The Grass Doctor

Is there a way to make my own fertilizer?

is there a site or a store i could go to and get the raw ingredients for a CHEMICAL fertilizer. i am doing this for orchids, so compost is out of the question and will not help me at all. i need to design three specific types of non-urea nitrogen fertilizers 30-10-10 30-30-10 10-30-30 i would buy them but anything i find similar to those have urea nitrogen which inhibits orchids from absorbing certain micronutrients. i'm basically looking for a build-a-bear workshop but for fertilizer instead of stuffed animals. also, if anyone knows where fertilizers like these with trace elements of iron, manganese, zinc and other such micro-nutrients pre-made with NO urea-based nitrogen in them, i would love to know where to find them. thanks ugh what is it with you people (for those of you that gave me legitimate answers i'm not speaking to you)? IT'S AN ORCHID!!! it's not in soil, it's in bark. the bark CANNOT hold compost or manure and i'm not putting chicken sh** or bat sh** or cow sh** on my f***in house plants. not only would the BARK (NOT SOIL) that my plant is in not be able to hold it and therefore not deliver any of the amazing benifits to my orchid, but my house would stink. I realize orchids grow in the rainforest with no chemicals. but that is in NATURE. birds poop on the trees and decomposing matter gets stuck in the crevices of bark on the trees or rocks where they live and the roots are able to pull those nutrients along with the trace minerals in rain water. I however have no desire to capture rain water as standing water in your yard promotes mosquito larvae. i'm not seeking knowledge, i know all this, i'm seeking information, which ARE two different things. don't answer if you're unknowledgeable. I am very knowledgeable about compost and its long-lasting slow-release benefits over chemical fertilizers. IN DIRT, where it can sit for a long time and the nutrients can be released slowly. but my orchid is not in dirt and i shant be covering it in droppings of any kind, therefore i need to substitute chemicals. I was merely asking if anyone knew of the fertilizers i needed, or if there was a place to design a water-soluble fertilizer using non-urea based nitrogen.

Public Comments

1. Sperm :)
2. High Times Magazine...
3. You could use a urea based fertilizer with the following cautions: Use the higher nitrogen fertilizer only during orchid peak growth. Orchid will use more of the available N at this time. Switch to a low N formula during periods of slow growth i.e. 5-10-10 . As you're already aware, excess urea buildup will lead to high salt concentration which can destroy the moisture sensitive Orchid. Insure to water frequently when applying any fertilizer. Manure is an organic source of N but it can be difficult to control the amount of N available and the rate at which it's dispersed into soil. Urea (or SCU--sulfur coated urea) gives you a better means for measurement and control of Nitrogen release. As far as micronutrients check out available fertilizers at Lesco.com or JohnDeereLandscapes. Many of their fertilizers have micronutrients: Mn, Zn, Fe added into fertilizer. But they're all Urea based. It's unlikely though soil PH would be affected to the point of micronutrient deficiency or toxicity. You can always check this by soil testing and make appropriate correction with Lime and/or Sulfur. Edit: You did not state that you were trying to grow Orchids in bark. There are species of Orchids which are grown in potting soil. You need to be more specific with your details in your original question. What species of Orchid are you growing? There are thousands of species of Orchids which have completely different nutrient management strategies.
4. buy a rabbit and use its poop or chickens but rabbits is the best to use next to bat poop but where are you gonna get that
5. I would try a greenhouse, and also I would check into whatever Miraclegrow has because they make ferts for everything. That would save you hassle. Check their website and ask them. Even if you don't buy it is still worth your time to see what they say and what they have listed.
6. The best fertilizer in the whole wide world is compost. So make compost, and you will be getting a great fertilizer. If you don't believe me, go walking in the woods. See how pretty everything is? No-one's out there puting chemical fertilizer on the trees, vines, bushes, or wildflowers. It's all natural compost! I have orchids, and I use zero chemical on them. I use moss as compost. Orchids usually live in rain forests, and there are no chemicals there!
7. You can find raw fertilizers chemicals in the planted aquarium trade; they like to mix things for special purposes also. I think that a pound of potassium nitrate is less than ten dollars, for instance. As far as non- urea based nitrogen, no problem. You can get ammonia based nitrogen, or a nitrate salt. A nitrate salt will also contain potassium, sodium or calcium, unless you go with ammonium nitrate. I know orchids need quite a bit of nitrogen, but I would think you need to keep the total dissolved salts low. As far as trace nutrients, the aquarium or hydroponic trade both offer some solutions.