[CH] Chemical fertilzers
Byron Bromley (Byron.Bromley@gsd-co.com)
Sat, 12 Dec 1998 23:26:06 -0500
In response to Tom Bryant.
I am not against chemical fertilizers, it just the percentages.
A plant absorbs, for example, nitrogen in the form of ammonium nitrate,
It doesn't mater where it comes from, You can give it 1 tbsp of ammonia
in a gal of water, Ammonium Nitrate from the bag, or it can absord urea
from animal manure It is exactly the same chemical. I prefer manure
over chemicals for several reasons, As manure is rotting down, it provides
a lot of organic material to the soil, It helps aireate the soil, holds
moisture
longer, just to name a few.
The problem is that Mirical Grow and the others are too high in
percentages.
The plant grows too fast, without the stem/stalks growing with it. The
plants
then become weak and can't handle the fruit load. The roots don't seem
to be able to keep up either. Esp. if you are feeding them a 100% strength
weekly. I also don't like the purple color that veggie plants get from
Mirical Grow.
This is a sign of excess phosphorous.
I start all my own plants from seeds, between the 1st true leaf and the 6th
true leaf, I feed them a 10% solution of 5-10-5, (12 drops per qt) The
plants
are not as tall, but the stalks are bigger, and withstand our spring winds
better. The roots will outgrow a 4in dia by 6 in deep pot. I make my own
pots out of Black & white newspaper, using a 1 lb coffee an as a form.
5-10-5 can be found as a liquid, Hy-trous brand is the only one I can find
locally. This is the closest I can get to my desired 5-10-10 or 5-20-20 in
a liquid.
Keep a Green Thumb up
Byron