Billy wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:
DogDiesel wrote:

I've got burn questions about fertilizers.

I've got a lot of old liquid fish mixes and micro nutrients , From my
hydroponics . I used them last year in my outdoor soil garden . The bottles
of fish mix say they wont burn. One is 5-1-1 and the Alaska starter fish
mix is 2-1-1 . I know they are only 100 % ground fish mixed with water , It
looks like syrup and stinks. Last year my garden did very good on it. I put
about a half a shot glass with about 2 gallons of water and hand water the
plants. Maybe three times for the summer. My soil was N deficient.

Just so you know .It wont burn. No matter what. Or how much.

What's the reason some fertilizers wont burn,. Is it just because its dead
fish. Or natural or something. And if it wont burn, Why isn't non burning
fertilizers available in the big stores.

What else could be used as non burning fertilizers?

Fertiliser burn is caused by high concentrations of soluble salts,
typically this is nitrogen salts because they are found in most
fertilisers and they are very soluble but you could get the same from
say potassium salts.

The dehydrating effects of salts (chemical fertilizers) are well known
and not restricted to fertilizer salts. It is also for this reason best
to avoid chemferts, because salts have a deleterious effect on soil
organisms and ecology. Regardless of what Wikipedia says, fertilizer
burn with organic fertilizers comes from the pH raising effects of
ammonia, which is released as the proteins in the organic material
breaks down. (I was able to quite handily fry some potted plants with
alfalfa [lucerne] meal quiet easily, no salts necessary.)

sure it wasn't a fungal attack?

what kind of plants and how old
were they?

a fungal attack could look like
chemical burn if you caught it only
after it was done.

adding alfalfa to a potted plant
would be asking for trouble.

adding it in measured quantities to
a worm bin would be a wonderful thing.
taking the results of the worm bin and
adding that to a potted plant would
likely be a much better result (in
moderation as the plant's nature also
is important -- some plants don't need
much or any fertilizers).

....


songbird