Organic Potassium source

[fisher15]

I like comfrey (russian). Lotsa good info here: http://www.the-organic-gardener.com/Comfrey.html

Concentrated russian confrey NPK 8-2.6-20.5

 

[sophisto]

like i said, i use yarrow not sunflower. and i use the leafs and flowers to make fermented plant extracts. which is basically water, molasses, yarrow and lacto bacillus.

Could you elaborate a little more as to how you make these fermented plant extracts??? The basics at least....You da man.

Ingredients/water/fermentation process etc....

 

[jaykush]

simple as hell man,

-you take warm water(not boiling!!!!!!!)
-crush some yarrow leaf and flower with your hand( i grow my own, well it grows itself actually)
-add to the water
-add molasses( dont go crazy remember less is more)
-add lacto bacillus culture(cost pennies to make, but plan and start 2 weeks in advance)

also remember i dont measure anything, i took a small water bottle, filled it half way since i was going to dilute 1:20 anyways you dont need a lot at first. poked some holes in the top for vent. set in the closet.

let sit 2 days in a stable temp area, it will begin to smell extremely floral and sweet( like candies at one point), actually one of the best smelling organic nutes ive ever used. the water will become a foggy golden honey like color. i cant tell you how often to apply as im lax on schedules, but dilute it and as i always say little but often, so i dilute it to 1:20 in fresh clean water and apply, and use when needed(about every 2 weeks give or take a few days each way). works great on compost too.

just remember if you let it ferment too long you make alcohols thats not the point, fermentation unlocks nutrients in stronger concentration. ive let one go bad to try, it was about the 4th day point and it went bad( well it didnt smell or look as lively imo adn smelled slightly alcoholish). 2 days was perfect.

you can do this with almost any plant to unlock there full potential.

 

[sophisto]

Shit man I am gonna start a thread on this too cool....

There are companies that sell vegan nutrients...I researched around a bit and it turns out 90% of their ingredients are fermented plant extracts.....

To experiment around a little and develop our own extracts would be awesome...."Whats that ladie's, you need some phosphorous? ", "Here you go it's a cucumber skin and cantelope rind extract I made just for you". Drink...

damn to cool.....I want to shake your hand some day...genius.

 

[skylined]

Biocanna is also a vegan nutrient, at least according to the grow-store owner. Also, greensand is unfortunately nearly useless IMHO. There's NPK ratios and then theres availability. You could have greatest NPK ratio in the world but if the nutrients aren't available to the plant (such as greensand which is slow as fuck to break down) then they won't do you much good. Much better to go with sul-po-mag or wood ashes.

BSSF
~Skylined

 

[Carl Carlson]

bump

 

[NSPB]

Seeing as this thread was bumped...there are a couple of things I do to add a bit of extra K to the mix:

coco-coir (it does add trace amount of K)
dry molasses
EWC
Greensand (with abundant microbial life, it breaks down just fine)
Kelp

But all these have pretty much been said...



NSPB

 

[Carl Carlson]

This might sound silly, but I have a couple of friends with fireplaces and wood stoves. how does one go about collecting the ash for transporting back to the spot?

 

[treefrog]

simple as hell man,

-you take warm water(not boiling!!!!!!!)
-crush some yarrow leaf and flower with your hand( i grow my own, well it grows itself actually)
-add to the water
-add molasses( dont go crazy remember less is more)
-add lacto bacillus culture(cost pennies to make, but plan and start 2 weeks in advance)

also remember i dont measure anything, i took a small water bottle, filled it half way since i was going to dilute 1:20 anyways you dont need a lot at first. poked some holes in the top for vent. set in the closet.

let sit 2 days in a stable temp area, it will begin to smell extremely floral and sweet( like candies at one point), actually one of the best smelling organic nutes ive ever used. the water will become a foggy golden honey like color. i cant tell you how often to apply as im lax on schedules, but dilute it and as i always say little but often, so i dilute it to 1:20 in fresh clean water and apply, and use when needed(about every 2 weeks give or take a few days each way). works great on compost too.

just remember if you let it ferment too long you make alcohols thats not the point, fermentation unlocks nutrients in stronger concentration. ive let one go bad to try, it was about the 4th day point and it went bad( well it didnt smell or look as lively imo adn smelled slightly alcoholish). 2 days was perfect.

you can do this with almost any plant to unlock there full potential.

Hey Jay.. How long does the concentrate last?
Does it store well after you've strained out the plant material?

Thanks

 

[jaykush]

if your going for long term storage, skip the molasses and let it ferment longer than 2 days. it does store very well after the material is strained out. ive used extracts over a year old before. but best used within 2 months id say.

 

[Manitoid]

Mollassas is 1,0,5 (NPK) and adds cal, mag, and sweetener

 

[guest2012y]

This might sound silly, but I have a couple of friends with fireplaces and wood stoves. how does one go about collecting the ash for transporting back to the spot?

First off,make sure that the folks whose wood ashes you are collecting don't burn plastics,wood with nails in it,etc.,also make sure the fire has been out for a long while. Hardwoods are best,but pine works too.
I've just filled paper bags with the little fireplace shovel then rolled up the tops of the bags and stuck them in a big black plastic bag. It's easy to transport and won't make a mess. This is the part where making sure the fire has been out a while counts.

 

[Mr. Greengenes]

Somebody mentioned Sul-Po-Mag earlier in the thread, but many people might think it's not 'organic' because of it's chemy sounding name. Sul-Po-Mag, K-Mag, Langbenite, Natural Sulfate of Potash, Magnesia, 2MgSO4 • K2SO4, are all names of the same very nutritious (0-0-22) and certified 'organic' mineral. Sul-Po-Mag and Gypsum together provide an almost perfect coctail of what's missing and/or locked out when you use naturally hard (high PH) tapwater like we have here in the Southwest. Also, the S helps to hold the PH down.

 

[guest2012y]

Recently started re-amending my recycled mix with sul-po-mag......and just got one of my biggest yields yet.

 

[treefrog]

How much K-Mag are you guys using in your mix?
I've been adding it to my water, but would like to just mix it in the soil instead.

Thanks!

 

[NUG-JUG]

First off,make sure that the folks whose wood ashes you are collecting don't burn plastics,wood with nails in it,etc.,also make sure the fire has been out for a long while. Hardwoods are best,but pine works too.
I've just filled paper bags with the little fireplace shovel then rolled up the tops of the bags and stuck them in a big black plastic bag. It's easy to transport and won't make a mess. This is the part where making sure the fire has been out a while counts.

Definitely make sure it's been out awhile..It seems like a no duh type thing, but I have a wood stove (not fireplace) it burns at 350-400, and the coals are hot for a day or two after letting it go out..

 

[Carl Carlson]

Thanks Captain!

 

[guest2012y]

Treefrog...I used 5 lbs sul-po-mag for about 55 - 75 gallons of recycled mix....I'm an eyeballer.
Nug-jug....learned the dumb way. Put a bunch in a paper bag that I thought was long extinguished. It caught fire sitting on my porch.
Carl....Used ashes every year outside. Started by just dumping a good shovel full in the bottom of each hole...eventually started mixing it in the combination of existing soil/hiked in amended mix. I was only repeating what I had seen by others who came before me not knowing what the benefits of using ash were until a few years ago.

 

[Carl Carlson]

potato skins, raw ash 5.2% K 27.5% Ca
string bean strings and beans (ash) 5.0% K 18.0% Ca
Sweet potato skins boiled (ash) 3.29% K, 13.9% Ca

Tobacco plant parts, the perfect fertilizer?
N-P-K
tobacco leaves 4.0 - 0.5 - 6.0
tobacco stalks 3.7 - 0.6 - 4.5
tobacco stems 2.5 - 0.9 - 7.0

source: NCSU - Nutrient Content of Fertilizer and Organic Materials

 

[Carl Carlson]

Comfrey Power

http://www.organicgardening.com/featureprint/1,7759,s1-3-81-726,00.html