joeworm, from extensive recorded results of all parts of the sugar cane plant - juice, molasses, filter cake and bagasse - analyses, my reaction is that the nutritional content is minimal. However the application of such juice may favor the proliferation of beneficial organisms, thereby improving the biological nature of the soil.

Yes you want to put it all in the compost. You get what you put into the compost. Here is what is in my fertilizer I use called Botanicare Pure pro: blend Fish meal, composted sea bird guano, sea kelp, spirulina, soybean protein extract, rock phosphate, potassium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, humic acid*, fulvic acid*, citric acid, raw sugar cane, Agrimineral 72 (silica clay extract), amino acids, B-complex vitamins*, and select botanical plant extracts. This fertilizer has some in-organic in it and everything is soluble and works like in-organic does.

That is what a plant lacks in soilles systems, minerals that would be in the ground. I give all needed Macro/Micro and this and you get a healthier crop then if grown 100% in-organic.

It might be a workable strategy for mineral soils (your garden), but I don't see any advantages, but some distinct disadvantages, for container culture. For one thing, I don't see what it would bring to the table that you wouldn't already have in a sound supplementation (fertilizer) program, which is easier & has a much greater margin for error.

MG - a significant fraction of what you listed in your fertilizer is NOT soluble, and it doesn't work like soluble ("inorganic") fertilizers do - until they have been broken down by soil biota ....... just for the record.

Al

So how come it is hydro-organic and using in hydroponics where there is no life at all?

Of course there's life. The plants are alive - what is there to make you think there aren't other life forms? If you toss fish meal in the water, you don't think plants EAT it? Microorganisms in the water are required to cleave the hydrocarbon chains in fish meal and other organic sources of nutrition, reducing the nutrients locked therein to elemental form so the plants can absorb them.

Think of the semipermeable plant membranes as a chain link fence. Elements in ionic form move through the fence as easily as golf balls or ping pong balls. Trying to get the giant size organic molecules through the fence is like trying to push a basketball through it.

Al

I am on the in-organic side. On the bottle it says for hydrogardens, coco, and soil. Now if I have a cleaner running in a hydrosystem to keep things sterile does that not kill the chance for micro life?

You could have a plant in hydroton and water plants with this fertilizer and it will still get all the N it needs. With out microbes coverting it.

In otherwords I thought this fertilizer could be used like an in-organic in hydrogardens? I do not need inoculants do I?

Thanks Al. Will this fertilizer be ok to use in soilless?

What you do or use is up to you. I only wanted to make it clear to others that without biotic life, the organic amendments can't be broken down into elemental form - more specifically what I pointed out is that they are not soluble, as you suggested.

Al

Hi joeworm,
I�m not sure what you meant by "produce scraps," but yeah, you can do it. I blend up veggies for my houseplants two or three times a year and they love it! I don�t use anything too sweet or pulpy because that can attract fruit flies/soil gnats. Generally I�ll use something like a cucumber because it�s juicy without being too sweet or acidic. I cut the skin off (because the blended skin bungs up the watering can), blend up the soft body, squeeze the bigger pulpy bits out and dilute the juice with the houseplant water. I also use the green water left over from steaming veggies. I either dilute it for the houseplants, or pour it cooled, but undiluted, into the flowerbed. For outside plants, you have to be a little more careful about using blended stuff because the fruit/veg pulp can attract mice, rats, raccoons, etc. To avoid this, you can bury the pulp, or just compost the leftover pulp after you pour the juice onto the soil. I have not yet found a way to truly liquefy fruit/veg scraps (even with a Vita-mix!) so that the soil gets it instead of the neighborhood fauna. Maybe somebody here has a good idea about how to do that?
Hope that helps, good luck!

Ok thanks again.

I thought it would be good to get some organic in my fertilizer.

"more specifically what I pointed out is that they are not soluble, as you suggested"

"Derived from land and sea and mineral sources, rather from chemicals, Pure Blend Pro nutrients are 100% water soluble, and are ready for use in any hydroponic growing system or soil-based garden"

"Pure Blend Pro nutrients are 100% water soluble"

Al can you please tell me why they say this?

To "sell" a product. Fish meal, composted sea bird guano, sea kelp, spirulina, are not soluble. They may be powdered fine enough that they go into suspension, but they are NOT soluble. If I told you ground beef was soluble, you wouldn't believe me, no matter how finely it was ground ..... Why would anyone think ground fish, seaweed, bird crap, was soluble?

Al

"Why would anyone think ground fish, seaweed, bird crap, was soluble? "

American Agritech Says it is soluble. The back of the bottle says 3% water soluble N.

They can "lie" even on the bottle?

Al,

I really am trying to figure this out. I am really interested and understand what you are saying, why do they get away with this?!?!?

It will work just as quik as in-organic right? Maybe not as economical but still just as fast, right?

Here I go and get some organics for my food crops and I am thinking I should of not wasted the money and stayed with miracle gro!!!!!

I am planning to use both, any harm in that?

Sorry for 3 posts.

The fertilizer puts things in it to help break down the organics. So that is why they say it is soluble, Al is very right.

MG, not all hydroponic is inorganic. But most hydroponic growers avoid organic nutrients, because the biota required to use it causes so many problems such as clogging and bad odor.