How much fertilizer do you actually need?

[nao57]

So... normally most years, there was a family friend that would donate a trailer of aged out steer manure that we could use for the garden. We did this for awhile. It wasn't a big trailer, but it was enough for a backyard garden of a normal lot size.

Well... somehow this guy got offended at us. No idea why. I'd even brought him honey from my bees every time so they'd feel appreciated. Seemed like a fair trade, a jar of honey for a trailer of aged out steer stuff from their farm. Anyway, they don't take our calls anymore and we couldn't get aged out steer stuff from them this year.

So it started the question how much aged steer manure do you actually need per plant?

When I would go buy these bags of the stuff, it would be 3 or 4 dollars per 1.5 cubic foot. It seems like I could use... 1 shovel scoop (normal shovel) per plant and have 1 bag be like 5 to 8 or 10 plants? IS THAT ENOUGH fertilizer?

And I'm curious also if any of you have tried ONLY using campfire potash for garden fertilizer and how it went? And how much do you actually need per plant?

Thanks.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I think the answer to that question is VERY soil dependant. If you have heavily depleted soils, or soils that don't hold nutrients well, you need a lot of fertilizer. If you have well nourished, appropriately amended soils, you need little or none. and if your soil pH is wrong, fertilizer isn't the fix at all. Some will depend on what you are trying to grow, as well.

That's been my experience with sandy clays, anyways. and sands. and clay-y sands. Whether I was using goat pellets, bunny gold, composted chicken droppings in deep litter, milorganite, or brown cow. Never had the fortune of planting in "good" soil, except the raised beds I've made full of composted chicken droppings - best roses the family has ever seen, and my mom's side of the family has raised them for generations.

No advice on repairing the relatonship with the neighbor.

 

[nao57]

I think the answer to that question is VERY soil dependant. If you have heavily depleted soils, or soils that don't hold nutrients well, you need a lot of fertilizer. If you have well nourished, appropriately amended soils, you need little or none. and if your soil pH is wrong, fertilizer isn't the fix at all. Some will depend on what you are trying to grow, as well.

That's been my experience with sandy clays, anyways. and sands. and clay-y sands. Whether I was using goat pellets, bunny gold, composted chicken droppings in deep litter, milorganite, or brown cow. Never had the fortune of planting in "good" soil, except the raised beds I've made full of composted chicken droppings - best roses the family has ever seen, and my mom's side of the family has raised them for generations.

No advice on repairing the relatonship with the neighbor.

Thank you very much.

 

[Chris2018]

I lay 2 to 4 inches of mixed manure on my garden every fall plus in the spring I add from 1 to 4 inches of compost on the garden, but since manures and composts are never consistent in their Macro-nutrients, Secondary Macro-nutrients and their Micro-nutrients I don't consider either a fertilizer only organic matter. I still add a good dry fertilizer (5-5-5) and use a good liquid fertilizer.

 

[aimee750]

It is best to get a soil test every few years to find out what your soil is lacking in.

 

[paintedChix]

Do you have trees - not sprayed? Do you have access to leaves from anyone else?

Leaves work as a mulch & as soil additions.

Woodchips - same. With wood chips, can be as a mulch on top or under your planting soil. You don't want to mix it in to your soil.

You can start a compost pile near your beds - leaves, grass clippings shrub or tree trimmings, vegetable trimming coming from plants @ any time of year, veggie & other food scraps from kitchen, animal manures...

Start a mini-composter directly in the bed - a smallish container w/ a lid. A plastic ice cream container, a cream or coffee container, butter container. Make holes in lid, then in bottom & side. The bottom/side holes should be a bit larger, if possible, to allow worms to go in/out . Bury it in the bed, leaving it out enough to be able to take lid off & on - then fill w/ a variety of things as stated above. Wet down & put lid on. Lid will allow some water in during rain or watering cycle. Take lid off to add more garden scraps, leaves, a handful of chicken stuff from coop/run & recover.

Same concept is to make a worm tube out of large, round PVC pipe. Usually done while building the bed, but garden soil can be moved around so the tube (after making holes in it), can be buried. A lid w/ holes attached. Then, again fill w/ compostable material. If the bed doesn't already have worms, you can introduce some. They will digest the compostable material & provide worm casting fertilizer.

The container idea above may be easier due to already having containers on hand...

You can also make a fertilizer tea - using a bucket w/ weeds in the bottom (herbal plants good if you already have some. Comfrey grreat if you have that). Again, can add small amount of animal manure - even some directly from the garden you currently have. Add water & let sit a few days. Add a cup or 2 to watering can, top off w/ water & fertilize your plants this way. Put your main bucket of tea far from house or common walk ways. The smell is strong & can be very unpleasant... As you use the "tea", add some new "product" & top off bucket w/ water.