The effectiveness of foliar fertilizers varies to the extreme. First, only some plants can absorb ions (and a few small proteins of little significance) through their leaf cuticle and allow them to enter the nutrient stream. This means that only soluble solutions or the minuscule ionic fraction of organic fertilizers like fish emulsion are able to pass through the cuticle of SOME plants and make it to the nutrient stream. Fish emulsion depends on micro-organisms in the soil to break it down into elemental form so it can be absorbed. These organisms are not present in measurable populations on foliage and would lack the moisture necessary to keep them viable anyway, so foliar applications of FE and other organic amendments are not measurably effective as a foliar spray.

To answer your question directly: Any fertilizer that supplies nutrients via foliage as the primary pathway would supply the same nutrients via normal root pathways.

Note that many nutrients are immobile in the plant (mostly micro-nutrients and Ca), so quick fixes like adding Fe (iron) via foliar applications may green up the leaves temporarily, but do nothing to actually relieve the deficiency the entire organism is dealing with.

How did you intend to use the vermipost?

Al

The effectiveness of foliar fertilizers varies to the extreme. First, only some plants can absorb ions (and a few small proteins of little significance) through their leaf cuticle and allow them to enter the nutrient stream. This means that only soluble solutions or the minuscule ionic fraction of organic fertilizers like fish emulsion are able to pass through the cuticle of SOME plants and make it to the nutrient stream. Fish emulsion depends on micro-organisms in the soil to break it down into elemental form so it can be absorbed. These organisms are not present in measurable populations on foliage and would lack the moisture necessary to keep them viable anyway, so foliar applications of FE and other organic amendments are not measurably effective as a foliar spray.

To answer your question directly: Any fertilizer that supplies nutrients via foliage as the primary pathway would supply the same nutrients via normal root pathways.

Note that many nutrients are immobile in the plant (mostly micro-nutrients and Ca), so quick fixes like adding Fe (iron) via foliar applications may green up the leaves temporarily, but do nothing to actually relieve the deficiency the entire organism is dealing with.

How did you intend to use the vermipost?

Al

Thanks very much for the explanation. I figured it was not a magic solution but there seems to be a lot of commentary on the benefits of foliar feeding so I thought I would ask. I have fish fertilizer and hasta-gro. I usually use them as a drench but thought, just possibly, they may be more effective as a foliar feed.

As far as the vermipost, I'm not sure and am open to suggestions if there's a way to use them that might be helpful. I was thinking of using the vermipost as a top dressing and/or tea as a drench - but I was just starting to think about it. My thought was that if the worms had already processed the nutrients may be available to the plants. I'm not sure if that's accurate or if the vermipost would meet all the plants needs. If I would have to supplement with other nutrients I would have to find another way to provide those to the plants in an available form as well.

If you use it as a top-dressing, it will eventually work its way down into the soil and clog air pores. A tea would work ok. The vermipost is actually pretty low in actual nutrients, so it's pretty sure you'll need to figure out a way to get other nutrients to your plants.

Think of your plants semi-permeable cell membranes as a chain link fabric fence. Nutrients in ionic form pass through the fence like ping pong balls, but the larger hydrocarbon chains are more like basketballs that need to be broken down further into elemental form before they can pass through.

Al

I like to use Growmores Seaweed Extract liquified organic kelp when foliar feeding early in the morning.

You will need to do your homework when using all organics in containers, you are correct, there is no silver bullet.

I praise you Al for helping out. You are a very respected individual that has so much knowledge and are willing to devote so much of your time to helping everyone. I want to personally thank you Al, you know your.......stuff. :-)

I thought this was an interesting study on growing tomato transplants with organic compounds and specifically using vermicompost. Some of it might be worth exploring in regular container growing.

http://wormpower.net/pdf/Cornell_Organic%20_Transplant_Media_and_Tomato_Performance_2007.pdf

The gist of it is plants grown solely with plant based nutrients did not do as well compared with those grown with mix amended with vermicompost AND blood meal. (though alfalfa produced acceptable transplant as well)

Vermicompost alone and blood meal alone not effective --best results were with the 2 combined.

Scroll down for brief synopsis of results and conclusions.

Of course, you would have to be careful not to add too much of any air robbing component as Al points out.

Fallofrain,

I don't think you would be able to emulate the ideas in the book How to Grow World Record Tomatoes by Charles Wilber but for anyone interested in organic growing
in- ground or in containers it is a very entertaining read.
He has a set way of doing things and lays it out like a drill sargeant but you can't argue with his results as he held many Guiness World Records. He harvests 100 pounds of tomatoes (from one container/one plant) with his special compost. Available on Amazon.com for $10