Hi all,

Although I'm new to this group, I have been learning a lot from
reading tons of messages concerning how to prepare the soil for
planting. Being a complete novice at gardening as this will be my
first time at planting anything, I'm still confused because some of
the posts contradict each other. I'm hoping that some kind
individuals can clarify some of my confusion?

My situation is that I have clay soil (zone 6/7 Maryland/DC Metro
area), and I know that I need to do some type of soil preparation to
be successful at planting my flowers. According to some of the posts
that I read, they say that one should mix a combination of compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt into the clay. My
questions a

1. What's the difference between compost and manure? I mean not what
they are made of, I basically know what they are made of ;-) but what
benefits do they provide? Does each provide a different benefit so
that I need both?

2. Some posts say it's better to use compost/manure rather than
fertilizer as the former provides a natural source of nutrients thus
better for the plants, but compost/manure are decomposed waste, don't
they make your garden smell?

3. Some posts say that peat moss/sand/dirt don't provide any nutrients
and a waste of money, and some say they provide aeration and a must
for clay soil, and some say that compost/manure also provide aeration
for the soil? Which is true?

4. Some posts say that good soil preparation takes several months to
several years, does it mean I have to wait that long to plant anything
successfully? We just moved into a new house this past winter, due to
the unusually harsh winter this year, we couldn't do anything before
now. We still have some patches of snow that haven't melt, and it's
mid March If I prep the soil as soon as the snow melts, how long
(or rather how short) should wait before I start planting? I'm kind
of anxious as our yard looks particularly bare.

5. From this long list of different soil amending types (compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt), what are the essential
but also economical types that I need? And from that essential list,
what ratio of each of the types should I mix in with my clay soil?

I'm a complete novice, so any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank
you very much.

Audrey

audrey wrote:

1. What's the difference between compost and manure? I mean not what
they are made of, I basically know what they are made of ;-) but what
benefits do they provide? Does each provide a different benefit so
that I need both?

Manure may be fresh or composted. Compost may have manuer in it, or not.

Composting is essentially letting something sit and rot, allowing it to
turn into a soil-like material. Organic material will all eventually
compost. The art of composting is to make this happen quickly, and not
attract flies.

You don't want to put fresh manure on anything.... unless you want to
kill it. The manuer you use should be composted. Composted manuer almost
always includes other organic material; straw, for example. Commercial
brands contain more filler than what you'd probably get from the farmer
down the road.

2. Some posts say it's better to use compost/manure rather than
fertilizer as the former provides a natural source of nutrients thus
better for the plants, but compost/manure are decomposed waste, don't
they make your garden smell?

Fertilizing is the act of adding nutrients to the soil. Using compost,
whether it be composted manuer or compost entirely made from vegitation,
adds nutrients, but not to the level of a granulated fertilizer. A
granulated fertilizer will do nothing for your soil structure, while
compost will.

3. Some posts say that peat moss/sand/dirt don't provide any nutrients
and a waste of money, and some say they provide aeration and a must
for clay soil, and some say that compost/manure also provide aeration
for the soil? Which is true?

Compost is almost always a good thing. I don't want to just say
"always", because I'm sure someone can come up with an exception. Let's
just say for your purposes, it would be good.

"Dirt" is a meaningless term.

Sand and peat moss can help in certain situations. At the very least
they'll make the soil structure less homogenous. Peat may temporarily
help lower the Ph, and help hold mosture. Sand can help the soil drain
faster. You may find, however, that to get a noticable effect, you're
going to have to use a huge amount of either, and the cost may not be
worth the benefit.


4. Some posts say that good soil preparation takes several months to
several years, does it mean I have to wait that long to plant anything
successfully? We just moved into a new house this past winter, due to
the unusually harsh winter this year, we couldn't do anything before
now. We still have some patches of snow that haven't melt, and it's
mid March If I prep the soil as soon as the snow melts, how long
(or rather how short) should wait before I start planting? I'm kind
of anxious as our yard looks particularly bare.

Think of it this way: It's like loosing weight. You can usually
(depending on your health) find a way to loose weight quickly, but it
may not stay off unless you also develop lifestyle changes, too. The
lifestyle changes are very important, but if you just go that route, you
won't have immediate results.

5. From this long list of different soil amending types (compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt), what are the essential
but also economical types that I need? And from that essential list,
what ratio of each of the types should I mix in with my clay soil?

Compost, peat moss, and to some extend, sand can be soil amendments.
Manure may be an ingredient in compost. Compost will have some
fertilizing effects, but fertilizer usually refers to a product that
adds nutrients but does not amend the soil. Dirt means nothing.

You may need to accomplish more than one thing. First, you probably need
better soil structure. Compost is going to be the big helper here.
Whether you use manure or not is a matter of choice. Your choices of
adding compost come down to three basic choices:
1. Spread it on top, and let the earthworms carry it down over the
years,
2. Get out a shovel, and till it in by hand.
3. Use a tiller to turn over the soil, and work it in.

Be careful not to over-till. The soil should not be so dry that it's too
hard, nor so wet that it turns to mud balls when you till, and you
probably should not till more than twice a year (spring and fall, not
twice in the spring).

That's going to make the soil more loamy. You'll get better drainage,
and you'll have an easier time digging holes for things you're planting.
Seldom is there a down-side to this.

But there's another issue: Does your soil have the nutrients needed by
what you're going to plant. Compost will add some nutrients, but if
you're starting with a neglected patch of earth, you may need to use
fertilizer to add nutrients. What fertilizer you'll need can only be
determined after a soil test. Your test should be taken no sooner than
two weeks after you till in some compost.

(Also be aware that if your "compost" hasn't fully composted yet, it may
temporarily tie-up some of the nitrogen to complete the composting.
That's part of why you should wait a couple weeks, but if you saw lots
of chunks of recognizable material in your "compost", it might not be
finished in a couple of weeks.)

So basically the bottom line is you need to be concerned with two
things: Soil structure, and nutrients. There are things to do for
short-term results, and other things to do for long-term benefits. And
you're going to have a lot of work ahead of you.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

audrey wrote:

My situation is that I have clay soil (zone 6/7 Maryland/DC Metro
area), and I know that I need to do some type of soil preparation to
be successful at planting my flowers.


Welcome to gardening in pottery clay haven. As you have discovered,
soil preparation is highly important to success in the garden. Either
that, or get plants that are pretty indestructible and likes clay so
that you don't have to kill yourself trying to make the world's most
perfect soil. Being the lazy bum that I am, I do a combination of the
two, by choosing fairly easy to care for plants, but also doing some
level of amending. I continue to add organic matter to the soil on a
yearly basis, and the soil in my 2 year old bed is starting to look
fairly decent. I'm fairly new at this as well, so take my advice for
whatever you think it is worth.


1. What's the difference between compost and manure? I mean not what
they are made of, I basically know what they are made of ;-) but what
benefits do they provide? Does each provide a different benefit so
that I need both?


Well, the problem with clay soil (as I understand it) is that the soil
particles are particularly fine, drains poorly, and makes it really
difficult for the plants to establish their roots, and get moisture as
well as nutrients from it. The soil in our area isn't nutrient poor,
but its consistency requires a lot of work. By adding compost or
manure, you are not only adding to the nutrient content of the soil, you
are also enhancing the texture of the soil. Essentially, the
particulate matter isn't as fine, and in sufficient quantities, can turn
the clay into something the plants will be much happier to live in.
Either one will work just fine. However, some people find it easier to
lay their hands on compost (you can make it easily) than manure, and use
it more extensively.


2. Some posts say it's better to use compost/manure rather than
fertilizer as the former provides a natural source of nutrients thus
better for the plants, but compost/manure are decomposed waste, don't
they make your garden smell?


Garbage and fresh manure smell. Aged garbage (compost) and aged manure
do not. They are both wonderful for the soil.


3. Some posts say that peat moss/sand/dirt don't provide any nutrients
and a waste of money, and some say they provide aeration and a must
for clay soil, and some say that compost/manure also provide aeration
for the soil? Which is true?


I don't usually add peat (it's a replenishable resource issue for me) or
sand to my soil, and good quality top soil is hard to come by (and there
is an issue of whether someone else's soil is being depleted to give me
the bag of dirt). I prefer using compost/manure, but that's just my
bias. In sufficient quantities, all of these will improve the quality
of soil, although peat/sand do not make the soil any more nutrient rich.


4. Some posts say that good soil preparation takes several months to
several years, does it mean I have to wait that long to plant anything
successfully? We just moved into a new house this past winter, due to
the unusually harsh winter this year, we couldn't do anything before
now. We still have some patches of snow that haven't melt, and it's
mid March If I prep the soil as soon as the snow melts, how long
(or rather how short) should wait before I start planting? I'm kind
of anxious as our yard looks particularly bare.


Well, how long it takes a bed to be prepared is sort of proportional to
how much effort you're willing to put into it. If you take a small bed
and amend it to a good depth, you can plant pretty much as soon as
you're done. My flower beds take a year, because they're too much work
for me to do by hand (1000s of sq. ft.), and I take the lazy way out by
using layering techniques. If your yard is really big, start by taking
a small, manageable bed, and doing a really thorough job of it.
Especially since you are getting started, it is important that you not
invest too much money or time into doing something only to find out that
it isn't working.

Learn to like winter. That's when you have the down time to chart out
what you want to do come spring. Figure out what the size/shape of your
bed will be, what kind of lighting/soil conditions exist there, what
sort of plants you would like to see in it, whether said plants will
like it there, what combinations of plants will look particularly
attractive, etc. Find out good sources for all the plant material you
want (there are a ton of good mail order sources), and place your order
early. In our area, you can pretty much work the soil as soon as it
warms up a bit, but make sure that the soil isn't too wet, or you might
do more damage than good. Planting of perennials can wait until at
least Mid-April, and annuals until mid-May. Keep in mind that fall is
also a good time to plant certain things, so while you're working on
your flower beds now, think about whether you'd like to add things that
can only be planted in fall, such as spring bulbs.


5. From this long list of different soil amending types (compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt), what are the essential
but also economical types that I need? And from that essential list,
what ratio of each of the types should I mix in with my clay soil?


I'd say that you go with compost/aged manure. Prepare the beds to a
depth of 8 to 12 inches. Keep things manageable, especially in the
beginning, when you're likely to get easily overwhelmed. Understand
that plants will die, despite your best efforts. Check out books at the
library or read up on stuff at your local book store if you are really
concerned that you can't handle it. Find local nurseries with
experienced staff, and other people in the area who enjoy gardening so
that you have someone to turn to if you need help. And don't worry too
much about this, it's supposed to be an enjoyable experience.

Suja

Just an odd aside relating to the topic, I'm going Sunday to a little farm
taking as many big containers as I can fit in the back of the
stationwagon, because I'm gonna load up on alpaca poo.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

paghat wrote:
: Just an odd aside relating to the topic, I'm going Sunday to a little farm
: taking as many big containers as I can fit in the back of the
: stationwagon, because I'm gonna load up on alpaca poo.

I'm jealous. It's supposed to be very soft and fine ;-)

A while back, someone locally was marketing bags of composted manure with
the compelling name "Pig Poo". Great stuff.

-- Karen

The Garden Gate http://garden-gate.prairienet.org
================================================== =================
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
^and cats -- Cicero
================================================== =================
On the Web since 1994 Forbes Best of Web 2002

(audrey) wrote in message . com...
Hi all,

Although I'm new to this group, I have been learning a lot from
reading tons of messages concerning how to prepare the soil for
planting. Being a complete novice at gardening as this will be my
first time at planting anything, I'm still confused because some of
the posts contradict each other. I'm hoping that some kind
individuals can clarify some of my confusion?

My situation is that I have clay soil (zone 6/7 Maryland/DC Metro
area), and I know that I need to do some type of soil preparation to
be successful at planting my flowers. According to some of the posts
that I read, they say that one should mix a combination of compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt into the clay. My
questions a

1. What's the difference between compost and manure? I mean not what
they are made of, I basically know what they are made of ;-) but what
benefits do they provide? Does each provide a different benefit so
that I need both?

Compost is anything composted (rotted). Manure can be a part of
compost. Depending of source of organic material, compost can be more
or less nutrient rich than manure. Even amongst manures you have wide
nutrient swings, from high N/high P (poultry) to lower levels, but
more balanced (ruminants).


2. Some posts say it's better to use compost/manure rather than
fertilizer as the former provides a natural source of nutrients thus
better for the plants, but compost/manure are decomposed waste, don't
they make your garden smell?

Many clay soils have decent nutrient levels, but terrible texture.
Manure or compost will attract the worms that, over time, will give
the soil a proper texture. If you do have good levels, be advised that
leaves beat (hands down) manure or compost when it comes to attracting
earthworms (but they provide little nutrients).


3. Some posts say that peat moss/sand/dirt don't provide any nutrients
and a waste of money, and some say they provide aeration and a must
for clay soil, and some say that compost/manure also provide aeration
for the soil? Which is true?

It is a backbreaking job to double-dig clay. But if you are willing to
wait a couple of years, the worms will do a much better job than you
can possibly do with your blunt tools.


4. Some posts say that good soil preparation takes several months to
several years, does it mean I have to wait that long to plant anything
successfully? We just moved into a new house this past winter, due to
the unusually harsh winter this year, we couldn't do anything before
now. We still have some patches of snow that haven't melt, and it's
mid March If I prep the soil as soon as the snow melts, how long
(or rather how short) should wait before I start planting? I'm kind
of anxious as our yard looks particularly bare.

Go ahead and plant. Go around the neighborhood and ask what works in
this locale. Even a few years dow the road, you will still have a
somewhat heavy soil. Some of the plants will die, but if you don't
start you will never gain the experience.


5. From this long list of different soil amending types (compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt), what are the essential
but also economical types that I need? And from that essential list,

what ratio of each of the types should I mix in with my clay soil?

None is essential, and peat is expensive. Test the soil. If it is
nutrient poor, I would go with manure, two inches a year for several
years. If it is OK, I would go with leaves, also a few inches a year
for several years. Both manure and leaves will disappear within the
growing season. Leaves will provide a good mulch (helping with weeds
and water).


I'm a complete novice, so any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank
you very much.

Audrey

If someone tells you you should double-dig or till, do not believe
them. Only earthworms can give a soil a fine, permanent texture. Save
your back for other things, like hauling in the tons of organic
material you need.

The message
from (paghat) contains these words:

Just an odd aside relating to the topic, I'm going Sunday to a little farm
taking as many big containers as I can fit in the back of the
stationwagon, because I'm gonna load up on alpaca poo.

Lucky you :-) I recommend taking old plastic sacks, because you can
fold over the top. This improves the proportion of poo in the breathed
atmosphere on the way home, and avoids any bitter words if one's
companion is less dedicated to garden nutrition than one.

On Sunday we went to bag up a large amount of seaweed from the beach.
Usually, the stuff we collect is dry and already partly decomposed, but
this stuff was fresh and wet from the last high tide. We didn't bother
to close the bags (they were too full anyway).Once the car was full to
the gunnels with seaweed bags we took the dog for a long walk down the
beach. When we got back, about 5,000 flies had woken up in the warmth of
the car, and were buzzing around inside it :-( We tried opening all the
doors; we tried driving with all the windows open; but by the time we
got home, there seemed to be even more flies. Plus when we got the bags
out of the car, the floor was full of little sandhoppers too. Bad vibes
from the beloved; good stuff for the garden though.

Janet.

You've gotten really good explainations. I think if you are relatively
inexperianced you may be frustrated though impulse buying (and
inapropriate situations). That advice "buy plants suited to clay" is
best because each maginal plant will perform differently and you will
have no idea what you've just done to improve the soil, as you never
planted it yet.

simple is better, yet mass planting of one type of plant could be a
huge boon or a miserable loss. I'd try to avoid shade plants in shade
at first, unless you know where the water lies, or buy those plants
that do well in soil that never ever dries out, eg bog plants, and
make a bog. Astilbes should be safe in a fresh loamy mix, they are
nice too.

(I like to talk, i garden in sand here though, good luck)

(audrey) wrote:

My situation is that I have clay soil (zone 6/7 Maryland/DC Metro
area), and I know that I need to do some type of soil preparation to
be successful at planting my flowers.

How do you KNOW that? Look at all the flowers growing out in the
wild. I lived in the DC Metro area, NEVER amended anything, and
had flowers and shrubs and trees all over the place. I now live
in the dry, sandy, alkaline desert, still don't amend the dirt,
and have flowers and shrubs and trees all over the place.

The trick: study the plants requirements, and do NOT plant things
that do not like the kind of soil you have. I'm growing an
entirely different set of plants here.

4. Some posts say that good soil preparation takes several months to
several years, does it mean I have to wait that long to plant anything
successfully?

Heck no. Pick plants that like clay soil and you can plant
now.

We just moved into a new house this past winter, due to
the unusually harsh winter this year, we couldn't do anything before
now.

Look into the gardening books of Ruth Stout ... she just spread
layers of easily decomposed mulch frequently. It's also called
"sheet composting" and someone is selling a boof called "Lasagna
Gardening" with a modification of it.

The idea is the same ... dump the stuff on top of the dirt, and
let the worms do the work.


Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

"audrey" wrote in message
My situation is that I have clay soil (zone 6/7 Maryland/DC Metro
area), and I know that I need to do some type of soil preparation to
be successful at planting my flowers. According to some of the posts
that I read, they say that one should mix a combination of compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt into the clay. My
questions a

Hi, Audrey. I have lived in the DC/Balto metro area all my life s. When
I started my first real garden in the DC area I was dealing with lots of
heavy clay too. This is what I did: removed the grass by skimming off the
top inch with a spade (I composed that), dug down about 15 inches and
turned over the clay. Then I added about equal amounts of composted manure
and leafmold (it's called Leafgro around here) plus some peatmoss. I kept
adding the amendments until the soil looked more dark brown than orange. If
you don't mind waiting you can always put a thick layer of newspaper over
the area you want to make into a bed and then pile several inches of organic
matter on top of the newspaper. Wait a good 6 months and the grass will die
and you can plant on top of the pile. If you don't mind sticking with
annuals this season you could just pile organic matter on top of newspaper
and plant in that. But perennials need deeper soil for good root growth.

On 13 Mar 2003 09:50:46 -0800, (audrey) wrote:


Although I'm new to this group, I have been learning a lot from
reading tons of messages concerning how to prepare the soil for
planting. Being a complete novice at gardening as this will be my
first time at planting anything, I'm still confused because some of
the posts contradict each other. I'm hoping that some kind
individuals can clarify some of my confusion?

Probably not. We argue endlessly. :-)

My situation is that I have clay soil (zone 6/7 Maryland/DC Metro
area), and I know that I need to do some type of soil preparation to
be successful at planting my flowers. According to some of the posts
that I read, they say that one should mix a combination of compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt into the clay. My
questions a

1. What's the difference between compost and manure? I mean not what
they are made of, I basically know what they are made of ;-) but what
benefits do they provide? Does each provide a different benefit so
that I need both?

Compost is, most generally, decayed/decaying plant material. Some
people throw everything into the compost pile; some restrict it to
veg/fruit matter. Commercial compost is virtually all plant stuff.
Manure is, well, you know what it is. "Composted" manure is that which
has been left to age, decay, break down, whatever.

Compost is used as a soil ammendment, dug into your dirt to improve
water retention as well as keeping compacted soils from sogging. It's
never inappropriate. Composted plant material provides little in the
way of nutrients, but is wonderful for improving growing conditions.

Aged or composted animal manure provides more nutrients, and,
depending on the animal, may also include some side-benefits as
compost. See above.

2. Some posts say it's better to use compost/manure rather than
fertilizer as the former provides a natural source of nutrients thus
better for the plants, but compost/manure are decomposed waste, don't
they make your garden smell?

As you may have noticed, there is a Great Gulf between the Organic and
non-Organic crowd. You will have to make your own decisions. IMO, a
plant doesn't know whether its getting nitrogen from a commercial
product or some organic brew. The discussion goes on and on, with good
points on each side.

No, well-rotted compost doesn't smell. Nor aged manure. In any case,
it's meant to be dug into the soil. Even fish-heads used as fertilizer
are probably not very offensive underground.

3. Some posts say that peat moss/sand/dirt don't provide any nutrients
and a waste of money, and some say they provide aeration and a must
for clay soil, and some say that compost/manure also provide aeration
for the soil? Which is true?

Sand and clay make cement. OTOH, there are many plants which enjoy a
sandy soil. Peat moss is a kind of plant 'sponge' that improves some
soils like compost. It's also fairly acid, so good for ammending
alkaline dirt. As you can see, there's more than one aspect to many of
these questions. Peat moss 'fluffs up' (aerates) the soil, as does
compost and, to a certain extent, manure. Sand doesn't.

4. Some posts say that good soil preparation takes several months to
several years, does it mean I have to wait that long to plant anything
successfully?

Absolutely not! Do the best you can to start, and continue to add the
things that work for you. Clay soil, in fact, can be nutrient rich --
just dig it up, turn it over, add some compost and a little fertilizer
of choice, and pray for summer rain. :-)

5. From this long list of different soil amending types (compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt), what are the essential
but also economical types that I need? And from that essential list,
what ratio of each of the types should I mix in with my clay soil?

It ain't rocket science. There are a million "recipes", but nothing
that matches attention, heaps of backbreaking work (you haven't
mentioned weeding, which is another important feature), and keeping an
eye on the garden.

Plants are both amazingly forgiving of less-than-optimal conditions,
and prone to die with a harsh word. Start a compost pile/bin/tumbler
and produce your own 'black gold' to return to the soil..

I've had pretty good luck with soil that "looks good." I love cow
manure because it just *looks* so rich and nutritious. I like to mix a
lot into dirt or container planting. I distrust so-called "potting
soil" or "top soil" except as a *part* of a planting medium. They tend
to compact, and you don't know where they came from.

Whenever you decide on what you want to plant, consider this
possibility. Get a fence post auger with a 3 foot 4 inch auger drill
bit and drill about holes every foot to foot and a half and fill with
soft rock, organic fertilizer and compost. This will break up your soil
and create root wells where the roots will grow into seeking the
nutrients and anchoring the specimen very well. In 3-5 years, the area
around
the tree will be entirely friable and you will have one heck of healthly
plants.

Where can you get Cheap Natural Fertilizers and Soil Amendments?

"Chemical fertilizers rely on an assumption that plants only need three
elements to survive and thrive. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are
those three. This is the equivalent of saying that we need protein, fat,
and sugar to live. While this may be mostly true, pure protein, pure
fat, and pure sugar do nothing to supply the vitamins,minerals, and
diverse supply of bacteria and fungi in our diets. =


Here is a list of a dozen things that you can do with organically fed
soil that cannot be achieved with conventional chemical feeding. =


1. Decompose plant residues and manure to humus. =


2. Retain nutrients in the form of stable humus. =


3. Combine nitrogen and carbon to prevent nutrient loss. =


4. Suppress fungus and bacterial diseases. =


5. Produce plant growth regulators. =


6. Develop soil structure, tilth, and water penetration/retention. =


7. Clean up chemical residues. =


8. Shift soil pH to neutral and keep it there. =


9. Search out and retrieve nutrients in distant parts of the soil. =


10. Decompose thatch and keep it from returning. =


11. Control nitrogen supply to the plants according to need. =


12. Pull minerals out of inorganic soil components for plants. =

=


Soil microbes need sugar and protein to thrive. When you apply synthetic
ferts, none of the things on this list gets done. The microbes normally
get sugar from plant roots. Protein in nature comes from dead insects,
plants, and animals. The organic gardener applies protein artificially
in the form or organic fertilizers. It is usually in the form ofa ground
up meal made from plants and animals to try to replicate the natural
process." =


************************************************** ***** =


With that being said, many times it is difficult to find good organic or
natural fertilizers and soil amendments from garden stores because most
of the garden people that we meet are non-organic users. Therefore as an
organic gardener, we have to be creative in order to find our supplies. =


This is a simple list of sources for uses in foliar teas, composting and
green manure techniques, and other soil amendments: =


1. Deer plot mixes - 50 lb bag is a great source of economical cool
season cover crop seeds. Most contain a mixture of legumes and
grasses like crimson clover or hairy vetch or winter peas, oats, winter
wheat, and rye. =


2. Catfish or pond fish feed - Excellent source of alfalfa meal and fish
meal for topdressing or compost teas. =


3. Cat or Dog foods - Good source of corn gluten meal for weed seed
suppression control in lawns or gardens. =

=


4. Seaweed - If you can't collect it free from the beach, you can buy
economical packs of fresh seaweed from oriental markets for compost
teas. Take all your remains from your teas and recycle them into your
compost piles. If you liquify the seaweed in a juice, you can use the
whole product as a foliar feed or soil drench. Even though most
fertilizer companies rate seaweed with a NPK of 0-0-1, it contains at
least 1% total N and over 3%total P. Seaweed may contain as much as 60
trace elements. Seaweed and other algae plants are some of the greatest
soil amendments on earth, or should I say in the ocean. Seaweed also
contains beneficial growth hormones and benefical fungal food sources
for soil microbes. =


5. Fish emulsion - Commercial brands contain no fish oil and little or
no aerobic bacteria. Homemade versions supply extra beneficial oils for
beneficial fungi and fish bones for extra calcium. Free fresh fish parts
are the best if available. However, cheap canned fish products will do
fine. Experiment with canned mackerel, sardines, herring, etc. If the
fishy smell is a big issue, just mix your fish products with a lot of
high carbon sources like sawdust, leaves, or straw in a 5 gallon closed
bucket. Let this mix decompose for at least a week or more before adding
to the hot compost pile or to your compost tea recipes. The extra
carbons will help absorb the offensive odors as well as keep most of the
organic nitrogen in your compost pile or your compost teas. Also the
aerobic bacteria kill break down any bad pathogens that may exist in
decaying fish meat. Read the other FAQ's on aerated teas and homemade
fish/seaweed emulsions also. =


6. Fava beans, soybeans, and other legume cover crops - Mostly all
bagged dry beans and peas in grocery stores will sprout and make great
warm season green manures. Fava beans and soybeans can found in oriental
markets or health food markets. =


7. Horse and cattle feeds - These contain a great supply of alfalfa meal
and corn meal and other proteins for soil amendments or compost teas.
The whole corn or oat seeds in the bags, may sprout and give you an
extra green manure benefit. The extra molasses ingredient from the feeds
draws and breeds lots of beneficial soil
organisms. Molasses also contains sulfurwhich acts as a mild natural
fungicide also. =


8. Corn meal - very cheap source for a nitrogen activator for heating up
the compost pile or as a topdressing. Great natural fungicide also. =


9. Molasses, brown sugar, corn syrup - source of fast consuming sugars
for feeding and breeding the aerobic bacteria in compost teas. Most
microherd populations love the high carbon content in sugar products.
Sugars are best dissolved and broken down by microbes in compost tea
that has brewed at least 1-3 days, before applying to the soil. If too
much sugar is added on soil straight as a topdressing, it may cause a
temporary nitrogen deficiency in the soil as the microherd populations
grow too fast. Molasses also contains sulfur which acts as a mild
natural fungicide also. Molasses is also a great natural deodorizer for
fishy teas. =


10. Alfalfa meal - best source is 50 lb bags of rabbit food or alfalfa
hay bales. There are also 100% alfalfa pet litter or beddings if
available. Alfalfa products are best used in teas, mulches, or as
top dressings. =


11. Blood and Bone meal - this classic combo can be found almost
everywhere these days. However blood meal is very expensive. Bone meal
can be even cheaper if purchased in 20 lb bags from feed stores. Since
blood meal is totally soluble, it can be added to compost tea recipes..
With a NPK around 11-0-0, it has the highest total nitrogen ratio of all
natural fertilizers, and may burn plants if used improperly. Steamed
bone meal has a recorded NPK around 0-11-0. Usually steamed bone meal
has a total N from 1-6%, 11% soluble P but 20% total P, and 24% calcium.
Raw bone meal has more total N but none of the P is water soluble. =


12. Urine - yes, human urine is an excellent source of organic nitrogen
for compost teas or as a free nitrogen activator for composting (45% N).
(NOTE: Unlike human manure, any
pathogens, diseases, or other mild toxins in human urine are quickly
killed and digested within 24 hours after they escape the human body.
Therefore human urine is very safe for all types of composting methods.) =

=

13. Animal Manures - High in N and great sources of P and K and soil
microbes. Use only vegetarian animal manures, like cattle or horses! DO
NOT EVER USE DOG OR CAT POOP! It is extremely dangerous to humans. There
are special composting procedures that must be performed to use toxic,
heavy metal manures like pet poop and human manures. So don't do it!
Always compost animal manures first
or use aged animal manures before applying to the soil or as an
ingredient in foliar teas. =


14. Grass Clippings and Green Weeds - Excellent sources or organic N for
special foliar teas or use as an organic mulch/top dressing. Some
gardeners even hot compost strange weeds and herbs like kudzu, bull
thistle, dandelions, comfrey, stinging nettle, thorns, ivy, etc. =


The above soil amendment products can also be buried straight in the
garden soil for trench composting. You can also bury these materials in
planting holes under the roots of heavy feeder transplants like tomatoes
for extra NPK for plant growth. =


All natural soil amendments as well as homemade compost, do more than
just fertilize the soil and growing plants. Most natural soil amendments
have a total NPK rating sum total less than 20 (i.e. fish emulsion NPK =3D=

5-1-1,compost NPK less than 4-4-4). Don't be fooled by the numbers. Most
P and K ratings only record the soluble available portions in the
products. The N portion recorded could be either the soluble, insoluble,
or total N portions as based on the company. The insoluble non-reported
portion of OM is continuously consumed and broken down with the existing
OM in the garden soil, thus raising the available soluble nutrients for
further season crops. =


Happy Gardening! =


J. Kolenovsky
http://www.celestialhabitats.com

-- =

J. Kolenovsky, A+, Network +, MCP
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - commercial
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html

(paghat) expounded:

Just an odd aside relating to the topic, I'm going Sunday to a little farm
taking as many big containers as I can fit in the back of the
stationwagon, because I'm gonna load up on alpaca poo.

I know that sheep poo can be put directly on the garden, I wonder if
alpaca poo is similar? My great grandmother used sheep exclusively,
she had wonderful peonies, wonderful gardens....and as my own odd
little aside, she died the way I want to, at a ripe old age, in her
garden, quickly!

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************