Organic Fertilizer - Dirty Little Secrets Nobody Talks About

Learn how to use organic fertilizer correctly and grow more vegetables.
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Organic Fertilizer - Dirty Little Secrets Nobody Talks About
List of Credits:
Images:
All slides and videos belong to GardenFundamentals.com or are public domain images, except for the following:
protein molecules by Argonne National Laboratory: www.flickr.com/photos/argonne...

[@603chefmon]

no one has ever explained this to me, after hundreds of hours of youtube videos, thank you.

[@andrelabonte2294]

It’s always nice to have someone explain chemistry to gardeners. Thanks ☮️🇨🇦

[@tmontero8492]

I am so glad to have found you. You've taught me so much about fertilizers over the past few months that I have already put into practice. I see better plant growth and higher yields. Thank you for your clear and concise information. Continued success, sir!

[@anthonyromano8565]

I mixed my potting soil with compost, worm castings then add Fish bone meal Neem meal, bat guano for nitrogen and leave it at that. I will use a foiliar of pure protein fish hydrolysate for a push with nitrogen. When in flower I add bird guano and Langvienite for added phosphorus potassium. The compost is new and the castings are home made. Now I now there is still some phosphorus and potassium in there. Its working well. I use half the recommended or the lowest dose possible. I let the initial mixture cook for several weeks

[@LarryReynolds591]

This video should have 40 million views.

[@MetaView7]

People put eggshells in the soil and expect it to provide calcium during the same season.

[@pierreshasta1480]

It is always a great pleasure to watch these videos, I learn a lot. 👍

[@dahutful]

Thank you for doing this video, Robert. I recall when I brought up this issue on your Facebook page, I didn’t have a very good way to explain how all of this impacted the gardener who made the original comment. Hopefully, with this video, we can shed some light for her and others. Unfortunately, among organic gardening groups, the words “synthetic,” and “fertilizer” together in the same sentence is going to cause consternation. But there may be a few who catch on. Thanks, David SC

[@thisarfingai]

Thank you so much for this amazingly clear explanation of what can seem a complicated subject. Your simple graphic showing how N 'sinks' in relation to P & K was my Eureka! moment. I have just purchased a copy of your book - I cannot wait for it to arrive. Thank you again.

[@highpeakguttervac]

Last year I started looking at taking my grounds maintenance business in a more organic direction and am now building up a sideline vermicompost business as a way to begin processing much of my green waste. Have done a lot of reading and research since last year and its often difficult to know who and what is the right way. I came across your channel recently and I can tell you, from where I'm sitting that you come across as very knowledgeable and worth taking notes from. Very clear to follow, provides much food for thought. Thanks for your content and insight!

[@tegoblue]

I don't know what kind of a great camera , or filter, you are using, but your vids look SUPER sharp. I can see your irises, in your eyes, I mean. Really different and sharper than anyone else's videos. Thanks for that. Found you by chance and am now subscribed. You never stop talking but NONE of it is hot air or wasted breath. Grateful for that too.

[@superresistant8041]

It’s not crisp it’s oversaturated. It’s generally considered very bad because you’ll lose nuances and colors.

[@rudimentalgardening]

I tried to tell a fellow garden about how organic fertilizers and compost need to break down to be available to the plants, and could take years, and he just argued with me...

[@jayjohnson3724]

I use Sunrise seafood compost, 6-1-2. I toss it in watering cans and stir it up.I have done it this way for years. You just taught me why it works. Thank you you are awesome.

[@racebiketuner]

I'm on the fourth year of a soil remediation program on my urban mini-farm and just beginning to realize the benefits. All the other gardeners in my neighborhood are "Miracle Growers" who don't have slightest idea what I'm up to!

[@AJWGBFX]

Food for thought!

[@GreenLove1]

I definitely learned something new, thank you for your thoughtful sharing of the possible issues/watchouts with organic fertilizer- as well as how to overcome them.

[@davidstraker8336]

Excellent as always. Thanks!!

[@debbiem2146]

Thank you for this excellent video!

[@oldmanfigs]

Thank you! This is well put…. And the best I have seen on youtube

[@sistergoldenhair2231]

This is gold. Thank u!

[@sonnyamoran7383]

Thank you. I could understand it.

[@Aswaguespack]

Consisely explained in details anyone can benefit from, especially the plants and their health.

[@Mastadex]

Fantastic Video!

[@nfettes1]

Great video. This really helped me understand that the rate of release matters as well as the concentration.

[@atulnamdev7546]

Excellent information

[@rogehnimunoz4327]

Thanks to this video I'll be able to fertilize my plants better.

[@warrenmaker798]

Superb explanation of something that is way under reported. Incorporating correct Cover Crop utilization can be beneficial as well. It all just takes some good pre-planning.

[@gfutube1]

Good to know

[@gjcinqmars]

Makes sense.

[@cindiblazer8621]

Thankyou

[@3dclothes889]

Thank you so much for making this video. I was having the same problem of using compost and mulch instead of synthetic fertilizer. From your video I gather I should still compost but add urine or weed water to boost the nitrogen. I will also look if wood ash is good for me. I still don't want to buy fertilizer, I want to be self sufficient.

[@oldmanfigs]

Can you do a video on properly mixing compost urea and wood ash is proper ratios?

[@TheEmbrio]

That would be great !

[@richardmeyer4406]

That would be a great idea . I fully support it . Thank you

[@kimmanning4989]

I love your videos, even when I know what your going to say. 🌿

[@Youdontknowmeson1324]

Calcium phosphate and insoluble phosphates is what bones are made from its does break down and it’s not in large molecule but just isn’t souble in water

[@shannonz9211]

Alexa just notified me of a new book out by you! It's a sign.

[@CheaddakerT.Snodgrass]

I'm not trying to deny that you're correct but I have a question regarding applying compost to your garden. If there's a difference between an open to the ground raised bed and just planting in the ground I'm interested as well. The question: You said the nitrogen gets washed away to a depth that is not reachable by the plants. What is the function that makes this happen in the garden but not when the compost is just in the compost pile?

[@chucknorisclone]

This gives me a lot to think about I just set up beds at my new home using a lasagna style bed. I was planning on staying away from purchasing anything but maybe I need to to start

[@mkitchens8163]

Informative video. Thank you. I follow this process for my in ground shrubs and perennials. So what do you use to fertilize annuals? Do you use something different in containers than if they are in the ground?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

I don't fertilize the ground - the soil does that for me. In containers use an NPK ratio of 3-1-2.

[@lilycardoso4679]

What do you think about time released synthetic fertilizers?

[@doctorhadland6510]

Cured chicken poop and compost is what I’ve been using. I’m not all into the organic fad, but never use any insecticide or herbicides. Living in the desert probably allows me to do this.

[@blenderbenderguy]

How much bone meal, blood meal, kelp, etc to add? How do you sort that all out? Thanks!

[@Christian-jx3nx]

So does Charles Dowding use 5 yr old compost (that he makes) every year on his garden? Or those market gardners who don’t use fertilizer but use compost and wood chips? I’m confused by how much nitrogen these guys get by continually adding compost and no other immediate nitrogen source. One guy I follow uses packaged slow release coop poop (that breaks down in years too?) or over weeks as it claims? Travis adds this preplant after covercrop and chicken tractor. Then shoots agrothrive through when he waters every couple of weeks. He always has a very productive garden in Georgia 🇺🇸 in somewhat sandy soil. I’m going to have to watch this a few more times 🤔

[@selmakaplan1053]

Best info and handsome.

[@jody2873]

DANG!

[@calwyndell]

And what about the ph issues some say organic will oh itself through soil activity but u have to ph synthetic so it can be available or it won’t be available either I’m just trying to get to the bottom of all the static

[@novampires223]

I view urea and blood or bone meal as something I do not want in my garden veggies. Blood and bone meal are made of animals that sometimes have been dosed with antibiotics and other drugs that might end up in the meals. Plus the herbicides that are in the animal feeds that end up in compost sometimes. For instance the chemical that has ruined so much compost here in the USA.

[@Pete.Ty1]

👍👍👍

[@shannonz9211]

Fyi: I just got an email from Amazon advertising your new book.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

good to hear.

[@bjbrown6884]

I am using the cheapest fertilizer from my local box store and using it at about one-third of the directed use. Native soil is sand and my food crops are in huge nursery pots. Everything is very productive so I'm sticking with this program. My ability to make compost is not enough to do like Mr. Dowding. Does anyone have an opinion on the Black Cow Manure? I have considered buying it but I don't know.

[@bobbysmac1009]

Look at the ingredients on the black cow. There are less expensive alternatives that are comprised of the same stuff. Most bagged soils are essentially the same stuff. I had to buy some for big containers as well. Do your homework. I got a legal pad, and looked at many brands and products. Most are the same thing in each bag. That way, if you are in need of a medium, at least you're getting the best price possible.

[@bjbrown6884]

@@bobbysmac1009 thanks Bobby! Name brands aren't always the best.

[@shawnsg]

If you live in the city, check with them. They often have a composting program for free or cheap compost.

[@kathyignasiak275]

I've been gardening for about 10 years and I'm still working on figuring it all put. Last year and this year, because of time constraints, I'm doing containers with individual plants. Last year my plants starved to death. 😳 I just didn't give them any nutrients. I started them right and watered but didn't think about the nutrients. Soooo, this year I watched about adding natural wood chips at the bottom of the containers, then a compost, layered with a potting soil. I also plan on giving additional vitamins every 4-6 weeks. Will the wood chips add any nutrients? And in a container does nitrogen build up since it can't escape into the earth?

[@ThePositron2]

I believe wood chips (and unfinished compost, etc) actually steal nitrogen from the soil. The decomposing process takes nitrogen from the soil that could otherwise be used by plants.

[@kathyignasiak275]

@@ThePositron2 so now I need to find blood meal or kelp to counter act the wood chips? Uuuggg. My poor plants.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Wood chips rob the soil of nitrogen and should never be buried in soil Plants do not use vitmains you add to soil.

[@superresistant8041]

Wood/woody materials absorb nitrogen to decompose and it’ll take years before it gives back some of it. Plants don’t use vitamins, they use mostly N-P-K.

[@rickytorres9089]

As mentioned blood meal is quite expensive, what about directly adding USED coffee grounds instead of composting/vermicomposting ALL of it? As I heard they are higher in nitrogen contents?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

www.gardenmyths.com/coffee-grounds-garden-safe/

[@rickytorres9089]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 Interesting read I must say, thank you so much for bringing that to my attention. :)

[@carolynsteele5116]

The best compost I’ve ever used was municipal green waste mixed with composted human manure. It was certified safe and sold in bulk by the city. It produced giant vegetables! My neighbors refused to use it until they compared their measly produce to mine, and the next year they bought it, too and had great results.

[@matthewking2209]

Do some research on this, wile I like the idea of this compost there are some issues with people being responsible with what they put down the drain. There has been research on contamination issues with forever chemicals like PFAS as well as hormones and pharmaceuticals found in the soil from using the compost.

[@dwang79]

the gardener just needed to till the garden add lime, gypsom, worm castings, manure and maybe a bit of a carbon source. I would probably spray some teas, make some em1 and spray that as well building back up a healthy microbial and fungal population. going forward no till

[@matthewking2209]

I don't think miracle gro comes in a 3-1-2 that seems like a NPK for organics. Usually miracle gro comes in a Fertilizer Analysis of 24-8-16, 18-18-21, 30-30-10, 15-30-15, 18-24-16, 30-0-6. Even their organic comes in at a 11-3-8 compost works fine for me. Charles Dowding has market farmed for forty years and a one inch layer of compost every year works for him.

[@PJ77ful]

24-8-16 is a 3-1-2 ratio. Shake and Feed.

[@matthewking2209]

Yes but they said they used a 3-1-2 fertilizer not a fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio. If you go from a 24-8-16 to organic fertilizers your going to see a big difference in production especially if you have poor soil. I doubt they used it at a 1/8 of the application rate to make it a 3-1-2. There’s a lot more to phosphorus availability than what he states only about 20-40 percent is available and the rest becomes bound in the soil and unavailable.

[@shawnsg]

@@matthewking2209 those are ratios whether they include ratio at the end or not.

[@matthewking2209]

@@shawnsg Yes but they are also telling how much nutrients is in the weight of fertilizer. Okay if the video started like this I think it would be pretty self explanatory. I used a miracle gro 24-8-18 for years then I switched to organics using compost and fish heads all the good stuff why am I not seeing the same results? If I have a 10 lb box of miracle gro and the NPK is 24-8-18 it has 2.4 pounds of nitrogen .8 lbs of phosphorus 1.8 pounds of potassium by weight. If I have a 10 lb bag of crab meal that has a NPK 3-1-2 it has .3 pounds of nitrogen .1 pound of phosphorus and .2 pounds of potassium by weight. These are not the same.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

"I don't think miracle gro comes in a 3-1-2 that seems like a NPK" - actually it is one of the few brands that do have a 3-1-2 ratio. Remember we are talking NPK ratio, not NPK.

[@rockingroli2057]

Urea is 46 not 64 as shown in video

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

type - sorry.

[@theden-jimdill7037]

Kelp leave heavy metals.

[@IowaKeith]

You are using an "old commercial farming" line of thinking. If you look at soil samples from a rain forest, you'll find nearly zero NPK in soil sample results. Yet rainforest have some of the most fertile soils on the planet. Modern studies show that plants actually injest microbes in the rhizosphere through their roots. Plants in a natural environment get nearly all of their nutrition directly from fungi and microbes. Any excess NPK is just a bonus for plants. This doesn't work with commercial gardening however since the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizer salts kill all the microbiology in the soil. In this case, the NPK values need consistent monitoring and adding.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

"since the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizer salts kill all the microbiology in the soil" - not true. Even soil that has been traditionally farmed for many years is full of microbes.

[@IowaKeith]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 every inch on the planet is full of microbes. But to have healthy functioning soil requires an abundance of certain types of microbes, and certain types of fungi to form a symbiosis with plants. If these microbes aren't in abundance, it affects their "quorum sensing" abilities and hinders their function. And healthy soil also needs a mix of mycorrhizal fungi to break down minerals into plant soluble form. Commercial fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, and herbicides are a welfare system for crops. They destroy the soil, but give crops the minimal nutritional value they need to grow. This is why fruits and vegetables grown naturally have a higher brix (nutrition) value than commercially grown foods.

[@roverinosnarkman7240]

We don’t really “feed plants”, we feed soil micro-organisms when using organic inputs. Organic inputs require healthy soil. The prairie grasslands created the most fertile and deepest soils on earth on the basis of short duration, infrequent grazing by roaming herds of millions of ruminants. We have been mining the soil with industrial agriculture. As in all types of mining, there is a limit beyond which the return on investment is zero, and we are fast approaching that limit point, since the tonnage per acre of nitrogen required to maintain yields has been rising steadily over the past 3 decades. You didn’t even mention the Rhizophagy cycle (Dr. James White, 2010). Plant endophytes are responsible for about 20 to 30% of the nutrient requirements of the plants studied, not to mention the proportion of plant nutrition provided by the mycorrhizal fungi associated with the majority of crops (except for brassicas and a few notable exceptions). Those organisms provide plant nutrition by metabolizing organic matter as well as inorganic rocks and minerals. Soil without healthy dense microbial life is just dirt. Soil organic matter and soil life is what has naturally fed our crops since before people built Gobekli Tepe. There are limits to this regenerative system. “Sustainable”? It’s too late for that. We need to regenerate our soils to leave the Earth to our children in a better condition than we found it. Regenerative agriculture is where we need to invest our inputs, to use whatever remaining fossil fuels we have in a meaningful way.

[@algerhiss8142]

From the video title I was expecting it to be about using human fæces and urine in the garden.

[@souljahroch2519]

"Who's idea was it to grow food with poisons, anyway?" Jane Goodall

[@superresistant8041]

Funny how if you tell the truth in gardening you get no views

[@jyfsmith]

Sorry, but this doesn't seem to be the best advice from my experience. I've been using purely homemade compost for years now in my garden to great effect. No need to add extra nitrogen if your soil structure is good and you keep on improving it by not tilling or overworking it. I should stress that this means not working compost into your soil, rather using it as a mulch to improve soil year over year.

[@mungobaggins8197]

Not disputing, but I would imagine that homemade compost would vary a bit on its npk based on the ingredients. For example: More banana peels more potassium, or more coffee grounds more nitrogen. So the average might be worse than what you’re getting, to say nothing if someone buys compost bulk by the truckload.

[@jyfsmith]

@@mungobaggins8197 That's true. I wouldn't be surprised if the compost I'm generating has a higher N content than commercially available stuff. I do think that one part of the picture that's missing is how soil structure affects nutrient retention. There's good research out there about mycorrhizal fungi networks' ability to keep nitrogen in the soil and make it more readily available

[@juneramirez8580]

​@@mungobaggins8197 I make my own fertilizer by putting weeds with seeds at times, kitchen scraps, veggie garden parts, horse manure in a 32 gal plastic garbage bin then fill with water cover and keep away from my home and let it steep for weeks. I then dilute this liquid one part to about 20 parts plain water. So far so good. I would think think it is true that you can change the PH by adding different ingredients like sphagnum peat moss or pot ash as needed to amend the ph to what you need. Since it is a liquid tea I think the plants get what they need from it. Just to be safe I wear gloves and keep water on soil only..

[@bjbrown6884]

@@juneramirez8580 that sounds like a good idea. I'm going to try this on my garden. I have heard that it can be smelly!

[@bobbysmac1009]

What advice would you offer to those who have not been adding compost for years?

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

This has been extremely helpful, I just ordered a bag of urea 46-0-0. It seems that you get a lot of nitrogen for the money! I want to do a soil test this spring but I bet my soil has way high P and K levels from decades of 10-10-10 applications, not to mention my annual compost addition. I’m thinking that a general good practice would be an initial application of a balanced fertilizer and then all side dressing with urea. I understand that the urea powder I purchased from Alpha chemicals is water soluble so I will dilute it in water using about half as much as I would Miracle Grow. Klaus