Potassium Fertilizers

[AggiePalms]

Quick question for all of you who are much better at growing palms than I am.

How can I get a good potassium source that is not highly water soluble so it doesn't leach out quickly? I grow using almost totally organic methods, with slow release nutrients to stay in the soil longer, and not kill off the mycorrhizae and other essential soil flora and fauna. I use a mixture of commercial products and my own mulches, etc. with good results. However, tests of my sandy low pH soil show a low potassium content.

The commercial organic products I see are either very low in potassium, or they contain "organic" potassium sulfate or potssium chloride that I doubt are either organic in origin, or slow release into the soil. Many say they are "organic" yet say they mine the potassium sulfate in Florida. Ummm, that isn't organic by my definition. The salt marsh is only a few hundred yards from my yard, and I can't let highly soluble nutrients flush into there.

So, other than composting several tons of bananas per palm tree, how do I get an organic, or at least slow release, K source? Huge amounts of wood ash would also work, but I don't cut down the forest for fun, and the little bit of wood ash from barbecue charcoal won't do it. I don't want to change to another fertilizer as a base for my mixture, as the one I use has done very well. So I need a few pounds of high K additive, not an entire 40 pound bag of general purpose palm fertilizer.

The first correct response will earn seeds from at least 4 southeast native palms, paid to you in the fall, as a thank you from the trees for proper nutrition. (oops, does that need to go in the free products category?)

Thanks for any help you have. I know I am not the only organic gardener in here; so what do you use?

[Palmə häl′ik]

SeaWeed and Kelp.

Bannanas.

GetRDone.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

It is not organic but it is slow release. Nutricote has a sulpomag product that is resin coated to last 6 to 12 months. The problem is, I think you have to buy a 50lb bag.

[palmislandRandy]

  On 3/25/2011 at 12:59 AM, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

It is not organic but it is slow release. Nutricote has a sulpomag product that is resin coated to last 6 to 12 months. The problem is, I think you have to buy a 50lb bag.

This stuff is organic , quick release. Does the the coating make it non=organic?

Sul-Po-Mag (50 lb)

Organic Sul-Po-Mag (0-0-22) also known as K-Mag NATURAL is the commercial name for the mineral otherwise known as sulfate of potash-magnesia (langbeinite). Contains 22% soluble potash, 22% sulfur and 11% magnesium. A quick release source of potassium, Sul-Po-Mag also makes a good addition to soils that lack sulfur. Broadcast 5-10 lbs. Sul-Po-Mag per 1,000 sq. ft.

Approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for organic crop production.

[Tyrone]

If you have sandy soils, potassium will just leach right through, so unless you go to a slow release potassium source (which won't be organic but won't effect soil microbes), your plants will suffer especially your palms if you don't upgrade the soil. You will need to improve the CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) of your sandy soil by the addition of organics which builds humus, and therefore humates which will latch on to any Potassium and hold onto it so the plant can come along when ready and take the Potassium away. I would add Potassium humates that already have the Potassium connected to the humate, so you do both at once. I don't know what your definition of "organic" is so it may still not be a solution for you. It definitely won't hurt the soil microbes. They'll go nuts.

Best regards

Tyrone

[AggiePalms]

Hey!

Good suggestions...two ways are better than one. I just bought a big composter at an environmental school fundraiser, so I can start loading it with more of the K rich organics that you mention; I can probably even get some marine algae near here (sea lettuce, not kelp). Thanks Palme!

I will also look into the sources you mentioned, Jerry and Palmisland. While I prefer organic, I am willing to get an inorganic source if it does what I need it to. I will let you all know how these ideas work later in the growing season.

Thanks a lot, all of you!

[insipidtoast]

I'd try grinding up organic orange peels in the food processor then working them into the top inch of soil, then mulch the plant heavily.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1976/2

This post on this forum also has a bunch of NPK ratios of various organic materials:

http://idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17366

Excerpt- "Orange Skins: 0/3.0/27.0"

Edited March 25, 2011 by insipidtoast