Here is a list of organic nutrients that you can use in your garden:
- Alfalfa Meal – contains 2.5 % nitrogen, 5% phosphorus, and about 2% potash, a #0excludeGlossary fertilizer.
- Blood (Dried or Meal) – from slaughterhouses, dried, and ground up into a powder or meal, contains 12 – 15% nitrogen (by weight), and about 1.2% phosphorus, with under 1 % potash, apply sparingly as it is easy to burn plant foliage, can carry Mad Cow disease and other diseases.
- Bone Meal – rich in phosphorus and nitrogen, potency based on age, fast acting, has lime that reduces acidity, can carry Mad Cow disease and other diseases.
- Raw, #1excludeGlossary Bone – contains 2 – 4% nitrogen and 15 – 25% phosphorus. Fatty acids in bone retard decomposition can carry Mad Cow disease and other diseases.
- Steamed or Cooked Bone Meal – made from fresh animal bones and boiled or steamed under pressure, powder form is readily available, and contains up to 30% phosphorus, and about 1.5% nitrogen.
- Cottonseed Meal – a leftover #2excludeGlossary of oil extraction, it is acidic, contains about 7% nitrogen, 2.5% phosphorus, and 1.5% potash, best when combined with the steamed bone meal and seaweed to be a balanced fertilizer.
- Chicken Manure – is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements, and contains up to 17% nitrogen, wet manure contains – 1.5% nitrogen, 1.5% phosphorus, 0.5% potassium, dried manure contains – 4% nitrogen, 4% phosphorus, 1.5% potassium, applied as a top dressing or mixed in.
Coffee Grounds – acidic, encourage acetic bacteria in soil, #3excludeGlossary is the richest, contains about 2% nitrogen and traces of other nutrients, use in moderation.
- Compost Tea – is very good and full of beneficial nutrients, if Comfrey is added it adds more nutrients.
- Cow Manure – sold as steer manure, the nutrient value is low, and the average nutrient content is 0.6% nitrogen, 0.3% phosphorus, 0.3% potassium, with many other trace elements, apply no more than 25 – 30 pounds per square yard.
- Diatomaceous Earth – fossilized skeletal remains of fresh and saltwater diatoms, contains trace elements, good insecticide, applied as topdressing or when cultivating.
- Dolomite Lime – adjusts and balances pH, makes phosphate more readily available, sweetens or #4excludeGlossary soil, and contains calcium and magnesium, referred to as secondary nutrients.
- Feathers and Feather Meal – comes from slaughterhouses, steamed under pressure and dried, then ground up to powder containing 12 – 15% nitrogen that is #5excludeGlossary.
- Fish Meal – made from dried fish and grounded into powder, smells bad, not best for indoors, contains about 8% nitrogen, 7% phosphorus, and trace elements, applied when mixing or cultivating topsoil, the liquid form has less nitrogen than the meal.
Fish Emulsion – high in nitrogen, trace elements, some phosphorus, and potassium, difficult to #6excludeGlossary, smells, some have added potash that is inorganic.
- Granite Dust or Granite Stone Meal – contains up to 5% potash and trace elements, #7excludeGlossary, not recommended indoors because it is slow acting.
- Greensand (Glauconite) – mined from ancient sea beds with shells, contains #8excludeGlossary silicate giving it its color, high in iron, phosphorus, and 5 – 7% potash, many #9excludeGlossary, #10excludeGlossary, not recommended for indoors because it’s slow acting.
- Guano (Bat) – from bats, powdery, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and trace elements, and #11excludeGlossary, new bat guano is high in nitrogen and can burn the foliage, old bat guano is high in phosphorus, used as a top dressing or mixed in tea, do not breathe in the dust.
- Guano (Sea Bird) – high in nitrogen and other nutrients, South American is the best, but nutrient content varies.
- Gypsum (Hydrated Calcium Sulfate) – used to lower pH, improves drainage and aeration, used to hold or slow nitrogen decomposition, seldom used indoors.
- Hoof and Horn Meal – made from grounded horns and hoofs, an excellent source of #12excludeGlossary nitrogen, fine horn or hoof meal is faster in releasing nitrogen, cause fewer issues with flies and maggots, contains 6 – 15% nitrogen, 2% phosphoric acid, applied two to three weeks before planting and remains in the soil for six (6) months or more, can carry Mad Cow disease and other diseases.
- Horse Manure – from horse stables and racetracks, composting kills weed seeds, contains 0.6% nitrogen, 0.6% phosphorus, and 0.4% potassium, is full of trace elements and can contain plant disease.
- Kelp –seaweed contains 60 – 70 trace minerals that are chelated, and smell like the ocean, check the label to see if they are cooked out.
- Oyster Shells – ground and normally used as calcium for poultry, contain up to 55 percent calcium and traces of other nutrients, not practical indoors due to slow release.
- Paper Ash – contains about 5% phosphorus, and 2% potash, is #13excludeGlossary, pH is high, and can contain toxic inks.
- Potash Rock – contains up to 8% potassium, and many trace elements, not recommended indoors as it is slow release.
- Rock Phosphate (Hard) – contains calcium, #14excludeGlossary phosphate rock, grounded finely, contains over 30% phosphate, and many trace elements, not recommended for indoors as it is slow release.
- Colloidal Phosphate (Powdered or Soft Phosphate) – is a natural clay, that contains over 20% phosphorus, and many trace elements, not recommended for use indoors as it is #15excludeGlossary.
- Seaweed Meal – and/or kelp meal washed, dried, and ground into meal, contains potassium (potash), trace elements, vitamins, amino acids, plant hormones, nutrient varies by brand, easily taken up by plants, helps with transplant shock.
Seaweed (Liquid) – contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, trace elements, and plant hormones, good for soaking seeds and clones in before planting, apply diluted solution for a quick cure of nutrient deficiencies.
- Sheep Manure – high in nutrients, great for compost tea, contains 0.8% nitrogen, 0.5% phosphorus, 0.4% potassium, and trace elements, contains little water and lots of air, and heats up easily in compost piles.
- Swine Manure – slow acting, wetter (more anaerobic) than cow and horse manure, contains 0.6% nitrogen, 0.6% phosphorus, 0.4% potassium, and many trace elements.
- Wood Ashes (Hardwood) – made from woods, leaches rapidly, contains 5 – 10% potash, apply in a mix with other fertilizers at a #16excludeGlossary cup per three (3) gallon pot, can cause compact, sticky soil, avoid using alkaline wood ashes, as they are above 6.5 pH.
- Worm Casting – excreted, digested humus and other decomposing matter from worms promote soil fertility and structure, similar to coarse graphite powder in appearance, heavy and dense, high in nitrogen, never add more than 20% worm castings to any mix, any more and they can slow root growth.
Note: Nutrients in organic fertilizers may vary depending on the age, source, erosion, climate, etc., and to figure out exact nutrient contents, contact the supplier of the product.
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