Are We Heading Towards Peak Fertiliser?

MJ says...
Interesting article, Julie.
MJ

Brendan says...
Hi Julie, blood & bone has (5% each) of N & P fertilizer, and wood ash 'can' have 10% K fertilizer, add a bit of epsom salts and you have a complete fertilizer,(almost):)

Jason says...
Most bacteria are 10% nitrogen. Its easy to grow bacteria so at least the most important one is easy

Jason says...
Makes sense that dead wood has just as much potassium as ash. Only you don't get any nitrogen from ash since all the energy has gone up in fire. Throwing a log of wood or 100 under the trees always seems to work for me

Jason says...
Maybe but I don't think it breaks down like a real log does, real logs make more cracks and such for things to live in and eat them

Brendan says...
MJ, Granite dust is another source of K.
And when using wood chips as mulch, always add extra nitrogen and dolomite.

Brendan says...
Yes MJ, the dolomite was for the magnesium, so in your case with a already high pH, you could use epsom salts instead.

y3yrr says...
Are you aware of what the new technologies are for extracting liquid hydrocarbons,Julie? Or is yours a blanket opinion -new technology must be bad.
I think it's worth mentioning because everyone and his cat was all excited about "peak oil" And now not a word. If you live long enough you come to realise that these enthusiasms come and then they go. Peak fertiliser, who wants to take a bet?

Julie says...
Yes, y3yrr,I am very aware of fracking. As you don't know me, please don't make assuptions eg 'new technology must be bad'.

Have you seen the film 'Gasland'?

Boris, we should be recycling animal manure, but much of it is wasted in feedlots. The old mixed farm,where everything was cycled around the farm has pretty well gone, as it is seen as inefficient. Most farms now rely on bought phosphorous.

Here's an interesting article about food production in Russia.

http://naturalsociety.com/russians-prove-small-scale-organic-can-feed-world/?utm_source=Natural+Society&utm_campaign=43b65d962d-Email+170%3A+5%2F31%2F2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f20e6f9c84-43b65d962d-323119937


According to some statistics, they grow 92% of the entire countries’ potatoes, 77% of its vegetables, 87% of its fruit, and feed 71% of the entire population from privately owned, organic farms or house gardens all across the country. These aren’t huge Agro-farms run by pharmaceutical companies; these are small family farms and less-than-an-acre gardens.

BJ says...
y3yr2, please stop being aloof and post something of substance.

Mike says...
To me it seems peak fertiliser is still a way off and there will be ways for backyard folk to get NPK for small scale use.The issue at a larger scale relating to big areas of arable land and soil loss is harder to resolve.Micronutrients as well as macros are going down through the soil,into groundwater and flowing to the sea.We are not replacing the organic matter containing macros amd micros that would be recycled in natural systems.
Fracking like most wide area extractive industry processes has the potential to go very wrong and have serious impacts.The jury is still out on whether it can be done on a sustainable basis that minimises environmental harm.I am sure the mining industry would not engage in high risk activities in sensitive areas where things are likely to go wrong.

y3yrr says...
PS check Julie's warning about Zeiger Genetics being a GM technology. After this statement was comprehensively debunked ,the same Julie comes back a few months later and states it again. Her explanation --'someone told me'.

Julie says...
Mike, I was thinking mostly of large scale farming when I posted the article.( BTW, I only posted it - I didn't write it! I thought it might be worth discussing and thinking about. Pity about the rude comments).

Back yard growers fare much better, especially organic growers, as they tend to be more conservative with fertilisers and recycle nutrients.

Jason, I agree - nitrogen is the easy one. Probably why it wasn't mentioned.