I usually use Maxi-Crop liquid seaweed and Earth Juice Meta-K for extra boosts of K. Both work great. The Meta-K is made from rock potash and considered organic. Also most mollasses has some K in it too.
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Organic Potassium source
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CimeTempestose
Member
Hi guys,
I apologize for may bad english and even for resuming a sò old 3d.. but belive me this discussion is what I was looking about since 20 days !!
I am an italian user but after long reading into the whole ita forum I am not satisfied of the answers that I found till now.. sò I decided to look for others gorwers experiences..
Actualy I am carry on 3 girls (I hope) they are at 3rd week .. actually in 8x8 pots.. going in few days in 16 lt pots square black plastic
the strain are both sensi seeds bank 1 Durban and 2 Jamaican Pearl both strain are regular for outdoor
Plants take CFL ligths till 6 am to 2 pm than direct sun till 2 pm to sunset..let's say 8 pm ..south Italy..
I decided to use only bio organics to fert..
sea bird guano NP 11-6 for vegetative phase
than for flowering phase I would use Bat Guano N=2%, P205=15%, K20=2%, S=2%, Ca/Mg=15%, mg/kg Cu=15, Zn=20, Cl=100
So the one million dollars question was : Where to take potassium?
.. I read all the 3d and unfortunately the most of the suffs that U have there in your countries are not aviable here.. also I have no access to wood ash..
So i tought to use beet molasses ..I hope the term is correct..
Do you thin that this could be a valid bio fert..able to give the right ammount of K ?
thank you to everyone taht will consider me
I apologize for may bad english and even for resuming a sò old 3d.. but belive me this discussion is what I was looking about since 20 days !!
I am an italian user but after long reading into the whole ita forum I am not satisfied of the answers that I found till now.. sò I decided to look for others gorwers experiences..
Actualy I am carry on 3 girls (I hope) they are at 3rd week .. actually in 8x8 pots.. going in few days in 16 lt pots square black plastic
the strain are both sensi seeds bank 1 Durban and 2 Jamaican Pearl both strain are regular for outdoor
Plants take CFL ligths till 6 am to 2 pm than direct sun till 2 pm to sunset..let's say 8 pm ..south Italy..
I decided to use only bio organics to fert..
sea bird guano NP 11-6 for vegetative phase
than for flowering phase I would use Bat Guano N=2%, P205=15%, K20=2%, S=2%, Ca/Mg=15%, mg/kg Cu=15, Zn=20, Cl=100
So the one million dollars question was : Where to take potassium?
.. I read all the 3d and unfortunately the most of the suffs that U have there in your countries are not aviable here.. also I have no access to wood ash..
So i tought to use beet molasses ..I hope the term is correct..
Do you thin that this could be a valid bio fert..able to give the right ammount of K ?
thank you to everyone taht will consider me
earth juice for me
JohnathanDoe
Member
Hello Op,
I use a combination of things.
I have some Kelp Meal, Sul-Po-Mag, and oven dried, powdered banana peels!
I think Kelp Meal is the best thing that you can get tho because it's so nutritionally diverse!
Good look with the search
I use a combination of things.
I have some Kelp Meal, Sul-Po-Mag, and oven dried, powdered banana peels!
I think Kelp Meal is the best thing that you can get tho because it's so nutritionally diverse!
Good look with the search
CimeTempestose
Member
thx for the passage, but isnt' earth juice good for hydro ?
Thx JohnathanDoe
I am very glad to hear this.. because I tougth the same about the bananas peels.. but I didn't know if it was a stupid thing
Please I need to ask few things more ..I suppose that first of all U dry the banans peel in the owen..
- could U tell me more about temp & time ?
- how do U do to transform them in powder ?..with mixer or what ?
- powder directly on the soil or mixed in the irrigation water?
- how often ?
- eventually can i melt the powder in the same water where I dissolve the bat guano ?
I knew that they are a lot of questions .. sorry
No wood ash? If you have a fireplace/outdoor fire pit/ring of rocks and access to some hard wood (dead tree parts)...then you can make wood ash. That's my source for wood ash--my fireplace. Wood ash is great liming agent and source of Potash 0-2-6. That said, perhaps water solubles, something like Potassium Sulfate (aka Sulfate of Potash) 0-0-50 might also be part of your solution.
Second issue--how is your grow medium's Cation Exchange Capacity? Low CEC means very little K will be available since it will leach from the root zone before it interacts with soil. If CEC is high, the K cation will be fixed and it will slowly release as the minerals/grow medium becomes wet and dry, as well as through acidification.
Since good CEC also requires proper soil pH...make sure your pH numbers are also good--IMHO, all the way to the day of harvest. Adding organic inputs can increase CEC (provided the soil pH is in the correct range--but the CEC is variable). Adding mineral inputs like vermiculite and montmorillonite clay also increase CEC but the CEC is permanent--again, if the soil pH is normal.
Hope this helps...or points you towards your answer(s), Cheers!
Second issue--how is your grow medium's Cation Exchange Capacity? Low CEC means very little K will be available since it will leach from the root zone before it interacts with soil. If CEC is high, the K cation will be fixed and it will slowly release as the minerals/grow medium becomes wet and dry, as well as through acidification.
Since good CEC also requires proper soil pH...make sure your pH numbers are also good--IMHO, all the way to the day of harvest. Adding organic inputs can increase CEC (provided the soil pH is in the correct range--but the CEC is variable). Adding mineral inputs like vermiculite and montmorillonite clay also increase CEC but the CEC is permanent--again, if the soil pH is normal.
Hope this helps...or points you towards your answer(s), Cheers!
CimeTempestose
Member
Hi EclipseFour20
unfortunately no fire palce here.. even if I always read that ash tend to make the soil alkaline and waterfproof ..isn't it?
Thx for the aka Sulfate of Potash.. I'll look around for it and in the end Thx for remembering me about the logic necessity to monitor the CEC in relationship to keep the better than possible correct ionic exchange, I'll do
Hi EclipseFour20
unfortunately no fire palce here.. even if I always read that ash tend to make the soil alkaline and waterfproof ..isn't it?
Thx for the aka Sulfate of Potash.. I'll look around for it and in the end Thx for remembering me about the logic necessity to monitor the CEC in relationship to keep the better than possible correct ionic exchange, I'll do
Make friends with someone that does have a fire place (and offer to buy them their wood)--or go to a place where burning is acceptable and collect the ashes after the fire is out (metal bucket). First, like any soil amendment once the wood ash is well mixed in the grow medium, I have not observed any separation/clumping or any waterproofing issues.
That said, I guess the question is, what is wood ash?
1. Liming agent with a CCE (calcium carbon equivalent) of up to 80 with a pH that can measure 10+.
2. Elements/minerals/oxide compounds. When wood is burned oxides of various elements are formed and they become available to the soil immediately--wood ash leaches extremely easy and fast.
3. Bio Char. Wood ash has a high char content (collect those baby sized charcoals pieces when you collect the ash).
4. Caustic. Yes, so don't let roots or plants come in contact--I add wood ash to my other liming agents and let the soil "cook" to activate the liming agents...which takes about a week or so. So the wood ash is part of my soil mix--premixed before transplanting. Hence wood ash comprises about 7.5%-10% of my liming inputs--the others include dolomite, oyster shell, and hydrated lime (not organic but fast acting). I would not broadcast or add wood ash as a soil topping/dressing--rather I would mix wood ash with other soil...then use that mixture (other soil + wood ash) as my soil topping/dressing.
5. Heavy metals. Yes, those nasty oxide compounds can be present--but only if the wood has heavy metals. So, no painted wood, no wood from pallets, no "mystery wood"...buy good quality firewood that was sourced from hard wood trees and you will be fine.
I have a shit load of various studies--but attached are 3 pdfs worthy of reading. The first two discuss, among other things, the element content of wood ash (good to know--lots there) and the last one discusses wood ash as a soil amendment and the effects it has on the growth of the ectomycorrhizal external mycelium in forests. Draw your own conclusions---but I say wood ash is a nutritious fast acting input....that increases soil pH....and causes no harm to the microherd--just don't overdo it (limit wood ash to be under 10% by weight of all liming agents...yes I weigh my liming agents by the gram, easier and more accurate than measuring by volume--ml/ounce/spoon/cup).
Cheers!
Last edited:
CimeTempestose
Member
Thx Eclipse but I live in a city..
..but nobody use Potassium Sulphate or could tell me if using it ..we can consider the grow always bio organic ?
Potassium Sulfate is permitted under OMRI, only if it is derived from langbeinite or other nonsynthetic sources. http://www.omri.org/simple-gml-search/results/Potassium%20Sulfate%20%E2%80%93%20nonsynthetic
I don't use it...was going to, but decided on other sources of potassium would be better for me (some non-organic).
Good luck, cheers!
I don't use it...was going to, but decided on other sources of potassium would be better for me (some non-organic).
Good luck, cheers!
CimeTempestose
Member
JohnathanDoe
Member
thx for the passage, but isnt' earth juice good for hydro ?
Thx JohnathanDoe
I am very glad to hear this.. because I tougth the same about the bananas peels.. but I didn't know if it was a stupid thing
Please I need to ask few things more ..I suppose that first of all U dry the banans peel in the owen..
- could U tell me more about temp & time ?
- how do U do to transform them in powder ?..with mixer or what ?
- powder directly on the soil or mixed in the irrigation water?
- how often ?
- eventually can i melt the powder in the same water where I dissolve the bat guano ?
I knew that they are a lot of questions .. sorry
Hey buddy,
Sorry I haven't been around in a few days to answer your questions.
But I'm here now.
I dry the bananas in the over on 200 for a WHILE.....Maybe an hour or so to be honest. Maybe even longer sometimes. You'll know they're totally dry when you can snap them.
To turn the into powder I use a magic bullet - http://www.buythebullet.com/
After about 2-3 mins in the magic bullet, the peels are literally turned into a powder, so much so that the dust escapes the container when you remove the lid. I do the same with egg shells.
I'm currently putting my soil together, so I mix it all into the soil after I've powdered it.
And I would not say that you can "melt" the powder in water by just going with my gut and thinking logically. I'm not sure if it's very soluble at all, but I would guess not since it's a peel, or the protection for the banana you know?
And no worries with the list of questions haha
How else would we all learn?Hope you find what you're looking for!
Ps, I think that Kelp Meal is your best bet since it such a complete amendment.
You also have to know that when you look at an N-P-K label of an organic product, to get the actuall P and K, you have to multiply the P on the bag by .44 and the K by .83. So there's a bit more P and K that the products lead on.
CimeTempestose
Member
lol! In the USA its normally called Canola.
J
jaded1
Comfrey is my favourite amendment for k,has a load of other goodies as well.
CimeTempestose
Member
well.. considering all the difficulties to find something good .. I decided (after reading quite a lot of 3ds..) .. to use :
black molasso from sugar beet .. produced through a natural process .. on line at 3,15 €
black molasso from sugar beet .. produced through a natural process .. on line at 3,15 €
C
ct guy2
Couple of things I wanted to add.
K-Mag (sul-po-mag) is a mined product that's inorganic (a mineral). Same with potassium sulfate. There's no point in paying for the "organic" version unless you work with a certifier on your farm. It's the EXACT same product as the non-organic one, only they have paid extra to go through the certification process.
Also, seaweed extract powder is high in K and very affordable. At 15-17% potassium, you're only using approx. 1/4 tsp/gal of water. http://www.kisorganics.com/products/shop/soluble-seaweed-extract-powder
I'm attaching the specs on the seaweed extract powder to this post.
K-Mag (sul-po-mag) is a mined product that's inorganic (a mineral). Same with potassium sulfate. There's no point in paying for the "organic" version unless you work with a certifier on your farm. It's the EXACT same product as the non-organic one, only they have paid extra to go through the certification process.
Also, seaweed extract powder is high in K and very affordable. At 15-17% potassium, you're only using approx. 1/4 tsp/gal of water. http://www.kisorganics.com/products/shop/soluble-seaweed-extract-powder
I'm attaching the specs on the seaweed extract powder to this post.
