Skip the Bone Meal. Urea is a great source of nitrogen, so is blood meal. Just don't go overboard.
Miracle gro is amazing!
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jjones17
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Additional points:
The chemical fertilizer companies (and many published articles about the 'uptake of plants') are very misleading. You only need a single type of fertilizer for most plant... 10-10-10 is nice becuase its a bit milder than 20-20-20. The reason for this is each plant uptakes nutrients and a static rate. I hope I am making sense here, but imagine a wet-vac. Its sucks up water at a steady rate. It does not matter if you are sucking up water frmo a 1 gallon bucket or a 5 gallon bucket... the rate of intake is always the same. This is the same with plants according to various studies. If I can find a link to such a study I will post it when I get home. Therefore, do not splurge on a high nitrogen fertilizer or other such thing.... el cheap-o 10-10-10 will do the trick in most cases.
Regarding the organic point, this uptake of nutrients is done more slowly with organic and there are MUCH more minerals and other non-reproducable compounds. Your plants will be sturdier, grow at a sustainable rate, and be much healthier using organic than JUST using chemical ferts. Now, if you have a GOOD soil analysis method you can give the plant everything it needs using chemical ferts and adding minerals and the rest of the compounds lacking in the soil (IE Magnesium, calcium, iron, etc) depending on your test results. However, if you can go organic it is better for the bugs.
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HalfPint
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Got it.
Off of the top of your head do you know of a fertilizer with that ratio?
Thanks,
J
beerocd
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just thought I'd toss this out there... DOG FOOD. look at the main ingredient, you can get dog food way cheaper than bone meal. I tilled in a 50 lb bag into the garden this week. organic farmer told me about this.
fineexampl
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Bless you, sir. You can tend my garden any day. All this talk of Miracle-Blo always bugs me. Chemical vs. natural fertilizer is just...meh.FoxFarm FTW!! Yeah yeah yeah, it's organic but it's amazing. If you start with their Ocean Garden soil you won't need to feed them for the first few months! Then, when you're ready to feed them with FoxFarm nutes, you just mix them in with the water you give your plants. There are even several kinds so you can hit the exact N-P-K ratio you want depending on vegetative or flowering growth.
I don't trust Miracle Gro because I bought a bag of their soil that came with spider mites! 2-3 weeks after potting some plants it looked like the surface of the soil was moving!And apparently that's a kinda common occurrence from what I've heard/read. So no MG for me, thank you.
Sorry, just my $0.02
EDIT: It's also really cheap. 35# bag of Ocean Garden (which already has a great mixture of perlite in it so it drains really well) is only $12 at our local hydroponics store. The bottles of nutes are pretty cheap as well, going for roughly $12 as well.
(gardner throwing in 2 cents)
I am not organic, but i use organic ferts. seaweed...liquid fish...bat guano...fish bones and shrimp shells...mulch...and TONS of weak feedings. Also...used cofffee grounds!! High in nitrogen! Yeah Starbucks!
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HalfPint
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Alright, so what do you guys think of this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OEIL02/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 ?
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mattattack
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try this stuff here http://www.hydrowarehouse.com/earth-earth-bloom-booster-p-1823.html im using on my 1st years and they are already 1.5ft tall
Chicken poop seems to be doing the trick for me.
I don't have chickens, so I decided to pop a squat in the back yard...
Anyone want to try my new hybrid brown hops?
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HalfPint
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Oh yes, add the aroma of "yesterdays lunch" to your beer.
cheezydemon3
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one very mild fert may be OK, but high nitro can cause bud drop on my pepper plants.
they enter a vegetative growth phase rather than flowering.
this is good if they are young, fruit production at that point would leave you with tiny plants trying to produce 2-3 peppers.
Nitro when they are young causes them to grow big and healthy, so that when you pull back they spurrs, the produce hundreds of peppers.
Hops must have 2 phases too.
Vegetative growth, and then flowering with some subsequent growth.
+1 on organic being the best
they enter a vegetative growth phase rather than flowering.
this is good if they are young, fruit production at that point would leave you with tiny plants trying to produce 2-3 peppers.
Nitro when they are young causes them to grow big and healthy, so that when you pull back they spurrs, the produce hundreds of peppers.
Hops must have 2 phases too.
Vegetative growth, and then flowering with some subsequent growth.
+1 on organic being the best
fineexampl
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Well said, sir!
jjones17
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Actually nothing specific, however you will see it usually as the cheapest type in your big box stores. Ask for it... but be prepared to be amazed how many 'garden store employees' do not understand how plants uptake nutrients at the same rate. They will try to sell you some 'high phosphorous' or other crap that costs more but does not actually do anything different than that 10-10-10.
Another poster mentioned too much nitrogen. I concur that if you reduce your nitrogen the plant will stop growing big. however I never pull back on my tomatoes and I get 12-16 foot tall plants with thousands of tomatoes. Literally. I do not believe reducing your nitrogen casuses the plant to produce more flowers/fruit as long as there is not a potasium/phosphorous deficiency in the soil. I think a more stable less maintenence approach that works well for me would be fertilize with water solutble (if you must use chem ferts) at half strength, every 1-2 weeks. However, bear in mind this is just what works for me and I have the proper supports for HUGE plants and enough people around me that I can give away lots of homegrown food.
I've not really seen it documented as such, but I have always assumed this to be the case. My tactics have been nitrogen-rich applications until they reach desired height and then potassium-rich feedings thereafter.
For potassium I like to use wood ash from my fireplace or outdoor firepit. Nice and cheap!
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Well, I posted that link a few days ago, but I didn't see it delineate 2 phases clearly (in fact, the document never mentions the word "phase").
I do think the growth chart on the first page is wonderful, although the dates are only really useful in Willamette Valley (likely where OSU did this study)
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It's in the body of the discussion. For example it states that Nitrogen uptake is in advance of dry matter production, etcetera, etcetera.
does specifically break it intphases but does discuss nutrient needs and times.
does specifically break it intphases but does discuss nutrient needs and times.
They show the uptake curve for Nitrogen, but not for potassium, probably because local soil is already very rich in K and it isn't a real concern for local production.
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My take is that a fert high in potassium is always needed. Low in phosphorous. stay high in Nitrogen until heavy in flower and leaf production.
Or, just use a balanced fert and be done.
Or, just use a balanced fert and be done.
My take is that a fert high in potassium is always needed. Low in phosphorous. stay high in Nitrogen until heavy in flower and leaf production.
Or, just use a balanced fert and be done.
Haha. The last part is probably good generic advice for most folks. Potassium is only needed if your soil is weak in K, but since it says there seems to be no difference in production from excess K, adding K (if you don't know your soil chemistry) is not likely to hurt anything (at least when it comes to hops)
Since most home growers don't know their soil chemistry, that seems to be a safe rule of thumb.
Damonic
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Your local extension office should have soil testing kits. Usually the tests run about $20-25. Make your own compost, you'd be amazed at the amount of organic matter you throw away that could be made into wonderful compost for your hops or garden.
I think its already been mentioned but human urine mixed with wood ash makes a fantastic fertilizer. Couple notes, be sure to store the urine for at least 24 hours (most of any remaining pathogens will be digested or die) and you may want to dilute based on what you're using it on.
http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-09/fertilizer-future-might-be-closer-we-think
I think its already been mentioned but human urine mixed with wood ash makes a fantastic fertilizer. Couple notes, be sure to store the urine for at least 24 hours (most of any remaining pathogens will be digested or die) and you may want to dilute based on what you're using it on.
http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-09/fertilizer-future-might-be-closer-we-think
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I am with you on the compost. I'll even pee on my own plants every chance I get.
But there is NO WAY IN HELL I am storing urine, anywhere, for 24+ hours unless it's collecting in my bladder.
I rather prefer to stay married thank you.
What pathogens might that be? Urine itself is sterile, and although it may pick up some hitchhikers on the way through the urethra and on out, it is nothing your plants and soil won't handle just fine.
+1 Gila's comment about staying married. My wife already laughs at me for peeing on the hops or tomatoes... if I started storing it I might be moving into the shed.
HoppyDaze
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man, I have a whole fireplace full of wood ash...Im gonna piss on it and feed my damn plants tonight. Maybe even have a cocktail while Im doing it. Party!
Damonic
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I dunno my man, I thought urine was sterile as well. However, several online sources I found made a point to mention that pathogens, diseases, and other mild toxins are minimal and neutralized within 24 hours of leaving the body. They said minimal, but they were still mentioned.
cheezydemon3
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Why thank you my good man!
Hops do seem to continue vigorous bine growth after cone production has started, but they are so huge by that point, it may just be a gentle lengthening of the bine proportionally. A 3% increase in a 30 foot bine is still a measurable increase, whereas a 10% increase in the early growth is expected.
There's better things for tomatoes...
http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-09/fertilizer-future-might-be-closer-we-think
Time for me to go water the garden...
Haha, that is great. I've had good results using the human fertilizing method (along w/ organics) on my "special hops" wink, wink. It really does provide a lot of readily available nutrients, and it saves on the water bill. But to each their own, if miracle grow works, use it. I would only suggest that you cut off adding it, and leach w/ water about two weeks before harvest to flush out any built up salts/fertilizer in the plant. Good growing!
Edit: No need to store the pee, the bladder storing works just fine. I think we generate a steady enough "stream" to not store it (and that's weird). NO pathogens or other nasties have a chance of doing damage to your beloved plants, not that you should have any...especially that transfer to a plant. I have a horticulture degree and background, so, take it from me.
I couldn't resist....the closest relative to the hop plant, is well the cannabis plant. FYI, they can be grafted, My Dad said he did it back in the day. Made good beer by the sounds of it. So similarly, High nitrogen in veggie stage, high potassium and phosphorus, and trace minerals as soon as cones appear. flush w/ h2o before harvest...yummy hops! Good day all.
Great_Neck_Brewer
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During the civil war the south used to collect urine so they could extract the nitrogen to make gun powder.
bionicbrew
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I have to say, I am ROFL with the turn this thread has taken. I many times pissed on my trees or plants because I was working in the yard and too lazy to walk back into the house. now that I know it's good for them, I may save some water by not flushing the toilet so often.
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