Crop Feeding

[Sue]

I'm confused, I thought if you were gardening with organic methods then you should feed the soil not the plants, but all I seem to see is advice to put fertilizer on the plants, ie seaweed etc.
If you keep the soil in good shape should you need to make additional feeds? I can understand if the plants are in pots but in the soil?
Sue

[Alice]

Hello Sue, I'm a bit confused with your question. Whatever way you are growing it's best to feed the soil. But it can be beneficial to give a quick boost to plants with a foliar feed if they look as if they need it.

[Snadger]

Each plant has an optimum NPK requirement. It doesn't care whether it receives it with organic fertilisers or inorganic. You should try and keep your soil in good heart by adding organic matter to improve the soils texture which will ultimately improve its structure. A soil analysis will show up any nutrient deficits and this can be added either organically with blood,fish or bone meal for instance or inorganically with Sulphate of ammonia,super phosphate or potassium.
It's pointless feeding the soil unless you add plants!

[Sue]

Snadger
I mean't feeding the soil before the plants went in. Reading books on organic methods it says that you shouldn't need to feed the plants with extras, if you've added compost/manure to the soil, but then there's so much advice, on here for example, to say you should be feeding the plants as well.
That's whats confusing me.
Most of my raised bed veg has done fine without additional feeding, they've gone into ground, which every time it's been cleared has been forked over, compost, manure and rock dust added in before I've replanted. Just noticed that my aubergines and peppers were quite small. Was this the weather do you think or should I have given them that extra feed.
Sue

[Paulottie]

I thought this thread was a good discussion on the subject Sue

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ead.php?t=5999

[Snadger]

Snadger
I mean't feeding the soil before the plants went in. Reading books on organic methods it says that you shouldn't need to feed the plants with extras, if you've added compost/manure to the soil, but then there's so much advice, on here for example, to say you should be feeding the plants as well.
That's whats confusing me.
Most of my raised bed veg has done fine without additional feeding, they've gone into ground, which every time it's been cleared has been forked over, compost, manure and rock dust added in before I've replanted. Just noticed that my aubergines and peppers were quite small. Was this the weather do you think or should I have given them that extra feed.
Sue

There are no set rules........what works for one doesn't work for others.
There are so many variables............ where you live,year to year weather patterns, microclimate,soil conditions,soil acidity/alkalinity,soil fertility, etc etc and probably a whole host of others.
For instance, brassicas like an alkaline soil but if through analysis you ascertain you already have an over alkaline soil you wouldn't add lime would you? Tatties like acid soil so you wouldn't add lime there either.
As far as nutrients go, brassicas thrive on Nitrogen because they are a leafy plant, roots love Phosphate and flowers or fruit love Potassium.
Crop rotation ie brassicas following legumes, is designed to take advantage of fiixated Nitrogen and liming before brassicas to increase alkalinity which they enjoy and deterring clubroot...........the list goes on!
To my mind, even if your soil is in good heart it is still advantageous to add the NPK requirements (ascertained by soil analysis) of the specific crop you are growing.

A nice friable loam full of organic matter is a good start and will give good crops but an appropriate organic/inorganic feed at the right time should give you excellent crops!

[Sue]

Snadger
Thankyou, that sentence about roots, fruits and leaves and what they need is the clearest thing I've seen yet, I shall copy it out and stick it on my shed wall to make it all a lot clearer.
Thankyou
Sue

[Sue]

Paulottie
Thanks for the reminder on the previous thread, and I see it's not the first time I've been confused by this!
Hopefully have got more of a clue now and shall get busy with the comfrey
best wishes
Sue