Hi everyone. I have a small nursery which is Certified Naturally Grown and I have a question about organic fertilizers. I have tested my nursery soil and the soil of certain plants during different grown phases and have found that while P and K generally stay sufficient for a long time with the organic fertilizer blend added to the potting soil the N gets diminished pretty quickly. I then supplement with fish emulsion which is stinky in a
greenhouse, expensive and doesn’t seem to add as much nitrogen as my plants really need to grow efficiently. A
local company that specializes in wholesale organic products for growers had something called Grower’s Secret Professional and I believe Down to Earth organics has a similar one. It is OMRI certified, is
water soluble and has very high nitrogen for organic at 14-0-0. It is made from soy which has me a little suspicious. I’m wondering if this is too good to be true. Can’t it still be OMRI certified even if it is made from conventional soy meaning that even if there is very little residue remaining it still poses the ethical question that large amounts of pesticides and possibly some inorganic fertilizers were used to grow that soy? Could even be round-up ready soybeans? I’m sure it works...just thinking that if I morally prefer to reduce my impact on the planet, this may not be the right choice, especially since it is probably virgin materials rather than a byproduct like many other organic fertilizers. Interested in hearing from anyone who can confirm what I already suspect (or disprove it ideally). Thanks.
