Mix and Match Organic fertilizer

"Make your own custom organic fertilizer for almost any plant, says Bill Wolf, co-author of Rodale's Chemical-Free Yard and Garden. In general terms, there are three basic nutrients that a good general organic fertilizer should supply: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. You can save money by buying organic amendments that supply these nutrients and mixing them yourself in the proportions Bill recommends. The specific quantities of each nutrient will vary according to the materials you use, but all will give a balanced supply of nutrients.

Ingredients and Supplies

2 parts blood meal or 3 parts fish meal
(nitrogen source)
3 parts bonemeal, 6 parts rock phos-
phate, or 6 parts colloidal phosphate
(phosphorus source) 1 part kelp meal or 6 parts greensand
(potassium source) Dust mask Gloves
Safety goggles

Directions
1. Choose I nitrogen source, 1 phosphorus source, and 1 potassium source from the materials listed above. For example, you could select blood meal for nitrogen, rock phosphate for phosphorus, and greensand for potassium.
2. Mix the 3 materials you've chosen in the proper proportions. Be sure to wear a dust mask, gloves, and safety goggles while mixing the ingredients.
3. Apply the custom fertilizer around the base of established perennials, fruit trees, or roses. You can also mix some of the fertilizer into the soil of a bed before planting vegetable or flower transplants.

Kelp helps your plants
Kelp meal is the single product that Bill Wolf uses most to fertilize plants because it is such a complete source of the minerals that plants need. He advises applying 10 pounds of kelp per 1,000 square feet for fruit crops, vegetables, lawns, or ornamentals. Adding 1 teaspoon of kelp meal to the potting soil in a 6-inch pot will keep container plants looking their best.
Bill also says that if you can get fresh kelp or seaweed, by all means use it! He recommends rinsing the seaweed to remove salt, then applying it as a mulch or adding it to your compost pile. It decays quickly and is weed and seed free!