Does surface application of organic fertilizers like chicken manure, blood/bone meal and such, work? My understanding is that organics have to be broken down by microbes and such before the nutrients are available to the plant. So if it's on top rather than in the soil then there won't be much of an environment for the little guys and so the nutrients won't come of use?
Surface application?
- Thread starter MindTone
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JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
As you water the nutrients wash down thru the soil...
aml1014
Masterpiece
As Judy said as you water, the fertilizer will slowly break down and wash down to the lower parts of the pot. Gravity is quite the force.
Aaron
Aaron
But the nutrients are not available until the fertilizer is broken down and it won't break down on its own, right? Water alone won't break it down, microbes and bacteria do that. Can that really occur above the soil rather than in it?
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
you will get mold and other stuff on the surface when you spread organics. Stuff like chicken manure, blood and bone meal that aren't composted first before being sold will stink too. That is also part of the process.
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
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On it AND in it...
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
I've applied organics in tea bags on top of the soil (which keeps most of the original solid material in the bag), and after a few weeks/months there are often a large number of roots that have grown up into the tea bag (this is species dependent, ficus seem to be particularly aggressive). So I'm willing to guess that those nutrients are available 
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