Plant Nutrition 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…

The photo below is of Romanesco Broccoli plants, taken December 15, 2015. There was a failed crop of cucumbers in this bed which I pulled in late August, and transplanted in the Romanesco seedlings. Usually I apply feathermeal, a bit of gypsum for sulfur, and as little powdered borax as possible…

If you are an organic grower and are new to using feathermeal or seed meals you are in for a pleasant surprise. If your garden is small and needs to be very productive you will be delighted with the response. In this photo, you can see how a generous application…

The many elements utilized by plants have a complex and interwoven relationship with each other in the soil, in the water in the soil, and in the plant. Soil biology mediates these relationships and adds another layer of complexity. It is important to understand how minerals move in the plant…

Foliar feeding plants can be a very effective means of increasing plant photosynthesis and health. A combination of a mineral balanced soil, great biology, a plant canopy, and a well designed foliar program can grow a superbly healthy crop, and even help build soil organic matter via root exudates. Foliar…

Good morning! It’s another beautiful summer day at Rancho Reinheimer, a little bit crisp with an intense sun rising. The garden is in full harvest season now, with boxes of tomatoes to put up for winter, cukes on the vine, plums on the trees, zukes out of control, beans and…

The physical part of a plant is made out of plant-essential nutrients. What are they and what role do they play in the plant? This is a huge subject and we don't want to make this a reductionist evaluation. At the same time, it's interesting and useful to understand the main…

Just because we garden or farm organically, it isn't automatic that we know how to grow nutrient dense food. We've learned this the hard way, and we have gardened all of our adult lives. When we were beginning to garden seriously on our first homestead, trying to grow all of…

This post is about dealing with excess minerals or nutrients in the soil. Dealing with excess tomatoes or zucchini is a different problem. Adding deficient minerals to the soil is relatively straightforward and OrganiCalc is a great aid in deciding just how much of what to add. In soils with…

Copper is required by both plants and animals. Experts say it makes our vegetables taste better. So, our plants need copper; however, our soil life is easily injured by copper in the wrong form. We include two copper sources on our worksheets. The OMRI organic farming standard is to use…

Plant Nutrition

How To Make a Chelated Moly Concentrate for Foliar or Drench

A Boron Story

Nitrogen, Nitrogen, Nitrogen

Mineral summary table

Multi-Foliar Feeding

Gallery of good food

Plant Essential Nutrients

How to Grow Nutrient Dense Food

Dealing With Excesses

Copper