Nitrogen additive??

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

and then chicken manure is a good one as well. The pelleted works best. If you combine alfalfa pellets with chicken litter you will have all the nutrients you need.

^^^^ THIS^^^^^^
I was just coming to say alfalfa pellets.. good thing I read the whole thing.. otherwise looking dorky again. but I have seen people grip about alfalfa pellets as they sometimes bale weeds along with the alfalfa... I saw someone with a garden full of crabgrass somewhere. here or another forum.

[brownrexx]

My soil test from Penn State also shows an excess of P and K so I don't want to add those which is why I tried the blood meal. I garden organically so they also recommended feather meal (like in Big Van Vader's second attached link). I see that it is pretty cheap too and slow release which I like. I may try to find some of that this year.

Most soil tests do not test for Nitrogen since it is so volatile and they just routinely recommend adding Urea.

[My Foot Smells]

Thank you for all the replies, I will check with the co-op and see what is available. Maybe a combo approach. I do have access to horse manure from the farm across the street, but still work 40 and dealing with aging parent issues (ugg!!) & lack the energy at this time - and also losing the ability to deal with people a little bit. However, it might be an option as I know the farm manager well and she and I get along. They do jumper horses and might have a nice pile of old manure.

I don't plan to rush the plant out date as even if the temperature cooperates, the early spring weather is brutal. I used to think early was better to beat the summer heat, but they all seem to grow the same for some reason if planted within a 2 week (maybe 3) window.

Thanks again for the large replies. I'm sure this is a common problem for people who grow in the same area/beds each year. I'm also "trying" to be cost conscientious.

[My Foot Smells]

available at local co-op:

Urea 50# bag (46-0-0) $11.99

Feather Meal 20# bag (12-0-5.0) $33.50

Poultry Litter Pellets 50# bag (3-2-2) $16.00

Alfalfa Pellets 50# bag (NPK - No listing since animal feed) $13.99



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Pelleted Chicken Litter Catching On Fast

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Pelleted chicken litter fertilizes better than spreading litter raw. The easy-to-handle organic fertilizer from Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch in Michigan is now being marketed from Massachusetts to Montana and south to North Carolina and Missouri.
“We used to make compost and sell locally, then we started in-house drying of manure,” explains Brian Geerlings, Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch. “We started pelleting about 5 or 6 years ago after several years of experimenting. It’s an easier form to handle and works in lime spreaders of all sizes and kinds.”
The dehydrated, pelletized, poultry manure is plant friendly as well. It contains 80 lbs. of nitrogen (N) per ton. More N is available to growing plants the first growing season than with synthetic N sources. Herbruck’s estimates that 2/3 of the N mineralizes in the first year. It’s also microbe friendly, which leads to healthier soils and plants.
“Customers like the improved crop performance compared to conventional fertilizers,” says Geerlings.
The pellets also deliver phosphate and potash, as well as micronutrients like sulfur, magnesium, calcium and more. It’s available in various sizes, from 50-lb. bags ($260/40-bag pallet) to 1-ton super sacks ($169), and bulk semi-loads ($99/ton, plus freight).
Crumbled pellets sized similar to fertilizer granules are also available for use with conventional fertilizer spreaders, planter boxes and lawn spreaders.
“We sell a fair amount of pellets and crumbles to organic farmers,” says Geerlings. “It’s in high demand from grain producers and other growers.”

[BigVanVader]

just fyi if you have Tractor Supply they have organic alfalfa for $18.00/40lb

I've used it and never any weeds or anything. Much better product than the typical alfalfa.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...ts-40-lb?rfk=1

and for that that care, this is why I buy organic alfalfa.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves...united-states/

[My Foot Smells]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

just fyi if you have Tractor Supply they have organic alfalfa for $18.00/40lb

I've used it and never any weeds or anything. Much better product than the typical alfalfa.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...ts-40-lb?rfk=1

I do have a TSC. I will check that source, although I vowed never to go back.


Story #1 of many from my local TSC:

I went to pick up a cattle panel, paid for it and went to load. There was a small cell of thunder in the distance and they said they could not load and required 45 minute wait from last thunder. Not a cloud in the sky. I waited about 20 minutes and they kept giving me the middle finger - so I got a return and left.

Story #2:

I went to go pick up one of those cheap made chicken coops on a year end sale, and they only had one left - the display model. I said that would be fine, but they were adamant about charging me $100.00 assembly fee. I asked if they had one unassembled, of course not & they were not getting any more in for the year. Once they were gone, they were gone.

[clkeiper]

Oyvey! you can't fix stupid. I understand common sense is rare too. sorry.

you have my full support on the aging parent issue. there, too. except it is the inlaws and they are right next door. 86 and 90. it doesn't get better each day.

[DonDuck]

I grow mostly in raised beds also. I've found that chemical fertilizers wash out of the raised beds a lot faster than organic fertilizers like alfalfa pellets or compost. The pellets also work well because earth worms love them and in the process of eating them, they leave behind their worm poop which is good fertilizer. Compost seems to provide minerals as well as nitrogen over a longer time in my beds.

[My Foot Smells]

good point mr. duck, I do have a "leeching out" problem in the raised beds during torrential dowpours and periods of extended rain. been think about those chicken pellets and a top layer of compost/dirt mix.

thanks for swooping by.

[Worth1]

Not all compost has much if any nitrogen in it.
Depending on what kind it is what it is and how it is composted makes a big difference.
Some is more of a soil builder.

With recent contamination issues of horse & steer manure, I like using chicken manure. Mushroom compost is also good. Blood meal is hot and shouldn't be used in containers- in fact I wouldn't put any animal based fertilizers in pots- my opinion there.

[My Foot Smells]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Not all compost has much if any nitrogen in it.
Depending on what kind it is what it is and how it is composted makes a big difference.
Some is more of a soil builder.

Good point & not sure. I get 1 cubic yard of compost for $22 from American Composter. Here is their wide range breakdown.

ALL GREENWASTE COMPOST
Organic matter and nutrient values depend on a number of factors including the feed stocks used. The following analytical pertains to this only.
NOTE: Green waste feedstock is as follows: yard waste, grass, brush, limbs, trees, etc.
Typical Compost Organic and Nutrient Values
Organic Matter
35% – 45%
Moisture Content
30% – 40%
Nitrogen
0% – 4%
Phosphorous
0% – 7%
Potassium
0% – 3-5%
pH
6-5 – 7.0 (normal conditions)



I also think our city dump has a compost section, but I'm always a little scared to use services.

Added: Yes, the "city" dump does have compost for $25 a ton. Not sure how much a ton is compared to cubic yard - maybe depends on how wet material is; but surely not. Reminds me that I got shrimp the other day at the grocery and the butcher gave me an ice rate reduction. He thought I shouldn't pay shrimp prices for the ice involved - I agreed.

[DonDuck]

I don't really compost. I rot. I have a large compost bin I started about six years ago. I keep it full of leaves and other natural organic materials. In the hot summer, I water it. Over time, the bottom of the pile rots as I continue adding material to the top. Every couple of years, I drag the top layers off and find about eighteen inches of very rich soil at the bottom. It is similar to rotted leaf litter in a forest. I know it is rich in minerals with some nitrogen by the way my garden reacts when I apply it.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by DonDuck

I don't really compost. I rot. I have a large compost bin I started about six years ago. I keep it full of leaves and other natural organic materials. In the hot summer, I water it. Over time, the bottom of the pile rots as I continue adding material to the top. Every couple of years, I drag the top layers off and find about eighteen inches of very rich soil at the bottom. It is similar to rotted leaf litter in a forest. I know it is rich in minerals with some nitrogen by the way my garden reacts when I apply it.

Then you are cold composting like I do.
I put the stuff in a pile and in the spring shove it into the beds.
Worms are always under it and in it.
Instead of the nitrogen being burned off hot composting the worms bring it into the soil.


Hot composting is almost completely man made and not found in nature very often.

Worth

[BigVanVader]

Same. Hot composting is like having a 3rd job, no thanks I will let it happen like it does in nature.