Fertilizer recipes

http://www.makestuff.com/fertilizer.html

Thank you....poppysue for this recipe sound good and save money $$$ too.

Anyone know what the ammonia adds to these recipes? Seems like it would be harsh on plants ????

The site looks a lot like the stuff Jerry Baker uses and he uses lots of ammonia. I know it acts as a fertilizer but I don't think that's the answer you're looking for. Ammonia is referenced about 30 times in his book. I'll keep looking and if I find the "real" reason other than it fertilizes, I'll post it here. I used it all summer in a bunch of his concoctions and my plants did really well so it must not hurt them. I remember when we lived in Ohio in farm country, the farmers would spread ammonia on the fields - whew! the smell...but, the crops did well. vic

Vic - Got any favorite Jerry Baker recipes? I have a really old book of his - I got it at a yard sale. Not much for recipes in it.

I used the following faithfully all summer and my plants did wonderful:

All-Season Green-Up Tonic

1 can of beer
1 cup of ammonia
1/2 cup liquid dish soap (I used Joy anti-bacterial)
1/2 cup liquid lawn food (I just used the blue powder stuff)
1/2 cup of molasses or corn syrup (I used corn syrup)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bucket, then pour into a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer and apply to your plants.

All-Season Clean-Up Tonic

1 cup of liquid dish soap
1 cup of chewing tobacco juice*
1 cup of antiseptic mouthwash
Warm Water

Mix all of the ingredients together in a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer, filling the balance of the jar with warm water. Apply to your plants liberally to discourage insects and prevent disease during the growing season.

*Place three fingers of chewing tobacco in an old nylon stocking and soak it in a gallon of hot water until the mixture is dark brown in color

Use the green up every three weeks throughout the growing season and one week later use the clean up throughout the growing season.

These would be my two favorites. My planting area looks more like a grocer store than a plant area. I use a epsom salts a lot too for the magnesium.

Thanks Vic! Now one ingredient, the tabacco juice, I've been advised isn't safe for plants. I think it's because it's not only toxic but tobacco can carry a mosaic virus that can be transmitted to other plants - Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here. I read recenty (I forget where now) that you shouldn't even handle your seeds if you've been smoking cigarettes. I posted a question about using tobacco on the pest & disease forum a while back - I'll see if I can find it again. Did you use these recipes on tomato or pepper plants Vic? or just flowers?

Here's the link http://davesgarden.com/showthread/41629.html Not much about the mosaic virus there. I'm not sure if it's just a problem for plants in the solanaceae family or if other plants would be susceptable.

Sue,here is some answer to ur ammonia question http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_a/a-113.html HTH... ma vie

I have read in his book where someone specifically asked about the tobacco juice and he did address it and said it was ok and was able to defend why it was ok. I'll need to find it. He does however say you should always wash your hands before handling tomato plants if you are a smoker - pipe, cigar, cigarette, etc. I did use it on tomato plants but I didn't plant any peppers and it was ok. vic

I'm going to adopt Vic's recipe with a slight modification to the instructions:
Place the the first ingredient in a small pail. Fill pail 2/3 full with cracked ice. Proceed with the rest of the instructions as posted. Remove first ingredient from pail after 1/2 hour and DRINK it.

Go for it :-)