Hi all, Would like to know which nitrogen source is your favorite and why. I used blood meal in my soil, however since I have read some negative things about my choice. Such as, it can burn the plants or worse yet can carry mad cow disease. I don't partake of beef or pork, so I don't know why I bought blood meal. The main thing that I read about it that was good, is that blood meal is the fasting releasing source of nitrogen in the soil. Tell me if I am reading bs or is this true. Also wanted to start some conversation, I enjoy reading what you all have to say!! Peace, ET
Neem meal, kelp meal, alfalfa meal. Fish meal is a good source of N also. Fish bone meal is a good alternative for bone meal, for the same bovine/porcine aversion.
EvilT, I also use the above including fish meal. I have been re-thinking the amount of neem cake I use in my potting soil. An excerpt from Neemresource.com in the neem cake "uses" section piqued my interest. I think I'll be planting established plants into a neem amended mix but I'll leave it out when planting freshly rooted clones and/or seedlings. I've also found that top dressing with a small amount (2-3 tbsp's) of a fish meal/alfalfa meal blend and then covering up with a half inch or so of EWC (you could probably also use compost) gives a pretty quick N boost to plants that are starting to look a little hungry for N. The bacteria in both the soil and the fresh EWC go to work quite quickly and I've had lime green plants back to a healthy green in 3-4 days. cheers, chunk
Alphalfa is my favorite. Fresh, dry and cubed, pelletized for horses, ground to powder or steel cut. Stinging nettle tea is also something that will 'green up' a plant in a couple of days...but you have to live somewhere where they grow like i do. High N bat guano is good, but i have decieded to stop using it, as the way in which it is collected is kind of deplorable.
Up until recently, my go to N source was fish. However, I get the feeling that I'm going to be converted to Alfalfa here in the next few weeks. Plants have responded very positively to the teas they've been getting. As a dry ammendment, my Basil is loving it, and there'll be Cannabis roots in it in a week.
Compost made with lots and lots of leaf vegetables. Lettuces, Kale, Cabbage, Greens, etc. I actually seperate my leaf greans from all of the other food scraps. Make 2 hot piles and 1 cold. The "Leaf Compost" makes an awesome Nitro booster I work in a restaurant so fortunately I have easy access to these resources.
I add as much coffee grounds (from startbucks) to my compost pile as possible because it's a good source of nitrogen Otherwise, I use a good organic plant food- grow formula