Bloom Buster Fertilizer....To Use or Not to Use?

[Ross]

Actually, if folks knew the degree to which fertilizer companies were allowed to dispose of toxic wastes in the fertilizers they produce, most would be flabergasted. As one simple example check this site Metals in Fertilizers - Washington State Dept. of Agriculture - WSDA where metals (including toxic) that are allowed to be distributed in commercial fertilizers is discussed. In short, many of the commercial fertilizers used by folks here on this board, are used to get rid of certain toxic wastes. Some people still think "dillution is the solution to pollution". If we can dilute the pollutants far enough, no one will know.

[irrka]

Originally Posted by orchids3

at the very least we can say that the addition of phosphate to our water and food supply is not good. .

my WE use phosphate ALL the time, for energy, for protein building, for enzyme function, you name it. phosphate's gotta come from somewhere.

[Ray]

Agreed, but one must consider to what extent we need the stuff. If we take our plants as the analogous example, and accept that the MSU folks knew what they were talking about, then Miracle Grow at 30% P has 15-times the necessary amount, and the rest is a pollutant when we let it get into our soil and waterways.

Ross, thanks for the complement - I guess it's the seven years of engineering school followed by 32 years of scientific employment that "sets me up" to think that way.

I do, however, need to challenge your statement that:

many of the commercial fertilizers used by folks here on this board, are used to get rid of certain toxic wastes.

I have a personal relationship with the owner of Dyna-Gro, the formulator of the MSU fertilizers, the owner of the company that makes it, and the president of the Peters company, and none of them would even consider doing anything of the sort.

Do the fertilizers have some of those heavy metals in them? Sure, but that's because they are naturally in the minerals used to formulate the fertilizers. They are naturally in the soil in your back yard, and therefore, in you and me, too.

That Washington State report is ten years old, the kind of "disposal additions" they cited are mostly insoluble (cement kiln dust and electric arc furnace dust), so could not even be used in the fertilizers we use, and such practices were actually quite rare. Interestingly, two of the other cited sources of such pollution are animal manure and bone meal, a couple of so-called "natural" or "organic" fertilizer components.

Go back you your link and look in the upper right-hand corner. There you will get to a very recent report stating that there are 4785 fertilizers registered in the state of Washington as of November 2007, and NONE of them exceeds the limits set for the specific metals, and in cases where a new registration applicant does, it is easy to remedy by substituting a different mineral source or by increasing the recommended dilution rate. (That first phrase supports my comments above, but I dislike the "dilution is the solution to pollution" attitude of the second.)

I'll apologize right now for jumping on this so vehemently, but it was a little too "Fox Newsy" for me, raising issues that are irrelevant or at least out-of-context.

[Ray]

While I've been working on some First Rays stuff - repackaging fertilizer, of all things (irony anyone?) - I've been pondering this subject, and I think that Ross and I are both correct, but in different contexts. Like most things, it's a matter of economics.

If you look at the no-name, store brand, or even huge corporation fertilizer manufacturers that make the granular stuff used in gardens, on farms, and even on our lawns, you'll find that their margins are pretty slim. That said, they make their profits through sales volume and by using the least expensive raw materials they can find.

Stuff like fly ash and foundry dust does contain some beneficial nutrients, but because of how they are generated, they also tend to concentrate the toxic metals, as well (I had close contact with a toxic waste incinerator for years, so feel pretty confident in that. Of course, we were going after those metals to recover them...). Being a waste product containing toxic levels of those metals, they are difficult to dispose of legally as-is, but if dispersed sufficiently, the concentrations are well below the legal limits, and that makes them real cheap to anyone that can use them.

"Specialty" fertilizer manufacturers, or those with limited distribution (farmers are willing to pay more for the product, as the shipping cost is reduced), can get a better markup, so don't have to resort to the questionable raw materials. As those are the ones we all deal with for our plants, there isn't a practical concern.

[CoolPhrog]

WOW, lots of info!

I received my package from Ray yesterday and I'm very excited about using my kit. I already have the medium soaking and the plants I've chosen will be perfect!

I have a question about the two fertalizers I received. (One came with the kit and the other I pruchased in addition to). The one in the kit is liquid and the potassium seems to be the higher (4%) element. The other is the 5# bucket of water soluble. Which should I use and for what purposes?

[Ray]

Both are to be used at every watering, year round (unless you're resting some plants). The liquid is just a 25% solution of the powder, with the numbers rounded for printing the label, so they have the same ratios of the nutrient minerals.

[camille1585]

This very interesting thread reminds me of something that I completely forgot about... Ray, I sent you an email via your website back in early december concerning the shipping cost of MSU to France. I never got an answer Must have slipped through unnoticed

[Ray]

Originally Posted by camille1585

This very interesting thread reminds me of something that I completely forgot about... Ray, I sent you an email via your website back in early december concerning the shipping cost of MSU to France. I never got an answer Must have slipped through unnoticed

I don't recall getting it. Sorry.

Shipping weight is 6#-7#. Go to USPS - The United States Postal Service (U.S. Postal Service) to determine the rates.

[Ray]

Folks - if you have questions that are specifically for me, and are not really pertinent to others, please send me an email. Don't post such questions here.

[CoolPhrog]

Yes but is it really possible for me to highjack my own thread?

Just kidding