Amendments Archives

How To Make a Chelated Moly Concentrate for Foliar or Drench

Molybdenum, despite the funny name, is essential for good nitrogen utilization in the plant. It is needed for the process that converts nitrate nitrogen in the plant into amino acids and then into complete proteins, imparting disease and insect resistance on the way. It is also necessary for the microbes…

How Much Nitrogen Shall I Add?

Farmers love nitrogen because they love to see green and vigorous plants, and beginning gardeners do too. However, too much nitrogen results in weak plants susceptible to insect and disease attack. And, if you want to grow nutrient dense plants it is important to hit the “sweet spot”. Too much…

Compost Nutrient Calculator

Have you ever wondered how many nutrients you are supplying with your compost? Sometimes it's way more than you might think! We have written a calculator to help you understand exactly how much of what you might be putting on, especially if you have a compost test report for your…

Biochar

Biochar is a wonderful soil amendment. It is made from organic material burned in the absence of oxygen via pyrolysis. Once burned, the char is processed in a method called activation which hydrates the char and gives the mineral retention and microbial life a kick start. Biochar is an excellent…

Unit or Area Converter

Do you have a recommendation but wish that it was in different units? This calculator converts between the usual amendment units. Do you have a recommendation but wish it was for a different area? This calculator does that too! Simply enter your recommended amount (for example, 10 lbs / 1000…

Raised Bed Soil Calculator

We've seen far too many raised beds filled with "potting mix" from a landscape supply company and unhappy plants and unhappy gardeners. Landscape supply mixes are often high in salts and high in pH and completely unbalanced in nutrients. It is better to start filling a raised bed with a…

Amendment converter

Does OrganiCalc recommend a certain amendment, but you have a different amendment you want to use? Here is a handy converter to help you use what you have. Note: OrganiCalc and all of us at Grow Abundant Gardens do not want to create nutrient excesses in garden soil. So we do…

Organic Amendment User’s Guide

There are a huge number of organic soil amendments on the market today. Some have been around for a while, like limestone for adding calcium and raising the pH of acid soil. Some are quite new, like specialized biostimulants or liquid complexed minerals. This page is an attempt to point…

Where to source amendments

Ag lime Dolomite lime Gypsum Soft rock phosphate (see below for Phosul) Bone meal Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) Small quantities are at the drug store in the laxative aisle Potassium sulfate Sul-Po-Mag (K-Mag or Langbienite) Ag sulfur (Tiger-90) Feather meal (may be listed as a feed, or available at the…

How to Apply Amendments

Once you have the amendments on hand, the is the question of how best to get them into the soil easily and effectively. This page is all about how to apply the amendments, including if you are practicing or planning no-till growing. We have a handy table of recommended application…