Question about fertilizers?

middlemamma 5/18/2010, 10:34 pm

I made mel's mix...I used different composts. I am not having any problems so far (only a couple weeks with stuff planted).

What I am curious about is if anyone adds blood meal or bone meal gently to their plants anyway? Just to feed them organically and give them a little boost?

Is this a dumb question?

I am new and just wondering if since I "bought" all my composts and wont have any to use anytime soon if this would be a good idea?

Jennie

**WardinWake** 5/18/2010, 10:45 pm

middlemamma wrote:I made mel's mix...I used different composts. I am not having any problems so far (only a couple weeks with stuff planted).

What I am curious about is if anyone adds blood meal or bone meal gently to their plants anyway? Just to feed them organically and give them a little boost?

Is this a dumb question?

I am new and just wondering if since I "bought" all my composts and wont have any to use anytime soon if this would be a good idea?

Jennie

Jennie: I let my plants tell me if they need any extra "kick" from blood or bone meal. Last year one bed was low in Nitrogen due to using unfinished compost so I added a couple of handfuls. It seemed to do the trick.

No questions on this forum are dumb. The only difference between a black thumb and a green thumb is information - so go for the green thumb award of your town.

God Bless, Ward.

middlemamma 5/18/2010, 10:51 pm

Thanks Ward.... How do you tell which they need? Are there "symptoms" that the "medicine" is one or the other?

middlemamma 5/19/2010, 2:56 pm

Just a little bump...hoping a few more might reply. Smile

boffer 5/19/2010, 3:09 pm

You're going to do just fine in your sfg gardening, mm , because gardeners are notoriously impatient!

Out of respect for other members making new posts, please wait at least 24 hours before bumping.

thankyou

Chopper 5/19/2010, 3:16 pm

Basically, if your plants are nice and green with no yellowing and they are robust with strong stems, then you likely do not need any further fertilizer. 'Telling you' is really not all that subtle. They look sick. Yellow, drooping, weak - although these could all be diseases, they are also signs of deficiency, which in our brand spanking new soil is more likely than disease.

I have decided to water with fish emulsion once every two weeks just for my own peace of mind. Others do not do that at all, just new compost every season or new planting as per Mel. Hope this helps.

middlemamma 5/19/2010, 3:24 pm

Sorry Boffer (and everyone else!) ....will do Smile

junequilt 5/19/2010, 5:46 pm

The plants in our first SFG box sulked for several weeks even though we did everything according to Hoyle (or Bartholomew, as it were). I finally got the message that they were just not going to do anything without some help, so this past Friday I gave in and fed them some Gardens Alive organic fertilizer. After just a few days, they are showing signs of growth, hallelujah!

Incidentally, our second box was filled with exactly the same ingredients in the same proportions EXCEPT we discontinued using a certain humus that turned out to be full of clay bits, and we did use a small amount of Black Hen plus an organic compost that is formulated specifically for a local nursery. Everything planted in that box has been happy from day one.

Go figure!

ander217 5/19/2010, 7:40 pm

I'm so glad you asked this question, Middlemama.

Some of my plants in the boxes are starting to look paler green than they should. I was thinking it might be a deficiency since we had to buy our compost and could only find three or four different kinds. But I'm puzzled because the tomatoes seem to be growing like crazy, while the squash and pole beans in the same box are looking more yellow and our peas in a different box are looking paler than peas growing in a dirt bed just a few feet away. I would have thought the pole beans and peas would have been the last to show a nitrogen deficiency, so maybe we've got a different deficiency.

Does anyone know what might affect tomatoes least?

Here's another dumb question: What is bumping?

**timwardell** 5/19/2010, 9:33 pm

@ander217 - bumping is the act of replying to a post or thread to "bump" it to the top of the list of new post, new post since last visit, or post with new comments. Typically the bump doesn't contain any new info and is simply used to get the attention of other forum member who may not have seen the thread in the hope that they have something to offer.

And this concludes today's lesson. Very Happy

**camprn** 5/19/2010, 9:59 pm

middlemamma wrote:What I am curious about is if anyone adds blood meal or bone meal gently to their plants anyway? Just to feed them organically and give them a little boost?

Yes, I added both when I made my soil mix

middlemamma wrote:Is this a dumb question?

It's a very good question!

Very Happy

junequilt 5/20/2010, 4:36 pm

Hmmm . . . tomatoes don't need an abundance of nitrogen. Certainly they need some, but an overabundance will result in huge, beautiful plants but no fruit. Since your tomatoes are doing well, maybe there's enough nitrogen in your mix to satisfy their needs but not the needs of the other plants. Just a possibility.

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