harvesting the beans, means you are taking nitrogen out of the cycle, but the crop residues will still help. The nitrogen fixing bacteria do not release their nitrogen until they die and are incorporated, so planting corn and beans side by side, does not necessarily benefit the current corn crop although they are good companions.
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ChrisC_77
- Senior Member
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2013 6:00 pm
- Location: West Virginia (Zone 6)
Thanks for the tips. I made a mistake I think. I planted watermelon within my corn patch to save space and as a planting companion. Thinking they would would like corn does with squash. However, I was very wrong. I think the reason wy my corn was stunted and yellow was because the watermelon demanded too much from the soil and ultimately won. The watermelons look good and leaves healthy. Corn, Not so much. I got some ears almost worthless. Got about 18 or so that were small full ears. Very good flavor so I am happy with at least that. So lesson learned.
I can't say enough for Peruvian Bird Guano - https://www.grassvalleyhydrogardenstore. ... o-2-2-lbs/
I have a bag (I think it's 5 or 10lb) that has lasted me so far 2 seasons and will probably last me another two. I use it in transplants and also a month or so later. I might do it again. This year my tomatoes have close to zero pests and issues. They are green, huge, and healthy. No blight (which plagued me last year). I am getting some BER but only on one kind of tomato so I think that'st he plant. And only about 3-4 fruit. I supplemented with bone meal. All my other plants that get the Peruvian Bird Guano are super green and healthy. My corn is stronger than it's ever been (I used to always get some blowing over) and greener than ever. Good stuff.
I have a bag (I think it's 5 or 10lb) that has lasted me so far 2 seasons and will probably last me another two. I use it in transplants and also a month or so later. I might do it again. This year my tomatoes have close to zero pests and issues. They are green, huge, and healthy. No blight (which plagued me last year). I am getting some BER but only on one kind of tomato so I think that'st he plant. And only about 3-4 fruit. I supplemented with bone meal. All my other plants that get the Peruvian Bird Guano are super green and healthy. My corn is stronger than it's ever been (I used to always get some blowing over) and greener than ever. Good stuff.