Mixing Fertilizers to achieve the right NPK ratios?

burjzyntski

Well-Known Member

• Jul 29, 2008

• #1

I have some 5-1-1 Alaskan fish fertilizer and some 6-12-0 bone meal. I know that I need more N, and since she's in the early flowering stages, I figured that I need more P as well.

Would it be better to start off with the High N & Low P, or the High P & Med. N?
If I mix these fertilizers into their gallon-amount equivalents, the total NPK would come to 11-13-1, correct?

I'm trying best to maintain an organic grow.

 

Seamaiden

Well-Known Member

• Jul 29, 2008

• #2

Oo... you should contact Ohsogreen, but I think the math is straight. He says to keep giving nitrogen during flowering, but since they're gonna need that phosphorous, you may as well start giving it to them in diluted doses now. Just be careful with the f.e. stinky-ass shit.

I think start off with high P and medium N levels, to answer your question more directly.

Wait a minute, with the bone meal's numbers, you don't even really need to add the fish emulsion, do you? Are you making a tea?

 

burjzyntski

Well-Known Member

• Jul 29, 2008

• #3

I thought I was going to have to mix these (that they were both supposed to be diluted in a gallon of water), and I posted this topic before I checked the packaging to make sure...turns out the bone meal is just sprinkled around the plants perimeter and the fish emulsion is diluted 1tbsp/gal per 25sq ft. I added a few teaspoons of the bone meal to the soil and watered it with my fish emulsion + epsom salt solution, so hopefully things will look better in a few days.

...if animals aren't drawn to the scent of bone meal and fish shit

 

BigBudBalls

Well-Known Member

• Jul 29, 2008

• #4

I think its Nature's Necture that has single nutes.
Like 5-0-0
0-5-0
and 0-0-5

#s maybe off, but it was single elements.

 

Seamaiden

Well-Known Member

• Jul 29, 2008

• #5

burjzyntski said:

I thought I was going to have to mix these (that they were both supposed to be diluted in a gallon of water), and I posted this topic before I checked the packaging to make sure...turns out the bone meal is just sprinkled around the plants perimeter and the fish emulsion is diluted 1tbsp/gal per 25sq ft. I added a few teaspoons of the bone meal to the soil and watered it with my fish emulsion + epsom salt solution, so hopefully things will look better in a few days.

...if animals aren't drawn to the scent of bone meal and fish shit

Click to expand...

That application of the bone meal is meant to help ensure slow release. I think you want something a little faster than "over the next few months". If so, make a tea. Start off with 1 tablespoon per gallon of water and use that to water, I think that would be a safe ratio to use.

Fish emulsion has zero fish shit in it. Stick to the 1 tablespoon/gallon measure and you should be alright. Your nose is another matter. Actually, now that I think about it, the blood meal tea smells pretty skank, too. Worse than ass.


Sorry.. I had to.

 

burjzyntski

Well-Known Member

• Jul 30, 2008

• #6

So bone meal that has sat in water (plus the fish emulsion and epsom salt) for so many hours will release its nutrients into the tea, helping the plant absorb them quicker?

Is there really a noticeable absorption rate difference? I watered the soil after applying the bone meal, so wouldn't that be basically the same? or is it being suspended/completely surrounded by water that makes the biggest difference? I've never made 'tea' before.

 

Seamaiden

Well-Known Member

• Jul 30, 2008

• #7

Yes, making it a tea can make it more readily available for absorption. With bone and blood meals you have to let it set for a few days, those goodies aren't released immediately.

 

burjzyntski

Well-Known Member

• Jul 30, 2008

• #8

Wow, your last post was almost-exactly 12hrs from your previous one.
Thanks, I'll get on making the tea then.

Oh, and I noticed that the fish emulsion was in an opaque bottle to begin with, but now that I have it in a clear gallon jug, I was wondering if the light had anything to do with the rate of decomposition? Was is purposely in a light-impenetrable bottle? The mixture is just sitting in the jug out by my plant, so it's getting full sun...I don't see it as a bad thing, just curious.

 

Seamaiden

Well-Known Member

• Jul 30, 2008

• #9

I have a feeling that the bottle's purpose is to keep light from it. Probably affects how it breaks down and all that. But, I would guess that if you use it up within a season it'll be fine.