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    • Rose Bloom Balling
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    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
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    • Compost Tea
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    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
    • Spring Veggie Gardening
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
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    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Dahlias
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pink Dawn Bodnant Viburnum
    • Poinsettias
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Ornamental Kale
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
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    • Snowdrops
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Organic Fertilizers

Amanda's Garden Consulting Company
This  cedar, Thuja sp., displays it's graceful branching habit and beautiful structure. Photo Amanda Jarrett

Organic Sources of Nutrients - ​​Organic Fertilizers Sources - ​Manures and Such - Types of Manures - Organic Non-Manures​

Organic Sources of Nutrients

Picture
Organic Sources of Nutrients
There are commercial organic fertilizers and soil additives available such as Gaia Green Products,  Sea Soil and The Organic Gardener's Pantry. Certified organic products bear the Organic Materials Review Institute OMRI logo. Check store shelves for organic products and ask them to consider stocking them if they are not available. They won’t know they are in demand unless you speak up.
Note that organic fertilizers need active soil microorganisms for the plant to absorb the nutrients. Microorganisms require soil temperatures of 10 degrees Celsius (50 F) or greater and moisture to become active. This usually isn't a problem as plants don't need feeding during the winter and growth usually slows during the heat of the summer.  It's a supply and demand system. When plants are growing in spring, early summer, late summer and autumn, soil organisms are active and doing their job. During the heat of the summer and in winter, plants are not actively growing so they don't require as much food. 


​Organic Fertilizers Sources:
  • Nitrogen: bat guano, meals: blood meal, feather meal, fishmeal, soybean meal, cottonseed meal, canola meal, flaxseed meal, alfalfa meal, manures of chicken, rabbit, sheep, steer, horse and steer
  • Phosphorus: fishbone meal, bone meal, colloidal phosphate, rock phosphate
  • Potash (Potassium): granite dust, greensand, ground kelp, langbeinite, rock potash, wood ash
  • Calcium: dolomite lime, gypsum, mushroom manure, calcitic lime
  • Magnesium: dolomite lime, epsom salts
  • Sources of Trace Elements: ground kelp, glacial rock dust, borax

Manures and Such

​
Animal manures are used extensively to improve soil fertility. They also improve soil texture as they contain digested grass, straw and other organic matter.  Manures are not as nutritional as good old compost, as the digestive system of animals has extracted many of the nutrients.
Nutrient values for all animal manures vary due to the health of the animal, which would also include quality and type of its feed. Some manures have the animal’s bedding mixed in such as straw to provide lots of organic matter as well as nutrients. Cover piles to avoid leaching of nutrients due to rain. Cultivate into soil for maximum benefit.

Be conscientious and cautious when applying manure.  It should be aged, well-rotted with no foul odor and not steaming nor hot. To prevent polluting bodies of water, keep manure away from ponds, rivers and lakes. This also includes any run-off from the soil or pile. Go easy on the many as adding too much manure at one time and repeated applications contributes to ground water contamination and sky high plants that fail to flower and bear fruit due to the excess nitrogen. 

If you are worried about contamination from manures, use ones that have gone through the composting process. Composted sheep, cow and other manures, gets rid of all kinds of nasties including e. coli and salmonella. Weed seeds are not a problem as any that survive an animal's digestive system do not survive composting. Even better, the medication in animal manure from is degraded.  
Don't use any manure unless it is well-rotted and aged, not steaming, nor smelly as it may contain pathogens, such as E. coli as well as weed seeds. 
  • Fresh manure has large amounts of nitrogen and salts. It has the same effects as excessive applications of soluble commercial fertilizers.
  • Use fresh manure in compost as a nitrogen to feed soil bacteria and speed up decomposition.
  • Don’t use dog, cat, human or pig manures, either fresh or composted, as they contain parasites.
  • Never apply more than 1 inch in depth, per year.
  • Avoid repeat applications to avoid a build up of toxins, weeds and ground water contamination. 
  • Manures acidify soils depleting soil calcium, reducing soil pH.  
  • Avoid manure from dewormed animals as it kills earthworms. Organic, free range, grass-fed animal manure is best. 
  • Cultivate the manure into the soil 6 to 8 inches deep, so it stays within the soil and doesn’t run off.
  • Root crops: reduce manure to 1 part manure to 6 parts soil to reduce hairy roots.
  • Keep manure from bodies of water; ponds, streams, lakes and oceans to avoid contamination.
  • Manure mixed with water to make a slurry has potential of contaminating bodies of water including water tables. It really smells awful too. 
Picture
Sheep manure is good stuff.
Picture
Horse & chicken manure must be aged and preferably composted.
Picture
Bunny pooh is one of the richest of manures.

Steer Manure
  • .7-.3 - 4
  • improves soil structure
  • may be high in salts if steers use salt lick
  • may contain weed seeds
Dairy Cow Manure
  • .2-.1-.2
  • good soil builder
  • low in nutrients but high in organic matter
Chicken manure
  • 1.1-.8-.5
  • highest amount of nitrogen
  • easily burns roots if not properly aged or over applied
  • pelleted types best:
  • phosphorus and potassium often added
  • reduces chance of burning plant roots
  • runoff pollutes nearby bodies of water
Rabbit manure
  • 2.5-1.5-.5
  • the richest of all manures
  • high N and P
  • stimulates flowers
  • odorless pellets
Sheep manure
  • 0.7-0.3-0.9
  • high in N and K
  • odorless pellets
  • high quality organic matter
  • it's good stuff
​Llama manure
  • 1.8-.5-1.6
  • finest manure
  • naturally pelleted so slow release
  • contains many trace elements, minerals, N and K
Horse manure
  • 0.7-0.2-0.2
  • loaded with weed seeds as they digest only one quarter of what they eat
  • composted types best to reduce weed seeds
Bird and Bat Guano
  • made of the excrement of various species of bats and seabirds
  • nutrient content of commercial guano varies based on their diet
  • seabirds subsist largely on fish
  • bats thrive on insects or fruits
  • high in nitrogen and phosphorus, includes trace minerals
  • products may be fresh, semi-fossilized, or fossilized
  • rich in "bioremediation microbes" that assist in cleaning up soil toxins
 
Picture

Organic, Non-Manures​

Sea Soil
  • 2.1-0.16-0.5
  • by-product of the fish and forest industry
  • composted fish waste and bits of bark and wood debris from logs
  • doesn't burn plant roots
  • high in organic matter
  • certified organic by OMRI
Mushroom manure/compost
  • 0.7-0.3-0.3
  • made of composted horse manure, wheat straw and chalk previously used to produce mushrooms
  • low in nutrients but rich in organic matter
  • often alkaline, with a high pH
  • not recommended for acid loving plants: rhododendrons, blueberries, and camellias due to its alkaline pH
  • not suitable for organic gardens unless certified organic
  • not recommended for food gardens unless organic
​Non organic mushroom manure/compost:
  • contain trace amounts of pesticides used to control fungus gnats
  • be sterilized to control insects
  • contains straw, which also contain chemicals, such as herbicides  
Fish compost
  • 1.7–1.5–6
  • soil amendment or mulch
  • slightly acid, full of trace elements, micronutrients, minerals
  • great for blueberries, rhododendrons
Worm castings
  • 3.2 –1.1–1.5
  • vital nutrients, increase water holding capacity
  • veggies, compost: makes more nutritious and breaks it down faster
  • great stuff
 
Bagged sheep manure is convenient and is high in organic matter.
Mushroom manure is too alkaline for rhodos and other acid loving plants.
Worm castings are rich in nitrogen and other goodies.

Check out:
​Soil Building
Compost TeaCompost Tea
Composting
Fertilizing & Feeding Plants
Fertilizers & Ratios
Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities

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  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn Basics
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Alternatives
    • Lawn Grub Control
  • Mulch & Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • How to Garden Topics
    • Fall Garden Chores
    • Planting Know-How
    • Soil Building
    • Watering Tips & Techniques
    • Drought Gardening
    • Sheet Mulching, Lasagna Gardening
    • Cover Crops
    • Composting
    • Compost Tea
    • Houseplant Winter Care
    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
    • Spring Veggie Gardening
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
    • Peony Blotch/Measles
    • Slugs & Snails
    • Horsetail, the Weed
    • June Beetle
    • Powdery Mildew
    • Soil Solarization
    • Rhododendron Leaf Spot
    • Plant Rusts
    • Black Knot
  • Container Growing
    • Choosing a Container
  • Feeding Plants 101
    • Fertilizers & Ratios
    • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
    • Organic Plant Food
  • Plant of the Month
    • Spring Flowering Bulbs
    • Colourful Fall Plants
    • Abelia
    • American Sweetgum
    • Ash (Fraxinus) Trees
    • Astilbes
    • Aubretia, Rock Cress
    • Aucuba, Japanese Spotted Laurel
    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Dahlias
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pink Dawn Bodnant Viburnum
    • Poinsettias
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Ornamental Kale
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
    • Snowberry
    • Snowdrops
    • Star Magnolia
    • Strawberry Tree, Pacific Madrone
    • Stewartia
    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
    • Tree Peonies
    • Tuberous Begonias
    • Virginia Creeper
    • Weigela
    • Winterhazel, Corylopsis
    • Winter Camellia, C. sasanqua
    • Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
    • Witch Hazel
    • Wood Anemones
    • Yews
  • Garden Tour Blogs
  • Monthly Flower Arrangements
  • Website Index
  • Subscribe
  • Need Help?