Feeding Plants Naturally

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

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.

Sheep manure is good stuff.

Horse & chicken manure must be aged and preferably composted.

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

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: