pH and fertilizers

12 years ago

I have researched and arranged my garden veggies I am growing this year by pH level need.... 1) Broccoli - 4.3-8.3 2) Dill and Basil - 5.5-6.5 4) Green Onion 5.6-6.5 5) Kale 5.5-6.8 6) Turnip, Bush Beans, Canteloupe - 6.0-6.5 9)Peas - 5.8-7.0 10) Arugula, Leeks, Brussel Sprouts, Tomato, Watermelon, Peppers - 6.0-6.8
11)Radish, Swiss Chard, Parsley - 6.0-7.0 12) Leaf and Head Lettuce - 6.2-6.8 13) Cauliflower - 6.5-6.8 14) Spinach,Thyme - 6.5-7.0 15) Oregano 6.0-8.0 16) Cilantro, Okra - 6.5-7.5 17) Cucumber - 7.0 to slightly alkaline........

I was just thinking about several articles I have read that were saying urine and wood ash are a good fertilizer (urine for general NPK and wood ash for P-Phosphorus) I was just thinking that for the lower pH foods I could use just urine(+water 8:1) and maybe a teeny tiny itsy bitsy amount of wood ash(since wood ash is highly alkaline) for the lower pH veggies and use a little bit more wood ash for higher pH veggies. Also I heard ph is lower in the morning than at night and was thinking of taking that into account also.

More about urine as fertilizer....
I found this online
"Start with a 5-gallon bucket with a lid. Fill about 1/3rd full of water and then pee in it until 2/3rdÃ¯Â¿Â½s full. ThatÃ¯Â¿Â½ll give you a 1 to 1 ratio of water and urine.
Add a pinch or two of good garden soil and that will innoculate a bunch of fungi and bacteria that will modify the urine and add some beneficial bacteria to help break it down.
Put a lid on it and let it age for 1-2 weeks." .... I was wondering if anyone knows any more in depth online information sites that have more information about using urine as fertilizer. Especially if you have any further detail about how garden soil in a water/urine mix innoculates fungi and bacteria and adds beneficial bacteria.

Lastly, has anyone tried using a banana peel smoothie (banana + water blended + a bit of garden soil added after the blending?) as fertilizer and there experiences with it?...I was thinking also I could perhaps combine the urine fertilizer with the banana fertilizer + a little bit of wood ash(or more depending on the pH needs of the veggies) right before fertilizing.

I posted this message in hope that I might get some reassurance that my fertilizer ideas make sense and to find out more info on natural, cheap, homemade fertilizers.

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Comments (5)

ceth_k
12 years ago
Compare to urine, commercial compound granular fertilizers are far more reliable and user-friendly for new inexperienced gardeners. The nutrient content of urine varies greatly from one diet to another. Nevertheless urine is still very effective in the hands of those who made the effort experimenting with them for years.

One common mistake a new gardener could is to use urine without sufficient dilution. 1 part urine to 8 part water will burn roots of many plants. Please use the search function of this forum to find the info you need regarding urine application.
seysonn
12 years ago
I have a comment on trying to provide different pH level or each vegetable.

Most garden veggies can grow in a wide pH range , from under 6 to slightly over 7 (5.8 to 7.2). The optimum is 6.8. So if you provide a pH of 6.8 throughout your garden you can be home free.

But if you have a separate perennial /herbs garden , then you can treat it separately as most of herbs prefer a neutral or slightly alkaline soil ( 7 to 7.4 ?)
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digdirt2
12 years ago
As mentioned a wide range of pH is tolerated by most garden crops. So very few gardeners have ever found it necessary to organize their crops according to pH. It extremely over-complicates the whole process of gardening even if it was possible to do so may I ask why you feel it is necessary?

Dave
Slimy_Okra
12 years ago
I agree that you are over-analyzing the whole thing, which is a waste of time at best and could lead to frustrating crop failures at worst. I would suggest that you get your soil pH tested and then go from there to achieve a target pH of 6.5 to 7.0, which works for pretty much all the veggies you're growing.

I don't like applying urine to my garden because it can burn plants and it can also be high in sodium.
jonfrum
12 years ago
When you use urine, you have no idea what you're getting, as far as pH goes. None at all. You're welcome to pee on your soil, but if you do, forget about the numbers - you may as well pull them out of thin air.

Better to pee on your compost pile and let nature take its course. By the time the compost is ready for use, the soil critters will have worked things out for you.