glue for fertilizer cake / crumble

[nuttiest]

I need to make some fertilizer cake or crumble but need it to hold together for 4 months, because of an upcoming fertilizer ban. What would be the least harmful additive, thinking wood glue or natural goo such as chia seed or psyllium husk. Ingredients for cake to be applied now are fertilizer or blood and bone meal. I have urea but don't think that can be used in a lasting cake?

I am actually growing mustard and amaranth for for the Nitrogen and evil Phosphate for use during the summer, you just can't use something with npk numbers on it.

 

[Eckhoffw]

I need to make some fertilizer cake or crumble but need it to hold together for 4 months, because of an upcoming fertilizer ban. What would be the least harmful additive, thinking wood glue or natural goo such as chia seed or psyllium husk. Ingredients for cake to be applied now are fertilizer or blood and bone meal. I have urea but don't think that can be used in a lasting cake?

I am actually growing mustard and amaranth for for the Nitrogen and evil Phosphate for use during the summer, you just can't use something with npk numbers on it.

I think I’ve read that molasses is used as a natural binder.

 

[Paradox]

I've used flour in the cakes I make.
They hold up pretty well

 

[Mike Westervelt]

Plus one for flour, heard of molasses not tried it.
Glue would completely defeat the purpose by preventing the goodness from leaching out

 

[Dav4]

I used to make cakes but now just use tea bags to hold the powdered fertilizer .

 

[nuttiest]

I used to make cakes but now just use tea bags to hold the powdered fertilizer .

Hmm, I wonder would placing a teabag within allowed time would be considered same as any other application?

 

[nuttiest]

Its time for me to fertilize LIKE NEVER BEFORE! Before a summer ban was passed years ago, I never thought about fertilizer like today, never really fertilized much. I feel like we have been taught to go into overdrive spreading lots of stuff just because May 30th is coming. Even the garden centers cashiers will remind 'don't forget fertilizer, the ban is coming.' I wish I could find out how many more tons of nitrogen are being sold than before the law. I suppose everything has its unintended consequences.

 

[Betula1]

You have a summer ban on using fertiliser??? that is bizarre ! who thought that one up? Why ?

 

[Paradox]

You have a summer ban on using fertiliser??? that is bizarre ! who thought that one up? Why ?

It's probably for water quality reasons.
Florida has had really bad algal blooms the last few years that are driven by too many nutrients getting into the water from too many houses wanting their ultra green lawns, and just too much development in some areas in general

 

[Dav4]

If ferts are hard to come by, I'd be looking into brewing my own compost teas as well as using solid fert cakes.

 

[Betula1]

It's probably for water quality reasons.
Florida has had really bad algal blooms the last few years that are driven by too many nutrients getting into the water from too many houses wanting their ultra green lawns, and just too much development in some areas in general

I can well understand the need for putting controls on agriculture to stop the industrial scale of over-applications of Nitrates and Phosphates to farm land , and also sewage leakages which cause massive algal blooms in our rivers and lakes, but banning small scale sale of fertilisers to amateur gardeners and bonsai hobbyists??
And why a Summer ban during the main growing season? I fail to understand the science/ logic behind this!!

 

[jandslegate]

I used to make cakes but now just use tea bags to hold the powdered fertilizer .

I only stopped using the tea bags because my dog couldn't help himself and would stop at nothing to get them. Beyond that they worked very well.

 

[nuttiest]

Are the organic ferts long lasting? I wonder if I can use 2 tblsp per 3 gallon pot, maybe 2 tsp on the pumice plants in training pot? I wanted to buy time release but they are expensive per pound.

 

[Dav4]

I only stopped using the tea bags because my dog couldn't help himself and would stop at nothing to get them. Beyond that they worked very well.

Historically, all my bigger dogs have feasted on my solid fertilizer, both applied directly to the soil and teabags. My current dog is “Invisible Fence“ trained, and I have my bonsai garden fenced off with one of their applications and it effectively keeps him away from my trees now .

 

[Dav4]

Are the organic ferts long lasting? I wonder if I can use 2 tblsp per 3 gallon pot, maybe 2 tsp on the pumice plants in training pot? I wanted to buy time release but they are expensive per pound.

The typical solid fertilizer cake is intended to be replaced every 4 to 6 weeks.

 

[Paradox]

I can well understand the need for putting controls on agriculture to stop the industrial scale of over-applications of Nitrates and Phosphates to farm land , and also sewage leakages which cause massive algal blooms in our rivers and lakes, but banning small scale sale of fertilisers to amateur gardeners and bonsai hobbyists??
And why a Summer ban during the main growing season? I fail to understand the science/ logic behind this!!

It's probably because people are putting it on their lawns in great quantities. There are a lot of lawns and in aggregate it is ALOT of fertilizer. The ban probably covers all applications of fertilizer.

The logic and science is that it gets into the water ways and promotes huge algal blooms that die and use up oxygen in the water that lowers the oxygen to the point that fish die in huge numbers.

The main growing season for algae is also spring and summer so adding so much fertilizer to lawns ends up running off into the water and causing massive algae growth.

Tourists and home owners don't like walking along the beach or their bayside property seeing and smelling massive mounds of stinking algae and dead fish everywhere.

It's been a huge issue in Florida the last few years.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

The biostimulants made famous on here by @cmeg1 We're first widely used and researched in Germany to control fertiliser run off particularly phosphate

As phosphorous is so easily locked up in soils, farmers tend to add 5x more than is necessary which then runs off into water ways and causes algae blooms

 

[Wood]

It's probably because people are putting it on their lawns in great quantities....

The main growing season for algae is also spring and summer...

The ban for homeowners makes a lot of sense too. Farmers have economic incentives to efficiently apply fertilizer so that they're reducing their ongoing costs. Homeowners do not face the incentives/constraints on lawn fertilizer, so they tend to over-apply. Turf grass is the #1 crop by land area is the US, and in aggregate, homeowners probably apply more excess fertilizer than farmers do

Did a quick Google search and it seems that some municipalities ban fertilizer application from June 1-30th due to the rainy season. Apparently DeSantis signed a budget that prevents municipalities from expanding that ban into July:

Despite worries from environment groups, DeSantis opts to halt new fertilizer bans

Cities or counties won’t be able to adopt a new rainy season fertilizer ban for a one-year period starting at the end of the month.

www.tampabay.com

I personally think the real solution is to kill your lawn and replace it with native plants adapted to your local ecosystem that don't require additional water or fertilizer supplements, but I understand that's culturally not where most of the country is

 

[Wood]

Related to OP's actual question, I've been meaning to try @Brian Van Fleet's approach:

Cake: Feeding the trees

I feed organic; let them eat cake…and fish. For the last 6-7 years, my recipe has become simple and the results have become predictable. I check the forecast to look for a few sunny days&#823…

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

Could you plant some kind of deep-rooted plants underneath your benches to help the water and fertilizer runoff from your bonsai be absorbed more immediately and not become runoff from your property?

 

[jandslegate]

It's probably because people are putting it on their lawns in great quantities. There are a lot of lawns and in aggregate it is ALOT of fertilizer. The ban probably covers all applications of fertilizer.

The logic and science is that it gets into the water ways and promotes huge algal blooms that die and use up oxygen in the water that lowers the oxygen to the point that fish die in huge numbers.

The main growing season for algae is also spring and summer so adding so much fertilizer to lawns ends up running off into the water and causing massive algae growth.

Tourists and home owners don't like walking along the beach or their bayside property seeing and smelling massive mounds of stinking algae and dead fish everywhere.

It's been a huge issue in Florida the last few years.

We went on vacation in Florida last year and that's when I learned what red tide is. The beach was a short lived trip. On the plus side I got to visit Wigerts!