The Wrong NPK Fertilizer Harms Soil, Kills Plants and Pollutes the Environment.

[@harleyb.birdwhisperer]

I show the bag to the plants, and if they nod, they get some. They mostly nod when the breeze blows. 😊 I try to use a variety of things;, fish, Miracle Grow, amonium sulfate, 10-10-10, they supplement one another for trace elements.

[@tracy419]

Sure, that may work for you, but no matter what I try, I can't seem to teach my plants to read the labels🤷

[@harleyb.birdwhisperer]

@@tracy419 Maybe a language issue, are you growing African Daisies, Dutch Irises, or Japanese Maples?

[@jahmowelch2231]

​@@tracy419😂Foreal man it's confusing sometimes.

[@williamwaters4506]

Thank God that you recommended a soil test before adding anything to the soil.

[@splendor57]

As a new gardener, I learned a lot from this channel. Your videos are very convincing.

[@gunnarsson272]

an industrial level tomato grower provides a fertilization that is 3-1-2 in ratio during the growth phase. when the tomato sets fruit, they change the ratio so there is less N, a little more P and K. But they usually do not grow in soil but in pumice stone and regulate everything with water/liquid fertiliser.

[@DogSlobberGardens-i7f]

Excellent explanation. Compost, chop'n'drop, and organic mulch are all great. Another important technique to not just fertilize but actually build soil is to plant cover crops in the off-season. Cover cropping can be done in traditional row gardens, raised beds, and even in containers if you want. The growing roots help reduce and prevent soil compaction. Using legumes will add notable amounts of nitrogen, and any cover crop will add organic material to feed the soil.

[@aok2727]

You nailed it on outdoor garden care. My soil is very clay and I have been improving it by adding compost and mulching with wood chips. I only grow flowers, mostly natives and I try to put in plants with long roots to act as drills. Over time, the soil is less clay but I don’t need fertilizers because most of my plants thrive in sparse conditions and my goal of improving the soil has made abundant nutrients available to the plants. Now, if I can figure a way to water less frequently and deeper, it will improve the situation.

[@bigjeffsb]

If your garden is in the ground, you can "Pickle it" you auger/dig in a few 1-3 inch PVC pipes, 1.5ft deep,(drill holes at the depth you want to water) Fill with water, easy deep watering. You can also run water lines to each pipe connected to one reservoir, like a 5-gallon bucket for super easy watering. Cheers, Good luck

[@josealflba]

the information that this man provides is priceless his channel deserves 100 millions subscribers,but we all know ,It doesn't work like that, channels with non relevant content, or channels about entertainment ,get all the attention, it's kind of sad, but that is the world we living in

[@chocolate_chip21]

I love your videos and books. Been consuming all I can get and it's been paying off. This years seedlings look better than the stores. Thank you sir!

[@abiggs66]

I really appreciate all the information you give everyone, 😊 thank you!

[@Ramo2653]

What’s the reference for the 3-1-2 ratio? Everything I’ve seen recommends it for woody plants but there isn’t anything else for it. Granted the MiracleGro all purpose stuff is that ratio so there might be something to it. I just finished transitioning my community garden plot for garlic and onions after growing a mix of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, flowers, and leafy greens this year. It was my first year in this garden so after clearing out the weeds and onions and carrots whoever had the plot before me left I added some compost since the soil was more on the clay side and it produced great with my only miss being the San Marzano plant and one pepper variety getting damaged by something. Everything else was super productive. Stopped using any fertilizer after late June since the plants looked good. Hopefully I’ll get some good garlic and onion production.

[@StefanAntretter]

Profound and very helpful. Should be seen by most gardeners! Thank you very much.

[@jayduplessis7698]

Thank you for your great explanation. Makes it so much easier to understand. And helps us to not waste money on unnecessary fertiliser!

[@paulgood4631]

Good information. I mostly use homemade compost in my gardens and they grow well. Ill add extra minerals to the soil. Thanks for the great info.

[@AD-tv5lj]

What about foliar application?

[@noeditbookreviews]

I finally got your book, Compost Science for Gardeners, and am so excited to start reading as soon as I post this comment!

[@bok2bok333]

Thanks. Finally makes sense.

[@viktor.voytovych]

Thanks. Very helpful.

[@mihaeladog7187]

I added fertilizer to my rose and by a technical mistake I put too much ,I used the soap dispenser for the dog bath 😂 and all the fertilized meant for whole garden was dispensed on that poor rose . What happened, that week my rose popped buds out of nowhere, 10 buds ready to take off . Second week all buds turned into huge gorgeous red velvet flowers. I never seen a rose so beautiful . The problem was the stem was so thin and couldn’t hold the huge flower head and they all bent down . So sad to see that beautiful rose with all flower heads bent down .My rose didn’t have time to build the stem to carry those big heads 😢

[@ScottFeagin]

Brilliant! Great talk

[@cet9538]

you are awesome at explaining ratios. this has been an enormous help!

[@alisonburgess345]

Robert, does glyphosate persist in the soil?

[@stevef.m.2188]

Thanks, Garden Fundamentals

[@Hutzjohn]

I remember you did a video on the N-P-K ratios in leaves ---- you showed a chart of how much of each made up the leaves ---- and I did 3 takes and looks at the chart ----- the chart showed leaves has more calcium than nitrogen ----- can you explain why calcium is not at the top of the list of needed nutrients?

[@smeyer19]

Great video to help demystify the fertilizer aisle!! I was wondering if you have a recommendation for soil testing kits. I have a variety of places in my yard and garden containers that I would like to test. I have large containers for my vegetables/herbs and then several landscape areas where I am trying to establish some perennials. I also have a hydrangea that just doesn't bloom and everyone says to "fertilize it". I would be so grateful for your suggestions. Thank you!

[@user-su5du9ln8r]

Do fruit and vegetable plants use the same 3-1-2 ratio of NPK regardless of what stage along the fruiting cycle/timelines they're in?

[@robertreznik9330]

Plant science deals with nutrient uptake on a daily basis. Search university information and you will find there is more to plant and soil science than rocket science!

[@user-su5du9ln8r]

@@robertreznik9330 Don't I know it! That's why I mostly rely on experts. Alas, so many experts give conflicting advice. The best I can do is to try and gather accurate factoids and piece together my own conclusions.

[@srantoniomatos]

If you are gona micromanage depends on soil, temperature, light, rain, plant it self, and even stages of development...

[@sandramorton5510]

No, every plant and fruit tree is unique.

[@XCrystalXMoonX]

I have a similar question. Even if the plants use different npks at different growth stages, what I'm interested in is whether you can manipulate the growth stage using npk. Can you promote foliage vs flowering? It's so hard to look up research that's looking at averages for plant families rather than specific information for specific varieties.

[@rogerramirez-q7j]

thank you

[@jahmowelch2231]

😎 Subscribed! Great information garden fundamentals, my Jobes oranics granulated plant food 4-4-4 should due the trick.I was about to go buy a 10-10-10😂 the 4-4-4 is safer for my plants and environment anyway.I will just apply the 4-4-4 alittle for often 🇨🇦✌🏾.

[@leonardkolb3536]

Interesting! But serious question: if a plant only takes the nutrients it needs, why am i able to overkill on feeding nitrogen e.g. ? Like when i give to much nitrogen to my tomatoes the leaves turn really really dark.

[@bethanderson1377]

Will giving certain nutrients at a certain time cause plants to flower more, grow more leaves, extra. I have even been told not to give nitrogen to my radishe because they will grow leaves and not the root. They all use the same nutrients but do they need it at different times. This has confused me. For what you say I figure that I should have to worry the plants will take what they need and leave the rest, but just wondering.

[@GeorgieandJasper]

I find all my perennials do well without the addition of any fertilizer. I add compost and chop and drop. I'm confused on my veggie-specific gardens with annuals. They seem to need fertilizers as this method doesn't seem enough throughout the season. Do you treat your veggie gardens differently and soil test them regularly?

[@eamonnharvey4625]

I really appreciate this theoretical explanation and it makes sense to me. I'm curious if you (or anybody) can point me to some data specific to tomato and pepper growing that can actually concretely back this up to show that the yield of these plants is not increased by using a fertilizer higher in phosphorous while the plants are fruiting (as per the common advice). I'm also curious how we know about this 3-1-2 ratio. If its purely by looking at what the plant stores (in a leaf for example), how can we be sure this is correlated with the amount of these nutrients the plant actually uses or the ratio that needs to be present in the soil for effective uptake. Maybe its more difficult for the plant to access one nutrient over the others and so higher soil concentration is required? Maybe the plant stores one in greater volumes due to lack of reliability and less do to the quantity is uses? If the nutrient profile of the fruit and vegtables themselves is so varied, how can this 3-1-2 be universal? Overall I'm just really curious how this value of 3-1-2 was settled upon! I'm sure that some of these questions are easily answered by a better understanding of plant biology that you have considered, but this is one of the most thoughtful sources I've come across when it comes to fertilizing and seems like a better place to ask that the reddit forums where everyone is so certain of their method because they've "had success".

[@XCrystalXMoonX]

Correct me if I'm wrong: Ramzan, S., Hassan, I., & Mushtaq, S. (2018); Parveen, S., Alizai, N. A., Shah, R., Ali, M., & Kakar, H. (2015); and maybe Jalali, F., & Naderi, D. (2019)...Find best flowering of annuals at 2.5-5-2.5 and 3-6-3. I couldn't find that many refs on your blog definitively debunking this link. Could you clarify?

[@Yarrp3D]

Question: At 4:10 it is mentioned that the NPK ratio should be 3-1-2 whereas on page 124 of Mr Pavlis' book "Soil Science for gardeners it is stated "Plants use NPK in a ratio of about 7-1-6". Can somebody help me understand?

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

Another excellent video 👊🏻🌻👊🏻

[@Rocketman0407]

Could you do a video on Gary’s gardening methods from Laguna hills Nursery. He has some rather controversial ways of growing things in pots.

[@ebinom8112]

Does a 2:1:1 foliar fertilizer benefit the soil? If so, how? Since it is to be sprayed on the leaves and not the soil.

[@moerelan1]

If this is the case, then why the manufacturers not sell nitrogen only in a bag or bottle and phosphate and pottasium in a separate bag? This way, people can adjust to the needs of the plant. The stages of plant growth are specific. And it is difficult to find a specific fertelizer one is looking for?

[@chazzone]

Overall, I like what you're doing here. But there's a big caveat. I usually only fertilize vegetables. This is where I need real production. If I do soil analysis and add ferts based on current conditions, then I am depleting that soil. Next year, I have to do the same thing. OTOH, if I add all the ferts that I need for the season, then the soil fertility remains, and may gradually grow due to variations in plant utilization. I'm 64, and I've been gardening since I started helping my grandmother as a small child. I have used every method known to man...and a few others. I had great results when i could make enough leaf/horse manure compost to cover my beds with about a foot of compost. But I don't have the resource any more, and have to rely on packaged ferts. I get my best and consistent results by adding ferts at a 3-1-2 ratio, along with micro nutrients and supplemental magnesium regardless of what's in the soil. It's nice if you can just garden as a hobby. But if you depend on the results, then you need a reliable plan. Feed your plants for what you expect to take out of them.

[@Boy0144awe]

What do you think of Jadam organic farming?

[@nightowl9176]

Sir, I wish I knew of your channel much much MUCH earlier. Many a mistake would have been prevented. Thank you so much for making these informative videos. I'm now "ploughing" through as many as I am able to fit into my free time in the evenings ;>)

[@laurieedeburn2449]

thanks

[@joearledge]

So, is the 3-1-2 ratio, the "bag numbers"(I assume so), or is it the true molar ratios?(10-10-10 bag numbers is actually close to a 3-1-2 molar ratio 10-4.4-8.3) Not trying to ask a dumb question, just trying to clarify and make sure I have it straight.

[@cjtank2001]

Thank you sir

[@davidkoba]

crazy thing is fertilizer is usually not needed. Leaf compost has everything already in it.

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

A lot of people these days living in apartments do not have that luxury. I use grow bags and need to use some help for my my plants 👊🏻🌻👊🏻

[@davidkoba]

@@PorchGardeningWithPassion where do you live in a box?

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

@@davidkobaAn apartment lol

[@davidkoba]

@@PorchGardeningWithPassion are there no trees outside? But I digress. My comment was not if it is the most efficient, what I was saying was that it was the most basic and free.

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

@@davidkobaYou must not be familiar how grow bags work. Listen to what the man in the video said again.

[@Zxr-r6q]

You can tell what deficiency is occurring via anatomical cues, as plants are made out of cells just like us, and are living, which means there are trends that can be caused by certain environmental problems. To say that you cannot tell a deficiency via plant anatomy, is nearly the same as saying that you don't believe plant cells exist. And I believe lots of phytologists would feel insulted by such a remark. Also, not to mention, soil tests are inefficient because the tools themselves are relatively new, and most of the time don't actually need to be used.

[@NorthlanderMN]

I fertilized my tomatoes with a hand full of chick N poo fertilizer. 2-4-3 with 8% calcium. I’ll probably repeat this 2 more times this summer. It’s organic and won’t leach. Previous years I’d use gypsum and 10-10-10, or gypsum and blue miracle gro.

[@chaalu420]

Sir since you said that true value of N,P,K in 10-10-10 is actually 10-4.4-8.3 So in need for soilless procedure where plants mainly need true value of NPK as 3,1,2. Now if i use 30-10-20, what I'll get in true form is 30-4.4-16.6 but this doesn't make genuine 312. Please guide me through the calculation.

[@chaalu420]

So now if we take 12-10-10 This will give us N - 12 P - 4.4 K- 8.3 Which roughly makes 3-1-2 possible in a true form right?

[@sistergoldenhair2231]

The hydroponic stores are a nightmare. Expensive and confusing to the newbies.

[@MattSeremet]

I feel if doing hydro it's not too bad. Choose a brand's series (like flora trio for example) or get some veg fert, and a flower fert. At this point it's less NPK and using trusted brands to provide rule of thumb solutions. As for expense, a pint will go a long way imho. A teaspoon here and there.

[@Chris-op7yt]

soil tests are impractical for suburban gardens, where you have different areas/requirements for lawn, borders, veggie plot, and fruit trees, with much of the soils having various fill and other things added. plants can take up some forms of nutrients directly, and they're not that different to us, in that our gut bacteria pre-digests food before nutrients are circulated to various cells. here's a general guideline for veggies, and it's the amounts to feed them regularly, if you want good fast growing crops. crops use the nutrients and thus the nutrients should be replaced in those quantities. better to feed more regularly in adjusted quantities but most gardens would be too much mucking about dissolving nutrients and applying by cans. therefore at least veggie plot should have drip irrigation with fertilizer injector. hauling many cans of dilute fertilizer every few weeks is no fun, and the reason why many prefer the lazy way of doing one dump of manures/compost per year in spring. it doesnt supply required nutrients for growing season.

[@ausfoodgarden]

That's very misleading. Suburban gardeners don't need fertilizer injection at all to grow decent vegetable crops. Here's my version of your comment: Add compost at least once a year, and use a balanced slow-release fertilizer (around 3;1;2) every season. Job done! If you prefer liquid fertilizer use them at least monthly. Maybe 6 to 10 watering cans are enough for an average suburban garden. Not a lot of work.

[@Chris-op7yt]

@@ausfoodgarden : it's not misleading. it's my experience, on typical mixed bag of hard clay and in other places silt etc. 6 cans of fertilizer water mix will just about do the veggie plot but i also have grapevine, about 10 fruit trees, most in ground, including mass feeder avocado (fuerte), and a few herbs in large pots and several large pots with orchids. i have indeed switched more to slow release for extensive borders, with small trees, roses, various bushes and annuals. it still leaves about 20 cans for regular feeders. if you dont mind to grow the odd small cabbage, if it survives the four months it will take to grow without regular feeding, which i used to do, then you do you. nowadays i produce fast growing crops, and get typically four crops per year, as in frost free climate. i used to waste my time with tonnes of manures and compost but the nutrition in that is little and short lived, and crops starve until finally get wiped out by pests. there's a lot more to do in a garden, including regular weeding and spraying for pests and disease..to waste half a day just doing fertilizer application by cans. i guess if you only do it once in a season, and dont bother more, you reap the dismal rewards. farmers on both large and small land fertilize regularly, instead of hauling large piles of almost zero nutrition for crops (compost) and pray to the goodwill fairies that some crop will grow ok. my main point was that on the mixed bag of soils in a suburban plot and with many different growing requirements every few steps, soil tests are impractical, and we just want to use mostly all-round fertilizer that replaces what is taken out by plants and leached by watering. farms have a more consistent soil profile, and farmers do buy fertilizer according to soil test results, crops being grown, stage of growth, etc.

[@Tim99-lg7kn]

So if plants take what they need why does it matter if you use 101010 you say it's too much, but that contradicts I'm taking what they need if it's available

[@borntolearnandearn7759]

Please increase your video volume. All your videos have very low volume. Even with full volume on mobile, I have to turn on the subtitles.

[@marykelly6218]

No volume issue for me

[@AquaponicandSoilGardens]

How many times are going to make the same video?

[@eyeonart6865]

Our Creator says that when he gives you a bumper crop which people are always surprised, but that is so you can let the soil rest then rain will bring nutrients back to soil. We need a day of rest so does our gardens.

[@kzziggy]

This man always gives good information unlike most idiots spewing bullshit on KZbin 😂😂

[@krustysurfer]

Permaculture is the best long term methodology

[@davidandrzejewski9127]

God made fertilizer, it comes out of the back end of animals. The chain of life.

[@steevez1273]

Different animals, Different shit

[@7munkee]

The soil already has everything your plant needs. You just have to help them access it. Thats where microbiology come in.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Not necessarily. Sandy soil can be very low in nutrients and adding microbes won't help.

[@LiamEserda]

⁠I think he is talking about decent soil.

[@sterlgirlceline]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🏆🌿🌳💚

[@AcrylDame]

This is just utter nonsense. It is well known that plants that are producing fruit need more phosphorous than the 3-1-2. Guy doesn't know what he is talking about.

[@Boy0144awe]

What do you think of JADAM organic farming?