"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
Mike said:

I've learned you can get this chemical from granite meal, kelp meal and
dairy manure. But where do you get these?

Never found a source for granite meal, but have seen kelp meal at some
garden centers. You could also possibly find greensand at these, too, or
Sul-po-mag (langbienite mineral).

You can get kelp meal mail order from some places, or get dried
powdered seaweed for mixing up foliar sprays and drenches (Maxicrop
is the brand I use).

Three more potential sources for potassium are wood ashes (which
can raise soil pH), coffeegrounds and alfalfa (both of which also supply
nitrogen).

Some coffeeshops will give away their grounds to gardeners. (Starbucks
has a program to do so.)

You'd need to go to a feed store for alfalfa pellets (though I remember
seeing alfafla meal for sale mail order in the past). Rabbit food is a
possible substitute (check the ingredient list to see if it has a
significant
amount of alfalfa).

Dairy manure is (to my knowledge) not a particularly potassium-rich
fertilizer but more of a balanced nutrient source with a slight tilt to
nitrogen.

saw dust (untreated) is apparently a good source of Potassium (which makes
sense as to why wood ash is as well). Avoid where possible I have read
potassium chloride (potash is one source) as it kills soil orgamisms and can
harm plant roots.

rob

Mike said:

I've learned you can get this chemical from granite meal, kelp meal and
dairy manure. But where do you get these?

Never found a source for granite meal, but have seen kelp meal at some
garden centers. You could also possibly find greensand at these, too, or
Sul-po-mag (langbienite mineral).

You can get kelp meal mail order from some places, or get dried
powdered seaweed for mixing up foliar sprays and drenches (Maxicrop
is the brand I use).

Three more potential sources for potassium are wood ashes (which
can raise soil pH), coffeegrounds and alfalfa (both of which also supply
nitrogen).

Some coffeeshops will give away their grounds to gardeners. (Starbucks
has a program to do so.)

You'd need to go to a feed store for alfalfa pellets (though I remember
seeing alfafla meal for sale mail order in the past). Rabbit food is a
possible substitute (check the ingredient list to see if it has a significant
amount of alfalfa).

Dairy manure is (to my knowledge) not a particularly potassium-rich
fertilizer but more of a balanced nutrient source with a slight tilt to
nitrogen.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
Three more potential sources for potassium are wood ashes (which
can raise soil pH), coffeegrounds and alfalfa (both of which also supply
nitrogen).

Some coffeeshops will give away their grounds to gardeners. (Starbucks
has a program to do so.)

On coffee, this book I am reading describes it "mutagenic, pharmacologically
active nitrogen with h2o mixed in." Nitrogen can be at the expense of fruit
and flowers, which is why I am looking for pure potassium. I think~
potassium allows the plant cells to produce ethylene which stops stem
elongation, and develops stem thickening as well as fruition.

Nitrogen run off is also a source for algae blooms, an increasing problem,
if you ever flown in a plane and seen the green growths in rivers below.

Maybe I'll try the wood ashes.