Kelp, Alfalfa, soy... oh my!

TMGL&L · Apr 25, 2008

Can anyone fill me in on what the fundamental roles of each of these are?

I read over the faq by the way I'm looking for some more here.

How much, when, why one or the other.

Feel free to mention an organic product I didn't include.

ICT Bill · Apr 25, 2008

They are all foods to feed the different biology in the soil. Kelp and fish have great nutrients that help the plant grow.

Fungi like cellulose and more complex stuff, bacteria like simple sugars, which one are you trying promote, feed it that

The grains usually have a lot of proteins that are good sources of natural N

wallzwallz · Apr 25, 2008

Look here for a little further explanation : http://www.norganics.com/fert.html click on the product name and most will have some details.

treegal1 · Apr 26, 2008

well the broad question award goes to....some further research will yield a broad and varying response to almost all those feed in puts, an example CMG, its used for weed control, and some will say that its also good fungal control because it harbors some types of GOOD fungus. there are other examples so narrow your needs? and ask away. nature does some incredible things, that we dont really under stand fully, as a collective that is.

Smallaxe · Apr 26, 2008

Alfalfa is claimed to have root growth enhancing properties. Soys are higher protien, therefore higher N.
Wheat could actually be used to bind up P , before it breaks down and releases it again. Lots of ideas out there, the question is how much is folklore and how much really makes a difference on your soils and in your climate.
Test for yourself before you bet your business and reputation on many of these ideas.

dishboy · Apr 26, 2008

Smallaxe said:
Alfalfa is claimed to have root growth enhancing properties. Soys are higher protien, therefore higher N.
Wheat could actually be used to bind up P , before it breaks down and releases it again. Lots of ideas out there, the question is how much is folklore and how much really makes a difference on your soils and in your climate.
Test for yourself before you bet your business and reputation on many of these ideas.

How or why does wheat bind up the P?

Smallaxe · Apr 27, 2008

dishboy said:
How or why does wheat bind up the P?

Last fall or winter Gerry Miller had brought that point to our attention and it had the active ingredient named and everything. I googled the chemical.
The first thing that occurred to me was putting it in the muck of stinky lake and then removing and using for horticultural puropeses.

The discussion never went anywhere, and I never bookmarked, evidently.

TMGL&L · Apr 30, 2008

By the way I applied kelp and tea today.

I don't know what the seaweed does really all I know is that its microbe meat so I used it.

I'm pretty excited

Soil tests better come in soon though I'm starting to wonder if they lost my stuff or not.......

treegal1 · Apr 30, 2008

Its mostly K but also Seaweed fertilizers are an especially usefull product in organic gardening. They contain almost every micro-nutrient in a fully chelated (immediately available) form. They deliver a healthy dose of natural plant hormones. Seaweed is also loaded with carbohydrates, which the plants use as a building block and which large populations of beneficial micro-organisms use as a food source.

TMGL&L · Apr 30, 2008

I put this in another thread and got no bites...Can anyone enlighten me?

I have some of Organica's "microbial conditioner" which has lime in it. Do I risk damaging my lawn with it. Should I get a soil test done first?http://www.organica.net/consumer4stepmsc.asp

Has anyone used this stuff? ... and the results?

ICT Bill · Apr 30, 2008

Never used it but it looks fine to me IF you need calcium in your soil, I like the critters in it. did you notice that they called it calcium and not lime, they don't say but I would think that it has no Mg in it.

$4.00 per 1000 seems a little pricey to me

jimbowimbo · Apr 30, 2008

I was looking at the "non plant food ingrediants" which reads Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus megaterium, Paenibacillus azotoformans, Streptomyces lydicus, Trichoderma harzianum.

I'm assuming this is bacteria. I thought you could only add microorganisms with compost tea and that granular ferts were only food for microbes...... how does the bacteria live in granules that are dry?

TMGL&L · Apr 30, 2008

I can get it at $2.50/1000

TMGL&L · Apr 30, 2008

probably something to do with spore forming bacteria or fungi. Then again I have no idea so that might way off track.

ICT Bill · Apr 30, 2008

Nope your right, They are dormant and in spore form, Trichoderma harzianum is a handy little fungi, its a fungi that kills fungi

$2.50 per 1000 seems more reasonable

TMGL&L · Apr 30, 2008

definetely has a cool name too... trichoderma
:cool2:

Kelp, Alfalfa, soy... oh my!

TMGL&L

ICT Bill

wallzwallz

treegal1

Smallaxe

dishboy

Smallaxe

TMGL&L

treegal1

TMGL&L

ICT Bill

jimbowimbo

TMGL&L

TMGL&L

ICT Bill

TMGL&L

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