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ipswich, ma usa

Where should your %PPM Nitrogen fall? I'm curious what people consider a "good" number to have. Is 11ppm good or 3000ppm? Whats high and whats low?

John (5150)

4/23/2004 10:21:31 AM

Montoursville, PA

Nitrogen is not one to read on a soil test. Nitrogen is extremely difficult to manage. All one can do is have the elements in the soil that will produce nitrogen when the biological content works to make it available to the plants.

So not to worry if you have added manures, composts or elements of composts. Adding fish, kelp and molasses will fire up your nitrogen machine by firing up your bacteria to high levels of activity within your patch. Your worms will be working to do their thing. Even the beneficial insects will contribute to the picture.

It likely is not needed but because I can not be fully trusting I always toss in a little low number 4-3-2 or some other low number organic fertilizer. I also toss in about a pound of blood or Alfalfa Meal for the early fire up the bacteria action, in cooler conditions. I'm talking two or three hands full only in the nursery area using alfalfa or blood.

Listen closely. When you do this a zillion small voices will say tank you.

4/23/2004 11:01:55 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

The compost I use in my patches recently tested @ 16,242 ppm for Nitrogen. That's *extremely* high...so high it has to be spread out well and tilled thoroughly in the soil. I'm still somewhat worried about fruit aborts even knowing how well it's mixed.

4/23/2004 5:08:44 PM

Montoursville, PA

Something is unusual in that high nitrogen compost when in normal consideration compost has such low NPK content that it is not permitted to be called fertilizer. Basically if it is well made traditional compost you can apply any amount any time you have it without any concern what so ever.

4/23/2004 8:23:50 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Docgipe...My compost rates almost as 10-10-10.
You saw the results I posted a few weeks back...unreal stuff.

4/23/2004 9:45:50 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

PS...and it ain't normal compost.
www.rockwaterfarms.com

4/23/2004 9:46:54 PM

Montoursville, PA

Indeed you do not have normal compost. You have a new something that is not explained in the web site. At any rate the rest of us should not expect significant NPK in our backyard or truckpatch compost makings...unless we engineer additives to the normal simple process of letting it rot. Even the hottest chickens don't poop anything near 10% N. Not even after it has dried to it's highest level.
The finest straight blood is maybe 12% as was Meat Meal when the rendering plants still made it for cattle feed.
...They are adding something to get 10-10-10. It is not a traditional yeild of natural rotting percentages found in compost. Words are being played with somehow. The old saying went like this...."You can't get blood out of a turnip". Their product holds some secrets not yet made public. The concept is exciting. The potential for growth would seem great.

.....It is certainly very proper you were given the content value so that you knew to use it gingerly. Given proof that the content is there that product may be called fertilizer with proper business proceedures being in place and labels being proper.

4/23/2004 10:31:18 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

I can promise you this, it's 100% natural and organic :0)

4/23/2004 11:34:29 PM