How do you deal with nutrients reacting with each other

[mangoba]

I did a soil test and as expected my sandy soil came back low in almost everything but calcium with 8.4 pH and very low organic matter.



I'm not worried about micronutrients as I could probably foliar feed them and/or use chelated ones.

My issue is with N-P-K-Ca-Mg. I'm having a very hard time figuring out how to fix those deficiencies when some can block others.

Let's say I start with a good balanced 20-20-20 (20gr per seedling for example). If I add Calcium, it may compete with Potassium and Magnesium and the same goes with adding Magnesium. And I'm not even mentioning Na if I use saline water for irrigation.

I understand that I should add organic matter, but are there any recommendations on how to give fertilizers while avoiding as much interaction as possible. Do you have any ideas especially the folks who grow in fast draining sandy conditions.

Thanks

[spaugh]

My soil is sandy with no organic matter also.  I just use a thick layer tree trimmer mulch and then use a full package fertilizer that has micro nutrients.  They sell lots of different NPK ratio fertilizers with micro nutrient package included.  Just toss small amounts of the fertilizer on the mulch and water it in.   If you want to go organic, chicken manure is good fertilizer too. 

As far as the nutrients reacting with one another, thats probably overthinking things.  If you have too much calcium and the soil is alkaline use sulfer or other sulfate ammendments to lower the ph. 

[mangoba]

My soil is sandy with no organic matter also.  I just use a thick layer tree trimmer mulch and then use a full package fertilizer that has micro nutrients.  They sell lots of different NPK ratio fertilizers with micro nutrient package included.  Just toss small amounts of the fertilizer on the mulch and water it in.   If you want to go organic, chicken manure is good fertilizer too. 

As far as the nutrients reacting with one another, thats probably overthinking things.  If you have too much calcium and the soil is alkaline use sulfer or other sulfate ammendments to lower the ph.

Thanks Brad, I think the ones that challenge me the most are the heavy feeders. How do you fertilize your bananas for example please. Let's say it's at a knee level, how much would you give it and how often?

[spaugh]

Bananas are really easy because they are not salt sensitive.  You can use salt based chemical fertilizers on bananas and they will not burn easily.  I have a few different fertilizer blends that I use for different plants based on their npk requirement or sensitivity to fertilizers.  For some sensitive plants I use mild organic fertilizer, for others I have one that is almost organic but not totally and for some stuff like banana and pineapples and dragonfruit I use water soluable salts.  The one Im using for bananas is 15-5-15 with micro (peters, jacks brand).  Or when planting bananas, Ill add compost and till that in.  Only for soft heavy feeders will I mix in compost.  For hardwood trees, just top dress mulch.  For bananas, heavy compost tilled into soil at planting time, top dress with mulch and then stronger fertilizer occasionally.  Just dont go too crazy, it doesnt take much salts to get the job done.  Bananas are not really susceptible to aphids or other bugs so its not a huge concern but some heavy feeders like tomato and watermelons can get infested with bugs when using salts.  Moderation and understanding what types of plants like what type of fertilizers is key.  Using small amounts more often is best.  Like small amounts every month while its the warm season. 

If you want to keep it organic, you could use something like composted chicken manure and postasium sulfate or sul-pul-mag