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Fertilizing your plants may not be quite as simple as it would be if you used chemicals in your garden. Chemical fertilizers are certainly convenient. Most of them come in a form that only needs to be mixed with water and sprayed onto plants. But organic gardeners need a good, organic way of fertilizing their plants.

You need to pay careful attention to the package if you?re going to purchase a pre-made organic fertilizer. Some of them are high in one of the major plant nutrients, but low in the other two. Plants generally need nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash. You should research which of these nutrients your particular plants need, so you can purchase the correct type.

Some common types of organic fertilizers include blood meal, fish emulsion, cottonseed meal, compost, manure, and seaweed fertilizer. Many of these can be purchased, but a lot of them can also be made at home.

You must be careful to fertilize when the ground is warm enough. Organic fertilizers need organisms in the soil to break them down and release the nutrients they contain. So the soil needs to be warm and moist so the organisms in the soil will be active.

Cottonseed meal is one common organic fertilizer. It?s a byproduct of the cotton manufacturing process. It is great for acid-loving plants, because it has an acidic reaction in the soil. It generally contains about 7% nitrogen, 3% phosphorous, and 2% potash. Cottonseed meal is usually used for flowering plants like azaleas and rhododendrons.

Fish emulsion is a very popular organic fertilizer. It is made of a blend of decomposed fish. It is a high-nitrogen fertilizer, and also contains a lot of trace elements than can be very beneficial for plants. Fish emulsion is a nice, balanced fertilizer.

Blood meal is the blood of cattle that is collected from slaughterhouses and then dried and powdered. It is high in nitrogen, and care must be taken to ensure it doesn?t burn plants. You should be very careful not to exceed the recommended dose, because this could really harm your plants. Blood meal is also high in several trace elements like iron.

Manure is a well-balanced fertilizer, but it is relatively low in the nutrients it contains. It?s a very popular fertilizer, but it just isn?t high enough in these important nutrients to make it a viable choice for home gardeners.

Seaweed fertilizer in the form of a seaweed tea is often used by organic gardeners. Dried seaweed is added to water and steeped like tea, then applied to plants like other liquid fertilizers. This can be a very good fertilizer, and won?t burn plants. It is very high in nutrients. Use a dried seaweed, and be sure it?s not roasted or seasoned.

Some people use sewer sludge for their fertilizer. It?s made from recycled material from sewage treatment plants. You can purchase activated sludge, which is higher in nutrients, and you can buy composted sludge, which isn?t quite as good.

It is generally found in a granular form. There is some concern over the safety of sewage sludge, because it can contain buildups of heavy metals like cadmium. This can build up in the soil in potentially harmful levels.

Source: Organic Gardening

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Super foods to include in your organic garden

When an individual sets off to build their organic garden, a lot of time the individual think about planting their favorite fruits or vegetables, which is fine but you shouldn?t be that closed minded! When an individual is having a garden they should also thinking about the many health and nutritional benefits that organic vegetables could provide them with. As we know, many of the most nutrient beneficial foods come straight from the earth, so it a good idea to implement some of these foods within your organic garden.

Super organic food number one: Blueberries are fruits that are extremely high in antioxidants and many other vitamins an minerals as well, such as vitamin C and E. It is also extremely low in calories, and even though it tastes very sweet, it is extremely low in sugars as well. These are one of the most nutritional foods that an individual can grow within their garden, so it?s a good idea to make sure to include some of these within your garden.

Super organic food number two: Walnuts are also a very powerful super food that individuals can grow in their garden as well, and these types of foods are known for their high levels of omega three fatty acids which is known to help fight and protect against heart disease. They are also high in micronutrients and have been studied to help reduce levels of cholesterol in the body. However, make sure to eat these within moderation because these are very high in calories.

Super organic food number three: Tomatoes are not only very useful, but they are also extremely high in nutrients. They contain a cancer fighting potent also known as lycopene. Tomatoes are very handy because they can be made to be used in many other different forms, such as for sauce, can be chopped up to be used in salads, and can also be used as condiments for items such as on ketchup.

Super organic food number four: Super food number four is organic beans. Beans are extremely high in fiber and other vitamins and minerals such as the B vitamins and potassium as well. It has been reported that beans can possibly have more potassium then blueberries. Beans have also been reported to help aid in digestion for individuals and to also help clean an individuals internal organ from substances that the body has a hard time ridding itself of.

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Source: organic

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