Fertilizers

[uripadees]

I bought a 50lbs bag of 16-16-16 fertilizer (got it for 20.00 bucks) for my lawn and then read some reviews. Some where saying that it was ok to use in your vegetable garden. It that true?

 

[Chuck]

Long term use of chemical fertilizers, no matter what they are used on, depletes the soil of micro-organisms. Have you ever heard of worn out soil. It comes from the use of chemical fertilizers. When you use chemical fertilizers you are feeding only the plant. The actual soil gets nothing. But if you follow the directions on the bag it is safe to use. Do not think that too much is just right. Too much and you will burn the roots. Organic fertilizers are forgiving, chemical fertilizers are not

 

[uripadees]

I think i will stick with the organics. Thanks for your input.

 

[CrazyConure]

@Chuck I'm curious, how did you know it wasn't organic?

 

[Chuck]

@Chuck I'm curious, how did you know it wasn't organic?

The numbers are all too high for organics.

 

[Tech]

Synthetic fertilizers for grass or for gardens are the same, grass fertilizers usually just lack trace elements that some other brands meant for gardening could have, around here they usually just come with nitrogen tho.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

There is nothing as true organic, everything is relative .

Synthetic fertilizer careful about the dose, dilute to max.
Organic fertilizer check if it is treated or not, might introduce new pest.

 

[uripadees]

Aren't all "organic" fertilizers have to be labeled "organic"?

 

[Chuck]

Aren't all "organic" fertilizers have to be labeled "organic"?

Yes and no. Some fertilizers are certified as organic and others as suitable for organic gardening. For instance, there is a liquid fertilizer named HastaGrow. It is marked suitable for organic gardening but is not totally organic. It has man made urea added. Other organic fertilizers which has the OMRI tag are totally organic. To be organic certified with the OMRI tag there can be no synthetics or chemicals added. There are many products listed as suitable for organic gardening including pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, many of which are tagged OMRI.

 

[uripadees]

Here is the info I found for this fertilizer. Would you consider this as organic?

 

[Chuck]

Here is the info I found for this fertilizer. Would you consider this as organic?

No. It is a chemical slow release fertilizer. Approximately 1/2 of the available nitrogen is used up quickly and the remainder is slowly released over 3-6 months.

 

[uripadees]

Well, I got it to use on my lawn and thought I could use it in my garden. I will find another fertilize to use. Thanks for your imput.

 

[Tetters]

Well rotted horse muck is organic

 

[Chuck]

Well rotted horse muck is organic

Not necessarily. It could be contaminated with chemicals like Picloram. This is a HUGE problem in the US. It doesn't matter if the manure is fresh or 2 years old. I don't know if this herbicide is used in GB or not, but if it is BEWARE.