Homemade fertilizer root plugs

5437 Views 16 Replies 7 Participants Last post by plantbrain, Aug 25, 2009

szunker

Discussion Starter · Aug 20, 2009

Hi,

Does anybody know how or have a recipe or could steer me in the right direction to produce my own plant root fertilizer tablets,any help would be greatly appreciated.

Steven

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

plantbrain

· #2 · Aug 20, 2009

Add water to clay dirt = mud.
Freeze in ice cube tray.
Add mud cubes to sediment deep at the bottom.

Alternatives: osmocoat(stuff sinks well and last awhile).
Plaster of Paris balls(add KNO3/KH2PO4 etc, Traces etc)
They dissolve slowly in the sediment.
CaSO4 is plaster of Paris which is basically a component of GH booster.

Regards,
Tom Barr

szunker

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 21, 2009

Thanks for the tip. but would I need to add anything to the mud before freezing such as PMDD components? if so How much?

mistergreen

· #4 · Aug 21, 2009

I made mineralized soil and had some left over. it has clay in it which makes pliable. I made little balls out of it for later use. It dries and hardens. I guess you can bake it to further hardens it.

in the mixture I have a little garden limestone and potash.

hazelceleste

· #5 · Aug 21, 2009

If you make the mud balls thick enough, and plant them quickly, you don't even need to freeze them. I use a lot of clay in mine, and it takes them a minute or two before they start falling apart underwater.

The mineralized dirt discussion on APC has a lot of suggestions on what additives you can use in the mud balls.

szunker

Discussion Starter · #6 · Aug 21, 2009

Wow that APC article is good:thumbsup:

mistergreen

· #7 · Aug 21, 2009

osmocote has ammonium nitrogen in it.. I personally would stay away from it.

rich815

· #8 · Aug 21, 2009

mistergreen said:
osmocote has ammonium nitrogen in it.. I personally would stay away from it.

As long as you do not use too much and have a good amount of plants it should not be an issue, I'd imagine.

szunker

Discussion Starter · #9 · Aug 21, 2009

I went to a local garden center and the Osmocoat is only $5.99 for 3 lbs.
I like the price.

plantbrain

· #10 · Aug 21, 2009

mistergreen said:
osmocote has ammonium nitrogen in it.. I personally would stay away from it.

So does ADA AS........... and the rate of release from osmocoat is pretty slow(slower than ADA AS), ADA PS also has a similar product to osmocoat in there.

Been used by planted aquarist for gosh............???
30 years?

The key is slow release, which is mostly governed by temperature.
In aquariums, temps are very stable, so therefore so is the release(rate of nutrient dosing).

Last about 6 months or so in most aquariums.

Jobes sticks are not the same slow release coated balls, so when you pull those up, they can cause issues with algae blooms.
Osmocoat does not however and they easier to spread evenly out over a sediment.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Regards,
Tom Barr

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plantbrain

· #11 · Aug 21, 2009

szunker said:
I went to a local garden center and the Osmocoat is only $5.99 for 3 lbs.
I like the price.

If you can find a decent clean lake around your area, get some of the sediment from the just below the low water mark. Rinse in a bucket and allow to settle for a day or two, decant off the water and allow to dry into a good paste.
Mix the osmocoat with this paste.
Freeze for an hour, insert.

Some folks have used the osmocoat straight, then sprinkled it over the sediment, then pushed all the little balls into the sediment.

Blah.......too much hassle.
I have redone a section of the tank, uprooted things and move the sand over to one side, then dig down and add the layer on the bottom, then recover with the sand so the osmocoat is now on the very bottom.

After 3-4 weeks and doing this process each week for say 1/3, 1/4 sections, the tank is pretty much fully recharged. Less messy than soils, but the organic matter in soil helps. So a bit of trade off.

I use 5 grams of osmocoat per 4 gallons of tank.

Regards,
Tom Barr

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szunker

Discussion Starter · #12 · Aug 21, 2009

This is real help and gets me thinking.. I am newer to planted tanks but kept fish tanks since I was a kid (30 years).The Osmocote version I assume to use is the "plus" version and I also assume not to crush the pellets to powder just leave whole. That is a real good idea I do have access to many lakes in my area, I am thinking to go to the swamp area of the lake and scoop up the muck where all the lilly pads and catails are and use that. sound ok right?

szunker

Discussion Starter · #13 · Aug 21, 2009

I also want to say that the freezing the fortified soil Idea is good one too.:biggrin:

Strick

· #14 · Aug 21, 2009

Get some of these:

Cut them into 1/2 inch pieces and push them into the substrate.

Do NOT disturb... messy.

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jazzlvr123

· #15 · Aug 25, 2009

plantbrain said:
If you can find a decent clean lake around your area, get some of the sediment from the just below the low water mark. Rinse in a bucket and allow to settle for a day or two, decant off the water and allow to dry into a good paste.
Mix the osmocoat with this paste.
Freeze for an hour, insert.

Some folks have used the osmocoat straight, then sprinkled it over the sediment, then pushed all the little balls into the sediment.

Blah.......too much hassle.
I have redone a section of the tank, uprooted things and move the sand over to one side, then dig down and add the layer on the bottom, then recover with the sand so the osmocoat is now on the very bottom.

After 3-4 weeks and doing this process each week for say 1/3, 1/4 sections, the tank is pretty much fully recharged. Less messy than soils, but the organic matter in soil helps. So a bit of trade off.

I use 5 grams of osmocoat per 4 gallons of tank.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Im going to try this out, is there a specific type osmocote you should use? will this one work? seems like they make a bunch different types. does osmocote leech anything into the water colomn? i assume its fish safe if you recommend it just want to make sure.

plantbrain

· #16 · Aug 25, 2009

szunker said:
I also want to say that the freezing the fortified soil Idea is good one too.:biggrin:

Not my idea, a New Zealander suggested it some years back, never recalled their name.

Regards,
Tom Barr

plantbrain

· #17 · Aug 25, 2009

jazzlvr123 said:
Im going to try this out, is there a specific type osmocote you should use? will this one work? seems like they make a bunch different types. does osmocote leech anything into the water colomn? i assume its fish safe if you recommend it just want to make sure.

Sure, the rate of dissolution is steady based on temp.
I look for low NH4/Urea, but not a big deal, the rates are low so you never get a spike like with the Jobes and if you pull it up, not messy.

They do not melt away like Jobes.

Not sure why so many have not used it.
Some organic matter(soil etc) is useful, in conjunction with inorganic ferts also.

Regards,
Tom Barr

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