How to Make the Ultimate Organic Liquid Blueberry Fertilizer
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
- With only three ingredients, this fertilizer can do wonders for the health and production of blueberry plants in containers or in the ground. I’ve been using this recipe for years and have seen the positive effect it has on on my blueberry plants. I’ve found it so effective, I now use the same formula on other plants as well.
Disclosure:
The basis for this recipe and my entire fertilization program comes from www.backyardberryplants.com. Backyard Berry Plants sells a tremendous array of organic blueberry plants for many different growing zones. This includes some really interesting wild cultivars not seen anywhere else. If you’re shopping for blueberry plants, Backyard Berry Plants is grower you need to check out.
-End Disclosure
The only modification made to the original recipe was to specify Neptune’s Harvest Liquid Seaweed Fertilizer. Neptune’s Harvest products are widely available and liquid fertilizer is easier to mix than any dry ingredients that need to be dissolved.
Be sure to mix the molasses into the water first. Of the three ingredients, molasses is the slowest to mix into the water. Molasses tends to be gooey regardless of ambient conditions. However, if you get any of the molasses on yourself it can be removed with water.
The fish fertilizer goes in last. The Neptune’s Harvest Fish Fertilizer disperses quickly. Mixing it in last will minimize the chances of you splashing any fish fertilizer on your skin or clothes where the smell will linger.
If you need to make more fertilizer than will fit in you largest container, this recipe can be mixed as a more concentrated “working solution” and then further diluted to make the fertilizer actually used on the plants. I find doing this quicker than mixing up several individual batches.
Fertilizer Recipe:
One Gallon water (3.79 liters)
Blackstrap Molasses - 1/4 ounce (1/2 tablespoon, 7.5 ml )
Neptune’s Harvest Seaweed Fertilizer 0-0-1 - 1/4 ounce (1/2 tablespoon, 7.5 ml)
Neptune’s Harvest Fish Fertilizer 2-4-1 - 1 ounce (2 tablespoons, 29.5 ml )
Products Used in This Video:
Neptune’s Harvest Fish Fertilizer 2-4-1
ecogardensupply.com/Neptune-s...
Neptune’s Harvest Seaweed Fertilizer 0-0-1
ecogardensupply.com/Neptune-s...
Blackstrap Molasses
www.amazon.com/Golden-Barrel-...
Espoma Holly-tone Fertilizer
www.homedepot.com/p/Espoma-8-...
Happy Frog Acid Loving Fertilizer 6-4-4
ecogardensupply.com/happy-fro...
5 Gallon Food Safe White Bucket
www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-...
The Backyard Berry Plants blueberry plant care web page:
backyardberryplants.com/plant...
Photographic, Video & Sound Equipment Used In Production:
Avenger C-Stand
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Avenger D600 Mini Boom
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Reticam Phone Mount
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Manfrotto 014-14 Rapid Adapter - 5/8" Stud to 1/4-20" Thread
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Dissolving the molasses in a few cups of hot water makes it dissolve faster. Thanks for the video on blueberries. I’m always looking for innovative ways to keep them healthy.
I used that liquid fertilizer on my raspberries and they made a huge difference.
Glad to hear it! It does work well on many different plants.
Thanks for commenting and watching.
Thank you. I’m going to give this a try
You’re welcome.
Good luck and thank you for watching and commenting.
Thank you 😊 I do have three blueberry bushes for I think five years now and all I have ever done is put ash from my wood stove around them they are doing great but I will be doing this also 😊
I’d have a pH test done on that blueberry soil if I were you. Wood ash tends to raise soil pH and blueberries need a low pH to do well.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@CroakyOak O thank you I was always told that they loved it
I honestly don’t know, but from a nutrient perspective that may well be correct. Unfortunately ashes also effect pH as well and keeping soil/potting mix pH low is key for successful blueberries.
Thanks again for watching and commenting.
Thank you.
You're welcome!
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Great stuff.. thanks
You’re welcome. I’m glad you found the video useful.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@CroakyOak will this solution work on apples, plums, peaches, and nectarines.
Croaky oak thanks for the blueberry mix and fertilizer videos. I just potted two brightwells and one tifblue with your method. I applied netting surround these, good idea for the birds? I’m sure bees 🐝 can still find there way in.
Netting is definitely a good idea. Without some sort of netting, the birds will get more of your berries than you do. I’ve been lax with this in the past and have been cleaned out in a day or two.
I think animals are a bigger problem/threat to backyard blueberries than anything else.
Good luck with your plants and thanks for watching and commenting.
Just imagine how many new feline friends you'd make if you used the fish fertilizer as a cologne. Think I'll ditch my 'Night in The Pasture' cologne! And thanks for the video!
I’m glad you liked the video.
As for testing this as a fragrance, I’ll leave that up to you.😜
Thanks for watching and commenting.
I use Neptune's Harvest a LOT, they are fantastic. Is there a reason why you use the two separate bottles (fish and seaweed) instead of NH's fish and seaweed blend?
The total N-P-K numbers aren’t *exactly* the same. Originally I was using dry kelp which was more hassle than the liquid kelp. And I’ve always ended up with a partial bottle of one or the other left at the end of the season.
I suspect the combined product would work similarly. One less bottle is less work and less expense. Try the combined fish & seaweed and see what happens. Properly diluted you won’t hurt your plants. Good luck.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Hello. I am a bit confused with this liquid fert. What does this do to the blueberry plant? Are you looking for more leafy growth?
In the description there is a link to the Backyard Berry Plants plant care web page. That page has a better explanation than I can give. As stated in the description, Backyard Berry Plants is the source of the original formula. I made this video to pass along the information.
With my blueberries the effects of not fertilizing are not obvious until the following year. I don’t know the exact reason for this, but thanks to your question I now know I need to do some research and pay closer attention to my plants this year.
Thanks for watching and asking a question.
I's don't underestimate the fish water splashes. :0
Thanks for your help! What size scoop are you using for the 8 gallon mix? Looks like 1/2 cup??
The size of the measuring cup depends on the ingredient being measured. There is a recipe with volumes in the description for the video. One tablespoon is 1/2 oz., a quarter cup is 2 oz, a half cup is 4 oz. etc. The recipe is for a single gallon so you’ll need to multiply the amounts by the number of gallons of finished fertilizer you want to make.
If you don’t want to be bothered with the math, find a mobile/iphone/ipad app with conversions as part of the app. I use Calculator Pro+ from Apalon and it make doing conversions of all sorts much easier. I’m sure there is a web converter somewhere as well. However, I find using an app easier and faster.
Thanks for watching and commenting/asking a question.
That app has some of the scariest reviews I've ever seen. Holy crap.
FYI, you're over thinking the measuring just a bit. Its not like baking but you can burn the roots. Not as much with the organic stuff and less with slow release. I've heard u can't burn with organics at all. Not sure. I need to do a deep dive on fertilizer burn.
Do you have a blueberry dirt video? I found a recipe that says 1 pt peat moss, 1 part fine pine bark mulch, 1 pt soil and holly tone…. I’m new at blueberry planting but not at gardening and I’m already a fan of your fertilizer recipe. I tend to gravitate towards folks that use good products… I’m in Florida (10a now) and got zone appropriate blueberry plants! Thanks for this vid! Do you suggest I eventually put them in a bed of some sort instead of containers?
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Can I use this in a weak solution on my apples, plums, nectarines, and peaches?
Applying a diluted version of this fertilizer to the ground around a tree seems like it would be safe enough. Beyond that I have no idea. I simply don’t yet know much about fruit trees. Fruit trees are a separate challenge from berry bushes.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Oh, and thanks for posting this as a separate comment. New comments are much easier to see within the CZcams comment dashboard.
Do you use sulfur molasses because it needs the acid?
I’ve always used unsulfured blackstrap molasses because that type of molasses has been readily available and inexpensive. I doubt the amount of sulfur in sulfured molasses would make much if any difference, because the concentration of sulfur in the final mix is too low.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
I use the fish emulsion on my corn and peppers and strawberries. Tested the ph on the solution and its pretty acidic 5.
I like the the combination, think I'll try it on my blueberries.
Have you tested the ph on this combination ?
Probably in the 5 range was just wandering.
I have not tested the pH on this fertilizer mix. However this is a great idea I’ll try in the future. Thanks!
Given that this is a blueberry specific formula that originally came from professional grower (listed in the description) I agree that the pH of the final mix is most likely low.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@CroakyOak I just received all three products to try, I'll take a ph test and let you know. Glad to find your video, thinking this mixture will do great.
I only found this Blueberry fertilizer video recently and noticed you mentioned you stop the fertilizing when it starts getting cold. In my area (Bakersfield,, CA) that is not until late October; is it still good to continue fertilizing late in the season under those conditions?
I honestly don’t know. I never had to deal with any warm weather issues. Although that appears to be changing. 😳
Around here Labor Day or the end of August -often considered the end of summer- is a convenient time to stop fertilizing even though there are years when warm weather persists for another month.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
I use the blue label with added kelp and apply in early to mid spring on vegetables, sometimes I sprinkle the leaf at bloom for higher yields. This fish needs to break down in the soil and you should stop a month before the new growth hardens off for the winter. In So Cal, your plants may not harden off for a freeze unless you go farther north. Just look at your plants for the seasonal changes. I would stop feeding in mid September as the days are getting shorter and require less nutrition.
Can I use this on rhododendrons
Probably. I only say that because I can’t imagine a situation where this mix would actually have a detrimental effect on a plant. However my knowledge about flowering plants like rhododendrons is minimal and I recommend you do some more research.
Granular fertilizer optimized for acid loving plants would be less work and most likely less expensive too.
Happy gardening!
Thanks for watching and commenting.
How often we need to apply ?
I usually use/used this mix every two weeks through the end of August.
The links in the description are also a good source of information.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
What are the measurements besides using a 4 gallon bucket? You said 2/3 water, so that is 2.66 gallons. But what size were your measuring utensils?
The basic recipe for one gallon is in the description. You can use that recipe to make any volume you need. For what it’s worth, 1/2 tablespoon is the same as 1 1/2 teaspoons.
I hope this answers your question.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@CroakyOak That spoon looked bigger than a tablespoon! LOL It would of helped you tell us the measurements as you did the actions. Glad you put the recipe for the one gallon though!
Rather than pouring your solution back and forth, why not pour 1/2 into the unmarked bucket? Put the buckets side by side and let the level be even.
With the buckets I have, that would work as long as the total volume of finished fertilizer didn’t exceed 8 gallons. And since doing this eliminates a step, I’m sure it’d be faster and easier too. In fact, I’m going to try this next time I need a smaller amount of fertilizer. Thanks.
That said, what I’m trying to demonstrate in the video is the *process* of mixing a more concentrated ‘working solution’ of fertilizer and then diluting the working solution to make the liquid fertilizer that gets applied to the blueberry plants. Mixing the ingredients once and diluting the working solution is faster than mixing repeatedly.
I often need 16 or more gallons of the final dilution of fertilizer and this is the method I use to make that much finished fertilizer. Using a larger vessel and mixing everything at the final concentration would be easier. But finding, buying and then storing such a vat or tank is a challenge for most backyard gardeners. Whereas finding a five gallon bucket (actually closer to 4 1/2 gallons) in the U.S. is easy and the buckets are inexpensive.
Thanks for watching, commenting and adding to the collective knowledge available in the comments. Cheers!
आपके बताए गए आर्गेनिक फर्टीलाइजर कहा पर मिल जायेगा
The molasses came from amazon. The kelp and fish fertilizer are made by Neptune’s Harvest. In the U.S. I’ve found ecogardensupply.com to have competitive pricing on both the kelp and fish fertilizer.
If you’re outside the continental USA try contacting Neptune’s Harvest directly to find out about international availability. Good luck!
Thanks the watching and commenting.
Can't hear you!
do you use this entire thing for one season? i imagine that with organic ingredients, if I had any left over that it would spoil... Id love to know if this has happend to you or not.
Good question! I try not to buy excess kelp and fish. But, if I have any leftover ingredients I keep them in a garage that is cold but still above freezing. And yes, I’ve used them the following year and haven’t seen any mold growth on the surface and have not noticed any odors other than what the stuff usually smells like. If they *have* gone bad or lost their potency, I haven’t noticed any issues. I have no idea what Neptune’s Harvest has to say about the shelf life of their products.
Unfit for human consumption is one thing and unfit to be used as fertilizer is another. I wouldn’t eat from my compost heap but I put the compost on my plants every spring. 😀
All this said, this year I think I may very well go with two applications of granular fertilizer and see what happens. Granular fertilizer is far less work and any excess is easier to store.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@CroakyOak ...does your fertilizer recipe help bring down the acidity level since blueberry plants thrive low ph? And if you add apart from this what do you use to lower the ph level? Thanks.
@@gofigure4920 You can use Elemental Sulfur powder, or 2 to 4 Tbs per gallon of water of Ammonium Sulfate. The Sulfate works immediately but the Sulfur takes a few months to break down and lower the PH.
Can i use this on strawberries too?
Can I use it on strawberries too
Yes. If I still had strawberries I’d be fertilizing them right along with the blueberries.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
What size scoop to use
As long as the ratio of ingredients to water remains the same as listed in the recipe, the size of the measuring cups is really up to you.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
What size scoop to use
Cats will love you and fish smell plus dogs want to roll in your clothes lol
I go out of my way to not get this stuff on my clothes. Although not super potent, the fish smell does linger.😯
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Golden barrel molasses isnt Organic 😪
You make an interesting point. I ended up using the Golden Barrel molasses because the little glass bottles of molasses from the supermarket were costing a fortune and the Golden Barrel is available from Amazon with free shipping.
The recipe isn’t dependent on any particular brand of molasses, just that the molasses be black strap molasses.
I’m not familiar with the USDA regulations regarding what products can be used for certified organic food production. So I don’t know if molasses used as fertilizer would need to meet the same standard as molasses that is a USDA certified organic food. Again, this is an interesting question.
This fertilizer recipe does work well on my own blueberry plants. Which is why I decided to pass along the recipe and the site I where I found the recipe.
Thanks for commenting.
@@CroakyOak yeah i had a small jar of plantation molasses..super expensive for a little jar..i was a little disappointed with this one cause i got it from amazon too and it was highly recommended however it doesnt say organic anywhere on the bottle. I still used it tho🤷♂️