Organic and harmless plant supplements

[aquaarche]

I found that Iron and potassium are missing from the nitrate nitrite mixture from the fish waste.

I was told to just place a net bag of rusty nails and tin cans in the flush tank and that would get iron salts to the plants.

but what about potassium? does anyone have an idea on how to make a natural potassium that wont kill the fish?

we don't have the luxury of a nursery where we can buy plant supplements and even if we did most will kill the fish.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[wolfracer]

I use maxicrop it's a seaweed extract, It can be ordered from the internet.

[aquaarche]

I don't hold a credit card. at times I wish I did.

I live near the sea and can get all kinds of seaweeds. Could I make some? does anyone have any idea how to process the seaweed into a fertilizer that wont kill my fish?

[badflash]

You can compost seaweed and get potassium out of the tea. Same goes for worm tea if you feed the worms food rich in postassium. Many fruits are high in this, so if you compost with that it would help. In the case of seaweed, you must be sure the tea does not have residual salt left in it or this may harm your plants.

Keep in mind to do this sparingly as you'll harm the fish if you go overboard.

[deearhunter]

Burn some wood the ash will contain potassium.
Put the ash in a filter container and pour water on top the filtrate is a lye with very high pH and can be used as a pH adjuster
if your setup is too acidic. It will raise your pH and add potassium.

[TCLynx]

Heck, don't worry about washing the salts off the sea weed (so long as the sea weed is from a clean source area.) There are people out there that use clean sea water to add trace minerals to their systems. A certain amount of salt in an AP system is pretty normal. So long as you keep it below 3 ppt, your plants should be ok (strawberries might be an exception to this rule.

Anyway, Maxicrop or seasol are commercial sea weed extracts that are good sources of potassium and trace minerals and are fish safe as long as you get the versions that are low in nitrogen.

Bananas are another method people have gotten potassium into their systems. Burry pealed bananas into the grow beds.

Ashes or "pot ash" is another way of adding potassium but you must be careful to monitor the pH and not use too much at one time.

Another option (which I used) was Murate of Potash which is just potassium chloride. I got it at the hardware store. It provides potassium but no other trace minerals.

Worm castings are a great supplement for a brand new system as are worms.

[Breed]

aquaarche
I have the same problem. I have tomatoes that could have reached 10', but I've cut them back 2 times to 3'. I haven't even had flowers, much less fruit.
I have been collecting egg shells for my system outside when the Spring comes, but we have a mini-system in the basement (I live in Missouri). I looked on the internet for the chemical makeup of eggshells and it said they were 95% Calcium Carbonate but the other 5% is potassium and (I think) potash.
So I crushed the shells and layed them around the base of the tomatoes - and - we'll see!
I was afraid to pulverize them for fear they would get into the fish tank and be harmful to the fish, so I just crushed them. It may take longer for the shells to dissolve, but the tomatoes should take up the potassium.
Can't tell you if it will work, only time will tell. Good luck - and if you find something better let me know.

[Breed]

Aquaarche
I guess I'm dumb or maybe dummer! Egg shells have phosphorus, not potassium. I re- looked it up on the internet and found I told you the wrong thing. I have the eggshells around my tomatoes, but maybe I shouldn't?? I looked up potassium and it says it reacts violently to water! Oh dear!
May be some one out there can help - us both!

[badflash]

Try feeding tilapia or goldies alfalfa pellets. I just got a 50# bag from the local feed store for $15. Besides being 19% protein, it has lots of other nutrients. It is 2.4% potassium.

Don't use rabbit pellets as it is loaded with copper and zinc.

Potassium in food is not the raw metal and won't explode. It might be cool if bananas exploded, but I've never seen it.

Blood meal is also a good source and has iron too. Add to the beds and use sparingly.

[JCO]

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