What amendments are used for?

[shift00420]

Hello farmers. What i really want to know is, when broken down, what do the elements used to amend organic soil give the plants? What does oyster shell do for plants? Crab meal? alfalfa meal? so on & so on.
The obvious & smart ass answer is "convert to food", but I really would like some insight on the subject. Why do some farmers leave out some & prefer others? I'm also coming from the standpoint of being an inside grower. Im sure outdoor guys go different routs & quantities for their mixes because plants sit in final soil for longer. I have read quite a few soil recipes but most don't say why they use what they use. I want to make soil based on what different elements can do for my strains & less on what others find fashionable...

A simpler question would be, does anyone have any references to help me do the research for myself? I know there are farmers on here that have this kind of knowledge. I would appreciate any knowledge & help.
Thanx farmers....

 

[cannapits]

I get what your asking but im to lazy to type everything up myself. simple research will tell you everything you wanna know but here is a quick copy from another page that should answer most questions.


Soil Amendments
Name
Description
Application
Alfalfa MealPrimarily a plant source of nitrogen, Alfalfa Pellets (5-1-2) also contains trace minerals and triacontanol, a plant growth promoter.25-50 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
Blood MealA strong, slow release source of nitrogen, Blood Meal (13-1-0) is also chock-full of trace minerals.10-30 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
Bone MealGranulated for easy application and quick uptake by plants, Bone Meal contains 20% phosphate and up to 23% calcium.10-35 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
Chicken ManureComposted Chicken Manure (3-2-2) provides a well balanced supply of nutrients and is excellent for mulching and moisture retention.1 cu. ft. covers 200 sq. ft.
Coconut CoirMade from compressed coconut fiber, coir is an eco-friendly peat alternative! Works anywhere you would normally use peat moss, rockwool, vermiculite, perlite or pumice.1 part coir to 2-3 parts soil.
CompostNo amount of organic fertilizer can make up for poor soil. Compost provides a microbially active source of organic matter and other important soil builders required by plants.Up to 20 lbs. per 100 sq. ft.
GreensandContains about 7% total potash, along with iron, magnesium, silica and as many as 30 other trace minerals. May also be used to loosen heavy, clay soils.50-100 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
GypsumUsed to loosen heavy clay soils, Agricultural Gypsum contains about 23% available calcium and 18% sulfur.40-120 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
Kelp MealA great source of micronutrients and beneficial plant growth promoters. Kelp Meal also encourages tolerance to stresses such as pests, disease, frost and drought.5-20 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
Dolomite LimeSweetens soil (raises pH in acidic soils) and is a quality source of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). Promotes healthy plant growth.25-50 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
Rock DustImproves soil vitality and plant health. Rock Dust contains a broad range of trace minerals, many of which have been lost through the ages, by erosion, leaching and farming.50-150 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
Rock PhosphateProvides up to a 10 year reserve of phosphorous! Contains 27% total phosphate, 33% elemental calcium and many other trace minerals. Great for flowering plants.50 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
Shellfish MealA source of calcium (23%), nitrogen, phosphorus and trace minerals. Contains chitin, which stimulates the growth of soil microbes that inhibit root-knot nematodes.30 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
SulfurLowers pH in alkaline soils. Elemental Sulfur contains 90% sulfur with 10% bentonite as a binder. Great around acid loving plants such as blueberry, azalea and rhododendron.10 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
Sul-Po-MagAlso known as sulfate of potash-magnesia, Sul-Po-Mag is a quick release source of potassium and contains 22% soluble potash, 22% sulfur and 11% magnesium.5-10 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.
Worm CastingsGardeners know Worm Castings to be the most nutrient dense organic compost available. In soil, they retain water and release nutrients in a form that is easily used by plants.5-10 lbs. per 100 sq. ft.

 

[shift00420]

Yes exactly. Thank you canna pits. Great info

 

[SpiderK]

kelp is one of the best things u can feed them ...

 

[Patanjali]

Imo it isn't about the npk they supply, but how many stackable functions do they have? ie, Blood meal has nitrogen, but we get that from other things like neem meal and crab meal that have nitrogen, but also help with pest suppression, etc. Sure, kelp has potassium, but it also has over 70 other microelements, plant hormones, chelating agents, etc. Nothing in my soil serves only one function.

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[Seamaiden]

kelp is one of the best things u can feed them ...

True, but go easy!

 

[Patanjali]

kelp is one of the best things u can feed them ...

I tend to agree. ;)

It is known that plants treated with seaweed products develop a resistance to pests and diseases, not only to sap-seeking insects such as red spider mite and aphides, but also to scab, mildew and fungi. Such a possibility may seem novel, but it is in keeping with the results of research in related fields. The control of plant disease by compounds which reduce or nullify the effect of a pathogen after it has entered the plant is an accepted technique. It is in this way that streptomycin given as a foliar spray combats fireblight in apples and pears, and antimycin and malonic acid combat mosaic virus in tobacco. The subject of controlling plant disease by introducing substances into the plant itself is known as chemotherapy, and is dealt with in a useful round-up article in the Annual Review of Plant Physiology, 1959, by A. E. Dimond and James G. Horsfall of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, United States.

Auxins in seaweed include indolyl-acetic acid, discovered in seaweed in 1933 for the first time. Two new auxins, as yet unidentified, but unlike any of the known indolyl-acetic acid types, were also discovered in 1958 in the Laminaria and Ascophyllum seaweeds used for processing into dried seaweed meal and liquid extract. These auxins have been found to encourage the growth of more cells — in which they differ from more familiar types of auxin which simply enlarge the cells without increasing their number. One of the auxins also stimulates growth in both stems and roots of plants, and in this differs from indolyl-acetic acid and its derivatives, which cause cells to elongate but not to divide. The balanced action of this seaweed auxin has not been found in any other auxin.

It has been proved at the Marine Laboratory at Aberdeen that indolyl-acetic acid and the other newly discovered seaweed auxins are extracted in increased quantities by the process of alkaline hydrolysis. We believe that much of the value of our hydrolized seaweed extract is due to this auxin content; but since the amount of auxin in the extract is scarcely enough to promote the increased growth which follows its use as a foliar spray, we think plants so treated are themselves stimulated to produce more vitamins and growth hormones than would otherwise be the case.

At least two gibberellins (hormones which simply encourage growth, and have not, like auxins, growth-controlling properties too) have been identified in seaweed. They behave like those gibberellins which research workers have numbered A3 and A7 — although they may in fact be vitamins A1 and A4.

And...

Dr. T.L.Senn states in his book, “In recent years the results of scientific research provided evidence that seaweeds contain more than 70 microelements and that the representation in these plants is considerably higher than it is in terrestrial plants. Of organic substances, marine algae contain, in addition to carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and vitamin substances of a stimulating and antibiotic nature.”

Seaweed contains more than 70 identified microelements plus organic compounds such as growth regulators. NPK fertilizers could not possibly contain all of the microelements and growth regulators which are contained in seaweed.

Dr. T.L Senn states that “when seaweed is used at the recommended times and rates it will supply the amounts of iron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, cobalt, boron, manganese, and magnesium that most crops require”

Plants use tiny amounts of the micronutrients often measured in parts per million or billion. This helps to explain why foliar spraying can be an effective way (in addition to soil drench) to deliver these nutrients to the plant. The plant only needs to absorb tiny amounts of the nutrients through the openings in the surface of the leaves where they are absorbed through the cell walls and translocated by the vascular system to the areas of the plant which requires them. NPK fertilizers cannot be efficiently absorbed into the plant by foliar spraying and are therefore better supplied to the plants in traditional fashion through the soil.

In addition to those micronutrients which are contained in seaweed products seaweed has been demonstrated to assist in the release of micronutrients which already exist in the soils but which are unavailable to the plant because they are in an insoluble form. Chelating (chemically altering the form) a micronutrient makes it available for use. Seaweed contains several chelating agents the most important of which is Mannitol. Thus seaweed can provide more micronutrients to the plant than the seaweed itself contains.

Dr. T.L.Senn states, “Reports that seaweed releases unavailable minerals from the soil have been made. Micronutrients have many functions in crop plant growth and development. The amount and availability of micronutrients will vary with soil types and the demand by different crops. Even though the amounts required by plants are small, the micronutrients are just as essential as the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and in some areas even more so. …..Micronutrients are (also) necessary for plants in times of plant stress, such as flowering, maturing, and during periods of drought”

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