by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Biofertilizers By: John Ferguson Over the last decade there has been a tremendous increase in our knowledge of how microbes act to acquire or provide nutrients to the soil and plants. We are now learning how to manage these microbes to provide many of...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Sea Minerals By: John Ferguson Today I want to talk about a new and exciting area of research for plant and ultimately human nutrition that is known as sea minerals. There are many new products emerging that show great promise in re-mineralizing our...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Shrimp + Crab Meal By: John Ferguson A couple very useful organic fertilizers are made from the shells of shrimp or crabs. It is widely used in other areas of the country and many brands are available online, but we do not see them very often in our...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Hoof + Horn Meal By: John Ferguson I remember years ago when I traveled internationally while working in the oil industry and visiting many countries from Europe to Pakistan and South America there was a widely used organic fertilizer that we do not see...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Feather Meal By: John Ferguson Feather meal as one might guess comes from the poultry industry, primarily chickens and turkeys and occasionally from ducks. Feathers have a lot of keratin in them which is a natural fiber resistant to decomposition. They...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Seabird Guano By: John Ferguson One of the first fertilizers ever used was guano from seabirds. In many areas of the world there are islands or other nesting sites where seabirds live and deposit their droppings. In some area these droppings accumulated...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Corn Meal By: John Ferguson I was at The Woodlands Home & Garden show this weekend and the subject of corn meal came up. So this week we are going to look at the two common corn products that are used in horticulture; corn meal and corn gluten meal....
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Ashes By: John Ferguson I was asked a question this week about using ash from cremated animals as a feedstock for composting and weather it was good or bad. Hence today’s topic on ashes. There are many types of ashes available both commercially...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Mineral Sand 3 By: John Ferguson There are many types of mineral sands (sometimes called rock dusts) used in horticulture and gardening. Each offers different nutrients and benefits. We have talked about granite and basalt sand the last couple weeks....
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Mineral Sand 2 By: John Ferguson There are many types of mineral sands (sometimes called rock dusts) used in horticulture and gardening. Each offers different nutrients and benefits. Today I want to look at another mineral sands of igneous or volcanic...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Mineral Sand By: John Ferguson There are many types of mineral sands (sometimes called rock dusts) used in horticulture and gardening. Each offers different nutrients and benefits. Today I want to look at the mineral sands of igneous or volcanic origin....
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Compost By: John Ferguson One of the earliest fertilizers mankind used is still the single best and most valuable organic fertilizer is called compost. We have talked about the benefits of compost as a soil amendment and as a mulch, today we are going...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Green Sand By: John Ferguson Over a year ago we talked about greensand as a soil amendment however it is much more than that since it is loaded with nutrients. Greensand has been used for over 100 years as a natural source of a slow release fertilizer...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Wood Ash By: John Ferguson Over the last few days during this holiday season due to the cold wet and gloomy days, we have had a fire in our fireplace most of the time. A warm crackling fire just takes the edge off the poor weather and brings us comfort....
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Bone Meal By: John Ferguson This week I want to take a look at another common organic fertilizer called Bone Meal. Bone meal is sold as a dry inert powder made from animal bones and used as a high phosphorous (P) organic fertilizer. It is used as an...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Blood Meal By: John Ferguson This week I want to take a look at another common organic fertilizer called Blood Meal. Blood meal is a dry inert powder made from animal blood and used as a high nitrogen organic fertilizer. It is also used as a high...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Dried Sewage By: John Ferguson Dried Sewage Sludges The other day I was reading an article on organic fertilizers and it was talking about a product called Milorganite. The article was so full of mis-information that it seemed like it was written by a...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Azomite By: John Ferguson In horticulture and agriculture there is a principle called Liebig’s “Law of The Minimum” which states that a plant’s growth and health is limited by the nutrient in shortest supply. For years our...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Iron Phosphate By: John Ferguson Most of our readers know both iron (Fe) and phosphorous (P) are required for plant growth and health. So this begs the question, where do they come from? Natural sources include the mineral apatite, fossilized bones,...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Molasses By: John Ferguson Many gardeners do not know about the benefits of using molasses as part of their fertility, insect, disease and weed control. Molasses is used for a lot of things from animal food to a food additive for humans. Molasses...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Wheat Middlings By: John Ferguson A while back I was talking to a customer about Microlife organic fertilizer. He was looking at the ingredients on the bag and asked, “What is wheat Middling’s”? Since wheat middling’s are not as...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Iron Sulfate By: John Ferguson From time to time we hear customers asking for iron sulfate (FeSO4) to green up their plants. Iron deficiency can often look similar to magnesium (Mg) deficiency, but it shows up on younger leaves as yellowish areas...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Potassium Sulfate By: John Ferguson One of the major nutrients that plants require is potassium. It is listed as the third number on a bag of fertilizer (N-P-K). Potassium (K) is the soil cation required in the largest amount by plants and is very...
by natureswayrdev | Organic Fertilizers
John's Corner: Bat Guano By: John Ferguson Guano comes from an Inca word for bat or sea bird manure via Spanish. Historically bat guano has been one of the most important natural fertilizers ever used. It has been used by cultures all over the world for hundreds of...
