Fertilizers

This page is to prepare and collect information for one or more chapters in the course. --John Eagles 09:21, 23 December 2011 (PST)

Chunks of information

• Nettle muck-water or nettle fluid manure. This is fermented nettle extract of nettle leaves and stems. The fluid manure contains nitrogen and minerals and promotes soil biodiversity and the growth of plants. Fill up a barrel or a large bucket or ton with nettles and water. It's possible to add some sugar to speed up the fermenting process. After about one week the manure is ready. Dilute it with water 1/10 and sprinkle it over plants or pour it next to plants that need rich fertilization. It protects plants against greenfly, acts as a fungicide and is a fast fertilizer for plants that need something extra during their growth. Adding some hands full of lava flour or lava dust (ground lava stone) helps against the bad smell and also gives extra minerals to the fertilizer. Lava flour sprinkled over plants strengthens the plants skin to help them fight against harmful fungi.
• Sawdust can be used as fertilizer in your garden. It improves the structure of the soil. But be careful, because the micro-organisms that convert the sawdust need extra nitrogen during a few months. Sawdust is low in nitrogen, therefore it is advised to add a nitrogen fertilizer with the gift of sawdust if your plants need nitrogen during this period.

Gallery

• 

  Lava flour (or basalt flour) is used to enrich compost and to combat plant diseases. It adds many minerals to the soil.

• 

  Part of a mud brick made from sand, straw, saw dust and 15 % bentonite. Bentonite, a type of clay, can be added to compost or directly to the soil. It helps building up the clay-humus complex to enhance the fertility of a soil.

• 

  Agricultural lime made from lime and seaweed. In addition to lime, it contains many minerals that help to improve the quality of the soil or your compost.

• 

  Wood ash from our heater sprayed over the compost heap. Wood ash does have fertilizer value. It contains several micro-nutrients but no nitrogen.

• 

  Nettle muck-water or nettle fluid manure. This is fermented nettle extract of nettle leaves and stems.

See also

• Gardening courses
• Green manure
• Knowledge base:Gardening
• Nitrogen cycle
• pH

External links

• 12 Organic Fertilizers & Natural Bug Repellants such as manure, nettle tea etc.
• Bentonite Wikipedia
• Choosing a Soil Amendment "Soil amendments improve the physical properties of soils. Amendments are mixed into the soil." - Colorado State University
• Fertilizer Research Topics
• Fertilizer Wikipedia
• How to Garden With Sawdust in the Soil eHow.com
• Making Use of Sawdust Suite101.com
• Organic fertilizer Wikipedia
• Sawdust as fertilizer Research Topics
• Wood Ash in the Garden