Organic Fertilizers - My Top 5 Choices For 2021!

All plants need food. Very rarely can a plant subsist on air and water alone for any significant period of time. Over the years as a gardener works over his or her soils, rotates the crops, and builds up that organic matter and bioactivity of the soil profile, copious amounts of additional fertilizing becomes less and less necessary. However, if you're a container grower or you're just starting out a brand new garden this year, we need to think about amending that soil. This is precisely where organic fertilizers come in and I'll give you my top five all-time choices as well as their nutrient profiles and application rates. So let's get to it. Browsing your local nursery or garden center and you'll see shelf after shelf and bottle after bottle of both organic and synthetic nutrient solutions. So what makes a grower like me choose an organic fertilizer over its synthetic counterpart? Well there's three main reasons. The first is that organic fertilizers are generally slow release and this has two main benefits itself and that the nutrients tend to stay in the soil longer meaning they're less likely to get flushed away when it rains or when you water. As well for the most part you can't damage your crops by over fertilizing. They simply won't burn or toxify your soil like chemical nutrient solutions can do. The other reason is that organic fertilizers tend to have secondary nutrients and micronutrients beyond your typical NPK. Remember your NPK is your nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrient ratio usually displayed on every fertilizer you buy. These three macronutrients are required by all plants to thrive and grow in quantities greater than any other element. But organic fertilizers have these extra trace minerals and micronutrients that tag along with the main ones. Just as we cannot live on one or two foods alone, plants need a wide variety of chemical compounds and minerals to perform and look their best. And the third reason that I choose organic fertilizers over chemical synthetics is because they often improve the soil structure. These organic amendments can increase the flow and movement of both water and air as well as build up the biological activity of your soil profile rather than interfere with it. Feed your soil to feed your plants and with that let's dive in look at the top five organic fertilizers that you should be adding to your garden and your soil this year. First up we have alfalfa meal. This wildly popular garden amendment comes in both powder and pelleted form. Alfalfa meal is a great all-around nutrient boost for your soil coming in at around 3-1-2 on that NPK scale. In addition alfalfa is known to contain the natural growth hormone and stimulator triacontanol. This fatty alcohol will turbo charge your young plants and kickstart their growth to new levels. I use alfalfa either the powder or the pellets at a rate of about one pound per 10 to 12 square feet of garden area. I work it into the mulch or the top layers of the soil either in the spring or the fall. Conversely if you're container gardening your veggies this year you can mix it right into your potting soil at a rate of about three tablespoons per gallon. Coming in at number two we have canola meal. Also an all-around good mix canola meal is a bit more hyped up on nitrogen coming in at a 7-2-2 NPK. I use canola meal in applications where i'm after pure vegetative growth you know like in lettuces, spinach, or kales. Application is much the same as alfalfa meal just work it into your top layers of soil or mulch in the spring or in the fall. So a bit quicker release than alfalfa meal and a bit higher in nitrogen. Ideal rate is about one pound per 20 square feet of garden space or two tablespoons per gallon of potting soil. For our third amendment we have rock phosphate. This pelleted soil additive is a pure source of phosphorus coming in at 0-3-0. It's mined from phosphorus rich clay deposits and it releases its namesake nutrient at a slow even rate throughout the entire growing season to the obvious benefit of our plants. I use at a rate of one pound per 20 square feet of garden area or like canola meal two tablespoons per gallon of potting mix. It comes in black or white pellets which are identical products other than the colour. The fourth amendment on our list is a relative newcomer in terms of popularity but it's as ancient as farming itself. Seaweed used by farmers for thousands of years. The ocean's algae comes in three distinct taxonomic groups based on colour. Green algae, brown algae and red algae. While radically different in appearance they're all nutrient powerhouses containing 60 or more naturally occurring trace elements and minerals. This list of beneficial compounds contained in seaweed make it the literal storage house for nutrients. In addition to that all seaweed is known to contain natural growth stimulants and growth promoting substances. These compounds can not only elevate your plants but also fortify and protect them throughout their life cycle. If you're buying seaweed extracts from the store just follow the instructions on the bottle but if you're lucky enough to live close to the ocean like I do you can make your own teas and powders with seaweed that you collect right off the beach. I did a whole video on it right here, check it out for more info. And rounding out our top five soil amendments we have our very own compost. Made from the decomposition of kitchen scraps and yard waste, compost is in essence the ultimate soil amendment. Compost will benefit your garden in three key ways. As a slow release nutrient boost it's highly valuable. In addition it will also aid in moisture retention by adding pure organic matter back into your soil profile. And one key advantage to using compost as an amendment is the addition of soil life in the form of microbes and beneficial bacteria. Soil is alive. When it's working properly and in unison there's no limit to what it can grow. Compost bolters that bioactivity by constantly inoculating and enriching that biological component of your garden soil. There's no limit to the rate at which you can apply compost as it'll never burn or harm any of your crops. I tend to add it to my garden beds three to four times a year and for my potting soils it makes up around a third or more of the base mix every time I make my own batch. If you haven't noticed already I've deliberately left off any animal-based fertilizers or amendments from this list. With the rise in outbreaks of both E. coli and salmonella on grocery store vegetable recalls recently I'm really trying to steer clear of animal waste or byproducts both in my life and my garden. With so many plant-based and organic alternatives it just seems unnecessary at this point. Alright I know there's way more out there and if you didn't see your favorite organic amendment on this list make sure to leave it in the comments down below. Also if any of you are on Facebook head on over and join our gardening group called Growing Better. The group has grown phenomenally fast yet it will never lose its sense of community or its welcoming feel. If you're passionate about growing epic organic fruits, herbs, and veggies for you and your family the Growing Better group is a great place to hang out, share, learn, and grow. Hey thanks for watching guys. If you're getting value in this and the other series that I'm doing on YouTube, hit those like, share, and subscribe buttons if you'd be so kind, and I'll see you in the next video.