Date: 9/15/2003 3:49:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time 
From: tenzicut


MAKE YOUR OWN
COMPLETE FERTILIZER

For the home gardener, the actual purchase price of chemical
fertilizer may not be much. But for people living in the Bush, the
cost shipping can be the biggest expense when purchasing commercial
fertilizer.
It is important to fertilize gardens in Alaska adequately. So
look for a cheaper alternative to commercial fertilizers, but don't
skip fertilizing altogether.
There are non-commercial alternatives that use ingredients
usually available to residents of rural Alaska, especially to those
living a subsistence life-style.
Chemical fertilizers may require the use of non-renewable
resources in their manufacture. For some people, this may be
reason enough to look for alternative ways to fertilize their garden
or field crop.
WHY FERTILIZE?
It's simple . . . we have to feed our plants so that they will
feed us. Growing plants take nutrition from soil, water and air.
Unless there are enough of the right nutrients in the soil, the
plant's growth will suffer. Garden plants can deplete many of the
nutrients in the soil unless we replace them each year. The plant's
nutrients we supply are commonly called fertilizers.
Fertilization is not that simple to accomplish. The choice of
nutrients used, how much to use and where to put them are very
important if we want the most out of the fertilizer. The condition
of the soil in which the plants and fertilizers are placed is also
important to know. For example, if the soil has too much or too
little acidity it will not allow the plants to make good use of the
fertilizers added.
THE HOME GROWN RECIPE
The three main ingredients or nutrients in a complete fertilizer
are nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. In commercial fertilizers
the percentage of each of those ingredients is shown on the
label by numbers. For our home variety we use fish waste for the
nitrogen, burned bones for the phosphorus, and wood ashes for
the potassium.
Fish waste for nitrogen
Fish guts and other discarded fish parts are a good source of
nitrogen if handled correctly. Mix 1 part fish waste to 2 parts
water. A 55 gallon drum is a good container for preparing an
emulsion. Fill the drum 1&#8260;3 full of fish guts and waste, then finish
filling it with water. Allow this mixture to rot. Apply this emulsion
at the rate of 3 gallons per 100 square feet (an area 10 feet by
10 feet.) NOTE: This will attract dogs, bears and other creatures.
Burn Animal Bones for Phosphorous
Collect animal bones of any type. Burn them into ash. Spread
this ash over the garden area at the rate of 3 to 5 pounds per
100 square feet. If you burn the bones in a wood fire, the wood
ashes can be part of the applied fertilizer.
Wood Ash for potassium
Wood ashes provide one-third of the three main ingredients.
To insure that there is an adequate amount of potassium in your
garden soil, apply straight wood ashes at the rate of 5 pounds per
100 square feet or 21&#8260;2 quarts per 100 square feet.
If a wood-fueled fire is used to burn the bones, the wood ash
that is mixed with the bone ash can be used as the potassium
source. You will have to estimate what portion of the ashes are
bone and what portion are wood. Apply enough of the combined
ashes to meet the bone ash (phosphorous) requirement, then if
necessary apply more straight wood ash to achieve the potassium
requirement.
PRE-MIXING
Some people like to pre-mix the three ingredients and apply it
as a liquid mix. This will work only if proportions and application
rates are properly figured. By applying each ingredient to the
garden separately it is easier to be sure that your application rate
is correct.
MANURE
Manure is probably the most common natural fertilizer used by
gardeners. Although manure adds other minor nutrients and
improves the physical structure of the soil, nitrogen is the main
nutrient that is added to the soil. Phosphorous and potassium,
either in the form of commercial fertilizer or as bone and wood
ash, should be used in addition to the manure.
Manure may come from poultry, cattle, goats or other animals.
It's a good idea to compost manure before it is used. Pile it
up so that it heats itself and decomposes (rots). See The Compost
Heap in Alaska (ACE # HGA-1-022 for more information on
composting. Be sure to compost horse manure and pig manure.
Horse manure may infest your garden with weeds unless
composted. Do not use dog manure because it contains organisms
that can cause diseases if people eat vegetables fertilized
with it - especially if they are root crops like carrots or potatoes.
APPLICATION TIME
It is best to apply fertilizers in the spring before planting, and
it is usually wise to add more fertilizer about the middle of the
growing period. After the plants begin growing, fertilizer should
not be applied directly to growing plants, but should be placed
alongside each row of plants so that the fertilizer seeps into the
soil without contacting the plant leaves or roots.
Organic fertilizers can be worked into the soil in the fall after
all the garden crops are harvested. There may be some loss of
nitrogen before spring because of runoff or leaching, but much of
the nitrogen will stay in the soil. Fall application is an 
alternative
to storing the fertilizer materials over winter. If organic 
fertilizers
are stored over winter, protect them from water and moisture.
Nutrients can leach out if water runs through the stored fertilizer.
Adding nitrogen in the fall could cause perennial plants (plants
that overwinter and grow again in the spring) to start tender new
growth that would put them in more danger of winter-kill. Therefore,
in the fall avoid putting fish waste or manure on or near any
plants that you expect will grow again the following spring.
FERTILIZER ANALYSIS
The approximate chemical analysis for the home-made fertilizers
described are:
FISH EMULSION - 9 to 10 percent NITROGEN available to the soil
BONE ASH - 22 to 27 percent PHOSPHOROUS
WOOD ASH - 8 percent POTASSIUM
By applying these ingredients separately, you can control the
application rate to fit the soil conditions of your garden - if you
have gotten a soil analysis.

