North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jim Fruth <jfruth@uslink.net>]

Charles Paradise asked:  "How ever would organic-form recommendations
differ?  And anyway, why would I
need a recommendation?   Wouldn't it be obvious on the soil test what is
lacking and that needs to be added?"

    A recommendation of fertilizer comes in the form of "pounds per acre"
needed to correct a deficiency.  It takes an agronomist, or someone educated
in soil science testing to figure out how much of what individual fertilizer
to use given the amount contained in the soil sample.
    The fertilizer recommendations I receive usually do not say something
like, use xxx lbs. per acre of 10-10-10, for example.  It is rarely that
simplistic.  Instead, the recommendation may call for Ammonium Phosphate and
Potassium Sulfate, the combination of which would supply the amount of N, P
and K my soil needs.
    When asking for an "organic" fertilizer recommendation, things become a
bit more nebulous.  The amount of nutrients in organic fertilizers
frequently don't exactly match the amount needed so you could get more of
one thing in order to get enough of another.  Now, let's say your soil need
a micronutrient and there is no organic form of it unless it comes with some
other compounds, in which case, you are going to get compounds you don't
need in order to get the one you do need.
-- 

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN
www.bberryfarm.com
Jams, Jellies and Syrups
(218)568-8483 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My cell]