Q&A for How to Make Nitrogen Fertilizer

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What is bone meal?

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Bone meal is a product often used in pet food and organic fertilizers. It has the texture of sand. It is made by crushing, cooking and pressing animals bones, and then separating the hard material (meal) from the liquid material (oil, or tallow, as it is commonly known).

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I've heard of a fertilizer of cottonseed meal and coffee grounds in a ratio of 3 parts to 1, but I am not sure which is the larger part of the blend. Does anyone know?

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Cottonseed is the 3.

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What should I put on my hydrangeas to make them blue?

Dean Leason

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To encourage blue hydrangea flowers, grow the plant in soil that has a pH of 5.2-5.5. Applying an acidic organic mulch, such as pine needles or bark, can help.

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I have used common household ammonia as a fertilizer, and it works well and fast as a source of nitrogen. I dilute it greatly. Is it common for people to use this method?

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It is very common for people to use it, as it breaks it down in chemical components.

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Is it a good idea to use household sewage as fertilizer?

Community Answer

No. Humans are ingesting too many pharmacist prescribed drugs which end up in the sewage. They then may be absorbed into the plants and back into the human body. A few years of aging the waste may neutralize it. The best method would be to pasteurize it.

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Is fertilizer expensive?

Community Answer

Yes and no. Most fertilizer is made using oil for manufacturing and the NPK is basically derived from oil as well. Just as your fuel costs go up with the changing price of oil, so will your fertilizer bill. Start using green matter tilled into the soil and compost everything you can to offset some of the costs.

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Can I use urine when making fertilizer?

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It is not recommended, as urine is harmful to plants. Human urine contains urea, a toxic compound that is high in nitrogen.

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What is the best source of nitrogen?

Community Answer

Using urine as a fertilizer is actually a great source. It contains 9 grams of nitrogen per liter. The comment is actually wrong regarding urine considering it being toxic. Yes it is if in too much, but note that urea is the most widely used commercial fertilizer in the world. But it requires an immense amount of energy and fossil fuels to create (Haber process). The plants do not use urea; rather, once in the soil, microbial colonies break it down into ammonia and ammonium and further into nitrate, which are usable forms of nitrogen for plants. Please note I refer to pure urine and not bio-solids which are not allowed in Organic Standards. Urine is up for debate as to if it is allowable.

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