"... is the most effective gardening product you can buy" GMAB! ;o) Generally, the only time foliar nutrient sprays are used in agriculture are during periods of exceptionally rapid growth when Fe, Mn, or sometimes Cu are deficient or borderline deficient in soils. This product makes all kinds of claims (like Superthrive and Eleanor's concoction) that would be extremely difficult to substantiate. From a recent post: Some plants can absorb nutrients through foliage and sometimes stem tissue in ionic form, but the larger organic molecules of 'organic' formulas are unable to permeate cell walls. Water & its accompanying solutes are sometimes transported through the cuticle or epidermal cells of some leaves & twigs by diffusion, where it is adsorbed on the surface of plasmalemma (a kind of protoplasm that forms cell walls) where, by osmosis, it passes through cell membranes to cytoplasm. In some plants, water is taken in through open stomata as a secondary pathway. How much water can be absorbed through leaf & twig tissues varies by species, & within species, cultural conditions also have great influence on the process. Ambient temperature, relative humidity, leaf senescence (age), light intensity, nutritional status of the plant, time of day, all have impact on how readily water is taken in through leaves & twigs. Using a surfactant (wetting agent) also facilitates diffusion. The primary factor creating a barrier to diffusion through leaf cuticle tissues is the amount of (epi)cuticular wax present in epidermal tissues. In agronomic applications, generally only Fe, Mn, and sometimes Cu are applied as foliar nutritional sprays because the pathway via foliar application is often more efficient than the 'soil to roots' route. Note that these elements are in ionic solution when applied. Soluble salts present in foliar applications may or may not be available, depending on the plant, but the larger molecules are not - unless they are broken down by micro-organisms on the leaf surface (unlikely and inefficient if it was occurring) and diffuse into tissues via the same pathway(s) as the already soluble minerals. Based on the link you provided and what I know of physiology - I would save my money and buy a fertilizer that contained all the essential elements, or use a soil micro-nutrient supplement. Another thing: When you apply immobile micro-nutrients via foliar applications, the nutrients remain in the leaf they contact (because they are not mobile in the plant). This is a temporary fix, if the plant can access the nutrients, but it does nothing to fix the problem in newly emerging growth. Ca and all the micro-nutrients must be continually present in the nutrient stream to prevent deficiencies, and the only practical way to achieve that it is to have it available via roots. Al

2) I grow my tomatoes in 18 gal containers and usually end up fertilizing at full strength every weekend when they have put on some mass & are growing robustly. The increases in either strength or frequency would/should be most closely tied to temperatures, planting mass, and your watering habits, so it's difficult to offer a one-size-fits-all answer to the question. Your plants will tell you if you make it a point to observe them closely. Soon, it will be second nature to 'know' when to fertilize after only a glance or based on experience. You actually want to be able to anticipate your plants needs and fertilize just before they experience the effects of any deficiencies. 3) I'm familiar with the product, and know that it forms insoluble precipitates when mixed with some fertilizers, but I can't tell you which ones. I know that the FP fertilizer when mixed with ProTeKt does form a precipitate, but I'm unsure if the same occurs with the LL. I've never had a need for it. 5) No, by reducing the dosage of your fertilizer you limit N - to prevent a K deficiency, you increase the K supply. You didn't ask about using a different fertilizer - you asked how to make 9-3-6 work. ;o) By all means - use another fertilizer with lower N if you wish. A 2:1:2 ratio is what I would suggest. 6-2-4 is the same fertilizer as 24-8-16, it's just that the amount of 6-4-2 you would be instructed to mix into a given volume of water to reach a recommended dosage would be 4x that of 24-8-16. You can make 6-2-4 by diluting 24-8-16 5:1, water:fertilizer. Al Here is a link that might be useful: This might help more

Spray-n-Grow is not a fertilizer. It's advertised as a vitamin for plants????? Click on the link below to read the label and mixing instructions. If some have experienced plant death, I suspect they either didn't follow the instructions completely or tried to add fertilizer other than the recommended product when applied.It's advertised as non-toxic and the label states "You cannot put too much Spray-N-Grow on your plants or use it too often." I'm always very leary of these products that promise miracle growth and early plant maturity. It reminds me of the snake oil salesmen of late night TV infomercials. I say save your money and work on making your soil an inviting environment for your plants. Better to spend that money on manure. Here is a link that might be useful: Spray-N-Grow label information

We're extending the Polyculture Project to include experimental perennial polycultures on various plots of our newly acquired land. Our aim is to develop models that are low cost to establish and maintain, can produce healthy affordable nutritious food and will enhance biodiversity. To view this post with tables and more info visit below the link http://balkanecologyproject.blogspot.bg/2016/05/perennial-polycultures-biomass-belt.html We've been looking into fencing our plots, and how to meet fertility demands of the establishing perennial crops such as fruits, nuts, herbs and perennial vegetables without relying on animal manures and imported compost, and have come up with a polyculture that may meet both of these needs that we call the biomass belt. What is the Biomass Belt ? The biomass belt is a simple closed system, perennial polyculture dedicated to growing mulch and fertilizer for annual and perennial crops. How does it work? The polyculture is composed of mineral accumulating comfrey in raised beds, Nitrogen fixing ground cover sown into pathways and a Nitrogen fixing hedgerow. The comfrey is grown in raised beds for biomass and can be cut from 4 - 7 times each year with the material being used to make liquid fertiliser or used directly as mulch. The deep rooted comfrey mines nutrients deep in the subsoil that would otherwise wash away with the underground soil water or remain inaccessible to other plants. Some of these nutrients are relocated within the comfrey leaf that when cut and applied as mulch or converted into liquid fertiliser, the nutrients are delivered back to the top soil and made accessible to crops and other plants. The Nitrogen hungry comfrey are themselves fed with the biomass from Nitrogen fixing plants, that through a partnership with soil micro-organisms can convert atmospheric Nitrogen into Nitrogen fertilizers useful to themselves, but also becoming available to neighboring plants. For more on Nitrogen fixation see here. The pathways between the beds are sown with a Nitrogen fixing ground cover and mown following a a comfrey cut with the trimmings applied to the comfrey beds. The hedge composed of Nitrogen fixing shrubs running parallel to the comfrey beds, once mature, is trimmed at regular intervals (once or twice per year) with the trimmings deposited onto the comfrey beds. Each time the path vegetation and hedge are cut, root tissue underground is shed in to the soil providing significant quantities of organic matter and nutrients to the plants. In summary, the unique ability of the Comfrey to feed deep and produce copious quantities of biomass is utilised to provide nutrients to main crops whilst the pathway ground cover and hedgerow's unique ability to fix Nitrogen is utilised to provide nutrients to the comfrey. What follows is a design guide covering how to select a site for this polyculture, a close look at each component of the design and the species within each component, and what I hope are clear and concise instructions to build and manage this polyculture. At the end you can find a summary table and a brief description of how we have set up this polyculture in ourPolyculture Market Garden. Design Considerations General - The polyculture can be situated to provide boundary hedging or subdivision hedging within a property whereby the Nitrogen fixing hedge provides a permanent living fence and the comfrey beds run adjacent to the hedge. Light demands - For optimal growth the polyculture should be orientated along the west to east axis and be to the north of any light demanding crops to reduce shading. The plants we have selected below will grow in partial shade and on other orientations, but will yield less biomass as a result. Water - Adequate irrigation is a key to healthy and productive plants. This polyculture is not well suited to semi wetlands and areas with a high water table and will not thrive in very dry areas with no access to irrigation. In dry land/climate, selecting a position for the polyculture that requires as little irrigation as possible is essential and can be achieved by planting on contour and using simple earthworks to keep rain water around the root zones of plants. N.B. All of the plants we have included in the polyculture are drought tolerant (Trifolium repens to a lesser extent) and will survive long periods without water once established, but will not produce high yields of biomass in these conditions. Subsoil Mining - Siting the biomass patch, specifically the comfrey beds, below compost toilets/manure piles and areas that are likely to receive non toxic leachate will help prevent the loss of nutrients draining off site. Proximity to crops - Consider the distance between your beds and where you need to apply the mulch or prepare and store the liquid fertiliser. If growing comfrey for mulch it probably doesn't make much sense having to haul the material over large distances. Species Selection - Species selection should take into account the following; Climatic compatibility with the site Drought tolerance Speed of growth i.e fast growing Tolerance of hard pruning Benefits to wildlife Ground Preparation Raised beds are a major part of our fertility strategy and when managed properly overtime they retain water and nutrients very efficiently. This polyculture includes two 1.3 m wide raised beds surrounded by 50 cm paths and a 70 cm wide raised bed for the Nitrogen fixing hedge. It's important never to tread on the soil of a raised bed and the above dimensions allow reach within the beds from the pathways. The bed length can be as long as best fits your site and needs. Example Perennial Polyculture - The Biomass Belt - Bed Layout To form the beds the area should be cleared of all plants, best achieved in most situations by sheet mulching with ample organic matter 6 months prior to planting. Pernicious perennials such as wild brambles - Rubus fruticosus and couch grass -Elymus repens should be dug out before mulching and the soil should be forked over as deeply as possible with a strong garden fork. If you have a heavy clay compact soil it's best to double dig and incorporate plenty of organic matter (20- 40 L m2) into the comfrey beds before planting. The right shape shovel for forming paths Once you have cleared the whole area of weeds and forked it over to relieve compaction, mark out the bed shapes with string and dig out a 10 cm layer of soil 50 cm wide to create paths around the bed, applying the soil to the surface of the planting area and thereby creating a raised section of earth that will be your bed. A flat bottomed shovel is a good tool for this job. If you are not sheet mulching, remove all weeds, fork over the beds, cut out the pathways and apply 20 L of compost per m length of the comfrey beds and 5 L to the nitrogen fixing hedge bed. The compost should be applied to the surface and topped with a 20 cm layer of mulch. Raised Beds in our Market Garden The beds are now ready for planting and the paths for sowing. See below for details If you have access to a stream or river you can divert a water stream into your site and use the paths for irrigation. When establishing the paths you can alter the depth and gradient to facilitate the required movement of water within the polyculture. The slower the water travels along the paths the less erosion there will be. Capillary action will draw the water deep into the beds and under ground. Here's a closer look at each component in further detail based on a version of this design we have implemented in our Market Garden. The Polyculture Components Nitrogen Fixing Hedge Nitrogen Fixing Ground Cover Comfrey Beds Perennial Polyculture I've ran out of room here, to read the full post see http://balkanecologyproject.blogspot.bg/2016/05/perennial-polycultures-biomass-belt.html www.balkep.org