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T3 Col 01.01

Who I Am : "Orice are forma, poate fi definit. Si orice poate fi definit,poate fi invins". Sun Tzu, 500 BC

Who I Am : "Orice are forma, poate fi definit. Si orice poate fi definit,poate fi invins". Sun Tzu, 500 BC

T3 Col 01.01

NOTES

Proteine = Nitrogen ? NU

Ce pH are fiecare

Udarea Corecta

FERTI



LUNI, 17 OCTOMBRIE 2011

Steve Solomon, Cum să grădinăreşti atunci când contează (note delectură)

Subtitlu: Cum să cultivi legume pe vremuri grele

Capitolul 1. Introducere

Timpurile grele care vor veni

În curând, tot ceea ce se bazează pe petrol va fi mai scump : combustibili, mâncare, îmbrăcăminte,transporturi, încălzirea locuinţelor, etc. Oamenii din ţările industrializate se vor confrunta cu scădereaputerii lor de cumpărare. Mulţi vor răspunde acestor provocări prin producerea propriei hrane.

În zonele temperate, legumele pot fi cultivate cu foarte puţină irigare, sau deloc.

Doar ţelina şi conopida au nevoie de o fertilitate excepţională a terenului.

Grădinile de legume care pornesc cu seminţe din plicuri colorate nu sunt de succes, pentru cănegustorii de seminţe nu sunt întotdeauna oneşti.

Este nevoie cam de 70 mp de grădină pentru producerea tuturor legumelor de care are nevoie unadult timp de un an.

După patru ani, o suprafaţă de teren folosită în producţia de legume trebuie să fie înierbată, învederea refacerii fertilităţii.

Capitolul 2. Fundamente

Ce înseamnă agricultura?a) eliminăm plantele sălbatice;b) cultivăm ceea ce vrem să crească;c) spaţiem plantele astfel încât să nu existe competiţie pentru hrană;d) ţinem plantele sălbatice departe;e) facem ca terenul să fie mai fertil şi mai umed ca în natură.

Legumele nu cresc în sol obişnuit, ci în cel mai fertil sol de care dispunem.

Legumele cu cerinţe minime: morcovi, păstârnac, sfeclă, andivă, fasolea căţărătoare, brusture,varză, cele mai multe dintre ierburile aromatice, nap, barba-caprei.

Legume cu cerinţe medii : anghinare, busuioc, varza de Bruxelles, broccoli, varza târzie, ţelină,porumb dulce, castravete, vânătă, usturoi, gulia gigantă, salată verde, ceapă, ridiche, rutabaga,cartofi, spanac, roşii, pepene verde, napul turcesc.

Legume cu cerinţe mari : sparanghel, varza chinezească, pepene galben, conopidă, praz, spanaculde primăvară, napii de primăvară. În general ceea ce se produce repede.

Formula fertilizatorului organic complet (FOC) :



- 4 părţi de făină integrală (sau 3 părţi făină integrală + 1 parte făină de sânge)amestecat cu- 1/4 parte var agricolşi- ¼ parte ghips (dacă un utilizezi ghips, dublezi varul agricol)

şi- ½ parte dolomită mărunţită.

“Părţile" se calculează în unităţi de volum, nu de greutate. Ca făină, se pot folosi mai ales deşeurilede la presa de ulei. Dacă este de ales între var şi dolomită, e preferabilă dolomita. Făina de sângeeste un subprodus de abator.

Aciditatea solului nu contează în grădinile mici. Se corectează singură de-a lungul timpului, dacăsolul primeşte amendamentele potrivite.

Aplicarea de îngrăşăminte chimice este foarte periculoasă din mai multe motive:a) este foarte uşor de ars legumele prin depăşirea dozei optime;b) sunt prea pure, deci incomplete şi dezechilibrate în raport cu necesităţile complexe ale plantelor;

c) se dizolvă prea rapid în sol.

Calitatea bălegarului utilizat pentru compost este dependentă de calitatea furajelor de care au parteanimalele.

Solul argilos poate fi câştigat puţin câte puţin pentru legumicultură dacă se incorporează periodicmaterie organică în el. Cea mai simplă metodă de amendat un sol argilos este împrăştirea anuală aunui strat de compost gros de 2-3 cm înainte de săpare. O metodă ceva mai scumpă de ameliorarea solului argilos este aşternerea unui sol corespunzător, adus din altă parte.

Creşterea plantelor are loc noaptea

Coacerea fructelor are loc tot noaptea

Creşterea plantelor are loc noaptea. Coacerea fructelor (care este tot un fel de creştere) are loc totnoaptea.

Germinarea multor legume are loc numai dacă este suficient de cald. De aceea grădinarul trebuie săaibă un termometru pentru sol.

Capitolul 3. Instrumente şi lucrări

Hârleţul, cazmaua, sapa – se ascut întotdeauna după cumpărare.

Pentru a îngriji o grădină de 1000 mp, este nevoie doar de 4 instrumente:a) un hârleţ;b) o sapă;c) o greblă;d) o pilă pentru ascuţit hârleţul şi sapa.



Instrumentele de calitate nu sunt ieftine, dar se dovedesc cea mai bună investiţie pe termen lung.

Cazmaua este perfectă pentru a lucra un sol compactat, care n-a fost demult utilizat pentru legume.

Instrumentele cu coadă scurtă sunt perfecte pentru indivizii care au sub 1,5 m înălţime, sau pentru

pus în portbagaj şi utilizat la camping. În grădină, oamenii cu înălţime normală utilizeazăinstrumentele cu coadă lungă.

În general, cu cât oţelul este mai bun, cu atât poate fi mai ascuţit, şi cu atât mai mul timp poaterămâne ascuţit. Pe de altă parte, cu cât oţelul este mai dur, cu atâta riscă să se ciobească mai uşor.De aceea instrumentele de grădinărit nu se fac din cel mai bun oţel cu putinţă, ci dintr-un oţel decalitate intermediară.

Este imposibil să-ţi dai seama de calitatea unui instrument făcut din oţel altfel decât în funcţie demarca şi locul în care se face achiziţia. Altfel, nu există nici o metodă rezonabilă de a diferenţia unobiect de calitate de o piesă bună de aruncat la gunoi.

O metodă de a vedea cât de bun este oţelul dintr-un instrument este evaluarea vitezei de ascuţire:

dacă se ascute repede este de proastă calitate, dacă se ascute greu, probabil că e bun.

Atunci când se înfiinţează o grădină de legume este nevoie de arat strict pentru distrugerea stratuluivegetal superficial, mai ales dacă este vorba de o păşune, sau de un gazon. Ulterior, totul se facemanual, pământul se mărunţeşte cu cazmaua.

Nu există ceea ce s-ar numi cea mai bună metodă de a aranja legumele într-o grădină. Răzoarele(raised beds) sunt bune pentru anumite plante (în general cele mici: morcovi, salată, mazăre pitică,fasole pitică, sfeclă, brocoli, castraveţi, varză). Altele (mai ales cele cu rădăcini puternice: pepeni,dovleac) preferă să fie cultivate fără nici o amenajare specială.

Răzoarele sunt foarte bune când se grădinăreşte fără irigaţie.

Pentru a împiedica formarea de cruste la suprafaţa straturilor, cea mai bună metodă este aceea a îmbogăţirii pământului cu compost. Schimbându-se proporţia de humus, straturile se oxigeneazămult mai bine.

Un mic truc pentru alegerea unui instrument de calitate : punctul de contact dintre sapă (sau hârleţ,sau lopată, sau greblă) şi coadă dacă este de calitate, atunci e foarte probabil ca şi oţelul din care efăcut instrumentul să fie de calitate. Dacă punctul de prindere este o butaforie, sigur oţelul e jalnic.

Achiziţia unei roabe este unul dintre cei mai importanţi paşi în materie de instrumentar de grădinărit.Nu trebuie să fim zgârciţi cu ceva care trebuie să servească vreo 20 de ani. Este important ca roabasă fie din metal, nu plastic, şi să fie în acord cu corpul grădinarului (care trebuie s-o probeze, săvadă dacă o poate manevra fără să se aplece, şi fără să rişte să-şi lovească genunchii). Roabele

pentru cărat beton sunt prea grele, şi mult mai solide decât este nevoie în grădinărit.

Capitolul 4. Magazinele pentru grădinărit

Trebuie evitată cumpărarea de seminţe din magazinele pentru grădinărit.

Multe răsaduri sunt pur şi simplu prea debile. Produse în sere, la adăpost de vânt şi de soare, înmomentul în care sunt transplantate sub cerul liber, înregistrează un şoc de proporţii, care fie leucide, fie le încetineşte creşterea cu 1-2 săptămâni.



Un vânzător de răsaduri cu simţul eticii le-ar muta înainte de vânzare într-un spaţiu intermediar, întreseră şi câmp, la adăpost relativ dar şi la expunere relativă. În acest fel, răsadurile nu sunt şocateatunci când sunt expuse total la factorii de mediu.

Pământul de răsaduri se prepară din:

a) 5 l sol de grădină;b) 2,5 l compost. Amestecul se face într-o găleată de 10 l.

Răsadurile se justifică doar atunci când este vorba de: tomate, ardei gras, vinete. Pentru alte legumenu are sens.

Capitolul 5. Seminţele

Este normal să ne temem că fără apă seminţele vor muri. Însă de fiecare dată când stropim,temperatura solului scade, încetinind progresul seminţelor.

Udarea corecta

Cel mai prost moment pentru a uda este la finalul zilei. Cel mai bun este la finalul dimineţii, cândsoarele poate încălzi solul.

Pentru anumite vegetale colectarea de seminţe este foarte simplă, încât e de mirare de ce mulţioameni n-o fac.

Speciile auto-polenizatoare sunt stabile, de la generaţie la generaţie schimbările sunt minime sau nuexistă deloc.

Speciile care trebuie să-şi schimbe polenul devin foarte debile dacă nu o fac, aşa încât nu se

reproduc. Pentru ele este nevoie de mai mult teren, iar selecţia seminţelor se face cu mai multăabilitate.

Anumite plante, pentru a-şi putea păstra integritatea seminţelor, au nevoie de o anumită cantitateminimă pentru a putea să-şi păstreze specificitatea. De exemplu, porumbul trebuie cultivat încantitate de minim 50 de exemplare. Alte plante au nevoie de minim 200 de exemplare.

Seminţele pot fi împărţite în:a) seminţe uscate (formate în păstăi, în ciorchini, în flori uscate);b) seminţe umede (formate în fructe zemoase, care sunt încă umede în momentul coacerii).

Exemple de seminţe uscate: fasole, mazăre, salată verde, muştar, spanac, sfeclă.

Exemple de seminţe umede: dovlecel, dovleac, castravete, pepene verde, roşie, ardei gras.

Cheia pentru a obţine seminţe uscate viguroase este extragerea seminţelor atunci când suntmaturate, oprind apoi supra-uscarea prin stocarea adecvată.

Cheia pentru a obţine seminţe umede viguroase este lăsarea fructelor să se supra-coacă, urmată deextragerea cât mai târziu cu putinţă.



Capitolul 6. Să irigăm... sau nu

Înainte de 1930, puţine grădini aveau curent, deci puţine grădini irigau în modul în care considerămnoi astăzi această activitate. Înainte de 1880, când 90% dintre americani aveau o grădină, aproapetoate erau lipsite de apă curentă.

Există patru mari cauze ale secetei:a) pregătirea improprie sau neglijentă a solului;b) incapacitatea de a stoca precipitaţiile naturale în sol;c) eşecul aplicării metodelor adecvate de păstrare a apei până când este solicitată de plante;d) semănarea mai multor seminţe decât poate suporta apa din sol.

Dacă seceta se dovedeşte severă, trebuie aplicată o măsură curajoasă: eliminarea unei plante dindouă, indiferent cât de mici sunt plantele eliminate. Al doilea lucru de făcut este “fertigarea” (irigareafertilă). S-a constatat că este nevoie de o cantitate dublă de apă pentru plante care nu sunt în solfertil decât pentru cele aflate în sol fertil.

Fertigarea constă în plasarea nutrienţilor şi a umezelii imediat sub planta aflată în creştere. Tehnicaeste deosebit de utilă mai ales pentru plantele mari: roşii, pepeni, castraveţi, dovlecei.

În mod tradiţional, fertigarea se face cu bălegar sau cu ceai de compost.

Capitolul 7. Compostul

La momentul elaborării acestei lucrări, încă se pot cumpăra materiale care să crească fertilitateasolului. Însă este de prevăzut că, pe măsură ce petrolul va deveni mai scump, compostarea va fisingura soluţie cu adevărat ieftină pentru sporirea fertilităţii.

Creşterea fertilităţii solului este principala grijă a grădinarului.

Capitolul 8. Insecte şi boli

Înainte ca o plantă să fie atacată, deja este bolnavă. Promotorii agriculturi organice spun că trebuiesă ne concentrăm pe sol care, dacă este fertil, creşte plante sănătoase. În multe situaţii acest punctde vedere se verifică. Totuşi, printre cauzele bolilor mai trebuie adăugate: vremea rea şi soiurileneadaptate climatului.

Capitolul 9. Ce să creşti... şi când să creşti

Seminţele mici ca: ţelina, busuiocul, măcrişul şi cele mai multe dintre condimente trebuie semănatefoarte superficial, cam la 1,25 cm adâncime.

Seminţele ceva mai mari (spanac, sfeclă) se seamănă la 2 cm adâncime.

Seminţele mari (porumb, castraveţi, dovleci) se seamănă la o adâncime de patru ori mai mare decâtdimensiunea lor.

Legumele care sunt cel mai uşor de crescut

Varza verde creaţă, gulia sunt teribil de rezistente. Varza creaţă îşi poate relua creşterea după onoapte de -14 grade Celsius.

Pentru a avea suficienţa alimentară cu cereale europene, o familie are nevoie de mai mult de



jumătate de hectar. Dacă cerealele sunt nord-americane (porumb, floarea-soarelui, fasole), un acrulucrat în întregime manual este suficient. Dacă însă se cultivă cartofi, este nevoie de mult mai puţin,dat fiind faptul că se pot produce uşor 10 tone de cartofi la un hectar.

http://agricultura-sustenabila.blogspot.ro/2011/10/steve-solomon-cum-sa-

gradinaresti.html

26.09.2012 Mother Earth News Magazine

www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=74392 1/7

A Better Way to Fertilize Your Garden: Homemade Organic Fertilizer

June/July 2006

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2006-06-01/A-Better-Way-to-Fertilize-YourGarden.aspx

By Steve Solomon

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2006-06-01/A-Better-Way-to-Fertilize-Your-Garden.aspx

Steve Solomon’s garden soil and crops show the effects of

steady applications of his homemade organic fertilizer.Solomon has written nine books on gardening and maintainsan online gardening resource.

PHOTO:MURIEL BROWN (CHEN)

Because my garden supplies about half of my family's yearly food intake, I do allI

can to maximize myvegetables' nutritional quality. Based on considerable research and more than 30years of vegetable growing, Ihave formulated a homemade fertilizing mix that works great in most food gardens.

I call it Complete OrganicFertilizer, or COF. It is a potent, correctly balanced mixture composed entirely of

naturalsubstances. It's lessexpensive than similar commercially compounded organic fertilizers, and it's much

better for your soil life thanharsh synthetic chemical mixes (see "ChemicalCautions" below).The use of COF plus regular, minimal additions of compost has a long track recordof producing incredible

http://agricultura-sustenabila.blogspot.ro/2011/10/steve-solomon-cum-sa-gradinaresti.html










results. I've recommended this system in all the gardening books I've written overthe past 20 years. Many of my

readers have written back, saying things like, "My garden has never grown so well;the plants have never been solarge and healthy; the food never tasted so good."

Complete Organic Fertilizer26.09.2012 Mother Earth News Magazinewww.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=74392 2/7

To concoct COF measure out all materials by volume: that is, by the scoop,

bucketful, jarful, etc. Proportionsthat vary by 10 percent either way will be close enough to produce the desiredresults. Making this formula byweight is more difficult and I suggest you do not try to. I blend my COF in a 20-

quart plastic bucket, using anold one quart saucepan as a measuring scoop. I make 7 to 14 quarts of COF at a

time.

At any cost of materials this mix is a good value when judged by the results itproduces, but COF can beunnecessarily expensive unless you buy the ingredients in 50 pound sacks (20 kg)

from appropriate vendors.Urban gardeners may have to do a bit of research to find ruralsuppliers. Farm andranch stores as well as feedand grain dealers are the best sources for seed meals and kelp meal, which are

typically used to feed livestock. If I were an urban gardener, I would visit the country every year or two to stock up.

The other ingredients usuallycan be found at garden shops, although garden centers may sell them in smaller

sized packages at relatively highunit prices. You also may find the these items on the Internet but they will be lesscostly from farm/ranch supplystores.

Seed meals and various kinds of lime are the most important ingredients (keepreading for "Basic Organic

Fertilizer Ingredients"). These alone will grow a great garden. Gypsum is the leastessential type of lime, but it

contains sulphur, a vital plant nutrient that is deficient in many soils. If gypsumshould prove hard to find or seemstoo costly, don't worry too much about it — simply double the quantity of inexpensive agricultural lime. If you

can afford only one bag of lime, in most circumstances your best choice would beordinary agricultural limestone.

The most fundamental nutrient ratio to get right in your soil is the balance of calcium to magnesium; it should be

about 7 (calcium) to 1 (magnesium).To achieve that you could alternate agriculturallime and dolomite. First gothrough two bags of ordinary ag lime and then use one bag of dolomite lime. Istrongly disagree with the many



Rodale Press home gardening publications that insisted dolomite lime is the bestsingle choice. Repeated use of

dolomite has caused many organic gardens to become hard and compacted, makingit seem that even morecompost was needed than was actually required. Had the same soil had itsmagnesium to calcium ratio brought

into proper balance, it would have loosened up by itself, seeming as though hugequantities of compost had been

added.Bone meal is usually available at garden centers. Guano, rock phosphate and kelp

meal may seem too costly ortoo difficult to obtain, but they add considerable fortitude to the plants and increasethe nutritional content of yourvegetables. Go as far down the recipe as you can afford, but if you can't find the

more exotic materials towardthe bottom, don't worry too much. However, if concerns about money stop you

from obtaining kelp meal, rock

dust or a phosphate supplement, I suggest taking a hard look at your priorities. Inmy opinion, you can't spendtoo much money creating maximum nutrition in your food — a dollar spent here

willsave several in health carecosts over the long term.

Applying COF

Once a year, best done immediately before planting the first spring crop, uniformly

broadcast 4 to 6 quarts of COF atop each 100 square feet of raised bed, or, if you organize your garden in

long rows, scatter 4-6 quarts of COF down each 50 feet of planting row in a band 12 to 18 inches wide. Blend in thefertilizer with a hoe or dig itin. This amount provides more than sufficient fertility for what I've classified as

"low-demand" vegetables to growto their maximum potential and is usually enough to adequately feed "medium-

demand" vegetables (see "WhichCrops Need the Most," below). If you're planting in hills, first broadcast and dig in

the usual 4-6 quarts of COFper 100 square feet and then mix an additional cup of fertilizer deep into each hillwhen forming it.26.09.2012 Mother Earth News Magazinewww.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=74392 3/7

After the initial application, every three to four weeks you may sprinkle seedmealaround medium- and highdemand vegetables. Spread it thinly, covering the area

that the root system will grow into over the next fewweeks. As the plants grow, repeat this "side-dressing," placing each dusting farther

from the plants' centers. Eachapplication willrequire more seedmeal than the previous. As a rough guide, side-dress no more than 4 additional



quarts total per 100 square feet of bed during a crop cycle. After side-dressing, if the growth rate fails to

increase over the next few weeks, the most recent application wasn't needed, sodon't add any more.

COF Cautions

COF must not be spread more than one time each year or else you risk adding too

much lime. The amount of lime in COF was carefully calculated to provide just enough calcium and magnesium

and sulphur as essentialplant nutrients but not enough to massively change the soil pH or overload your soilwith calcium andmagnesium. If you are planting a following crop in the same year and wish to

increase fertility in that bed or row,if the earlier crop had already received the usual amount of COF do not use COF

again until next year. Instead,

spread and work in only seedmeal at the rate of 3 to 4 quarts per 100 square feet.If you have lots of money andcare about your health, a better supplementalfertilizer is three to four parts

seedmeal and one part kelp meal.COF works great anywhere there is enough rainfall to grow crops well but it maynot work well, may even dodamage, if it is used in arid regions. That's because the soil mineral profile in much

of the North AmericanWestand also in the Wheat Belt of the Prairie States, such as western Kanasas and

eastern Colorado, is quite differentcompared to where there is more rain. Dry-climate soils tend to have high levels of

calcium and sometimesexcessive magnesium or sodium. Gardeners in those regions had better consulttheir local experts about whatsorts of lime, if any, should be put into your soil. If, without doing a soil test first, I

had to recommend a fertilizerfor someone in these regions, I'd suggest digging in a half-inch-thick layer of

compost or rotted manure, making amixture of 4 parts seedmeal, 1 part bonemeal and 1 part kelp meal, spreading that

incomplete organic fertilizer at4 quarts per 100 square feet, and in that conversation I'd strongly urge the personto get a proper soil test.

Soil Testing

People who have been compost gardening for many years are usually delightedwhen they experience what

happens when they add COF. However, COF has limitations: it is designed to bringan imaginary soil containingabsolutely no plant nutrients to near-perfection in terms of the major nutrients —NPKCaMg. Complete Organic



Fertilizer contains some sulphur, but often this proves to be not enough sulphur. Itdoes not provide the "minor

nutrients"— copper, zinc, iron, manganese, boron. The kelp meal in it insures thatyour soil is not critically shortof a long list of "trace nutrients" such as cobalt or iodine.COF will, over three or four years of use, induce soil imbalances, especially amongst

the minor nutrients. If everything that was taken from your garden were returned to it, then, assuming

your soil was sufficiently wellendowed from the beginning, it might never run short of minor nutrients. However,

most of the minerals thatplants remove end up in the septic tank or sewerage system. After a few years of this removal, even though youare using COF and adding major nutrients in approximately the correct amounts

relative to each other, the soilmight start moving seriously out of balance. In consequence you may begin to

experience new problems —

diseases usually. Or some species may not grow as well as it did a few years ago. Isuggest that after using COFfor three years, you have a full and proper soil test done and from its results work

out your own custom COF.You might discover you have built too high a level of calcium and/or magnesium. Inthat case you can delete all26.09.2012 Mother Earth News

Magazine

www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=74392 4/7limes — ag lime, dolomite lime and gypsum— from the mix. If you find you have a

surplus of P (and I have seenseveral local gardens test that way), you can leave out the phosphorus boosterfrom your own COF.For soil testing I recommend Logan Labs because Logan's test method leads to

fullremineralization and betternutritional outcomes. And Logan is inexpensive. Ask for their Standard Soil Test.

Logan's test results will notserve to guide an amateur; however, for a fee Logan will provide a soil prescription.

If you did okay with highschool chemistry, even if you hardly remember any of it, you will be able to workout your own custom COFwith the help of a small book called The Ideal Soil written by Michael Astera. A copy

can be purchased online atSoilMinerals.

Chemical Cautions

Synthetic fertilizers and naturally occurring salts like sodium nitrate and potassiumsulphate, should come with



labels warning against giving plants too much. One or 2 cupfuls of these can be themaximum amount 100 square

feet ofsoil can accept. But uniformly spreading only one or two cups of materialover 100 square feet ofsoil isnot easy to accomplish. That is one reason I don't recommend the use of chemicalfertilizers. It is too easy for

inexperienced gardeners to cross the line between just enough and too much.Chemicalfertilizers usually are too pure. This is particularly true of inexpensive

chemical blends — so-called"complete" chemicalfertilizers are entirely incomplete. They supply nitrogen,

phosphorus and potassium. Sometypes also contain a useful amount ofsulphur. However, unless the manufacturerintentionally puts in otheressential minerals, the chemical mix won't supply them. Especially troublesome is

that chemicalfertilizers rarelycontain calcium or magnesium, which plants need in large amounts. Crops also

require significant quantities of

minor nutrients such as zinc and copper. Plants short on any essential nutrient,major or minor, are more easilyattacked by insects and diseases, contain less nourishment for you and often don't

grow as well as they could.There is yet another chemical drawback:Inexpensive chemicalfertilizers dissolvequickly. In soils lacking claythis usually results in a rapid burst of plant growth, followed five or six weeks later

by a big sag, requiring yetanother application. Should it rain hard enough for a fair amount of water to pass

through a clayless soil, most of the chemicals dissolved in the soil water will be transported as deeply into the earth

as the water penetrates (thisis called "leaching"), Often nutrients are leached so deeply that the plant's rootscan't reach them. With one heavyrain or one too-heavy watering, your fertile sandy topsoil becomes infertile. The

chemicals also can pollutegroundwater.

Organic fertilizers, manures and composts, on the other hand, release their nutrientcontent only as they

decompose — as they are slowly broken down by the complex ecology of livingcreatures in the soil. Soilconditions determine the how long it takes to fully decompose. Completedecomposition of most organic

fertilizers takes around two months in warm moist soil. During that entire time,they steadily release nutrients.

Chemicalfertilizers can be made to be "slow-release," but these sorts cost severaltimes as much as the type that

dissolves rapidly in water. The seed meals in COF are naturalslow-release fertilizers,and they usually areconsiderably less expensive than slow-release chemical products.The Quick and Easy Guide to Homemade Fertilizer



Organic Fertilizer Recipe26.09.2012 Mother Earth News Magazinewww.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=74392 5/7

Mix uniformly, in parts by volume: 4 parts seed meal1/3 part ordinary agricultural lime, best finely ground1/3 part gypsum (or double the agricultural lime)1/3 part dolomitic lime

Plus, for best results:1 part bone meal, rock phosphate or high-phosphate guano

1/2 to 1 part kelp meal (or 1 part basalt dust)1/2 level kitchen measuring teaspoonful (carefully measured) of ordinary washing

borax per each fourquarts of seedmeal.**

**Overdoses of boron can poison soil. The acceptable range for boron is not very

wide. Too little andyou get hollow hearts and brown centers on brassicas and potatoes. Too much and

everything is stunted

or dies. Measure carefully! Blend this material carefully and thoroughly into yourCOF before spreadingit. If this precision seems daunting just don't bother.

How Much to Use

Once a year (usually in spring), before planting crops, spread and dig in thefollowing materials.

Low-Demand Vegetables: 1/4 inch layer ofsteer manure or finished compost4 quarts COF/100 square feet.

Medium-Demand Vegetables:1/4 inch layer ofsteer manure or finished compost4 to 6 quarts COF/100 sq. ft.

High-Demand Vegetables: 1/2 inch layer ofsteer manure or finished compost4 to 6 quarts organic fertilizer mix/100 sq. ft.These recommendations will excellently grow almost any low-, medium- or high-demand vegetable on allsoil

types, except heavy clay in all humid climates. In addition to these initialapplications, side-dress seedmeal

around medium- and high-demand crops every few weeks through the season;altogether, this extra fertilizer may

equal the volume used in initial preparation. (Gardeners dealing with heavy claysoils should use the higheramounts of COF and in the first year, spread double the amount of organic matter— up to an inch-thick layer of

compost or well decomposed manure — and dig it in to a shovel's depth. Insubsequent years, apply the same

quantity of manure or compost and fertilizer mix as for any other kind ofsoil.)COF is potent, so use no more than recommended. Do not over apply because COF

contains lime, andexcessive liming can be harmful to soil. It can take many years to correct excessesof lime. You can double the



amount of manure and compost I suggest, but increase it no more than that. If youthink your vegetables aren't

growing well enough, do not apply more manure or compost; try fixing it with COF.And if you're already usingCOF and stillsome vegetable species are not growing well to suit you, then youshould consider doing a soil test

to find out ifsome other nutrients are in deficit (or great excess) because COF doesnot provide significant

amounts of what are termed minor nutrients:sulphur, zinc, iron, copper andmanganese. I wish I could add these

minerals to the routine COF but doing so could cause more problems for some thanit cured for others.26.09.2012 Mother Earth News Magazinewww.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=74392 6/7Sacked steer manure is commonly heaped in front ofstores in springtime at a

relatively low price per bag.However, this material may contain semi-decomposed sawdust and usually has

little fertilizing value. However, it

does feed soil microbes and improves soilstructure, which helps roots breathe. Andit is not raw manure; it hasbeen at least partially composted. It is useful if not overapplied.

Which Crops Need the Most FertilityFor thousands of years, home gardens received the best of the family's manures,and lots of them. They havebeen coddled for millennia. Consequently few vegetable crops thrive in ordinary

soil. Low- and medium-demandvegetables become far more productive when grown in soil that has received the

basic amount of COF and a bitof compost. High-demand vegetables are sensitive, delicate species and usually will

not thrive unless grown inlight, loose and always-moist soil that provides the highest level of nutrition.Low-Demand Vegetables Jerusalem artichoke, arugula (rocket), beans, beets,burdock, carrots, chicory,

collard greens, endive, escarole, fava beans, herbs (most kinds), kale, parsnip,peas, Southern peas, rabb

(rapini), salsify, scorzonera, French sorrel, Swiss chard (silverbeet), turnip greensMedium-Demand Vegetables Artichoke, basil, cilantro, sprouting broccoli, Brussels

sprouts (late), cabbage(large, late), cutting celery, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, giant kohlrabi,kohlrabi(autumn), lettuce,mustard greens (autumn), okra, potato onions, topsetting onions, parsley/root

parsley, peppers (small-fruited),potatoes (sweet or "Irish"), pumpkin, radish (salad and winter), rutabaga, scallions,

spinach (autumn), squash,tomatoes, turnips (autumn), watermelon, zucchini, asparagus

High-Demand Vegetables Italian broccoli, Brussels sprouts (early), Chinesecabbage, cabbage (small, early),cantaloupe/honeydew, cauliflower, celery/celeriac, Asian cucumbers,kohlrabi(spring), leeks, mustard greens



(spring), bulbing onions, peppers (large-fruited), spinach (spring), turnips (spring)About Organic Fertilizer Ingredients

Seed Meals are byproducts of making vegetable oil and are considered valuableanimalfeeds. They are madefrom soybeans, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, cotton seeds, canola seeds, etc.Different kinds are more readily

available in different regions of the country. When chemically analyzed, most seedmeals show similar nitrogenphosphorus-potassium (NPK) content — about 6-3-2.

Because seed meals are used mainly as animalfeed andnot as fertilizer, they are labelled with their protein content rather than NPK

content. The rough rule is that 6.2percent protein provides about 1 percent nitrogen, so if you have choices buywhichever type ofseed meal givesyou the largest amount of nitrogen for the least cost. Copra meal is the byproduct

of making coconut oil. It differsfrom the otherseedmeals in that it has only about two-thirds the amount of

nitrogen the other seedmeals offer.

However, since oilseedmeals are valued for their protein content, the usually lowerprice of coprameal correctlymatches its lowered level of NPK. Copramealstill works good as fertilizer, although

when using it you need toamend the recipe a bit: up it to 6 to 8 parts coprameal; the other ingredientsremain in the same proportions.Because copra-based COF is less potent, you spread it heavier — say 6-8 quarts

COF per 100 square feet.If you want to use seed meals that are free of genetic modification and grown

without sewage sludge orpesticides, choose certified organic meals if you can find any and can afford the

tariff. I have reports from usersof GM seedmeal and they have good results using it as fertilizer; one man has usedGM soybeanmeal to feed his26.09.2012 Mother Earth News Magazinewww.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=74392 7/7

worm farm over the past three years and the system is running well. Of course, tobe really certain ofsafety,

those worms should be fed to frogs for four generations. Seed meals are far lesscostly in 50-pound bags, which

can be found at farm stores. Seed meals are stable and willstore for years if keptdry and protected from pestsin a metal garbage can or empty oil drum with a tight lid.Lime is ground, naturalrock containing large amounts of calcium. There are three

types. Agricultural lime shouldbe relatively pure calcium carbonate. Gypsum is calcium sulphate. Dolomite, or

dolomitic lime, contains bothcalcium and magnesium carbonates, usually in more or less equal amounts. If you

have to choose one of thesethree kinds, it probably should be ordinary agricultural lime, but most people get abetter result using an equal



mixture of the three types. These substances are not expensive if bought in largesacks from agriculturalsuppliers.

(Do not use quicklime, burnt lime, hydrated lime or other chemically active "hot"limes.)You probably have read many times that the acidity or pH ofsoilshould be correctedby liming. I suggest that

you forget all about pH. Liming for the purpose of adjusting soil pH is entirelyunnecessary in an organic garden,

If liming is overdone, the practice may lead to the entire collapse of the garden; Ihave seen soil test results from

people who did this. In fact, the topic ofsoil pH is controversial. Someday I amgoing to take the shade ofJ.I.Rodale to task because he convinced Everybody Else that liming to adjust soil pH isa key concern. My

conclusion on the subject is this:If a soil test shows your garden's pH is low andyou are advised to apply lime to

correct it — don't. Each year, just add COF and compost/manure as shown in "How

Much to Use". Over time,the pH will correct itself. If your garden's pH tests as 6.0 to 6.75, considered theidealrange to have soil pH, use

the fullrecommendation of COF anyway, because vegetables still need calcium andmagnesium in the rightbalance as nutrients. If your soil pH tests 7.0 or higher, then the basic formula forCOF may not suit your needs;

in this case you need a fullsoil test. If you routinely garden with COF you won'tneed to apply additional lime to

the garden. The mix is formulated so that, when used in the recommended amount,it automatically distributes

about 50 pounds of lime per 1,000 square feet each year.Bone Meal, Phosphate Rock or Guano (bat or bird manure) allserve to boost COF'sphosphorus level, hardphosphate rock and guano usually are also rich in trace elements. Bone meal may

be the easiest of the three tofind at garden centers and is the most available form; it will give you the biggest

immediate result. Colloidalsoftrock phosphate is probably the most valuable and usefulform of rock phosphate. It

analyses at having less Pthan the hard rock phosphates, but the phosphorus in the soft form is far moreavailable and it does not comewith the liability hard rock phosphate has —carrying traces of fluorine and

sometimes uranium as well.Kelp Meal (dried seaweed) has become expensive, but one 50-pound sack

willsupply a 2,000-square-footgarden for several years. Kelp supplies more than just a complete range of trace

minerals, it provides growthregulators and natural hormones that act like plant vitamins, increasing resistanceto cold, frost and other stresses.



Some rock dusts are highly mineralized and contain a broad and complete range of minor plant nutrients. These

may be substituted for kelp meal, but I believe kelp is best. If your garden centerdoesn't carry kelp meal andcan't order it, you can get it from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply of Grass Valley,Calif.

Adapted from GardeningWhen It Counts, a MOTHER EARTH NEWS "Book for WiserLiving," from New

Society Publishers. The text and recipe presented here were updated by the author,Steve Solomon, in

December 2011 to reflect new research and experience with COF.

A Great Organic Fertilizer Mix

Steve Solomon is a successful, knowledgeable gardener. He has written several garden books,and began the Territorial Seed Company a few decades ago.

He formulated a recipe for a wonderful organic fertilizer. The recipe used to be in the TerritorialSeed Catalouges before they began mixing and selling their own fertilizer.

It is good for all plants, and will make you plants thrive. One should apply 4-6 quarts of thisfertilizer per 100 square feet.

I’ve used this recipe for many years.

Below is the recipe, and here is a lengthy article by Steve Solomon in Mother Earth News that

discusses the fertilizer. Organic Fertilizer RecipeMix uniformly, in parts by volume:4 parts seed meal1/4 part ordinary agricultural lime, best finely ground1/4 part gypsum (or double the agricultural lime)1/2 part dolomitic lime

Plus, for best results:1 part bone meal, rock phosphate or high-phosphate guano1/2 to 1 part kelp meal (or 1 part basalt dust)

If you're concerned about the amount of lime in this recipe (as I was) read Mr. Solomon'sexplanation below. I've read forums that discuss this recipe, and experts agree with what hesays here.

"You may have read that the acidity or pH of soil should be corrected by liming. I suggest that you forget about pH. Liming to adjust soil pH may be useful in large-scale farming, but is not of concern in an organic garden. In fact, the whole concept of soil pH is controversial. "






There is more explanation in the attached article.

Here is a link to Steve Solomon’s books at Amazon.com.

HOME

Soil and Compost

Vegetable Varieties

Planting/Growing

Fertilizers

Pests and Diseases

Season Extension

Great Food

Great gearCopyright © 2010 Laura Lee

Steve Solomon's books

http://www.growgreatvegetables.com/fertilizers/A-Great-Fertilizer-Mix.html

Recipe for a complete organic fertilizer

I've been using this recipe, which is the one Territorial SeedCompanyused to recommend back when Steve

Solomon owned the company, with good results since 1993. Unfortunately Territorial no longer includes

this recipe in their seed catalogs, so I'm posting it here because I believe it to be important information for

the maritime Pacific Northwest home gardener.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FSteve-Solomon%2FB001JRWZS8%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr_tc_img_2_0%26qid%3D1290095169%26sr%3D1-2-ent&tag=growgreavege-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957


http://www.territorialseed.com/

http://www.growgreatvegetables.com/index.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FSteve-Solomon%2FB001JRWZS8%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr_tc_img_2_0%26qid%3D1290095169%26sr%3D1-2-ent&tag=growgreavege-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957


http://www.territorialseed.com/



One word of advice: Instead of buying the components in small boxes, buy them in bulk whenever

possible (see "Where can I buy the components?", below). As long as you keep them these ingredients dry,

they will last for years.

All measurements are in terms of volume, not weight.

• 4 parts seed meal

• 1 part dolomite lime

• ½ part bone meal

• ½ part kelp meal

Seed meal

This component provides nitrogen, with smaller amounts of phosphorus and potassium. I like to use

cottonseed meal or alfalfa meal, both of which are relatively inexpensive and readily available. Of the two,

cottonseed meal provides more nitrogen; but it is somewhat more expensive. Additionally, in some states

cottonseed meal is reportedly not allowed in a certified organic operation (although that's not something

that affects most of us). Another seedmeal option is rape/canola meal.

In spring I like to substitute blood meal in place of some seed meal, since blood meal is somewhat faster

acting. You could try using three parts seed meal and one part blood meal. What I usually do, though, is

leave the fertilizer recipe unchanged but add blood meal separately at sowing time.

Tarate ?

Lime = B

Seed meals tend to be acidic, so lime is included to balance that out. Dolomite limestone is roughly half

magnesium carbonate and half calcium carbonate. Calcitic limestone is pure calcium carbonate. Plants

usually need more calcium than magnesium; so, if you want to be really tricky, use 1/3 part dolomite lime

and 2/3 part calcitic lime. I use dolomite in the fertilizer mix, then use calcite when I lime my beds each

fall.

If your soil is alkaline, you might experiment with reducing or eliminating the lime in this mix.

Piatra de var

http://westsidegardener.com/howto/fertilizer.html#where_to_buy

http://westsidegardener.com/howto/fertilizer.html#where_to_buy



Bone Meal

This makes up the bulk of the phosphorus component. While the original Territorial recipe lists soft rock

phosphate as an alternative source of phosphorus, I prefer bone meal. Not only is bone meal easier to

find than rock phosphate, it also is already being produced as a byproduct of the beef industry. Rock

phosphate is mined.

Less bone meal is required since it releases its phosphorus more readily. The advantage of using rock

phosphate is that it continues to contribute phosphorus to your soil over many years. If you choose to use

it, double the amount - use one part rock phosphate.

Kelp Meal

Kelp meal contributes potassium and also many micronutrients. This tends to be more expensive than the

other components, and harder to find in bulk. Fortunately you need less of it than the other materials.

Another possible potassium source is Jersey Greensand. It has the same advantages and liabilities as

rock phosphate (its very slow release). In addition, it does not supply micronutrients.

How Much Do I Use?

I often get e-mails that say "Great recipe! But how much do I spread in my garden bed?". There is no

single answer that fits all situations, because different plants have different nutritional requirements. Italso makes more sense in many cases to fertilize plant by plant, instead of broadcasting it into the entire

bed. If you want to know how much I use for the various vegetables, check out my FAQ on Maritime

Vegetable Culture. This recipe will also work for ornamental plants, and even for lawns; but I haven't

developed guidelines for those uses.

Where can I buy the components?

Whether a particular business sells any or all of these components will vary from year to year,

unfortunately. Check with local feed or farm supply stores first. I've occasionally had luck finding bulk

bags at plant nurseries. If you live in the Puget Sound region, consider checking your local McLendon's

Hardware. In my experience they usually carry most of these products in mid-size bags - 20 pound

bags of cottonseed meal and (sometimes) kelp meal, 20 pound bags of bone meal, and of course 40

pound bags of both dolomite and calcite lime. They're only a couple miles away from my place, so usually

I go there first. Note that kelp meal is getting harder to find in bulk packages.

Further Notes

http://westsidegardener.com/guides/faq_culture.html


http://www.mclendons.com/








When possible, I purchase certified organic versions of all these products. Philosophically I prefer to

support organic agriculture; but, more specifically, I have concerns about certain practices in the beef

industry - so Ialways buy organic bone meal nowadays. Even so, wash your hands after handling any

bone meal.

If you want to learn more about these components - to discover their typical NPK values, for example -

Colorado State University has an informative pamphlet available online: OrganicFertilizers, publication234.

A recent email let me know about a 2006 article SteveSolomonwrotefor MotherEarthNews. While his recipe is

still similar to the old Territorial formula, he has made some changes. He substitutes gypsum for some of

the lime - I would not recommend gypsum for the maritime Pacific Northwest since the calcium is bonded

to sulfate, which may actually increase the acidity of your soil (counteracting the calcium's effect, in other

words). He's also doubled the bone meal component, but without doubling the alternative rock phosphate

(which is rather odd). Note that Steve lived in Tasmania at the time the article was written, and as such

may have tweaked the formula to better match his local growing conditions.

The specific list of fertilizer components and amounts on this page is exempted from my copyright notice-

it's not possible to copyright a list of ingredients, and the recipe itself is not original to me in any case.

I would like to thank Tim Peters, then (back in the early 1990s) lead plant breeder and trial grounds

manager of Territorial Seed Company, for answering some of the "why" questions I posed to him

regarding the recipe.

http://westsidegardener.com/howto/fertilizer.html

Here's another article, same info but written by Steve

from https://www.motherearthnews.com/Orga...ur-Garden.aspxQuote:

A Better Way to Fertilize Your Garden - Homemade Organic Fertilizer

By Steve Solomon

Because my garden supplies about half of my family’s yearly food intake, I do all I can to

maximize my vegetables’ nutritional quality. Based on considerable research and more than 30

years of vegetable growing, I have formulated a fertilizing mix that is beneficial for almost any

food garden. It is a potent, correctly balanced fertilizing mix composed entirely of natural

substances. It’s less expensive than commercial organic fertilizers, and it’s much better for your

soil life than harsh synthetic chemical mixes (see “Chemical Cautions”).

In my gardens, I use only this mix and regular additions of compost. Together they produceincredible results. I’ve recommended this system in the gardening books I’ve written over 20

years. Many readers have written me saying things like, “My garden has never grown so well;

the plants have never been so large and healthy; the food never tasted so good.” The basic

ingredients — seed meal, various kinds of lime, bone meal and kelp meal — are shown below.

The complete recipe is on the tear-out poster located within this article.

Complete Organic Fertilizer

http://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/234.pdf





http://westsidegardener.com/copyright.html


https://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2006-06-01/A-Better-Way-to-Fertilize-Your-Garden.aspx



http://westsidegardener.com/copyright.html


https://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2006-06-01/A-Better-Way-to-Fertilize-Your-Garden.aspx



To concoct the mix, measure out all materials by volume: that is, by the scoop, bucketful, jarful,

etc. Proportions that vary by 10 percent either way will be close enough to produce the desiredresults, but do not attempt to make this formula by weight. I blend mine in a 20-quart plastic

bucket, using an old saucepan as a measuring scoop. I make 7 to 14 quarts at a time.

This mix is inexpensive judged by the results it produces; it’s also inexpensive in monetary terms

if you buy the ingredients in bulk from the right vendors. Urban gardeners may have to do a bit

of research to find suppliers that have the right ingredients. Farm and ranch stores as well as

feed and grain dealers are the best sources for seed meals, which are typically used to feed

livestock. If I were an urban gardener, I would visit the country every year or two to stock up.

The other ingredients usually can be found at garden shops, although they probably will be sold

in smaller quantities at relatively high prices per pound. You may find the best prices by mailorder or on the Internet.

Seed meals and various kinds of lime are the most important ingredients (see “Basic Organic

Fertilizer Ingredients”). These alone will grow a great garden. Gypsum is the least necessary kind

of lime, but it’s included because it contains sulfur, a vital plant nutrient that is deficient in some

soils. If gypsum should prove hard to find or seems too costly, don’t worry about it — double the

quantity of inexpensive agricultural lime. If you can afford only one bag of lime, in most

circumstances your best choice would be dolomitic limestone. You also could alternateagricultural lime and dolomite from year to year or bag to bag.

Bone meal is usually available at garden centers. Guano, rock phosphate and kelp meal may

seem costly or difficult to obtain, but they add considerable fortitude to the plants and increase

the nutritional content of your vegetables. Go as far down the recipe as you can afford, but if you

can’t find the more exotic materials toward the bottom, don’t worry too much. However, if

concerns about money stop you from obtaining kelp meal, rock dust or a phosphate supplement,

I suggest taking a hard look at priorities. In my opinion, you can’t spend too much moneycreating maximum nutrition in your food — a dollar spent here will save several in health care

costs over the long term.

Applying the Fertilizer Mix

Before planting each crop, or at least once a year (preferably in the spring), uniformly broadcast

4 to 6 quarts of fertilizer mix atop each 100 square feet of raised bed, or down each 50 feet of

planting row in a band 12 to 18 inches wide. Blend in the fertilizer with a hoe or spade. This

amount provides sufficient fertility for what I’ve classified as “low-demand” vegetables to grow totheir maximum potential and is usually enough to adequately feed “medium-demand” vegetables

(see “Which Crops Need the Most”). If you’re planting in hills, mix an additional cup of fertilizer

into each.

After the initial application, sprinkle small amounts of fertilizer around medium- and high-

demand vegetables every three to four weeks, thinly covering the area that the root system will

grow into. As the plants grow, repeat this “side-dressing,” placing each dusting farther from their

centers. Each application will require more fertilizer than the previous. As a rough guide, side-dress about 4 to 6 additional quarts total per 100 square feet of bed during a crop cycle. If the

growth rate fails to increase over the next few weeks, the most recent application wasn’t

needed, so don’t add any more.

Chemical Cautions

Nonorganic synthetic fertilizers should come with labels warning against giving plants too much.One reason I don’t recommend the use of chemical fertilizers is that it’s too easy for



inexperienced gardeners to cross the line between just enough and too much.

Chemical fertilizers are too pure. This is particularly true of inexpensive chemical blends — evenso-called “complete” chemical fertilizers are entirely incomplete. They supply only nitrogen,

phosphorus and potassium. Unless the manufacturer intentionally puts in other essential

minerals, the chemical mix won’t supply them. Especially troublesome is that chemical fertilizers

rarely contain calcium or magnesium, which plants need in large amounts along with tiny traces

of several other minerals. Plants lacking any essential nutrients are more easily attacked by

insects and diseases, contain less nourishment for you and often don’t grow as well as they

could.

There is yet another drawback: All inexpensive chemical fertilizers dissolve quickly in soil. This

usually results in a rapid burst of plant growth, followed five or six weeks later by a big sag,requiring yet another application. Should it rain hard enough for a fair amount of water to pass

through the soil, the chemicals dissolved in the soil water will be transported as deeply into the

earth as the water penetrates (this is called “leaching”), so deep that the plant’s roots can’t

reach them. With one heavy rain or one too-heavy watering, your fertile topsoil becomes

infertile. The chemicals also can pollute groundwater. The risk of leaching is especially great in

soils that contain little or no clay.

Organic fertilizers, manures and composts, on the other hand, release their nutrient content onlyas they decompose — as they are slowly broken down by the complex ecology of living creatures

in the soil. The soil temperature determines the length of this process. The rate of decomposition

roughly doubles for each 10 degree increase of soil temperature. Complete decomposition of

most organic fertilizers takes around two months in warm soil. During that time, they steadily

release nutrients.

Chemical fertilizers can be made to be “slow-release,” but these sorts cost several times as much

as the type that dissolves rapidly in water. The seed meals in my organic fertilizer mix arenatural slow-release fertilizers, and they usually are less expensive than slow-release chemical

products.

The Quick and Easy Guide to Fertilizer

Organic Fertilizer Recipe

Mix uniformly, in parts by volume:4 parts seed meal*1/4 part ordinary agricultural lime, best finely ground1/4 part gypsum (or double the agricultural lime)1/2 part dolomitic lime

Plus, for best results:1 part bone meal, rock phosphate or high-phosphate guano

1/2 to 1 part kelp meal (or 1 part basalt dust)

Seed meal



*For a more sustainable and less expensive option, you can substitute chemical-free grass

clippings for the seed meal, although clippings will not provoke the same strong growthresponse. Use about a half-inch-thick layer of fresh clippings (six to seven 5-gallon bucketfuls

per 100 square feet), chopped into the top 2 inches of your soil with a hoe. Then spread an

additional 1-inch-thick layer as a surface mulch.

How Much to Use

Once a year (usually in spring), before planting crops, spread and dig in the following materials.

Low-demand Vegetables:1/4 inch layer of steer manure or finished compost

4 quarts organic fertilizer mix/100 sq. ft.

Medium-demand Vegetables:

1/4 inch layer of steer manure or finished compost

4 to 6 quarts organic fertilizer mix/100 sq. ft.

High-demand Vegetables:1/2 inch layer of steer manure or finished compost

4 to 6 quarts organic fertilizer mix/100 sq. ft.

These recommendations are minimums for growing low-, medium- and high-demand vegetables

on all soil types, except heavy clay. (Gardeners dealing with heavy clay soils should amend the

recommendations. The first year, spread an inch of decomposed organic matter and dig it in to a

shovel’s depth. In subsequent years, apply manure or compost and fertilizer mix as described

above, using about 50 percent more fertilizer.) In addition to these initial applications, add side-dressings of fertilizer around medium- and high-demand crops every few weeks through the

season; altogether, these additions may equal the amount used in initial preparation.

This organic fertilizer is potent, so use no more than recommended above. Excessive liming can

be harmful to soil. If you can, increase the amounts of manure and compost by 50 percent to100 percent, but no more than that. If you think your vegetables aren’t growing well enough, do

not apply more manure or compost; fix it with fertilizer mix.

Sacked steer manure is commonly heaped in front of stores in springtime at a relatively low price

per bag. However, this material may contain semidecomposed sawdust and usually has littlefertilizing value. However, it does feed soil microbes and improves soil structure, which helps

roots breathe. And it is not raw manure; it has been at least partially composted. It is useful if

not overapplied.

Which Crops Need the Most

For thousands of years, home gardens received the best of the family’s manures, and lots of them. Few vegetable crops can thrive in ordinary soil, because they have been coddled for

millennia in highly improved conditions. However, different vegetables demand different levels of

soil quality. Both low- and medium-demand vegetables will become far more productive when

grown in soil that has received at least the minimum applications of fertilizer listed above. High-

demand vegetables are sensitive, delicate species and usually will not thrive unless grown in

light, loose and always-moist soil that provides the highest level of nutrition.

Low-demand VegetablesJerusalem artichoke, arugula (rocket), beans, beets, burdock, carrots, chicory, collard greens,



endive, escarole, fava beans, herbs (most kinds), kale, parsnip, peas, Southern peas, rabb

(rapini), salsify, scorzonera, French sorrel, Swiss chard (silverbeet), turnip greens

Medium-demand Vegetables

Artichoke, basil, cilantro, sprouting broccoli, Brussels sprouts (late), cabbage (large, late),

cutting celery, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, giant kohlrabi, kohlrabi (autumn),

lettuce, mustard greens (autumn), okra, potato onions, topsetting onions, parsley/root parsley,

peppers (small-fruited), potatoes (sweet or “Irish”), pumpkin, radish (salad and winter),

rutabaga, scallions, spinach (autumn), squash, tomatoes, turnips (autumn), watermelon,

zucchini

High-demand Vegetables

Asparagus, Italian broccoli, Brussels sprouts (early), Chinese cabbage, cabbage (small, early),cantaloupe/honeydew, cauliflower, celery/celeriac, Asian cucumbers, kohlrabi (spring), leeks,

mustard greens (spring), bulbing onions, peppers (large-fruited), spinach (spring), turnips

(spring)

Basic Organic Fertilizer Ingredients

Seed meals are byproducts of making vegetable oil and are mainly used as animal feed. They aremade from soybeans, flaxseed, sunflowers, cotton seeds, canola and other plants. Different

kinds are more readily available in different regions of the country. When chemically analyzed,

most seed meals show similar nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) content — about 6-4-2.

Because seed meals are used mainly as animal feed and not as fertilizer, they are labeled by

protein content rather than NPK content. The general rule is that 6 percent protein provides

about 1 percent nitrogen, so buy whichever type of seed meal gives you the largest amount of

nitrogen for the least cost.

If you want seed meals that are free of genetic modification and grown without sewage sludge or

pesticides, choose certified organic meals. Seed meals are less expensive in 40- or 50-pound

bags, which can be found at farm stores rather than garden centers. Seed meals are stable and

will store for years if kept dry and protected from pests in a metal garbage can or empty oil

drum with a tight lid.

Lime is ground, natural rock containing large amounts of calcium, and there are three types.

Agricultural lime is relatively pure calcium carbonate. Gypsum is calcium sulfate. Dolomite, or

dolomitic lime, contains both calcium and magnesium carbonates, usually in more or less equal

amounts. If you have to choose one kind, it probably should be dolomite, but you’ll get a farbetter result using a mixture of the three types. These substances are not expensive if bought in

large sacks from agricultural suppliers. (Do not use quicklime, burnt lime, hydrated lime or other

chemically active “hot” limes.)

You may have read that the acidity or pH of soil should be corrected by liming. I suggest that

you forget about pH. Liming to adjust soil pH may be useful in large-scale farming, but is not of

concern in an organic garden. In fact, the whole concept of soil pH is controversial. My

conclusion on the subject is this: If a soil test shows your garden’s pH is low and you are advisedto apply lime to correct it — don’t. Each year, just add amendments as shown in “How Much to

Use”. Over time, the pH will correct itself, more because of the added organic matter than from

adding calcium and magnesium. And if your garden’s pH tests as acceptable, use the full

recommendations in “How Much to Use” anyway, because vegetables still need calcium and

magnesium in the right balance as nutrients.

If you routinely garden with this homemade fertilizer mix, you won’t need to apply additional

lime to the garden. The mix is formulated so that, when used in the recommended amount, itautomatically distributes about 50 pounds of lime per 1,000 square feet each year.



Bone meal, phosphate rock or guano (bat or bird manure) all serve to boost the phosphorus

level, and phosphate and guano usually are also rich in trace elements. Bone meal will be theeasiest of the three to find at garden centers.

Kelp meal (dried seaweed) has become expensive, but one 55-pound sack will supply a 2,000-

square-foot garden for several years. Kelp supplies some things nothing else does — a complete

range of trace minerals plus growth regulators and natural hormones that act like plant vitamins,

increasing resistance to cold, frost and other stresses.

Some rock dusts are highly mineralized and contain a broad and complete range of minor plant

nutrients. These may be substituted for kelp meal, but I believe kelp is best. If your garden

center doesn’t carry kelp meal and can’t order it, you can get it from Peaceful Valley FarmSupply of Grass Valley, Calif.: (888) 784-1722.

http://www.cannabis-world.org/cw/showthread.php?t=4893

Dolomita

Originally Posted by c-ray

dolomite lime seems to have it's pitfalls especially when applied in large dosesso if epsom salt and dolomite lime are out where are you going for magnesium? I am using celtic sea salt and sea-crop ormus type seawater extract

Yea thats another reason I like using 50/50 calcidic lime/dolomite lime. For magneisum I used to use2ml/gal epsom salt. The epsom salt is fungistatic[1] at low levels (which isn't determined yet) accordingto Dr. Ingham. Because I can't find a organic source of high Mg that won't hurt the microherd I have

started using chelated amino acids in a foliar spray. I have magnesium and calcium. The chelatedmicronutrients are so small they are directly utilized by the plant.

I also use a non-ionic surfactant made from yucca without any preservatives. I have never read reserach

on it but I assume preservatives in yucca surfactants can injure micobes in the phyllosphere.

Spraying with the chelate amino acids will inhibit some microbes in the phyllosphere but I assume theycan recover much faster then those in the media. Many of the micro's are mobile and I find foliar sprayingto be as effective as using espom salt. And if I understand correctly the highest levels of Mg and Ca areutilized from late veg to flower formation. I have used espom salt in a foliar spray but it seems to leave awhite residue on the leafs.

FWIW: all these chelated aminos are certified USDA Organic. Here is a quote from the

site: http://www.essential_plant_nutrients...etreecare.com/[quote]Albion


RE: Need help with SS's FertilizerRecipe

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http://www.essential_plant_nutrients.miracletreecare.com/


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Fri, Apr 8, 11 at 15:04

IMO your summation is largely paraphrase.

Paraphrase of what I've been saying for 9 years? Well, then yes. I try to focus onthe point and summarize where I can. Sometimes I'm more successful than other

times.

Not the case. Steve Solomon was the originator of the Soil and Health Library often

linked to from this site (GW).

What is not the case? He did not create the concoction? or he is not promoting it as

better? Because you go on to say that he both created the concoction and herecommends it as better.

I just found a website with a recipe attributed to Steve Solomon. This may be what the

OP was referring to.

Complete Organic Fertilizer

Steve Solomon developed a fertilizer mixture specifically for our maritime [west of the

Cascade mountains] climate. It is best to buy each ingredient in bulk, as it is cheaper over time than buying small boxes of fertilizer. Store in metal galvanized garbage cans

and keep moisture out.

Four parts seed meal (cottonseed or canola meal is usually readily available here in

the Northwest.)1/2 part lime in equal amounts of agricultural lime and dolomite. Leave out thelime for acid loving plants such as rhododendrons.1/2 part phosphate rock or bone meal (for vegetarians phosphate rock would be the

obvious choice).1/2 part kelp meal.

I suspect there is more written about that recipe in a book somewhere. I see what he'sgetting at. He's using the bulk of the materials (seed meal) for the food and then

incorporating specific additives to try to adjust for soil conditions west of the Cascades.

I guess I would caution that the additives are specific to that location and may not work the way you want them to in other places.

NPK should not be the goal of an organic fertilizer.Protein, carbs, vitamins, and minerals are the goal.

Microbes do not eat NPK. They eat food. You don't haveto mix grains to get a better food. You may mix them if you like, but I don't see any difference in one fromanother or any mix of them.

The OP asked about the amounts of alfalfa meal & linseed meal, to exchange for the

Cottonseed meal, or soybean meal. Personally I would go pound for pound, but if you

wanted to be more precise about the protein value, then you can compare the amounts

http://www.rainyside.com/resources/fertilizer.html

http://www.rainyside.com/resources/fertilizer.html



of protein at the linked website for Ingredients 101.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ingredients 101 - linseed meal

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/organic/msg041352217606.html

RO

http://www.emharghita.ro/dolomita.html

http://www.aaz.ro/detalii/478285/DEL-CA-MAG-1KG-&-2KG

DEL-CA-MAGSupliment mineral de uz veterinar

COMPOZIŢIEoxid de calciu - 32,02%oxid de magneziu - 20,27%

http://www.ingredients101.com/lsm.htm





http://www.ingredients101.com/lsm.htm







ACŢIUNE FARMACOTERAPEUTICĂCalciul şi magneziul sunt două dintre cele mai importante minerale pentru sănătatea animalelor. Ele sunt implicate în procesele de creştere şidezvoltare ale acestora, precum şi în menţinerea echilibrului acido-bazic, în activarea enzimelor, în moderarea excitabilităţii musculare şi intervin înfenomenele de transfer de energie.

http://www.emharghita.ro/calciu-si-magneziu-furajer.html

CAOLIN

= substitut pt. dolomita

Steve Solomon’s formula for complete organic fertilizer

I like the idea of Steve Solomon’s formula for complete organicfertilizer (COF). He recommends you purchase the ingredients

in bulk from farm stores. Measure the material out by volume,that is by the scoop or bucketful, and then mix it together in a

bucket.

Seedmeals are a by-product of making vegetable oil and mainly

used in animal feed. Coprameal is a by-product from coconuts





with the bonus is that is usually grown without pesticides or

chemical fertilizers.

Blood and bone is also known as tankage.

There are three types of lime – Agricultural lime – pure calcium

carbonate, Dolomite lime – calcium and magnesium carbonate,

and Gypsum – calcium sulfate.

Mix together uniformly in parts by volume:

1. 4 parts any kind of seedmeal except coprameal OR3 parts any seedmeal except coprameal and 1 part blood-and-

bone. (This higher nitrogen option is slightly better for leafy

crops in spring) OR4.5 parts less-potent coprameal, supplemented with 1.5 parts

blood-and-bone

BLEND WITH

2. 1/4 part ordinary agricultural lime, best finely ground AND

3. 1/4 part gypsum (or double the amount of lime) AND

4. 1/2 part dolomite lime PLUS

5. 1 part of one of these phosphorus sources: finely groundrock phosphate, bonemeal, or high phosphate guano1/2 to 1 part kelpmeal or 1 part basalt dust

P.S. If you’re in need of easy ways to spread the fertilizer, look

at thesecoupons for Harbor Freight tools.

Gardening when it counts

by Steve Solomon

http://frugaldad.com/harbor-freight/

http://www.amazon.com/Gardening-When-Counts-Growing-Mother/dp/086571553X/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=rosepebbles-20&linkCode=ur2&qid=1328581851&camp=1789&sr=8-1&creative=9325

http://frugaldad.com/harbor-freight/

http://www.amazon.com/Gardening-When-Counts-Growing-Mother/dp/086571553X/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=rosepebbles-20&linkCode=ur2&qid=1328581851&camp=1789&sr=8-1&creative=9325

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