need help on soil amendments

15 years ago

hi... i got my soil tested by a lab and they gave me specific amendments to add (i asked for organic amendments). they suggested:

bone meal 2-11-0
ferrous sulfate (20% iron)

potassium sulfate 0-0-50

there were other amendments, but i was able to find them. my question is this.

i was able to find bone meal, but only at 1-15-0. there is a blood meal at 2-11-0- is this okay to use as a substitute for bone meal?

i found ferrous sulfate, but it's 90% iron.

i found potassium sulfate, but it's 0-0-20.

i was given recommendations for 100sf garden. can i use what i have above but change the amounts based upon the differences? for example, if i have potassium sulfate at 0-0-20 and amounts were calculate at 0-0-50, do i just put 2.5 times the amount? for the iron, it would be reduced by the difference of 90% versus 20%? the lab is not returning my emails and i really want to get my garden in. i'm in the high desert and nothing will grow here without some serious help! hope someone knows something about this. thanks!

sylvia

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Comments (5)

taz6122
15 years ago
You're on the right track but I would go with the bone meal and use fish emulsion to boost the nitrogen a little. Any blood meal I have used is much higher in nitrogen than that and has little to no phosphorous. A couple points off here and there isn't going to make any noticeable difference but too far off would be a disaster.
m_lorne
15 years ago
I would check your numbers again. Blood meal at 2-11-0 does not sound right. Normally, blood meal is nitrogen rich, sitting around 15-2-1 or so. If the soil test came back with bone meal, you are going to need phosphorus. Nitrogen can never hurt and most likely your tests did not include a nitrogen test (or at least they rarely include an effective nitrogen test). Go ahead with the 1-15-0 bone meal and don't sweat it too much.

Michael
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digdirt2
15 years ago
Agree with the previous posters. Blood meal is regularly used as a source of nitrogen and standard ratings on it will always be higher first number like 15-1-1.

Bone meal is a source of phosphorus - the middle number - so it will always have a higher middle number like 1-16-2.

Use the bone meal you found.

Dave
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
Mee three. I suspect the blood meal analysis is 11-2-0 or some such. Mine is 12-0-0. A % or two in a volume of 100 sf won't hurt.

Dan
bsntech
15 years ago
Zepyr -

You are right. Some of those numbers may be higher or lower than recommend from what you've found at your local stores.

So the 90% iron mixture - only put on about 1/4 of what the soil place recommended. Same with the others as well; just take the numbers and work out some math - and you'll be set :)

Here is a link that might be useful: BsnTech Gardening Blog