fertilizers with probiotics

squaredeal 5/12/2011, 8:58 pm

My local garden center is selling organic type fertilizers with probiotics. I'm only using two types of compost in my garden, so I decided to try one of these fertilizers (the cheaper brand). Has anyone used probiotic fertilizers? Do they work or are they just snake oil?

BackyardBirdGardner 5/12/2011, 9:30 pm

Hard for me to say. I've never used them strategically in the garden. The concept makes plenty of common sense, though.

If you are worried about lack of nutrients, I would recommend starting a compost pile and/or looking for other sources/types of compost in stores. The probiotics will only be a "quick fix" if you are always worried about only two types of compost. Fix the real issue..in time..and release your worries, and the need for fertilizers, going forward.

Compost tea and even a store-bought fertilizer like MiracleGro would likely be cheaper, too. And, we know these work.

But, getting your compost right will be the easiest long-term solution....even if it's the most intensive in the short-term.

boffer 5/12/2011, 10:05 pm

squaredeal wrote:...Do they work or are they just snake oil?

Who knows? It takes many years to determine the effectiveness of a product(s) in a backyard gardening environment. And only by doing side-by-side control comparisons, can one eliminate other variables such as weather or growing medium as a contributing influence.

I doubt that they are snake oil. But as soon as you start introducing extraneous factors into the SFG method, you've transferred your gardening experience into the same row gardening game playing experiments that have kept backyard gardeners guessing for centuries: a little of this, a little of that, what's his name's idea here, what's her name's idea there.

SFG is a unique gardening method. It's not the best gardening solution for every person all the time. Take it or leave it. But don't do it half way.

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fertilizers with probiotics

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