Hydroponics has become more popular especially with the invention of the aerogarden systems, like AeroGarden. DIY home hydroponic grow systems are also popular, as are Kratky methods. All of these systems require hydroponic fertilizer which is quite a bit more expensive than regular soluble fertilizer. It begs the question, can you use regular fertilizer in place of hydroponic fertilizer? What makes hydroponic fertilizer special and what should you be looking for when you buy them? Lettuce grown hydroponically, source: Farm This post uses affiliate links What is Hydroponic Fertilizer? The mark ..read more

A while ago I wrote about Milk As Fertilizer and concluded that although milk would add organic matter to a garden, it was no ‘magic bullet’. Since that report I have spent more time looking at the subject of milk fertilizer and tracked down how this myth was born. It a thriller full of deception and lies. Today I will dig deep into this myth and uncover some surprising facts. Then I will review the latest research on the subject. Milk Fertilizer – a Myth is Born, source: Patrick Franzis Milk Fertilizer – a Glimmer of Hope Around the year 2000 a steel industry executive turned dairyman by th ..read more

Rock dust is a very popular soil additive especially with organic and permaculture groups. It is full of nutrients and it is claimed that adding it to soil will replenish all of the nutrients that agriculture has taken out of our soil. This process of adding nutrients back to soil is known as mineralization. This seems to make a lot of sense. We remove food from the land, and the food contains lots of minerals. At some point we need to put them back into the soil or else we will have soil that won’t grow anything. This seems logical but is it really true? Is our soil losing fertility? If it is ..read more

Should you use bat guano? Is it a good fertilizer? Does harvesting it from caves harm bats? How does it compare to seabird guano? Learn more about this valuable resource and understand organic products better. Bat Guano – Superior Fertilizer or Environmental Disaster? source: Covenant Wildlife What is Bat Guano? Bats live in caves and spend a good part of every day there. They hang from the ceiling and their feces drop to the cave floor where it accumulates forming bat guano. The cave protects the guano from rain and so the material builds up over time forming deep layers. Commercial bat gua ..read more

Lots of information in books and on websites recommend a soil test to help you select the right fertilizer numbers. This is very good advice but it has limitations. Fertilizer Nonsense #4 : Soil Tests, source Noble Foundation Soil Test; Is it a Good Idea? In the previous post I suggested that buying fertilizer without knowing what nutrients you have in your soil is a poor idea. You need to buy the nutrients that are missing from your soil–not some fertilizer numbers an expert told you to buy. The only way for you to know what nutrients are missing from your soil is to have it tested. You can ..read more

I am sure you have heard the saying, plants need nitrogen for growing leaves, phosphorus for growing roots and flowers, and potassium for overall plant health. Well, it is not only wrong, but very misleading because it causes gardeners to use the wrong fertilizer. In this post I will have a close look at this and show you why it is wrong. Along the way you will learn a lot about plant growth and how to get more flowers. Nitrogen for Leaves, Phosphorus for Roots and Flowers, Potassium for Health Plants Use Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium How do plants use these three nutrients? Nitrogen is ..read more

People love to go organic, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, the information about organic fertilizers is not always correct or complete. Here are some real important things you need to know about organic fertilizer. Limitations of Organic Fertilizer Why Do We Fertilize? We don’t feed plants! We replace missing nutrients in soil. The nutrient that is most often missing is nitrogen, so I will use nitrogen as the main example in this post, but most of the contents also apply to the other nutrients. Plant Available Nitrogen (PAN) Gardeners deal with two groups of nitrogen compounds; those ..read more

Mycorrhizal Inoculant products have been around for more than 10 years but the number of products available is rapidly growing. Clearly manufacturers are finding customers willing to pay for these products but are they worth the money? Do they work? Are companies able to provide solid evidence that their products work? I have done an investigation and you will be surprised by the results. Mycorrhizal Inoculant Products – Do They Work? Mycorrhizal Inoculant Investigation If you are not familiar with these products have a look at Mycorrhizae Fungi Inoculant Products. I have studied the science ..read more

Is urine in the garden a match made in heaven or hell on earth? Human urine is not commonly used as a fertilizer but we do use animal urine when it’s mixed with manure. Many gardeners have no issue with its use this way, but few would use human urine even if it is clean and free of feces. Is this just due to social attitudes or are there some a good reasons for not using urine. Is it safe? Will it burn plants? Can it spread human pathogens and what about all the drugs we use? Those can’t be good for plants? Let’s have a wee look at using urine in the garden. Is Urine Safe to Use in the Garden ..read more

Bone meal, or bonemeal, is a common organic soil amendment and many consider it to be a good fertilizer. It is a “must add” when planting spring bulbs and it’s claimed to help plants establish after being moved by improving root growth. Plant not flowering? Add bone meal to make more flowers. This sounds like a great product every gardener should use, but are the claims real or just myths? Is Bone Meal Good for the Garden? What is Bone Meal? In the early part of the 1800s agricultural soil was being heavily cropped and yields were dropping. To increase nutrients “some farmers collected bones ..read more