Question Regarding Fertilizer

[Nubber]

I have been given a few different fertilizers for my birthday, and I have no idea what they do or how to use them, if anyone can give me some basic info as to what they do please, (I have googled and youtubed but I am still confused)

I have been given, Fish Blood And Bone. Bonemeal. Liquid Seaweed?

can someone give me a basic break down as to what each do, should I use them, and can I use them all together ? I am growing fruit trees.



"Update" a small update on my chilli plant that I have been overly proud of, the flowers showed up, and nothing grew. no chilli's. now the plant has grown taller, and I have now a new flower, but fear it wont fruit... still the longest plant I have kept alive

[Jay-ell]

I have been given a few different fertilizers for my birthday, and I have no idea what they do or how to use them, if anyone can give me some basic info as to what they do please, (I have googled and youtubed but I am still confused)

I have been given, Fish Blood And Bone. Bonemeal. Liquid Seaweed?

can someone give me a basic break down as to what each do, should I use them, and can I use them all together ? I am growing fruit trees.



"Update" a small update on my chilli plant that I have been overly proud of, the flowers showed up, and nothing grew. no chilli's. now the plant has grown taller, and I have now a new flower, but fear it wont fruit... still the longest plant I have kept alive

No Shh...

Blood, Fish and Bone is a general Purpose powdered fertiliser, it gets scattered on your plot as you work it, when you take out crops and are about to plant another. It has decent levels of Nitrogen (leaf), phosphate (roots) and potassium (flowers and fruit) - scatter it according to instructions. It's good to apply to the base of your trees a bit at a tile throughout the year to give them the nutrients.

Bone Meal is high in Phosphate which is good for root crops or putting in fruit bush/tree planting holes to encourage them to grow a strong root system.

I don't use seaweed but it does have a lot of trace elements in it. These are the nutrients that a plant needs to be able to grow properly but aren't needed in the same amounts as the Nitrogen(N) Phosphate (P) or potassium (K), elements such as iodine, magnesium, copper, etc. I think it can be used diluted as a plant pick me up if they look a bit unhealthy.

You don't need masses of any of these applied at a time - a little goes a long way.

[Snadger]

All of the fertilisers mentioned are classed as organic.

The BFB is a balanced fertiliser which is the organic equivalent of the inorganic National Growmore.
Bonemeal is as it says (crushed bones). High in phosphate and a very slow release nitrogen ideal for initial planting of any type of tree or shrub, a handful to each planting hole.
Seaweed fertiliser is usually used as a foliar feed /pickup throughout the growing season. The smell once sprayed evokes memories for me of trips to the seaside!

[Potstubsdustbins]

^^^^^^^^With rock and penny arcades.

[Zelenina]

Jay-ell and Snadger have explained the fertilisers much better than I could.

As for the chilli plant, well done for keeping it alive!! They are normally self-pollinating, but it can help to give the stem a gentle tap any time you're passing to shake some pollen onto the female parts.

But sometimes conditions aren't right for the pollen to do it's stuff, especially at the beginning or end of the season. Maybe it's too hot or too cold, or the young plant may not be mature enough to develop a fruit, but it's kinda practising flowering in preparation. It's very early yet. Give it some more time and it'll have chillis.

[Nubber]

thank you for the info. quick question though, can I use both "fish blood and bone, and bonemeal" on the same plant ?.

and foliar feed ? that's when I dilute it with water in a spray gun and soak the leaves ? both sides is that correct ?

[vixylix]

Nubber that is a great birthday gift!

[Jay-ell]

I would use BFB or bonemeal. Using both would either mean that the phosphorous or nitrogen levels could be too high and excess of some nutrients can mean that a plant finds it hard to take up other nutrients.

Excess nutrients will be washed away by the rains and can pollute the water system. It's also a waste of money putting too much fertiliser on.

Your soil will also contain these nutrients in varying amounts - having a healthy soil reduces the need to apply fertilisers in the long run - lots of compost, manure and mulches help this.

In general, if we look at roots, leaves and fruits/flowers the main needs can be summarised as

Roots need phosphate to grow however carrots and parsnips will fork if there is too much nitrogen in their soil
Leaves need a lot of nitrogen, but also need the other two to develop healthily - If you want to give your cabbages a boot then using blood meal or ammonium sulphate will supply them with lots of nitrogen for leafy growth
Fruit/Flowers need potassium to help them form, however some nitrogen is also needed and too much potassium can make it hard for the plant to absorb calcium. Too much Nitrogen and the plants can romp away producing lots of leaves and young new growth but no flowers or fruit. Too much potassium and the new woody growth may not ripen as this needs calcium.

[DannyK]

We have foxes and badgers. Is there a risk of plants being dug up if the BF&B is buried?

[Jay-ell]

Instructions on the back of the packet will usually recommend that you DO bury the BFB and the Bonemeal to avoid attracting dogs and predators.


What does it say in the instruction on your packets?

[Nubber]

Thank You all for the help !!!!