Can You Make Cheap Soil AMAZING With Fertilizer
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Date: 2025-03-14
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Comments and reviews: 20
theheardhomestead
My personal experience Kellogg ruined my garden year last year. I bought that exact same kind. Every where I used it failed, got weak, infested, and expensive. I had to dig and dump it all out it was awful. Killed most of my seedlings I started from seed in January. By May I had to scrap most of my pepper plants, flowers, beans. Also killed my Salvia, I have to dump concrete planters and refill them. Trim the Salvia and hope it came back. It did but was almost worthless.
Every other bed was fine. But the amount of bugs the weak plants attracted was atrocious. We used the dug up Kelloggs as mulch on the ground. It is 100% mulched wood no soil at all. Holds zero nutrients and no plants even rooted past the stage when planted.
My best year was Miracle grow and Vigoro. With bone meal, and worm castings.
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My personal experience Kellogg ruined my garden year last year. I bought that exact same kind. Every where I used it failed, got weak, infested, and expensive. I had to dig and dump it all out it was awful. Killed most of my seedlings I started from seed in January. By May I had to scrap most of my pepper plants, flowers, beans. Also killed my Salvia, I have to dump concrete planters and refill them. Trim the Salvia and hope it came back. It did but was almost worthless.
Every other bed was fine. But the amount of bugs the weak plants attracted was atrocious. We used the dug up Kelloggs as mulch on the ground. It is 100% mulched wood no soil at all. Holds zero nutrients and no plants even rooted past the stage when planted.
My best year was Miracle grow and Vigoro. With bone meal, and worm castings.
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LittleKi1
Little hort lesson that only recently fully clicked into place for me: Micronutrients are what allows plants to a) convert simple sugars from photosynthesis into complex sugars and b) convert sugars into amino acids, proteins, and fats. If simple sugars get properly converted, the ice cream shop for insects like aphids closes down. Your organic fertilizer should have the micronutrients necessary for these processes. Synthetic fertilizers that are basically just NPK will not. So, if your soil is already deficient and you hit it with NPK, it's an ice cream shop for the aphids. I think this experiment is a great example of these processes! (Micronutrients can be purchased and used successfully in a synthetic form but that's generally not what is happening in the home garden)
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Little hort lesson that only recently fully clicked into place for me: Micronutrients are what allows plants to a) convert simple sugars from photosynthesis into complex sugars and b) convert sugars into amino acids, proteins, and fats. If simple sugars get properly converted, the ice cream shop for insects like aphids closes down. Your organic fertilizer should have the micronutrients necessary for these processes. Synthetic fertilizers that are basically just NPK will not. So, if your soil is already deficient and you hit it with NPK, it's an ice cream shop for the aphids. I think this experiment is a great example of these processes! (Micronutrients can be purchased and used successfully in a synthetic form but that's generally not what is happening in the home garden)
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abyssal_phoenix
Im honest about it
Most of the garden areas i maintain in my parents yard were essentially wasteland. Some parts got conifers or bushes on them when my parents moved here. No fertilisation or something ever. That would be for over 25 years.
Took 3 years to properly recover the soils and make them black and rich again. Now stuff does grow like crazy in it.
And im honest, because i fixed that soil with literally our waste (ash, compost, scavenged manure, mulch, I won't ever buy premium potting mix or something. I'll just buy the cheapest soil and make it premium myself. Takes time but it's fun and rewarding!
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Im honest about it
Most of the garden areas i maintain in my parents yard were essentially wasteland. Some parts got conifers or bushes on them when my parents moved here. No fertilisation or something ever. That would be for over 25 years.
Took 3 years to properly recover the soils and make them black and rich again. Now stuff does grow like crazy in it.
And im honest, because i fixed that soil with literally our waste (ash, compost, scavenged manure, mulch, I won't ever buy premium potting mix or something. I'll just buy the cheapest soil and make it premium myself. Takes time but it's fun and rewarding!
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McGussen
We have alot of wildcats in our area. our elementary schools mascot is the wildcat. I grew up working for a tobacco farmer neighbor and him and his son would kill those wildcats because they would tear up the insulation of his trailer in the winter time. Then, he'd throw the cats on the last row of the tobacco plants, always in that row, and the tobacco that was planted in that row always grew faster and taller than the other tobacco. He said he'd throw cats all over his field if he could get enough of them. and it's cheaper fertilizer that works better. Use cats for fertilizer ya'll.
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We have alot of wildcats in our area. our elementary schools mascot is the wildcat. I grew up working for a tobacco farmer neighbor and him and his son would kill those wildcats because they would tear up the insulation of his trailer in the winter time. Then, he'd throw the cats on the last row of the tobacco plants, always in that row, and the tobacco that was planted in that row always grew faster and taller than the other tobacco. He said he'd throw cats all over his field if he could get enough of them. and it's cheaper fertilizer that works better. Use cats for fertilizer ya'll.
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kylehardy7519
Love you guys but these science videos are super low effort and offer no meaningful real world knowledge. Poor execution of the scientific method. This experiment only works if you test using different amounts of each fertilizer, a very large number of plants and in multiple locations. How many different types of synthetic and organic fertilizer did you use In what amounts On what schedules Is there only one plant of each variation
Your results are meaningless and purely anecdotal. Also potting mix is not soil. Facts matter especially when you pretend to be scientists.
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Love you guys but these science videos are super low effort and offer no meaningful real world knowledge. Poor execution of the scientific method. This experiment only works if you test using different amounts of each fertilizer, a very large number of plants and in multiple locations. How many different types of synthetic and organic fertilizer did you use In what amounts On what schedules Is there only one plant of each variation
Your results are meaningless and purely anecdotal. Also potting mix is not soil. Facts matter especially when you pretend to be scientists.
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karaleong8282
It would be great to see these experiments with replicates. Hard to make a judgement call with only one rep. Could be slight differences in watering, one of the pots getting more heat from sun exposure, shading from one plant to another, some plants touching and exchanging aphids but not others, a million different variables. At a minimum, experimentally it would be good have 3 reps each spread further apart so not affecting each other. If I was Kelloggs or Miracle Gro, I would really want to see this at a minimum before sharing with your large group of followers.
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It would be great to see these experiments with replicates. Hard to make a judgement call with only one rep. Could be slight differences in watering, one of the pots getting more heat from sun exposure, shading from one plant to another, some plants touching and exchanging aphids but not others, a million different variables. At a minimum, experimentally it would be good have 3 reps each spread further apart so not affecting each other. If I was Kelloggs or Miracle Gro, I would really want to see this at a minimum before sharing with your large group of followers.
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louisamichelleloll
Interesting! I don’t think the hate comments about the grounds of the experiment are warranted, we all do little experiments like this in our gardens every season.
I will say I wish that synthetic fertilizer was better understood by more gardeners. It feels demonized. I use both for different reasons and very much love soil biology but it’s sort of disappointing to never see any content actually covering what synthetic/ organic really entails. NPK in synthetic is still actual NPK. I feel like most people think it’s just a ton of toxic chemicals.
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Interesting! I don’t think the hate comments about the grounds of the experiment are warranted, we all do little experiments like this in our gardens every season.
I will say I wish that synthetic fertilizer was better understood by more gardeners. It feels demonized. I use both for different reasons and very much love soil biology but it’s sort of disappointing to never see any content actually covering what synthetic/ organic really entails. NPK in synthetic is still actual NPK. I feel like most people think it’s just a ton of toxic chemicals.
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epic_gardening
I appreciate you doing these tests to save us from a lot of trial-and-error lessons. I think that it might have been better to use organic and synthetic fertilizers with the same NPK ratios, however, instead of using a nitrogen-rich synthetic and a phosphorus-dominated synthetic. As it was conducted, you are introducing two variables at once between the fertilized bags, and there is no way of telling how much of the difference is from organic (slow release) vs synthetic (faster release) and how much is due to the nutrient ratios.
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I appreciate you doing these tests to save us from a lot of trial-and-error lessons. I think that it might have been better to use organic and synthetic fertilizers with the same NPK ratios, however, instead of using a nitrogen-rich synthetic and a phosphorus-dominated synthetic. As it was conducted, you are introducing two variables at once between the fertilized bags, and there is no way of telling how much of the difference is from organic (slow release) vs synthetic (faster release) and how much is due to the nutrient ratios.
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OMGitsaClaire
I would love to see these experiments again with liquid fertilizers. I typically plant in a good quality potting mix then start in with a liquid fertilizer after a month or so and fertilize every two weeks. I also use liquid on seedlings right after they get their first set of true leaves and then every two weeks until they’re in the ground. I use Fox Farm’s Grow Big liquid fertilizer. I had a neighbor once accuse me of growing some kind of mutant zucchini because the leaves got so huge.
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I would love to see these experiments again with liquid fertilizers. I typically plant in a good quality potting mix then start in with a liquid fertilizer after a month or so and fertilize every two weeks. I also use liquid on seedlings right after they get their first set of true leaves and then every two weeks until they’re in the ground. I use Fox Farm’s Grow Big liquid fertilizer. I had a neighbor once accuse me of growing some kind of mutant zucchini because the leaves got so huge.
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clausroquefort9545
working with some amount of garden soil in your mix is viable too.
i live in a place with clay soil and adding it to my potting mixes has helped a lot with water retention. instead of a drainage layer i have a clay layer.
it works well for keeping the soil moist but i have noticed that my plants are hestistant to root down there when i overdo it.
i would love to see how each of your bought mixes would perform if you add some of your native garden soil to it.
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working with some amount of garden soil in your mix is viable too.
i live in a place with clay soil and adding it to my potting mixes has helped a lot with water retention. instead of a drainage layer i have a clay layer.
it works well for keeping the soil moist but i have noticed that my plants are hestistant to root down there when i overdo it.
i would love to see how each of your bought mixes would perform if you add some of your native garden soil to it.
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epic_gardening
There's Universities studies
Estate Org,
syndicate org
doing / showing dirt Recipe per type of produce.
An video doin control tests
Like if 3 types of not that regulated products, from an specific Country would be ground breaking
Look. that's even an good way to waste your guys time
Or is interesting to make months per EXPERIMENT
discerning that organic is an abused term and Fraudulent Scam Marketing on most of Countries
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There's Universities studies
Estate Org,
syndicate org
doing / showing dirt Recipe per type of produce.
An video doin control tests
Like if 3 types of not that regulated products, from an specific Country would be ground breaking
Look. that's even an good way to waste your guys time
Or is interesting to make months per EXPERIMENT
discerning that organic is an abused term and Fraudulent Scam Marketing on most of Countries
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olga_switzerland
Sorry, but you added fertilizer too early! The plant must develop roots first. In addition, it is logical that different soil mixtures require different fertilizers, they are obtained from different waste! And about adding organic matter. Actually, you need to feed not the plant, but the bacteria living in the soil and converting organic matter into a nutritious form. Accordingly, you need to feed organic matter regularly, not just once!
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Sorry, but you added fertilizer too early! The plant must develop roots first. In addition, it is logical that different soil mixtures require different fertilizers, they are obtained from different waste! And about adding organic matter. Actually, you need to feed not the plant, but the bacteria living in the soil and converting organic matter into a nutritious form. Accordingly, you need to feed organic matter regularly, not just once!
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suzy1335
I have a question about your Botanical Interest seed. Why can I get Swiss Chard /Perpetual Spinach seed only through your company directly My garden center checked with your Rep for Mesquite Growers Nursery in Tucson Arizona and were told Botanical interest seed doesn't distribute this particular seed through a retailer but that I have to go on-line to buy just one packet of seed. This doesn't seem right. What do you think
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I have a question about your Botanical Interest seed. Why can I get Swiss Chard /Perpetual Spinach seed only through your company directly My garden center checked with your Rep for Mesquite Growers Nursery in Tucson Arizona and were told Botanical interest seed doesn't distribute this particular seed through a retailer but that I have to go on-line to buy just one packet of seed. This doesn't seem right. What do you think
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Sendarya
Kelloggs is downright poison. It nearly killed my seedlings and as a test, I left 2 in it, and repotted everything else into quality Coast of Maine soil. I added am the same amendments to both. The stuff in Kellogg stayed stunted, had all sorts of disease and pest issues, and barely produced. The stuff in Cost of Maine produced so much and was so healthy, I will never cheap out on soil again.
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Kelloggs is downright poison. It nearly killed my seedlings and as a test, I left 2 in it, and repotted everything else into quality Coast of Maine soil. I added am the same amendments to both. The stuff in Kellogg stayed stunted, had all sorts of disease and pest issues, and barely produced. The stuff in Cost of Maine produced so much and was so healthy, I will never cheap out on soil again.
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arnoldreiter435
my raised beds are in the middle of one acre of Montana prairie dirt. Even dandelions have a hard time with the dirt. your last few videos have given me some great info. first i have not been using enough fertilizer and second the organic is better long term in a raised bed. Just watching the aphids problem in this vid convinced me to stick with organic despite the increasing cost.
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my raised beds are in the middle of one acre of Montana prairie dirt. Even dandelions have a hard time with the dirt. your last few videos have given me some great info. first i have not been using enough fertilizer and second the organic is better long term in a raised bed. Just watching the aphids problem in this vid convinced me to stick with organic despite the increasing cost.
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arcan762
Do you think you should have drastically increased the dosage of fertilisers for the bottom two, since the top two are already juiced up
Would be interesting to see a follow-up experiment to this with the same bottom two performers, but with different amounts of fertiliser, maybe go crazy with one just to see what happens if you dump in 5x the recommended amount.
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Do you think you should have drastically increased the dosage of fertilisers for the bottom two, since the top two are already juiced up
Would be interesting to see a follow-up experiment to this with the same bottom two performers, but with different amounts of fertiliser, maybe go crazy with one just to see what happens if you dump in 5x the recommended amount.
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Argo53
Your conclusion is synthetic= aphids. But you also stated that aphids are attracted to an abundance of nitrogen. Therefore, the 12-4-8 would naturally be more aphid centric than the 4-6-8, regardless of fertilizer composition. For your next cabbage crop, maybe repeat the experiment with the same N-P-K values for both fetilizer types. That would be really telling.
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Your conclusion is synthetic= aphids. But you also stated that aphids are attracted to an abundance of nitrogen. Therefore, the 12-4-8 would naturally be more aphid centric than the 4-6-8, regardless of fertilizer composition. For your next cabbage crop, maybe repeat the experiment with the same N-P-K values for both fetilizer types. That would be really telling.
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Anna-jl1rx
This is what I call a helpful video. Thanks a lot! Edit: This goes towards confirming that micronutrients found in organic and good quality synthetic products are very important. The organically fertilized dense cabbage in the poor soil to the left is probably nutrient dense and tasty. Tasty and nutritious definitely wins over big in my opinion.
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This is what I call a helpful video. Thanks a lot! Edit: This goes towards confirming that micronutrients found in organic and good quality synthetic products are very important. The organically fertilized dense cabbage in the poor soil to the left is probably nutrient dense and tasty. Tasty and nutritious definitely wins over big in my opinion.
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kittiew260
I bought the Vigoro to winter sowing because of your results on the previous experiment. Hope it works better than past experience as the other ones don't seem to hold moisture. We shall see in a month or so. Unfortunately, it's still snowing, but we start warming up in April. thank you for doing these experiment so we can see the results
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I bought the Vigoro to winter sowing because of your results on the previous experiment. Hope it works better than past experience as the other ones don't seem to hold moisture. We shall see in a month or so. Unfortunately, it's still snowing, but we start warming up in April. thank you for doing these experiment so we can see the results
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reeferbob
I've used miracle grow fertalizier for years and have slowly been moving toward organics. This year I purchased the AgroThrive organic liquid that Jacques used in another video. I'm gonna throw the rest of my miracle grow out. Funny though that the Miracle Grow soil is still really good. It's super inexpensive at my local Costco!
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I've used miracle grow fertalizier for years and have slowly been moving toward organics. This year I purchased the AgroThrive organic liquid that Jacques used in another video. I'm gonna throw the rest of my miracle grow out. Funny though that the Miracle Grow soil is still really good. It's super inexpensive at my local Costco!
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