Author Topic: Making liquid fertilizer  (Read 4258 times)

jcaldeira

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Making liquid fertilizer
« on: August 28, 2013, 01:59:06 AM »
My access to professionally-prepared liquid fertilizer is very limited.  However, I'd like to use a liquid fertilizer to fertilize seedlings in my shade house bags if I can.  Currently, I simply sprinkle a little NPK on the top of each bag every two months or so and water it in.   If I want to liquefy the fertilizer, what concentration should I use?

I have access to a general NPK formula 13-13-21, and also urea, cow manure and compost.  My potting soil is a reasonably good loam. If I choose to go with a liquid fertilizer, what recipe might be good?
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Droshi

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2013, 06:58:17 PM »
I would go with a blend of coffee, worm casting tea, and maybe kelp if you can get it. I love coffee...and my plants seem to as well :)

jcaldeira

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2013, 12:49:59 AM »
I would go with a blend of coffee, worm casting tea, and maybe kelp if you can get it. I love coffee...and my plants seem to as well :)
Thanks, but I'd like to use locally available materials.
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siafu

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2013, 06:38:20 AM »

 Do you have or can borrow a Electric Conductivity meter?

 It would allow you to prepare a safe diluted solution from ad hoc concentrations and materials.
 
 In principle, knowing the NPK rating of your fertiliser should be enough. This
 link looks interesting: https://www.icmag.com/modules/Tutorials/Conversions/1572.htm
Sérgio Duarte
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zands

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2013, 09:05:47 AM »
How about some fish fertilizer. Fill a 55 gal drum with fish scraps and water and let it rot.

jcaldeira

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2013, 03:13:22 PM »

 Do you have or can borrow a Electric Conductivity meter?

 It would allow you to prepare a safe diluted solution from ad hoc concentrations and materials.
 
 In principle, knowing the NPK rating of your fertiliser should be enough. This
 link looks interesting: https://www.icmag.com/modules/Tutorials/Conversions/1572.htm

The link above is indeed helpful.  Thanks.  If I can find what the ideal ppm is for watering plants then I can apply this concept.
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siafu

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2013, 06:38:02 PM »

 Hi,

 If you check hydroponics links, I'm sure you'll find lots of information concerning fertiliser ppm levels that you
 can adapt to your situation.

 For instance, http://www.homehydrosystems.com/ph_tds_ppm/ph_fruit_page.html provides a lists for some fruits. But I
 advice caution, especially with seedlings. Start with a weaker concentration and raise it slowly when you are sure that it is safe.
 Note that the final concentration depends on the initial mineral/salts contents of your water.
 

 
Sérgio Duarte
Algarve, Portugal

--Vale sempre a pena, quando a alma não é pequena!

BMc

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #7 on: August 29, 2013, 08:06:46 PM »
How about also getting a few old bath tubs and setting up a big ol worm farm? Worm wee as a foliar, castings as a soil improver.

jcaldeira

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2013, 08:35:16 PM »
How about also getting a few old bath tubs and setting up a big ol worm farm? Worm wee as a foliar, castings as a soil improver.

That sounds like too much work to feed my two small shadehouses.   

What I do have plenty of is cow manure, compost and NPK fertilizer (13-13-20), and can get urea, so I'll make a cocktail from one or more of those.  I'm most concerned about over-applying it, so I'm searching the web for a recipe.
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Droshi

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2013, 12:20:03 AM »
I would go with a blend of coffee, worm casting tea, and maybe kelp if you can get it. I love coffee...and my plants seem to as well :)
Thanks, but I'd like to use locally available materials.

Fiji, home of the best live rock in the world has no kelp or coffee locally?

jcaldeira

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #10 on: August 30, 2013, 01:37:55 AM »
Fiji, home of the best live rock in the world has no kelp or coffee locally?
Ha!  Ask for coffee in a restaurant and you are likely to receive weak Nescafe.  Coffee does grow here, but only a few very small-scale operations.  The art of processing it is where most people fail.  No kelp.  Surprisingly little seaweed washes up on shore, and most that does is only after the warm summer seaweeds break loose in January-April.  We do have great live rock.  Want some?
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phantomcrab

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Re: Making liquid fertilizer
« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2013, 08:13:16 AM »
Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro label - http://www.dyna-gro.com/936.htm
Dilute any fertilizers for seedling plants as they are more sensitive to nutrients, particularly high N (can cause stretching). Initially, what the seedling needs most are P and K to grow out its roots. I would not fertilize any seedlings before they were developing their second set of true leaves. The seed and soil should have enough food to grow the juvenile plant at least that far without assistance. For example, USDA recommends cutting regular fertilizers to 10% strength while establishing pineapple tissue cultures - but I use 20% with no problems. There are no hard and fast rules here just as there is no shoe size that fits everyone.
Richard