Natural Fertilizers and Soil Amendments

Natural fertilizers and natural soil amendments come from herbal resources–vegetation, animals, and rocks.

An natural fertilizer is a herbal soil modification that provides plant vitamins to the soil, maximum ceaselessly nitrogen, phosphorous, or potassium. (NPK research is the focus of primary plant vitamins–nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (Okay)–in a fertilizer as a share of the entire.)

Soil amendments are used to situation or support the soil. Maximum, however no longer all, soil amendments upload some vitamins to the soil.

Here’s a information to 35 often use natural fertilizers and soil amendments:

Information to Commonplace Natural Fertilizers and Soil Amendments:

■ Alfalfa Meal

• Description: Natural topic made out of alfalfa.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; essentially used to extend natural topic.
• Reasonable NPK research: 2-1-2
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Until in 2 to five kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft. Liberate time is 1 to 4 months.
• Feedback: Accommodates triaconatiol a naturally fatty-acid expansion stimulant, additionally hint parts. Would possibly comprise seeds. To be had at feed retail outlets.

■ Bat Guano

• Description: Bat guano (feces) is harvested from caves and powdered.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen and phosphorus; stimulates soil microbes.
• Reasonable NPK research: 10-3-1 processed for nitrogen; 3-10-1 processed for phosphorus
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Until in 5 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft or upload 3 teaspoons in keeping with gallon of water to make tea.
• Feedback: Observe at once to soil or make as a tea for facet dressing or foliar spray.

■ Combined Fertilizer

• Description: Mix of natural fertilizers; would possibly come with plant animal and mineral elements.
• Get advantages: Boosts vitamins total when soil fertility is low.
• Reasonable NPK research: Varies extensively in line with mix.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Will depend on mix; upload to soil or use as a facet dressing.
• Feedback: Business blends are handy. Blending your personal is more economical.

■ Blood Meal

• • Description: Blood meal is made out of dried slaughterhouse waste.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen.
• Reasonable NPK research: 12-0-0
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: The place the soil is low in nitrogen, until in 2 to five in keeping with 100 sq. ft. Upload 1 pound of bloodmeal for soil with ok nitrogen. Stay bloodmeal a couple of inches clear of plant stems; it could burn vegetation. Liberate time is 1 to 4 months.
• Feedback: Don’t over follow; the surplus ammonia can burn vegetation. To be had at lawn facilities and feed retail outlets.

■ Bonemeal

• Description: Steam processed bone, a slaughterhouse through product.
• Get advantages: Provides phosphorus.
• Reasonable NPK research: Varies from about 1-11-0 to about 3-15-0, additionally incorporates about 24 % calcium.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Until or rake in 3 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft for soil low in phosphorus; upload 2 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft for soil with reasonable fertility. Liberate time 6 to twelve months.
• Feedback: High-quality flooring bonemeal make phosphorus extra temporarily to be had to vegetation. The calcium in bonemeal will elevate the soil pH. To be had at lawn facilities and feed retail outlets. Bonemeal is dearer than rock phosphate.

■ Espresso Grounds

• Description: Used espresso grounds.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, additionally incorporates magnesium and copper.
• Reasonable NPK research: 2-0.3-0.6
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Until or sprinkle at the soil; 5 to ten kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft. Don’t upload greater than 25 % espresso grounds to a planting mattress.
• Feedback: Espresso grounds are rather or quite acidic and may also be balanced within the soil through including a limestone complement. Additionally compost espresso grounds as a nitrogen addition in your compost pile.

■ Colloidal Rock Phosphate

• Description: A spinoff of mining rock phosphate.
• Get advantages: Provides phosphorus.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0-2-0 (18-20 % phosphorous, 23 % calcium).
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 5 to six kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft in low phosphorus soils; 2 to 2½ kilos in reasonable soils.
• Feedback: Very gradual launch over a duration of 2 years. To be had at lawn facilities.

■ Compost

• Description: Decayed plant and natural fabrics.
• Get advantages: Provides natural topic and vitamins to soil.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0.5-0.5-0.5 to 4-4-4; about (25 % natural topic).
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Unfold completed compost around the planting mattress 2 to a few inches thick two times a yr.
• Feedback: Unfinished compost will have to be added to the lawn within the fall in order that it has time to additional decompose. Elderly compost may also be added at any time throughout the yr. Take a look at business compost to ensure it does no longer incorporates seed or pesticide residue. Compost that smells like ammonia isn’t utterly decayed or completed.

■ Cottonseed Meal

• Description: Processed from cotton seeds.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen, additionally potassium.
• Reasonable NPK research: 6-0.4-1.5
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Until in 10 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft
• Feedback: Would possibly comprise pesticide residues. Liberate time 1 to 4 months.

■ Cow Manure

• Description: Cow and steer manure.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen and natural topic and a few different vitamins to the soil (about 17 % natural topic).
• Reasonable NPK research: 0.6-0.2-0.5
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 2 to 4 inches of manure to planting beds as sheet compost in fall; flip the manure into the soil. Upload absolutely composted manure as a facet dressing throughout the rising season.
• Feedback: Use dehydrated manure. Cow manure may also be added to the soil or to the compost pile. Manure would possibly comprise insecticides and residue of cattle drugs.

■ Eggshells

• Description: Beaten eggshells.
• Get advantages: Provides calcium to the soil.
• Reasonable NPK research: About 1.2-0.4-0.1.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Observe 2 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft.
• Feedback: Accommodates calcium plus hint minerals.

■ Epsom salts

• Description: Magnesium sulfate a chemical compound.
• Get advantages: Soil balancer, magnesium sulfate is an crucial component within the chlorophyll molecule.
• Reasonable research: 10 % magnesium, 13 % sulfur.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Use 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt in a gallon of water as a foliar spray; 1 pound in keeping with 1,000 sq. ft.
• Feedback: Epsom salt is extremely soluble and isn’t continual and won’t increase within the soil.

■ Feather Meal

• Description: Processed from poultry slaughter.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen.
• Reasonable research: Nitrogen 7 to twelve %.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: 2.5 to five kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft. Gradual launch, greater than 4 months.
• Feedback: Gradual launch fertilizer.

■ Fish Emulsion

• Description: Liquid fertilizer processed from fish waste.
• Get advantages: Nitrogen wealthy and provides micro vitamins to soil.
• Reasonable NPK research: 5-2-2, additionally incorporates sulfur.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 6 tablespoons in keeping with gallon of water. Liberate time 1 to 4 months.
• Feedback: May also be foul smelling. Acquire fish emulsion at a lawn middle.

■ Fish Meal

• Description: Flooring and warmth dried fish waste.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen, can be a supply of phosphorus and potassium.
• Reasonable NPK research: Levels from about 4-2-2 to 9-7-0.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Until in 3 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft the place the soil is deficient; upload 2 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft the place the soil has reasonable fertility. Liberate time 1 to 4 months. Additionally incorporates many hint parts
• Feedback: Fish meal may also be positioned at once in a planting hollow early within the season. Acquire fish meal at a lawn middle or fish-processing plant.

■ Granite Meal

• Description: Rock powder mined from granite quarries.
• Get advantages: Provides potassium, additionally hint minerals.
• Reasonable research: 1-4 % general potash; about 67 % silica.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Broadcast 10 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft to soil low in potassium; follow 5 kilos for soil with reasonable fertility.
• Feedback: Accommodates 67 % silicas and 19 hint minerals. Acquire granite meal at lawn facilities.

■ Grass Clippings (inexperienced)

• Description: Garden clippings.
• Get advantages: Grass clippings upload natural topic and nitrogen to the soil; they stimulate worms and soil microorganisms.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0.5-0.2-0.5
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 50 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft for soil low in nitrogen; upload 30 kilos for soil with reasonable fertility.
• Feedback: Don’t use grass clippings from lawns which were handled with herbicides or insecticides.

■ Greensand

• Description: Often known as glauconite; greensand comes from a 70 million yr previous marine deposit mined in New Jersey. This can be a greenish coloured sand-based mineral.
• Get advantages: Provides potassium and micronutrients.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0-0-1 (the entire potassium is also as much as 7 % however the launch may be very gradual).
• Utility: Broadcast in fall; follow 5 to ten kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft if soil is low in potassium; use 3 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft in reasonable soils. Greensand releases potassium very, very slowly over a ten yr duration. Gradual launch of seven % potash plus 32 hint minerals. Greensand is helping bind debris of sandy soil and loosens clay soils.

■ Gypsum

• Description: Calcium sulfate powder, mined or as a spinoff of mining.
• Get advantages: Soil balancer; supplies the soil with calcium and sulfur.
• Reasonable research: 22 % calcium, 17 % sulfur
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Broadcast 4 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft on soil this is low in calcium; follow 2 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft on soil with reasonable fertility; upload ½ pound on fertile soil.
• Feedback: Use gypsum to proper a calcium deficiency. Gypsum has little impact at the soil pH. Don’t follow gypsum if pH is beneath 5.8. Gypsum will loosen tight, clay soil; it’ll neutralize an excessive amount of sodium and magnesium within the soil.

■ Horse Manure

• Description: Cast waste from horses and ponies.
• Get advantages: Provides natural topic and small quantities of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
• Reasonable NPK research: Research varies, about 0.7-0.3-0.6
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Unfold 2 to 4 inches of manure within the fall and switch it underneath to permit it to additional compost. Upload 10 to twenty kilos of composted or dried manure in keeping with 100 sq. ft.
• Feedback: Upload dry, composted manure. Permit recent manure to compost or age; it’s excessive in nitrogen and salts and will hurt vegetation. Composting manure will lend a hand break weed seeds. Horse manure accrued from stables would possibly comprise bedding comparable to straw or sawdust or larvicides or cattle drugs.

■ Kelp Meal

• Description: Dried, flooring seaweed, an ocean product, also referred to as seaweed meal.
• Get advantages: Provides potassium and in addition calcium, sodium, sulfur, and natural topic.
• Reasonable NPK research: 1.0-0.5-2.5
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 1 to two kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft and until or flip it into the soil.
• Feedback: Accommodates a large array of nutrients, minerals, and soil-conditioning parts; don’t over follow or the micronutrients can develop into poisonous. Rinse seaweed of salt sooner than including it to the lawn. Kelp meal is to be had at lawn facilities.

■ Langbeinite, offered underneath the logo title Sul-Po-Magazine

• Description: A mineral known as sulfate of potash-magnesia; offered as Sul-po-mag commercially.
• Get advantages: Fast-release potassium; additionally incorporates magnesium.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0-0-22; 11 % magnesium, 22 % sulfur.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Broadcast 1 pound in keeping with 100 sq. ft.
• Feedback: Don’t use this product ceaselessly; it’ll intervene with the absorption of different vitamins. The discharge of potassium from Sul-po-mag is sort of instant. Don’t use with dolomitic limestone; it’ll deliver magnesium to a poisonous stage; as an alternative, change greensand or different potassium supply.

■ Limestone, Calcitic

• Description: A lime that incorporates most commonly calcium carbonate, with a small share of magnesium carbonate.
• Get advantages: Soil balancer, calcium (38 %).
• Reasonable research: 65 to 80 % calcium carbonate; 3 to fifteen % magnesium carbonate
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 6 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft if the soil is claylike; upload 4 kilos if the soil is loamy; upload 2 kilos if the soil is sandy.
• Feedback: Lime raises calcium stage in soil and can slowly elevate the soil pH on the identical time. It additionally provides calcium and magnesium to the soil. Carry out a soil take a look at sooner than including lime to the soil. You’ll acquire lime at a lawn middle.

■ Limestone, Dolomitic

• Description: A lime that incorporates about part calcium carbonate and part magnesium carbonate.
• Get advantages: Soil balancer, calcium (25 %), magnesium (8 %).
• Reasonable research: 51 % calcium carbonate; 40 % magnesium carbonate.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 6 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft if the soil is claylike; upload 4 kilos if the soil is loamy; upload 2 kilos if the soil is sandy.
• Feedback: Lime raises calcium stage in soil and can slowly elevate the soil pH on the identical time. It additionally provides calcium and magnesium to the soil. Carry out a soil take a look at sooner than including lime to the soil. You’ll acquire lime at a lawn middle.

■ Mushroom Compost

• Description: Used rising medium to provide mushrooms; in most cases is composed of wheat straw, hay, corn police officers, cottonseed hulls, gypsum, and rooster manure.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen and natural topic
• Reasonable NPK research: About 2-1-1
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 2 to a few inches of mushroom compost as sheet compost in fall and paintings it into the soil. Use throughout the rising season as a facet dressing.
• Feedback: Be certain mushroom compost incorporates no seed or pesticide residue. It’s in most cases pasteurized sooner than it’s offered.

■ Oak Leaves

• Description: Oak leaf mulch.
• Get advantages: Provides natural topic.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0.8-0.4-0.1
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 100 kilos in keeping with 1,000 sq. ft. Upload oak leaves to the lawn within the fall and make allowance them to decompose sooner than spring.
• Feedback: Oak leaves can be utilized so as to add natural topic to the soil. Oak leaves can be utilized as mulch. They are going to no longer make the soil extra acidic through any nice level. Oak leaves smash down very slowly; shred leaves sooner than including them to the lawn.

■ Peat Moss

• Description: Plant particles that has been decomposed underneath water with out oxygen. Peat moss comes from bathrooms, most commonly from Canada but in addition from Europe.
• Get advantages: Provides natural topic to the soil and will increase the soil acidity.
• Reasonable research: Peat moss has a pH vary of three.0 to 4.5.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload about 2½ kilos of peat moss in keeping with 100 sq. ft as wanted.
• Feedback: Peat moss is easiest used round acid loving vegetation. Moisten dry peat moss completely sooner than including it to the soil then combine it into the soil. If left at the soils floor peat moss will dry out and repel water. Maximum peat moss comes from Canada; it isn’t a renewable useful resource. Peat moss may also be bought in bales from lawn facilities.

■ Pine needles

• Description: Pine needle mulch.
• Get advantages: Provides natural topic.
• Reasonable research: Soil needles have a pH of about 6.5.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 3 to five inches of pine needles as mulch round vegetation. Upload pine needles to the lawn within the fall and make allowance them to decompose sooner than spring.
• Feedback: Pine needles can be utilized so as to add natural topic to the soil. They are going to take 3 to five months to start decomposing. Pine needles can be utilized as mulch; they permit water to succeed in the soil. They are going to no longer make the soil extra acidic through any nice level. Pine needles smash down very slowly; shred needles sooner than including them to the lawn.

■ Poultry Manure

• Description: Droppings from chickens, turkeys, and different domesticated birds.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen and lesser quantities of phosphorus and potassium and natural topic.
• Reasonable NPK research: 1.1-0.8-0.5
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Observe 5 to ten kilos of composted manure over 100 sq. ft. Contemporary manure may also be carried out to planting beds in fall together with high-carbon fabrics comparable to shredded leaves to help in its decomposition.
• Feedback: Compost poultry manure sooner than including it to the soil; recent manure is excessive in nitrogen and will “burn” vegetation. Dry and dusty manure can comprise fungal spores; put on a respirator or face masks when making use of dry manures.

■ Rock Phosphate

• Description: Finely flooring mineral skeletal stays of prehistoric animals
• Get advantages: Upload phosphorus.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0-3-0; about 32 % phosphate, additionally about 32 % calcium.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Observe 6 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft for soil low in phosphorus; for reasonable soil upload 2 to 2½ kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft. Liberate time is set 3 to five years.
• Feedback: Rock phosphate is easiest added to acidic soil of pH 6.4 or much less; additionally incorporates calcium, iron and 9 different hint parts. Rock phosphate may also be bought at lawn facilities or farm provide retail outlets.

■ Sawdust

• Description: Picket shavings and dirt from sawmill or woodworking.
• Get advantages: Provides natural topic.
• Reasonable research: May also be acidic relying upon the picket.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Sawdust is ceaselessly used as summer time mulch; upload 1 to 1½ inches round vegetation.
• Feedback: Upload nitrogen to the soil when including sawdust to the lawn; this may occasionally aide in its decomposition or ensure sawdust is definitely rotted sooner than incorporating. Compost sawdust with nitrogen-rich fabrics.

■ Soybean Meal

• Description: Processed stays from soy.
• Get advantages: Provides nitrogen.
• Reasonable NPK research: 7-2-1
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 8 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft. Liberate time 1 to 4 months.
• Feedback: To be had at feed stor

■ Sulfur

• Description: A herbal going on mineral.
• Get advantages: Sulfur lowers the pH of soil lowering the alkalinity of a soil with a excessive pH.
• Reasonable research: A soil modification to decrease soil pH.
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Broadcast 1 pound in keeping with 100 sq. ft to decrease the pH through one level.
• Feedback: Observe sulfur to the soil in fall; combine the sulfur into the highest 3 inches of soil. Further sulfur is also required if the soil is excessive in natural topic. Upload further sulfur after checking out the soil. Sulfur is to be had at lawn facilities.

■ Wheat Straw

• Description: Straw residue from harvested wheat.
• Get advantages: Provides natural topic.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0.7-0.2-1.2
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 2 to a few inches as a mulch; 100 kilos in keeping with 1,000 sq. ft.
• Feedback: Straw can be utilized to cut back erosion.

■ Picket Ashes (leached)

• Description: The residue from picket fires that has been allowed to take a seat outside.
• Get advantages: Provides potassium, relying on the kind of picket; additionally incorporates calcium.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0-1.2-2
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 2 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft each 2 to a few years. Flip leached ashes into the soil after making use of.
• Feedback: Combine ashes with compost to unfold protection. Use ashes from untreated picket.

■ Picket Ashes (unleached)

• Description: Contemporary residue from picket fires.
• Get advantages: Provides potassium, relying on the kind of picket; additionally incorporates calcium.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0-1.5-8
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Upload 2 to a few kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft each 2 to a few years. Observe in fall and make allowance recent ashes to take a seat during the iciness sooner than blending them into the soil.
• Feedback: Combine ashes with compost to unfold protection. Use ashes from untreated picket.

■ Malicious program Castings

• Description: The manure of earthworms; it’s darkish, crumbly, and odorless.
• Get advantages: A supply of natural topic and small quantities of many vitamins.
• Reasonable NPK research: 0.5-0.5-0.3
• Utility and quantity for adequately fertile soil: Observe 25 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft if the soil is low in natural topic; upload 10 kilos in keeping with 100 sq. ft if the soil has reasonable fertility.
• Feedback: Malicious program casting are about 50 % natural topic and comprise 11 hint parts. Malicious program casting may also be produced in a house worm-box with purple computer virus or brandling worms feeding on kitchen scraps. Malicious program casting may also be bought at lawn facilities.

Extra guidelines at Soil: Making the Kitchen Lawn and Fertilizer: Aspect-Dressing Vegetable Vegetation.