Organic fertilizer cakes.

[Mycin]

We age it! Lol!

I was think about he jars themselves though.

Note the deep water groove, I read something about the water allowing certain bacteria through, but not oxygen blah blah blah...

View attachment 322775

"Fermentation", don't know how wide that definition actually is.

Sorce

Bit of a necrobump but my understanding (and personal experience) is that the water layer is to allow the CO2 produced through fermentation to escape, while keeping molds and other pathogens out. Using a sealed jar of any kind would result in a messy, stinky explosion

Fermentation is pretty cool, honestly .. turning cucumbers into pickles or cabbage into sauerkraut with nothing but salt and water is very satisfying. Highly recommended for anyone who's been considering it!

 

[fredman]

Fermentation is pretty cool, honestly .. turning cucumbers into pickles or cabbage into sauerkraut with nothing but salt and water is very satisfying. Highly recommended for anyone who's been considering it!

It's very cool. I make my own sauerkraut all the time...food for the second brain

 

[River's Edge]

You may wish to consider neem Meal as a substitute for Rape Seed. It has insecticidal and small animal deterrent attributes that I find useful!
I have used it as the base for over a decade with success. Not sure how available it is in your market. Very common fertilizer component in East Asian countries.

 

[fredman]

You may wish to consider neem Meal as a substitute for Rape Seed. It has insecticidal and small animal deterrent attributes that I find useful!
I have used it as the base for over a decade with success. Not sure how available it is in your market. Very common fertilizer component in East Asian countries.

WoW I love neem....use it extensively. I didn't even know it comes in that form. I can get some here. Bit expensive but worth it I think...it feeds the trees, keeps bugs away and aren't eaten by anything...win win
I'll get some and test it out this year to.
Muchas Gracias Frank.

 

[River's Edge]

WoW I love neem....use it extensively. I didn't even know it comes in that form. I can get some here. Bit expensive but worth it I think...it feeds the trees, keeps bugs away and aren't eaten by anything...win win
I'll get some and test it out this year to.
Muchas Gracias Frank.

Here is the rough combination that I have used for the past decade. Weights vary on the product so I use container volume for easy reference.
4 litre neem meal
1 litre Bone meal
1 litre blood meal
500 ml liquid fish fertilizer
Mix thoroughly and add warm water to desired consistency! ( I prefer a drier cookie dough like consistency) easy to form and dries faster.
Dry in the sun.
Over the years I have gone away from cutting square cakes, and using tea bags except in small controlled situations!
Primarily I break it to a smaller crumble as it dries and work small amounts just below or on the surface for most trees. I am in the habit of change the surface soil in the fall so it does not impact drainage and change frequency of required repots.
For heavy feeding or special circumstances, I still use tea bags or small sections of PVC pipe to control distribution and allow for removal when not wanted.
One trick to production is to roll out on a flat plastic, cut with pizza cutter. The flat plastic allows for flipping easily during drying and the pizza cutter creates more edges to break easily and dry faster! Lots of variations to the above I am sure!
Best value in my market is larger quantity of Neem meal ( 10 kg ) bags. Frequently used in berry production when wishing to fertilize heavily but avoid insect issues for the crop.

 

[fredman]

WOW again. Thanks mate. I was thinking of asking about your additives and process.
Found a good source locally
https://www.greentrading.co.nz/products/organic-neem-tree-granules-20kg

 

[River's Edge]

WOW again. Thanks mate. I was thinking of asking about your additives and process.
Found a good source locally
https://www.greentrading.co.nz/products/organic-neem-tree-granules-20kg

I usually apply approximately 1 tablespoon per gallon container size and repeat every month for average feeding! The damper it remains the faster it decomposes of course! thus the tea bags and just under the soil work better than just sprinkled on the surface.
For heavier feeding ( young pines for example) I add four teabags initially to a 4 gallon container, then add 4 more every two weeks until a total of 12 per container. This lasts the growing season for that tree. Take the residual and use it in the grow beds for cuttings and starter plants.
Just an idea of what I have tried with success! The heavier feeding regime is for grow out of young stock building trunk caliber, not concerned with needle length or node length at this stage of development.

 

[fredman]

Mmm...the fertilizer cakes are just about dry. Couldn't wait so I put them on the azaleas in the frame...4 per tree. Following morning almost half are gone....found some stashed behind other stored pots.
I repacked them in the pots and sprayed neem oil on to the cakes...to aid as a deterrent. Next morning same thing....
I'll spend some time this weekend and make the covers (photo above) for all the pots.
Neem pallets will hopefully be the answer.
@River's Edge I was wondering if rodents will be deterred in taking the neem...especially when combined with bone/blood meal...? Will only be buying that next month. For now I have 500 cakes that need to be used.
Damn vermin

 

[River's Edge]

Mmm...the fertilizer cakes are just about dry. Couldn't wait so I put them on the azaleas in the frame...4 per tree. Following morning almost half are gone....found some stashed behind other stored pots.
I repacked them in the pots and sprayed neem oil on to the cakes...to aid as a deterrent. Next morning same thing....
I'll spend some time this weekend and make the covers (photo above) for all the pots.
Neem pallets will hopefully be the answer.
@River's Edge I was wondering if rodents will be deterred in taking the neem...especially when combined with bone/blood meal...? Will only be buying that next month. For now I have 500 cakes that need to be used.
Damn vermin

I have not had any problems with rodents using the products in the combination suggested. No idea what happens down under. For the record I do not have cats or dogs on the property. We do have mice, tree rats, squirrels, raccoons native to the area.

 

[fredman]

That is good to hear. Thanks Frank

 

[fredman]

Yeah they're after the rape seed meal. It's irresistible to them. They constantly chew holes through the plastic container to get to the stored dry rape seed meal in the shed. I chose that because that's what they use in Japan for azalea.... they call it oil cake.
I'll make cakes with neem/blood/bone and use the two types side by side for the season. See how the trees do respectively.
I'm adding fish fertilizer byweekly too.
I bought a trap that's used by our trappers out in the forests and placed it in the shed. Killed two big rats already.

 

[tainoson]

Yeah they're after the rape seed meal. It's irresistible to them. They constantly chew holes through the plastic container to get to the stored dry rape seed meal in the shed. I chose that because that's what they use in Japan for azalea.... they call it oil cake.
I'll make cakes with neem/blood/bone and use the two types side by side for the season. See how the trees do respectively.
I'm adding fish fertilizer byweekly too.
I bought a trap that's used by our trappers out in the forests and placed it in the shed. Killed two big rats already.

i had to get away from rapeseed based cakes as well- they'd get snatched up as quickly as i put them down. i even tried using the little fert cages and those would just get carried away as well. then tried wiring them down, little bastards just tore up my soil and made a mess of everything... caved in and bought a bag of biogold, but this thread has given me the urge to start making my own!

 

[fredman]

Seems its turning in to a game now. I pack it up, and the rat takes it down. Don't take it far though....just takes them off and put it on the ground beside the pot... 3 nights in a row now... bizarre






Trying something new on some other pots. This is being left alone so far...



I made a few wire mesh covers but arent going to continue with that...to much of a schlep.

 

[tainoson]

Seems its turning in to a game now. I pack it up, and the rat takes it down. Don't take it far though....just takes them off and put it on the ground beside the pot... 3 nights in a row now... bizarre

it's almost as if he's making room for you to put back the cakes he likes...

 

[fredman]

Well the game has changed. Got 20kg of this. Good luck to the damn rats

Thanks again @River's Edge

 

[fredman]

Update...
I've settled on mixing the neem with crushed cakes and working that into the top layer. Works very well and no sign of rodent activity. It's been more than a month now and the fertilizer is doing it's work.The trees are looking the best i've ever seen them...this time of year. I also add liquid humate and fish fertilizer every second week.
I couldn't be more happy. It looks like i'm on to a winner here....