Fertilizer Application Rate Calculator
I've made you this fertilizer application rate calculator to help you figure out how much of each organic fertilizer and microbial inoculant to use.
Choose your products, area, and application frequency below and click 'Submit'.
Feel free to ask questions down below...
I'm sure there are some things this calculator won't answer, so feel free to ask any questions down below.
when I click “Submit” is simply refreshes the page?
It’s working for me Sam – did you checkmark some products first?
I can’t get the calculator to work for the mycorrizea innoculent?
I’ve fixed it – thanks for letting me know, Ryan. The more thorough info on mycorrhizal application rates is here: https://www.smilinggardener.com/sale/mycorrhizae-for-sale/#application
do you need to use the mix immediately, or can it be kept in the sprayer for a while, how long?
Good question – it depends on the products used, but usually it’s best to apply it within a few hours of mixing.
Really like your new application rate calculator, but “Dextrose (or Sugar)” is confusing to me. I have molasses on hand; do I need to order dextrose and/or sugar as well? Or is it all “sugar”? Thanks.
Your molasses is perfectly fine.
Hi!…I have some questions….which of your fertilizers can I mix together?…how much humate per gal. of water and do I put molasses in every time I apply fertilizer and how much?…thank you!!!
You can mix all of them together. It’s just the sea minerals and fertilizer that may work better when sprayed separately, at least according to the sea minerals manufacturer.
Here are my humates instructions: Before application, first dissolve the powder in warm water at 5 Tbsp (1/3 cup) per quart of water. That quart will cover 2000 square feet, but doesn’t have to be used right away – you can store it. When you’re ready to use it, mix that liquid with at least 50 times as much water, which is again 5 Tbsp (1/3 cup) per gallon of water, or 3 gallons of water for each 1 cup of the liquid.
I use molasses most of the time. I do about 1/2 cup per 1000 square feet per month, so 1/2 cup when I’m spraying monthly or 1/8 cup when spraying weekly.
Thank you so much for answering my questions so promptly!!
This is so useful! Thanks a mil
Is this with sprayer at 1 Tbsp rate? Thanks.
After you check the boxes and click submit, the text above will tell you the rate. It’s usually the 1 Tbsp rate if ProBio Balance/Bio Ag is involved. Otherwise it’s often 5 Tbsp when using just liquid fertilizers. More details above though.
It does not tell me how much compost to add, even though I check the boxes for co post tea, molasses, EM and mycorrhizal fungi.
There’s a paragraph on compost tea below the main recipe. A 5-gallon brew can cover up to an acre, but it’s also impossible to over-apply compost tea, so even if you only have a few hundred square feet, you can use all 5 gallons there.
How often do I apply rock dust?. Same as the calcium carbonate? 2-4 times per year?
You got it!
When spraying a mixture of Horticultural or Neem oil and water onto your plants, is it OK to spray the flowers or buds that will turn into vegetables when pollinated? Same question for spraying liquid fertilizers?
I recommend staying away from the flowers and the buds with neem oil when they’re open. I’m not so careful with liquid fertilizers, and have never had a problem spraying them on flowers.
Thanks!
Great material. My question is this – when growing tomatoes don’t you have to vary the spray recipe for the stage the plant is in? By stages I mean vegetation, flowering and then fruit set.
Good question. For most of the fertilizers I sell, such as kelp and sea minerals, they’re more “broad spectrum”, used for overall plant health, not for specifically promoting growth or fruiting. There are certain nutrients that are especially effective at helping a plant (tomato or any other) move from growth to fruiting such as ammonia, boron, and phosphorus, but this is more of an advanced technique that I rarely see gardeners using.
Is it OK to spray liquid fish, liquid seaweed and Bio Ag on edibles like tomatoes, zucchini and basil? If so, do I need to make sure to wash them before eating?
Yes, it’s good to spray on these plants. As for washing, it depends. If it has rained or you’ve had a sprinkler on since the application, or if awhile has gone by since the application (I can’t really say how long, but let’s say a week), washing won’t be as important because the residues will be mostly gone.
I have read that it is important to not spray the leaves of a tomato plant but to water the soil and avoid wetting the leaves. Can I spray the fish and seaweed fertilizers along with the minerals directly on the leaves during the growing season? Also if I plant in containers should I be preparing new soil after each season if I continue to grow tomatoes in these containers?
Thank you for sharing Phil !
If your tomatoes are already prone to disease, which could be due to many reasons, such as poor soil health, it’s best if the leaves don’t stay wet for long. If you apply the fertilizers in the morning on what promises to be a sunny day, the leaves should dry out quickly and you’ll get the benefits of the fertilizers without the prolonged moisture. That’s why morning is often better than night for foliar fertilizing, although with healthy plants, it’s less of an issue.
As for re-using container growing medium, similar to my answer above, if the plants were healthy, the soil is probably healthy and can be reused. If the plants weren’t healthy, you may want to sterilize the soil. You can find articles online for doing that. Just be sure to add back some beneficial biology after, with compost or an inoculant like EM.
I live in S.Calif – when is best time to apply – liquid seaweed & Sea Minerals to my new beds? should I apply in November or December?
How about both? I like to apply a small amount monthly. Sometimes I’ll do a spray right when I create the beds and then the next spray when I’ve planted them.
Hi Phil, do you ever foliage spray with magnesium sulfate? if so, whats your ratio per gal?
Yes, I do at 1 Tbsp per gallon of water in my hose end sprayer.
I have a question about mixing BIO-AG along with seaweed, fish, and dextrose in a hose end sprayer . The calculator says to add at least 1 quart water, but then it says the water will come from the hose when using a hose end sprayer, but it says under hose end sprayer to add at least as much water as noted above ? Do I add a quart of water to the hose end sprayer or not ?
Hi Bob, what I mean is to just make sure at least that much water gets used overall, so you don’t need to add it to the hose end sprayer because the hose will take care of it.
Thanks Phil, I noticed though that you usually do add some water to the hose end sprayer. In my calculation I am only spraying 100 SQ feet once a week so the amount of EM, Fish, and seaweed is very small. In this case do I add like a cup of water to ensure the hose end sprayer sucks it up? Else there will be only about 2 teaspoons of liquid in the hose end sprayer. is this enough liquid?
Good question. Yes, I would add some water in there. That will make the spray more diluted, which is fine, or alternatively, it will allow you to choose a higher setting on the sprayer.If you add a cup of water to 2 teaspoons of fertilizer, that’s about a 1:24 ratio already, so instead of using a 1Tbsp per gallon setting on the sprayer, you can increase it to whatever you want – even the full 10Tbsp per gallon would be fine.
When the calculator recommends 2 T of the Pro Bio is that Mother Culture or Activated solution?
It’s the same application rate for each, as they should have somewhat similar biology counts.
When I click Submit it only refreshes the page. Yes, I checkmarked products prior to clicking submit. Thank you!
Hmmm, it’s working for me. Can you try again?
Would like to see humic acid added to the feeds.
Will try to do this some time.
Thanks for this calculator! Really helpful. Since there are a lot of different products.. and I have a not so big garden (something like 400 sq. feet) I’m thinking to combine some of them in a sprayer. Any problem with that?
Oh oops. I see you did answer this.
I have small back yard I put my tomato plants pepper and cucumber plants in big flower pot with the bottoms cut out so the roots can grow into the ground how would I apply your products that way
Hi Bill, you would still use the same ratios and spray the foliage just like you would in a regular garden. Most important is to get the ratios correct of fertilizer to water.
Do these fertilizers keep for over a year? I live in Iowa (so can’t garden year round) and my garden is only about 200 square feet. It seems a quart is the smallest portion to buy for the beginner recommendation. Wondering if they will keep for the next year? Thanks.
Yes, most of them have an expiry date of 1-2 years away, and they keep beyond the expiry as long as they’re stored at room temperature, not in direct sunlight. I use them for 2-3 years.
I have recently purchased several products including the Hudson hose end sprayer. Our garden is only 100 square feet. So after adding the appropriate measurements into the sprayer bottle, I must have to fill it with water. If not there is not enough in there to siphon out. Also, according to the directions on the bottle for teaspoon usage, the brass screw is inserted into the top of the siphon tube. So does the dial on top of the Hudson get set to the #1 for this size of garden?
No, you don’t have to use the brass screw. You still want to spray at a minimum dilution of 1 Tbsp per gallon of water (when using the EM/ProBio Balance), so that’s just setting 1 without the brass screw. In your case, you can absolutely just add some water into the container in order to allow the fertilizers to be siphoned out properly, and that means you could actually set the dial up higher because you’ve already diluted the mixture some. So if you add 10 times as much water into the bottle as you added fertilizer, you could set the dial up to setting 10, although it doesn’t hurt to have a greater dilution with water either, so you could just leave it at setting 1 or somewhere in between.
Phil,In much of the microbial growing and mixing literature and discussion we’re told to avoid using chlorinated city water; I do. However, we’re then told to use garden sprayers using the hose and “City water”. Does it matter?
I’ve never found any specific data on it. We know that chlorine isn’t ideal, and certainly too much chlorine is a problem, but a small amount of chlorine isn’t the end of the world. Indeed, a small amount is actually a plant nutrient. I love your idea you mentioned to me before of using rainwater for the application. And certainly it makes sense to improve soil water-holding capacity with compost and mulch in order to be able to decrease he need to water with chlorinated water, but most people have to at some point. When I’m hand watering, I mix a little bit of liquid seaweed and other organic fertilizers into the water first, hoping they might help ‘tie up’ some of the chlorine. Even better is to throw in a tiny amount of humic acids or vitamin C or a small handful of compost, which should definitely tie up the chlorine.
Regarding calcium carbonate. 1 lb. of Calcium Carbonate = how many cups? I usually measure by the cup. Thank you.
Sorry Karen, I haven’t been able to find an answer for this. I found wildly varying answers online, one of which was 10X higher than the other.
The question ” 1 lb. of Calcium Carbonate = how many cups? ” Cups. This unit of measurement has a big danger of variation, not just because different sized cups can be used but also because lime can have variable bulk density according to the fineness of the powder. Getting the correct spread rate is critical. Use Lbs Acre, ounces per square yard. Better still metric; Kilos per hectare which divided by 10 equals grams per square metre
Thanks for sharing Philip. Excellent info.
Hello Phil best fertilizer I need for North Carolina centipede lawn thanks!
Hi, I have an orchard with apple, peach, plum, pear, and failing cherry trees. Only cherry is diseased, Two of each tree, just to give you an idea, all avg 10 ft. Before pulling the cherries, I want to make one last effort in saving them, what do you recommend and how do I apply and can I apply now in late Winter? Thank you so much.
Neem oil can be very helpful and you can start applying it now Barbara. I mix it with liquid fish. Then spraying with effective microorganisms and molasses and sea minerals fertilizer (on a different day than the neem oil) will bring in the beneficial biology that the trees need along with more broad-spectrum nutrition.
Phil, How often should I spray the neem oil? There are no leaves on the trees yet, so just hit branches and trunk? How would I introduce composted matter to the trees roots? (as they are very established)
Hi Barbara, here’s what orchardist Michael Phillips says about when to use neem oil: “I apply pure neem oil along with liquid fish at the week of quarter-inch green, pink, petal fall, and 7 to 10 days after that. This early season program addresses many orchard health fronts including the primary infection period of fungal diseases like scab and rust. I continue to use neem through the summer on a 10 to 14 day schedule, again coinciding with any other specific spray needs. A late August spray on the later varieties finishes up the use of neem oil for the season here in northern New Hampshire.” The only thing I would add is that I believe it can be helpful to spray once in late winter/early spring before the buds have even begun to open. And yes, it will just hit the branches and trunk. As for compost, you can dig some hole around the tree and fill them with compost, if you feel there’s a good reason, or you can just top dress with compost.
Can unused solution be kept for the next application, say 2 weeks?
No, not if it’s been mixed with water. Best to use it within a day. I’d spray it onto the soil or compost pile now.
I would like to include my asparagus bed in with the weekly schedule of spraying with the EM, Sea Minerals, Molasses and Liquid Fish. Should this be done in the Spring, Summer and Fall ?
Yes, all growing season is ideal.
i am using a drip irrigation system with an injection system. I want to use the sea, fish and molasses ingredients with 1 acre of watermelons. Whats the formula please?
It doesn’t seem to work as well mixing the Sea-Crop and Fish together, so I apply them separately. The general rule of thumb is 2-4 gallons of Sea-Crop PER ACRE per year, 6-12 gallons of Fish, and 2 gallons of molasses. I’d also add in 6-12 gallons of Bio Ag ( https://www.smilinggardener.com/sale/effective-microorganisms-and-scd-probiotics/ ) to make this whole recipe even more impactful.
I’d apply Sea-Crop 3 times a year at 1 gallon per acre, mixed with 1/4 gallon of molasses (and 1 gallon of Bio Ag) and diluted with at least 50 gallons of water. I’d also apply the Fish 3 times a year at 3 gallons per acre, also mixed with 1/4 gallon of molasses (and 1 gallon of Bio Ag) and diluted with at least 10 gallons of water (although I generally go with more like 50 gallons of water for the fish, too).
Of course, with your drip irrigation system, if you’re able to fertilize more frequently, you can divide the above up into smaller, more frequent applications.
Hi Phil,
If I am using actual ocean water instead of the sea minerals (I live in Bermuda), what would the recommended calculations be for the below recipe?
Here’s your main recipe, for 250sqft, sprayed once a week:
1.5 tsp ProBio Balance or Bio Ag (or EM)
1.5 tsp Liquid Seaweed
**1/2 tsp Sea Minerals**
1.5 tsp Blackstrap Molasses
1/2 gallon Water (or more)
Thanks!
I would use 1 quart of ocean water per 250 square feet, mixed in 10 times as much water, 4 times a year. I’d probably apply it separately from the others because I’m not sure how it would impact the ProBio/Bio Ag. The applications could be applied one right after the other – I just wouldn’t want to mix a bunch of ocean water directly with the ProBio/Bio Ag. Hope that helps 🙂
I would like to know for hydroponic what is the concentration, I was told 2 onces,of sea water per gallon of fresh water.
I’m not sure, but for the concentrated ocean water product I sell ( https://www.smilinggardener.com/sale/sea-minerals-fertilizer/ ), the amount is 2-3 Tablespoons per gallon of water, which makes me think you would probably use more than 2 ounces of regular ocean water per gallon of water.
what ratio of the BioAg do i use to germinate my seeds??
It needs to be quite diluted for germinating seeds. I do 1:1000, so max 1/4 teaspoon per liter of water.
Firstly, I thought I purchased the bio Ag on your website Sunday evening. However I’m not sure if it went through because I never got a final page giving me a receipt
I paid $22 for the bottle and shipping.
Can you tell me if it’s on its way, please.
I sent you an email 2 days ago but I haven’t heard anything?
Now,
Phi,l I just bought a Hudson 1 gallon sprayer with a brass hose gun end.
My community garden is 400 ft.²
Just bought 8 oz bottle NimBioSys neem oil from my local organic garden center.
Active ingredients: 100% cold pressed neem oil that contains azadirachtin at 3750 ppm ( concerned me a bit because you said something like 2240 ppm was the high end)
It says for 0.5% concentration use one and a 3rd tablespoons per gallon of water and 1/3 to 2/3 teaspoons of soap suds (I bought Dr. Bronner’s as you recommended).
Meanwhile, I want to apply the neem and suds today. The first day in 4 we haven’t had thunderstorms and hail which really beat up my poor plants.
Didn’t you recommend 1.5 teaspoons of neem? And about a half a teaspoon of suds?
Only about 3/4 of the garden is planted with veggies and edible flowers at this point. And the flowers, the calendula doesn’t seem to need anything at all, whereas my veggies look emaciated and pale. And most have flea beetle holes because they’re not very healthy as you say.
I think maybe I should spray every week to begin with. Your chart doesn’t say anything about the soap % to add to the neem.
Hi V, your purchase didn’t go through. I emailed you about that a few days ago. As for the neem, here are my application instructions: https://www.smilinggardener.com/sale/pure-neem-oil-for-plants/#application
Please write about how to use all your info for container gardening. People are gardening on roof tops!
I have to go vertices, using 55 gallon rain barrels with ola watering system. Advice please,
Thanks,
Paula
https://www.smilinggardener.com/organic-vegetable-gardening/organic-container-gardening/
Hi Phil,
I’m trying to use the calculator, but when selecting the products, I am immediately linked to the page to order my selection.
Other than that, what I have read, I love the detail and amount of dedication and passion you put into your work.
Hi Karen, you need to check the checkboxes, not click the blue links.
What is the application rate for humid acid for 5000 sf? Is it ok to mix with everything else?
Yes, you can mix with the other products. The only no-no is mixing humic acid with liquid calcium, as it causes a reaction that gums up the sprayer. As for the application rate of my humic acid, here are my instructions from my humic acid page:
Before application, first dissolve the powder in warm water at 5 Tbsp (1/3 cup) per quart of water. That quart will cover 2000 square feet, but doesn’t have to be used right away – you can store it. When you’re ready to use it, mix that liquid with at least 50 times as much water, which is again 5 Tbsp (1/3 cup) per gallon of water, or 3 gallons of water for each 1 cup of the liquid.
This calculator is a great feature! It make it very easy to determine how much Bio Ag, Fish Fertilizer, and Molasses to mix & spray on the raised beds depending on the frequency. Thanks, Phil!
Question: I have read that it is best to spray the EM and/or Compost Tea after a rain for it to be most effective – is this true? If so, how much difference does it make. I am planning on doing the first monthly application of the Bio Ag/Fish Fertilizer/Molasses this weekend, using the Chapin 1949 tank sprayer. I am not sure if I can schedule that around a rain.
I’ve never seen any studies. If I can help it, I do try to spray after a rain, but I don’t sweat it too much. As long as it doesn’t rain right after spraying, which would wash the spray right off the leaves, I’m happy.
Hi, Phil,
I have been using your EM, mychorrhizal fungi, and liquid seaweed for the last year on my lawn and gardens. I recently discovered that I have cucumber beetles (the striped variety) on my cucumber plants and cantaloupe plants. I ordered some beneficial nematodes to help. Can I put the beneficial nematodes in with the above in my hose end sprayer, or do I have to apply them separately?
Thanks,
Beth
It may be fine to combine them but I would apply them separately just to be safe.
Thanks! I will let you know how it goes.
Just wanted to let you know that I tried for over 30 years to grow cucumbers, but every time I did, the cucumber beetles would eat all of the flowers and, thus I didn’t get any cucumbers. So, last year I discovered beneficial nematodes and at the garden walk that I had in my yard, people walking through the yard pointed out 9 cucumbers amongst the vast number of leaves on the plant (all of which I gave away that day at the garden walk). The next morning I found 20 more, and that continued the rest of the summer. I haven’t seen one cucumber beetle this year! As long as you get the beneficial nematodes that eat the cucumber beetles every year, I’m sure you’ll be happy ( and probably lots of your friends and family will be too.)
What would the ratio be for spraying rose bushes? I have a gallon hand sprayer and I would like to use the Neem and Seaweed together. May I mix enough in the gallon sprayer and then keep it to spay weekly or do I need to mix fresh each time?
Thank you for your help
Hi Kathleen, to mix, mix 1/2 teaspoon of non-toxic liquid soap and then add 1.5 Tbsp of neem oil into your gallon of water. Shake like crazy before and during application to keep it emulsified. Don’t use dish detergent – use a true liquid soap. And then add 2 Tbsp of seaweed. This amount will do about 500 square feet of garden. I would spray this every 2 weeks. You’ll need to mix it fresh each time.
I have found that when using Neem Oil it is much better to emulsify it before adding it to the sprayer. I take a pint, fill it about 1/2 full with hot water, add the non-anti-bacterial soap (Castile?) and pure Neem Oil, and shake heavily until the oil is fully emulsified in the water (The hot water will allow the oil to become fully emulsified, which is hard to accomplish in cold water). Then add this emulsified water to the water in the sprayer, shake to mix, and begin spraying the plants.
Thank you very much I appreciate your expertise and your time have a beautiful day Kathleen
Hello, I just received my order, very excited. Have a question about the endomycoffhizal Inoculant.
At this point in the season, would it be better to save it for next springs planting, or if I do the soil drench now, will it establish itself and still be in soil next spring?
Thank you
Daniel
If you don’t do too much tilling, it should still be there next spring. Or you could always do half now and half in the spring – doesn’t hurt to spread it out like that.
If I wanted to add Humic acid to my weekly fertilizer application what amount of the 5 tablespoons per quart of water would I add for 1000 sq. Ft.? Mixed in 3.5 gal. Sprayer.
I would do 1 cup of it. So mix 5 Tbsp in a quart of water and then use 1 cup of that quart each week in a 3.5 gallon sprayer.
Thanks Phil my veggies are gonna love it.
Hi,
I discovered your site two years ago and there is really no way to overstate the enormous difference you’ve made on my garden.
It’s immensely healthier and vastly more productive thanks to the knowledge you have shared and the products you have recommended.
Thank you so much.
I’ve been reading about Humic acid. I hoped you might share your thoughts on it, and maybe recommend a trust worthy source.
Thanks for the nice note, Anna! I actually sell an excellent humic acid here ( https://www.smilinggardener.com/sale/mineral-fertilizers/#humates ). I buried it down that page because people weren’t buying it much, but it’s really great for adding to foliar sprays. If you’re looking for a bigger bag of humates to add directly to the soil, I haven’t kept tabs on what’s available because I use compost and mulch for my organic matter, but humates can be useful for that, too.
Phil
I just used my Liquid Seaweed and EM for the first time, calculated for 1000 sq. ft garden and at #1 setting on the hose end sprayer. I only covered half my garden before the solution ran out. What am I missing?
That’s one advantage and disadvantage of hose-end sprayers – they move a lot more water than a backpack sprayer, so the fertilizer goes quickly, even at setting #1. The advantage is that it takes a lot less time to spray. The disadvantage is you need to move fairly fast.
Hi Phil,
I live in Southwest Colorado at about 6900ft. Things are going dormant here but the ground isn’t frozen yet. I’ve planted a lot of new trees this year. What way would you suggest I use the miccoryhzal (can’t spell or say that word) to best benefit these trees? A couple of them are very large Aspen. Thank you
Hi Lisa, one recommendation for existing plants is: “Probe 2-8 small holes in area of new roots, push 1 teaspoon down hole to root zone.” But it’s also possible to mix it in a watering can and water the root area: “Apply as soil drench, 1 tablespoon/gallon of water, each gallon treats 50 sq. feet. Follow immediately with watering in.” And of course you could do a little of each, but I find watering it in to be simpler.
I have 80 young apple trees (2-3 years old) that I hand water by drenching around the base. I bought a 450mL hose end sprayer for application. Dial is mL per L increments.
What dial number should I use for BioAg and for SeaCrop? The amount of water I use for each tree varies throughout the year but generally about 18L (~5 gal) per tree once a week through the dry season, Pacific Northwest.
Thanks!
I’m away from internet for the next couple of days, so I’ll answer now and hope this helps you. For the whole year, per tree, I would do 1/4-1/2 cup each of Bio Ag and Sea-Crop, and I would add some water to the sprayer to help make this happen. Here’s one example: If you put 150mL of Bio Ag, 150mL of Sea-Crop, and 150mL of water, and set the sprayer to spray 1 mL per L, you’ll apply about 6mL of Bio Ag and 6mL of Sea-Crop per tree, per application. If you do that 10 times per year, you’ll have applied 1/4 cup of each. If you do it 20 times, you’ll have applied 1/2 cup. Please check my math, but that’s what I would do.
How long do I soak seeds in liquid kelp and how do I dilute. Can I soak all seeds? Thank you
Presuming you’re using the Neptune’s Harvest kelp, I use 1 teaspoon per cup of water and I soak them overnight. You can soak all seeds.
When using the Thorvin kelp powder extract for soaking seeds, should I first mix 1/3 teaspoon into a gallon of water and use a small amount of this liquid for the soak? Or do I need to dilute it further?
Also do I need to use up the gallon of diluted kelp water right away?
Thanks for your help.
You don’t dilute it further – just 1/3 tsp per gallon.
I’m not sure how long it can be stored once mixed with water. I’ll email Thorvin and get back to you.
Hi, I;ve just found your site and just reading the comments has my head spinning! I have a small greenhouse (live in a small town in Wyoming… not a long growing season outside). I have been in the greenhouse business about 10 years growing house plants for a local store. They have asked me to grow organic vegetables and I’m learning a bunch of new things I’ve always used effective microorganisms for my yard. I have a 30 gallon sprayer and it has done wonders for my trees, especially pine trees. I decided to get a couple of bottles of your BioPro Mother culture and am confused how to figure out the ratios for the greenhouse nor how often to apply it. I understand the equal parts of Bio and Molasses per gallon. But am wondering
how often to spray the vegetables and if something else needs to be applied. I can’t grow tomatoes to save my soul (except cherry tomatoes). Is there something else I can do. The tomatoes are essential during the winter here. It is for a small grocery store to I can keep up with everything else I just bought a soil tester to see if the soil needs help. I changed the benches to bins. Can you help with any advice?
Love your site! You sound extremely knowledgeable and helpful.
Katina (thomsont@tctwest.net)
I would apply 1/2 cup of EM and molasses each month per 1000 square feet of greenhouse space, or even better, spread that out into 2 Tbsp of each every week. I would include at least one liquid fertilizer for some broad-spectrum nutrition, such as an equal amount of both liquid kelp and sea minerals added to the mix each month/week.
I would use a soil lab because home soil test kits aren’t really useful. I like Crop Services International – I’d ship them a soil sample.
I can’t really help with the tomatoes here because there are so many factors, but soil testing would be a good start. Good luck, Katina!
Thanks so very much. I’m sorry I was so long winded. I;ll be checking the soil and go from there. Again, I appreciate your help. Kaina
My husband and I just built a house and planted many trees. We have planted some apple trees about 12 that are still young. About 5 -6 feet tall. I also have a butterfly garden and many other plants (Rhodos and azaleas) and trees( cherry and dogwood) around the house. We will also start preparing the soil for a vegetable garden in the spring. I plan on drenching the soil around the trees and the butterfly garden. Recommendations as to the amounts of fertilizer, and bio ag I should use. We live in Northern VA.
Hi Ann Marie, this calculator should tell you what you need to know. If you still have questions after going through it, you can ask here and I’ll be happy to answer. Thanks!
Should I be concerned when a butterfly or other pollinator flies through the mixture while I’m spraying? How about the bird baths that may receive some drift spray – will it harm the birds if they drink it?
Thank you so much for the wonderful products and guidance!
Looking at the products you ordered, there’s nothing to worry about. The only product of mine I spray carefully is neem oil because it can be harmful to some beneficial insects.
Great! Thank you!
I have been reading so many of your very informative articles, that now I can’t find what I am more curious about. Somewhere it was stated that EM has been consumed. I am wishing to try it on my chickens and dog, but cannot find anyplace where it says how to mix it.
Maybe here? https://www.smilinggardener.com/soil-food-web/effective-microorganisms-uses/
Thanks Phil! I found it! Have been using since 2010, but did not know all of it’s uses!
Why does the “Fertilizer Application Rate Calculator“ have the same rate for spraying one a week and spraying twice a month? I would be using a 1 gallon sprayer for both once a week or spraying every other week.
Here’s your main recipe, for 250sqft, sprayed once a week:
1.5 tsp SCD Probiotics (or EM)
1.5 tsp Liquid Seaweed
1.5 tsp Blackstrap Molasses
1/2 gallon Water (or more)
Here’s your main recipe, for 250sqft, sprayed twice a month:
1 Tbsp SCD Probiotics (or EM)
1 Tbsp Liquid Seaweed
1 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses
1 gallon Water (or more)
Hi Lynn, there are 3 tsp in a Tbsp, so this math checks out, right?
– 1.5 tsp sprayed 4 times would be 6 tsp, which is 2 Tbsp.
– 1 Tbsp sprayed 2 times would also be 2 Tbsp.