Peninsular Rose Club

Organic Fertilizer Mix

  

A balanced and economical long-release fertilizer by Trevor Inkpen
WANTED: Looking for a stable, non-chemical soil-mate interested in a long-term relationship with earthy partner. Non-burning, non-salty. Soluble flash-in-the-pan types need not apply.

In the natural state, our soil contains all the nutrients required to grow the plants native to our area. When an old tree falls, its body is consumed by insects, fungus and bacteria, and the nutrients are returned to the soil to nourish the next generation. Over hundreds and thousands of years, the local ecology evolves to a balance of requirements and additions: the flow of nutrients is circular and replenishes itself.

The problem starts when we clear the land and plant crops or gardens. The trees are burned or turned into houses, paper or toothpicks, the weeds are carted off to the dump. Then we plant crops, and carry away the harvest. Nothing gets returned to the soil. Add the effects of runoff from soil exposed to the rain and artificial irrigation, and pretty soon the soil has been depleted of its balanced reserve of nutrients.

In order for our gardens to thrive, we must feed the soil with what we have taken out. Compost and manure provide mild doses of nutrients and improve the structure of the soil. For additional quantities of the basic and trace nutrients and minerals, we need to fertilize.

Soluble, quick release chemical fertilizers are good for a fast shot of a specific nutrient, if you know what it is your plants need. These will enter the soil quickly, and leave again just as quickly with the next watering or heavy rain.

For long term feeding however, we are looking for a source that will release nutrients to our plants slowly, over a long period of time, and in balance with the soil and weather conditions.

The fertilizer should be inexpensive, easy to handle and apply without fear of damage through overdosing, and readily available. It should balance the requirements of the major nutrients, Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potassium, and contain the minor nutrients and trace elements that chemical fertilizers often overlook.

We need a good basic fertilizer to provide balanced and healthy soil nutrients. Then, if we need a "shot" of something extra for specific plants (like epsom salts for hydrangeas and alfalfa tea for roses) we can add these boosters with confidence that the staple diet of the plants is already covered.

Our recipe for a balanced, organic fertilizer mix is inspired by Steve Solomon's excellent book Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades.

The major components are:

  • Nitrogen source: Seed meal and alfalfa meal
  • Phosphate source: Rock phosphate granules
  • Potassium source: Kelp meal and greensand
  • Calcium and Magnesium source: powdered and/or granular dolomite limestone.
  • Trace elements and minerals: present in the greensand, kelp, seed and alfalfa meal.
The Mix:

First, we mix canola meal and alfalfa meal (not pellets) together for our Nitrogen component, and we mix greensand and kelp meal together for the Potassium component. The theory here is that the trace elements in each of the two ingredients should be complementary.

Then, to make a balanced fertilizer mix, we use a bucket or ice-cream pail to scoop out the following:

  • 4 scoops of Nitrogen source seed meal (canola and alfalfa)
  • 1 scoop of Rock Phosphate
  • 1 scoop of Potassium meal (greensand and kelp)
  • 1 scoop of Limestone. (If you live in an area with acid soil like ours, you can double up on the limestone, except for acid-loving plants and potatoes. For a faster action, you can add bone meal to the lime to provide a nitrogen boost)

Mix it together, and that's it. For more quantity just double or triple the recipe. Keep it dry and you can keep this mix as long as you like.

All of the components of this mixture can be bought in sacks from larger garden centers, feed stores or fertilizer distributors. The most expensive is the kelp meal. The seed meal is relatively inexpensive, if you choose the type of meal that is common to your area.

In Canada, canola and alfalfa are cheap, in the American South, cottonseed meal is the price leader. You could use fish meal, tankage or blood and bone meals for the nitrogen source, however the end product will be faster acting in the soil, smellier, harder to handle, and will not store well as a mix.

You can get together with your neighbors to pool the expense of buying 50 lb sacks, then share the proceeds; the final cost will be much cheaper than buying meal and minerals in smaller quantities.

I use garbage cans with wheels and those giant rectangular Rubbermaid containers with lids to store the materials in. Keep in mind that rodents love seed meal and will chew the bags open to get at it. All of your stored materials should be kept away from moisture, or you'll get spoilage and maggots.

Using it:

  • Put a handful into the bottom of the hole when you are transplanting, and mix it in with the dirt.
  • Put a couple of double handfuls into each wheel barrow full of compost, mulch or potting soil you mix up.
  • Broadcast over a new bed before tilling in the fall or spring.
  • Side dress your established beds and scratch into the soil with a cultivator.

The Secret to this fertilizer:

It REQUIRES biological activity and moisture to release nutrients. So, you need to mix it into the dirt - just throwing it on top of the ground will not work. But this is its beauty: it will not wash away, and the amount of nutrients released is in proportion to the activity in the soil.

This means that it slows down releasing in the winter, and starts releasing nutrients faster as the soil warms in the spring and all the microorganisms go to work. In other words, it is self-regulating - your plants get the nutrients when and where they need them most!

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